Chickens wheeze and sneeze: what to do? Diseases of laying hens and their treatment: photos, causes, symptoms, treatment Why does a chicken moan

Diseases spare no one; any animal can get sick and die if you don’t pay attention to the obvious symptoms in time and don’t provide the right help. Domestic chickens very often die because the owners did not pay attention to certain signs and did not help cure the disease. For example, diarrhea in chickens is a phenomenon that is quite difficult to immediately notice. Therefore, household utensils should be treated carefully. This article will discuss the most common diseases of chickens, their symptoms and suggest treatment options.

Main diseases of laying hens

It is necessary for everyone who breeds chickens or keeps them to obtain eggs to know about possible diseases of chickens. The main cause of the disease is improper maintenance or nutrition of chickens.

Infectious diseases

Colibacillosis

This is a disease not only of adult laying hens, but also of young animals. Main symptoms: lethargy, thirst and fever. The infection affects the respiratory tract, so when you pick up the chicken, you will clearly hear wheezing. And as you move, they will only intensify. Characteristic wheezing is clearly visible in young chickens, but in old chickens this cannot always be observed. Here you will need the help of a specialist.

If the diagnosis is established, then it is necessary to immediately proceed to treatment. To do this, it is enough to give penicillin. As veterinarians note, small an overdose of this medicine promotes the development of immunity to the disease.

Pasteurellosis

This disease takes the lives of chickens at 2-3 months. But most of all, adult birds die from it. Symptoms of the disease: lethargy, fever, thirst, the chicken practically does not move, and mucous fluid flows from the nasal openings, diarrhea, the chicken constantly ruffles and raises its feathers. The comb and earrings of such a chicken will darken and acquire a bluish tint. If this infection is not treated immediately, the mortality of the entire livestock is guaranteed.

This infection is treatable only in the first stage. They are given tetracycline 1-2% aqueous solution. Some veterinarians recommend using norsulfazole solution. These drugs are added to the feed 0.5 g at a time.

Salmonellosis

This disease manifests itself to a greater extent in young chickens, but there are cases of infection in adults as well. Characteristic symptoms include: lameness in one leg, conjunctevitis, increased tearing, and breathing problems. When it is no longer possible to save the bird, it simply falls on its side or back and dies. Leg diseases in chickens are not uncommon, so you need to monitor them very carefully.

If this happens to you, then immediately begin treating the remaining chickens. Them antibiotics can be given chloramphenicol, chlortetracycline or sulfonamide. Small doses of drugs are added to the feed and given to chickens for at least 10 days.

Newcastle disease

This disease does not choose between young or old birds. The disease progresses very quickly, most often the bird is simply declared dead. A sick bird constantly sleeps, does not eat anything and has a fever; fluid will come out of its beak, which will smell bad. The chicken has difficulty breathing, because its mouth is full of this mucus, and its beak is constantly open. The breathing of this bird is accompanied by croaking sounds. Just before death, the bird's comb and earrings turn blue.

Until now, veterinarians have not developed methods for treating this disease. Their only advice is to destroy all existing poultry populations. But if you take a chance and the chicken survives, then she will get immunity, but the offspring will be constantly susceptible to this disease.

Smallpox

This disease mainly affects young chickens. Specific growths called pockmarks appear on the skin of the bird. More often they are focused on the head or cloaca and if treatment is not started in a timely manner, the growths increase and unite with each other. At the first stages, the new growths are yellow, but over time they become dark brown.

After a few weeks, these pockmarks begin to bleed, harden, and fall off. Further, such formations appear in the animal’s mouth, the bird stops eating, and has difficulty breathing.

In order to avoid hardening of pockmarks, it is necessary treat the affected areas with any fat or glycerin. If you noticed in the later stages and the disease has affected the oral cavity, then you need to pour a small amount of 1% iodine into the beak. You can wash it with chamomile decoction. Such a bird must constantly have access to water.

This disease occurs in 70% of adult birds. Main symptoms: lethargy, decreased or complete lack of appetite. The chicken drinks a lot of water.

This infection is treated only with antibiotics, they are diluted with water and administered intramuscularly.

Tuberculosis

This infectious disease affects not only people, but also chickens. Not only the lungs are affected, but also all internal organs. The cause of the disease is unsanitary conditions in the chicken coop. The main symptoms of the disease are: severe thinness, pallor of the comb and earrings. This disease cannot be treated. Infected chickens must be destroyed, and clean and disinfect everything in the chicken coop.

