Under-performance in poultry Flashcards

1
Q

Describe a poultry pyramid

A

TOP:
Pure line genetic flock - genetic companies
Great grandparents - genetic companies
Grandparents - Integrator/genetic companies
Parent flocks - Integrator companies
Broilers or layers - Integrators/ farmers
BOTTOM OF PYRAMID

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2
Q

Where does crop sit (crop, proventriculus or gizzard)?

A

Gizzard

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3
Q

How much of the market do free range eggs make up?

A

43%

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4
Q

Describe enriched cages

A
potential to nest
potential to roost
potential to scratch
potential to stretch
15 birds/pen
produces cleaner eggs
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5
Q

Name 3 laying systems

A

free range: access to fields and barn
enriched colony cage - 750cm2/bird
barns - 11 hens per m2

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6
Q

Describe hen lifecycle

A
  • 0-16 w birds are reared in bars on pullet rearing farm (20 vaccines in this time, most in water)
  • pullet moved to laying farm
  • 18-20 w pullet starts to lay (very small eggs to start)
  • pullet becomes a ‘layer’ and lives until 72 w (aim to increase to 100d)
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7
Q

Outline diagnostics in poultry

A

FLOCK LEVEL!

  • serology (Ab titres, 10% flock)
  • swabs (PCR/bacteriology culture and sensitivity)
  • virus isolation
  • FEC, cocci oocyst counts
  • PME
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8
Q

How is mycoplasma tested for?

A

PCR

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9
Q

Main cause - under-performance in layers

A

Poor management

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10
Q

CS - poor management in layers

A
  • egg production drop
  • change in egg shell quality
  • change in egg size
  • mortality
  • water/feed intake reduction
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11
Q

List some dz affecting layers

A
  • infectious bronchitis (IB)
  • mycoplasma
  • peritonitis
  • endoparasites and ectoparasites
  • POOR MANAGEMENT
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12
Q

What is IB?

A
  • common virus
  • coronavirus
  • virus mutates readily –> many shells (>100 strains)
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13
Q

CS - IB

A
  • snicking
  • watery eyes/nose
  • head shaking
  • ‘wrinkly egg’s
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14
Q

Pathogenesis - IB

A
  • IB damages cilia in respiratory tract –> infected birds cannot remove mucus containing these bugs out of lower respiratory system –> allows bacteria and viruses better access to the air sacs than in healthy birds
  • once in the air sacs bacteria (e.g. Pasteurella, E.coli) can cause air sacculitis and even cross the thin air sac wall into abdomen to cause peritonitis and death
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15
Q

Dx and prevention of IB

A
  • PCR swabs (cloacal, 10 samples), 1st point of call
  • paired serology (£600 so commercial flocks only)
  • ensure good vaccination technique (rear)
  • ensure correct vaccines are used at correct time (q6-8 weeks during lay)
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16
Q

Describe mycoplasma infection

A
  • bigger than a virus, smaller than a bacteria
  • 23 different types with M.gallisepticum most prevalent
  • once infected birds remain infected for life
17
Q

CS - mycoplasma

A
  • swollen head
  • swollen tissue around eye
  • bubbles in corner of eye
  • wrinkly white eggs
  • affects flying ability?
18
Q

Transmission - mycoplasma

A
  • adult to chick through egg/semen
  • bird to bird: sneezing, coughing, directly or through water system
  • incubation period is 6-10d
  • infected birds on farm boundary to neighbouring farms
  • from wild bird population
19
Q

Describe peritonitis

A
  • most common dx in adults, secondary to almost all dz
  • stress and coming into lay
  • oviduct and tracheal similarities
  • primary/secondary
  • many types of E.coli involed
  • tx included AB based on C+S (4 types with 0d egg withdrawal, 2 work = Denigrad and tylan. You can’t use baytril in layers as specifically contraindicated on the datasheet)
  • Vaccines - 2 types - 1 commerical, covers many E.coli strains, other is specific autogenous vaccine to farm based on farm E.coli type
20
Q

Outline worm tx

A
  • Fubenvet in feed licensed fro 7d
  • Solubenol in water licensed for 7d
  • Fimabo in water licensed for 7 days
  • Panacure Aquasol licensed for 5 days (expensive, commercial only)
21
Q

What are the different worm types?

A
  • Ascaridia galli (round worm, intestinal)
  • Capillaria (hair worm, crop)
  • Heterakis gallinarum (caecum, carries Blackhead - not good, causes sudden death, hobnail liver lesions, caecal ulcers)
  • Syngamus trachea = gape worm
  • PPP vary 14-21 days
22
Q

Describe red mite

A
  • v common
  • nocturnal
  • vampires of poultry world
  • think fleas!
  • you may not know the birds have an infestation
  • visible to naked eye
  • life cycle can be as short as 10d in warm weather
  • can liver 2 y w/o eating
  • tx is a powder, organic, causes outer skin of mite to be scratched out –> dehydration
23
Q

CS - underperformance in broilers

A
  • underweight
  • reduced water consumption
  • reduced feed intake
  • CS - enteritis, diarrhoea
24
Q

Describe broiler life cycle

A
  • chick placed weigh 40-50g
  • kept until 30-65d then slaughtered
  • birds remain on same farm until cleared
  • standards kept in barns whole life, max crop 100,000
  • free range kept in barns until 21d of age then allowed out until clearing, 10,000 birds maximum
  • organic kept in small sheds allowed out from 21 days, max crop size 5000
25
Q

How can prevalence of pododermatitis be reduced?

A

lifting nipple feeders higher as birds grow/ get older

26
Q

Name diseases in BROILERS

A
  • IB
  • Infectious Bursal Disease = IBD (Gumboro)
  • coccidiosis
  • enteritis/ dysbacteriosis
27
Q

Outline IBD

A

= Infectious bursal disease

  • bursa is the bird immune system HQ
  • aka Gumboro dz
  • affects B cells in bursa of fabricius
  • birnavirus
  • NOT zoonotic
  • damages immune system –> other conditions
  • vaccinated at 18, 24 and 28 d in some cases
28
Q

Outline coccidioss in BROILERS

A
  • Eimeria acervulina at 14d : won’t kill birds but they slow in growth and become uneven
  • E. tenella (blood) at 25d : kills birds
  • sometimes secondary necrotic enteritis
  • 8 spp of cocci affect layers and 5 spp of cocci affect broilers (d/t lifespan)
29
Q

Outline cocci control

A
  • coccidiostats ionophores
  • chemical cocci tx (Baycox/Ampolium, virkon useless)
  • cleaning of houses with chemicals that kill oocysts
  • burning of barn floors (most effective)
30
Q

Outline enteritis/ dysbacteritis

A
  • bacterial scour (usually clostridia)
  • variable causes (secondary to lots of things)
  • difficult to tx (Amoxicillin)
  • next stage is necrotic enteritis
  • cholangiohepatitis
31
Q

Outline neteritis

A
  • Clostridia perfingens type C
  • spike in mortality
  • penicillin sensitive
  • associated with coccidia
  • possibly low mortality followed by secondary cholangiohepatitis