The main diseases of broiler chickens and their treatment by various means

Surely every poultry farmer knows what kind of bird this is - a broiler. These birds are grown exclusively in order to obtain a large amount of meat products. They are characterized by intensive growth, which allows them to weigh about 2.5 kg when they reach 2-3 months of age. However, such a result is possible only with proper care.

However, in addition to observing all conditions of keeping and providing the birds with balanced feed, it is necessary to carefully monitor the health of the birds. Broilers, just like ordinary chickens, can get sick with a variety of diseases that can lead to the death of just one individual, and the entire livestock as a whole.

This article will list the main diseases of broiler chickens and their treatment with all kinds of drugs. The main thing to remember is that as soon as the first symptom of absolutely any ailment appears, treatment should be started immediately.

In the process of breeding and keeping these birds, it must be remembered that broilers can get sick with a large number of diseases, especially in the first few days from the moment they are born until the onset of 1 month of age. Every poultry farmer should have knowledge of what exists: the symptoms and their treatment using a variety of means.

First of all, you should observe the behavior of birds, especially when such suspicious signs as apathy, reduced appetite and lethargy appear. Maybe this is a temporary phenomenon, and maybe the symptoms of some dangerous disease. Below are the most common broiler diseases and how to treat them.

Mycoplasmosis

This section will consider such a common disease as mycoplasmosis in broilers: symptoms and treatment with various methods.
In general, mycoplasmosis is a respiratory infectious disease, the causative agent of which is mycoplasma, i.e. a special form of life between a virus and a bacterium.

This disease is dangerous in that it is transmitted with ease and high speed through air, water, and also transovarially (from bird to testicle). Most often, broilers older than 1.5 months of age are susceptible to the disease. A provocateur of the disease can be a large bird, recently acquired and put into the house to healthy birds.

It should be noted that if the disease is characterized by an acute form, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to identify its signs immediately, however, it is possible. Today, there are various diseases of broilers, but mycoplasmosis is one of the most dangerous.

Symptoms of mycoplasmosis

It should be noted that the symptoms of this disease are well manifested in cool weather, when there is high humidity and dampness. In addition, the litter on which there was a sick individual can also become the cause of the disease of the entire livestock. When the first sign of illness is detected, the house should be cleaned, disinfected, and the litter should be changed regularly.

Many novice poultry farmers are wondering why broilers get sick and how to treat them correctly? It is the failure to comply with the requirements for keeping poultry that leads to the development of diseases. In continuation of the article, it should be noted that the main symptoms of mycoplasmosis include:

heavy bird breathing, sneezing, coughing and wheezing;
inflammation of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract;
gastrointestinal disorder;
inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes.

Many novice poultry farmers are wondering - why do broilers go blind very quickly? This may be due to mycoplasmosis. True, there are cases when mycoplasma that has entered the body of a bird does not manifest itself at all for a certain time, however, with a change in conditions of detention, weather conditions, and the state of the immune system, the disease develops rapidly. Birds refuse food, reduce egg production, become passive and aggressive.

Treatment of mycoplasmosis

Many novice poultry farmers are wondering - what do broilers get sick with and how to treat them for a quick cure? Today, the market has a wide range of various veterinary drugs of various prices, as well as differing in time of action and effectiveness.

In particular, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used to treat mycoplasmosis, such as:

chlortetracycline;
oxytetracycline.

Regardless of the drug taken, the funds are mixed into food for birds at the rate of 0.2 kg per ton of grain mixture and fed for 5 days. True, it is recommended to treat slightly weakened broilers, relatively strong ones, and it is more practical to kill a weak bird. If there is a large goiter in broilers, then this is a symptom of another disease.

Dropsy in broilers

This section is intended to address the question of what is dropsy in broilers: symptoms and its treatment with maximum efficiency. Despite many years of research on this disease, this disease still causes huge financial losses for poultry farmers around the world. This disease every year leads to the death of about 5-10% of the total number of broilers around the world, which in terms of money is 500 billion dollars.

In general, dropsy is an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity of a bird. Most often, the disease manifests itself in broilers 4-5 weeks of age. This pathology is associated with unnaturally high blood pressure between the lungs and the heart, which is the cause of heart failure, increased blood pressure in the veins, as well as excessive fluid in the liver leaking into the abdominal cavity.

It should be noted that when dropsy appears in broilers, it is quite easy to identify. It is enough just to press a finger in the abdomen. With the development of the disease, it also manifests itself visually. A sick broiler practically does not move, mostly sitting without any activity.