Non-communicable diseases

Goiter atony

This disease is unique to laying hens. It is caused by unbalanced or untimely nutrition. If owners feed chickens with low quality ingredients, then they can accumulate in the crop and form an obstruction. It is easy to determine this disease; just try to touch the chicken’s crop; if it is hard and sagging for a long time, then the chicken is sick. The death of the chicken occurs suddenly and instantly, the goiter blocks the respiratory tract and the jugular vein.

It is not difficult to treat this disease. It is enough to drop a few milliliters of vegetable oil into the goiter through a probe. Further, a light massage of the hardened goiter is performed and turn the chicken upside down, slowly removing all the contents. Veterinarians recommend pouring a solution of potassium permanganate into the goiter after this procedure.

Gastroenteritis

A chicken can get sick at any age. Due to poor nutrition, problems with the digestive tract begin, diarrhea and weakness appear.

Considering that these symptoms may be the cause of an infectious disease, it is better to invite a veterinarian for examination. If the diagnosis is confirmed, then it is enough to feed the chicken a balanced diet for several days.

Cloacite

The cause of the disease is also poor nutrition or violations of chicken keeping standards. But here the cloaca becomes inflamed. There have been cases where the cause of the disease may be problems with egg release.

Treatment involves washing the cloaca with manganese, preliminary cleaning of pus, and then lubricating the area with petroleum jelly, anesthesin and terramycin. To avoid this disease, experts recommend introducing natural greens into the food, carrots or root vegetables.

Keratoconjunctivitis

This disease affects chickens that are kept in barns where manure is poorly or rarely cleaned. From fresh litter ammonia vapors are released into the air, which cause inflammation of the eyes and bronchial tract. The main symptoms are: watery eyes, dirty and wet feathers, and yellow masses may collect on the eyelids.

For treatment, it is necessary to clean the barn well from chicken droppings and ventilate it well. Rinse your eyes with chamomile decoction.

Avitaminosis

This disease is more common in laying hens that are kept in cages. They do not eat natural food, only mixtures. Conjunctevitis, minimal body weight, weakness, and feather loss may be observed.

For treatment, it is necessary to balance the diet and introduce natural herbs into the diet.

Sharp objects in the stomach

A chicken is an unpredictable bird, especially if it is given free will. Chickens peck at any objects. Therefore, very often the cause of death is the presence of a sharp object in the stomach, which ruptures it.

The same can happen with a goiter; rough parts of grass and small bones can form a blockage in the goiter, which will lead to death.

The chicken can't lay an egg

Such situations often occur in young laying hens. She begins to scurry around the chicken coop, her crest turning bright red. It is necessary to help such a chicken or she will die. It is enough to do the following:

heat a bucket of hot water and hold it over the steam for about half an hour, then lubricate the passage with Vaseline;
if the chicken egg is too large and gets stuck in the cloaca when laid, then it can be pierced with a syringe, draw out the liquid and, pressing the shell a little, carefully remove it from the passage;
If the egg begins to come out across, then the chicken is laid on its back and any oil or Vaseline is injected using a syringe, and then the egg is gently pushed out.

Eggs without shell

Carbon tetrachloride is used for treatment at a rate of 5 mg per animal.

Inflammation of the ovaries

The cause of the disease is a blow or a sharp fall from a height. The yolks that have started inside may develop and begin to rot. Obvious signs will be irregularly shaped eggs, two yolks in one shell, and a thin shell. Such a bird dies very often.

Frostbite of the extremities

In winter, during severe frosts, ridges often chicken legs get frostbitten and these parts subsequently die off. At the first symptoms of frostbite on the chicken’s legs, it is necessary to rub these areas with snow and lubricate them with iodine.

This disease is treated with the drug Flubenvet. 3g is enough. per 1 kilogram of feed. The course of treatment is 7 days. If diarrhea does not go away, you should immediately consult a specialist.

In order to get rid of them, It is necessary to regularly treat the chicken coop chlorophos solutions and karbofos emulsion. During processing, chickens should not be indoors and after - about 2-3 hours.

Be sure to change the perches and straw in the areas where they lay eggs.

Fight against feather eaters

This disease affects a large number of adult birds. If you do not provide timely assistance, the disease will only progress. Symptoms: difficulty breathing, white-yellow spots on the ridge. This disease cannot be treated. Such birds are killed.

Aspergillosis

This is a disease of the respiratory system. Symptoms: the bird sneezes, its beak turns blue. Treatment is only with copper sulfate, which is introduced into the diet.

Preventive measures to prevent disease

If you do not want to lose your bird, then periodically perform the following preventive measures:

do not combine young and adult birds, this can cause the death of both;
if the bird is sick, immediately move it to a separate room;
if the chicken cannot be treated, it must be destroyed and burned;
Be sure to treat the chicken coop with disinfectants at least once a month.

Provide your chickens with proper care and a balanced diet and most of the above diseases will not bother your bird. Diseases of chickens and their treatment are the most important topics for those who breed these birds.

Even the most experienced and responsible farmers are unable to prevent chickens from getting sick; in practice, it is impossible to protect the farm from this. Therefore, any poultry enterprise or farming is not insured against unplanned, sometimes huge, financial losses. After all, poultry, along with other animals, does not have a strong immune system and suffers from many infections, from which it cannot be completely protected. In this article we will take a closer look at the question: why do chickens wheeze and how to deal with it.

Wheezing is an uncharacteristic sound for a healthy chicken, which is a sign of a number of problems with its health. In different cases, difficult breathing resembles rattling, whistling, gurgling, or even human snoring. It is undesirable to ignore this, otherwise even healthy livestock may get sick.

Problems with the respiratory system can cause:

cold;
bronchitis of an infectious and non-infectious nature;
bronchial pneumonia;
infections (mycoplasmosis, colibacillosis and others).

Cold

Wheezing is the most common symptom of avian illness. They do not pose a serious threat to life and do not lead to death, but they still require some intervention. Since inaction threatens infection of the entire livestock, a decrease in egg production and possible complications in the future.

The main cause of the disease is drafts, low temperature or high humidity levels in the poultry house. A sick laying hen has swelling of the mucous membranes, inflamed airways and, as a result, breathing problems - she tries to breathe through her mouth, since her nose is filled with mucus, similar to a runny nose. If treatment is not started, the hen will begin to sneeze and cough.

Cold treatment

There is no need to treat a cold. It is enough to carry out the following activities:

maintain a temperature regime of at least 15°C, protect the livestock from high humidity and drafts in the place where it is kept;
replace water in drinking bowls with nettle decoction;
use inhalation methods using medications or essential oils.
special smoke bombs work effectively with large livestock;
provide food rich in vitamins and minerals.

Infectious type bronchitis (IB)

A serious infectious disease, the main symptoms are wheezing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, runny nose and cough. Quite often, the disease affects the kidneys of the chicken, which significantly reduces its productivity. If the infection develops and affects the lungs of young animals, they are likely to die.

IBV is transmitted by airborne transmission but is also spread through feed, water, bedding, secretions of disease vectors, or the clothing and tools of workers in large poultry houses. It does not pose a danger to the human body.

IBV almost always affects poultry, although cases of this disease have been recorded in pheasants and quails. Chickens of all age categories suffer from IB, but chickens and young laying hens suffer the most from it. When you detect the first signs, you should react immediately. The disease can lead to a decrease in egg production by 30-40%. In this case, broilers will seriously lag behind in weight gain, and feed conversion will noticeably decrease.

The recovered individual acts as a carrier of the virus for the next 100 days. During this time, it is released along with saliva, waste products, or fluid from the mucous membranes.

Signs of the disease in adults:

labored breathing;
drop in productivity;
green diarrhea;
nervousness;
hemorrhages in the bronchi and trachea (visible after autopsy);
eggs with a limescale coating or thin shell.

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The biggest damage from infectious bronchitis for the farm is a drop in egg production and productivity of laying hens. At the same time, those who have been ill often cannot return to their previous productivity levels.

Chicken bronchitis has three clinical manifestations:

Respiratory syndrome is typical for both chickens and adults. But it is more noticeable in young animals. Has symptoms similar to a cold. Young animals have a decreased appetite, they lose weight and huddle near heat sources due to impaired thermoregulation of their bodies. The disease is most acute in the first three weeks. During this time, according to statistics, chickens up to three weeks old survive in 60% of cases, while adult birds almost always survive, but at the same time lag behind healthy peers in development.
Nephrozenphritis syndrome - the symptoms are almost the same as those of the respiratory syndrome, but in this case the victim’s kidneys are also affected. At the same time, the bird wheezes, coughs, suffers from copious mucus secretion due to inflammation, as well as diarrhea with urate impurities. The survival rate in this case is about 30%. At autopsy, the kidneys have a clearly visible pattern of blood vessels.
Damaged chicken kidneys
Reproductive syndrome is typical for adult laying hens. In infected chickens, 1-2 weeks after the first symptoms of illness appear, egg-laying rates sharply decrease or they stop laying eggs altogether. Signs of a respiratory disease may not appear, with the exception of slight wheezing and a decrease in egg production. After illness, the productivity of laying hens does not return to its previous level, and the eggs have a defective appearance.
If IBV is suspected, chicken eggs are not recommended to be used.