The main symptoms of dropsy include:

labored breathing;
cyanosis of the skin;
the presence of "abdominal dropsy";
slow development of the feathered.

It should be noted that the main cause of the disease was considered a genetic predisposition. For effective treatment, you should reduce the amount of feeding.

If the cause of dropsy is microorganisms, then an acidifier should be used.

Escherichiosis in broilers

Throughout their lives, broilers are prone to a wide variety of diseases, but escherichiosis appears most often. It is this disease that causes the death of a large number of these birds. This mainly applies to chickens, since their immunity is rather weakened. For this reason, the treatment of escherichiosis in broilers should begin immediately from the moment the first symptoms are detected.

Usually this disease is formed due to a violation of the conditions for caring for birds, insufficient ventilation or unsanitary conditions. Affected individuals cough, wheeze and practically do not move. In addition, they completely lose their appetite. Mortality from escherichiosis is very high, which leads to significant financial losses.

So how to treat escherichiosis in broilers effectively? Various antibiotics are used as the main medicines for birds, for example, biomycin and terramycin. These drugs are added to grain mixtures or wet mixers.

In addition, the daily diet of birds should consist of a complex of vitamins. For preventive purposes, birds should be fed exclusively with fresh, as well as balanced feed. Experienced poultry farmers recommend vaccinating broilers. If the poultry breeder has a question - why do broilers have no feathers, then this is most likely an ordinary molt of a bird.

Marek's disease

It should be noted that Marek's disease in broilers is viral in nature and most often occurs in a chronic form, while affecting the peripheral nervous system, as well as internal organs.

Sometimes, for the 1st reason, paralysis is observed in birds. The disease is named after the Hungarian researcher Marek, who first discovered and described the disease in 1907.

The causative agent of the disease is a herpesvirus, which is transmitted by an aerogenic method, and with its properties resembles gamma-herpes viruses. This virus is quite stable, being in the external environment, it can die only at a temperature of 18-20 degrees Celsius. Under favorable conditions, for example, in feather follicles, it can last up to 8 months.

Describing diseases in broilers: symptoms and their treatment with various means, it should be noted that today there is no single method for treating Marek's disease. Everything is connected with the degree of infection of the bird's body, the general state of immunity, age, as well as other factors.

At the initial stage, various methods of treatment are used with the help of antiviral drugs and antibiotics. With the onset of paralysis, recovery will not occur and the broiler will die in 100% of cases. To prevent feathered infection, it is necessary to carry out timely vaccination of birds at 1 day of age.

Worms in broilers

At the same time, beginner poultry farmers have a question - how to treat for a quick cure. It is appropriate to use drugs used in the treatment of mycoplasmosis. Today, thanks to the rapid development of drugs in the veterinary industry, it is possible to find effective both preventive and therapeutic agents without any significant problems. The most important thing is to use them in strict accordance with the attached instructions. Thus, if worms appeared in broilers, you can use the following drugs:

Bitionolo or Fenasal;
Levomizol-plus;
Ivermectin or Flubenvet;
Piperazine;
Pirantel.

All of the above tools are characterized by excellent performance.

aspergillosis in broilers

Many novice poultry farmers are wondering - why do broilers drop feathers, what is the reason? This is usually the result of molting, and there is nothing wrong with that.
However, a much more dangerous disease is aspergillosis, which is a contagious disease that can infect both pets and humans.

The disease is caused by the aspergillus fungus, which is widespread in the soil and enters the body as a result of inhalation of spores. This disease can develop at any time of the year. True, for a strong and healthy bird, it is less dangerous, so fears arise only about young animals.

It should be noted that birds can become infected with the disease even during hatching in the incubator if there are spores of the fungus in the oxygen. Usually effective treatment of aspergillosis in broilers is achieved by the use of antibiotics or various preparations containing iodine.

Key to successful poultry farming

Summing up all of the above, we can conclude that today there are a large number of various diseases of broilers, both representing a danger to individual birds and the entire livestock as a whole, for example, salmonellosis and bronchopneumonia. The article listed the main diseases of broilers: symptoms and their treatment with the help of various means.

After all, every experienced poultry farmer knows that in order to successfully breed and grow such a bird, she should create comfortable conditions that include proper nutrition, proper care, as well as careful monitoring of health. Only the implementation of the entire complex of measures will be the key to successful poultry farming.