Methods to combat IBK

Control of IBV includes the use of disinfectants in the form of sprays. This can be aluminum iodide, glutex, Lugol's solution and others. Particular attention should be paid to the chicken coop, since it is often the cause of hypothermia, one of the main causes of disease. The above measures are only preventive in nature, and if the disease occurs, antibiotics are used.

Preventing the spread of disease in a chicken coop is not easy due to the large number of birds. Disinfection of the chicken coop is also used as a preventive measure, at certain intervals. Disinfection, which we will discuss in this article, helps protect chickens from disease and maintain sanitation.

Bronchipneumonia in chickens

Pneumonia is a serious avian disease. It mainly affects young animals aged 10-20 days; it is practically not found in adults. The cause of the disease is improper maintenance: in a draft, in the cold or in the rain. First, the disease affects the bronchi, then attacks the lungs and pleural film (covers the lungs from the inside).

Sick individuals are characterized by rapid breathing and moist rales. They cough, sneeze, practically stop eating and become inactive. When the lungs are affected, the chicken breathes heavily through its mouth, sits ruffled and practically does not move.

Fighting bronchial pneumonia

In the initial stages it is treatable. When the first signs are detected, aspiseptol should be sprayed in the poultry house (the chickens should be inside at this time). It is advisable to carry out treatment in the evening. The drug is a solution containing 350 g of soda, diluted in 3 liters of water, mixed with 250 g of bleach, diluted in 7 liters of water. Add water to the composition in a 1:1 ratio, stir and spray.

Mycoplasmosis

Mycoplasmosis is classified as an infectious disease. It is found quite often on poultry farms. It occurs in the form of acute chronic damage to the respiratory system. It spreads through water and air, and also transovirally, that is, from an unhealthy chicken to its offspring.

Mycoplasmosis is spreading extremely quickly. Moreover, its carriers can also be ducks, turkeys and other animals that can infect each other. It is very important to make a correct diagnosis in a timely manner, keep unhealthy individuals separately and promptly treat them. The chance of death is 5-40%.

The virus enters the mucous membranes of the victim, disrupts its respiratory system and reproductive function, and attacks the organs of the immune system. As a result, the body as a whole is depleted. Chickens primarily suffer from mycoplasmosis. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful and exclude the possibility of eggs from unhealthy laying hens getting into the incubator.

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Egg incubators

Sometimes unhealthy chickens suffer from diarrhea and, as a result, their general condition noticeably worsens. Diagnosis of mycoplasmosis is difficult because the disease can develop without any obvious symptoms. Conventionally, the infection includes four main stages of development:

Latent stage. Its duration ranges from 12 to 21 days. An infected and a healthy chicken look the same.
At this stage, signs appear in 5-10% of infected people: in young birds there is difficulty breathing and foamy discharge from the nostrils, in adult birds there is a disorder of the reproductive system (decreased egg production, death of embryos), cough, (conjunctivitis).
Stage three - the unhealthy body begins to secrete antibodies. This and the final stages proceed unnoticed.
The last stage - infected chickens become carriers of mycoplasmosis.

When assessing the health of the livestock, many farm owners first examine the rooster. This is due to the fact that it is the rooster who shows symptoms of diseases earlier than others, so there is a chance to prevent the impending attack. A veterinarian will be able to make an accurate diagnosis after conducting special tests. To do this, he will need to examine cultures of exudates or the so-called polymerase chain reaction.

Treatment of mycoplasmosis

A sick bird is treated with antibiotics. These may be: streptomycin, chlortetracycline, spiramycin, oxytetracycline and other drugs. At the standard dosage, 200 g of medicine is consumed per 1 ton of feed. Treatment is carried out for 5 days. Chickens are treated with tamulin, and tylosin injections are used to increase egg production in laying hens.

Colibacillosis

Colibacillosis is an acute disease that most often affects young animals up to two weeks old. It can have acute and chronic forms of colibacillosis. In the first case, symptoms will appear from a couple of hours to several days. Characteristic signs are increased body temperature by 1-2°C, severe thirst and loss of interest in food, and impaired defecation. Death occurs due to intoxication of the body.

The next stage is the development of a chronic form, which is a continuation of the acute form. If sick chickens are cured in time, then at first they seem quite healthy. But there is a high chance of re-infection after a couple of days. Clinical signs will begin to appear gradually, with intensification. One of the first symptoms is diarrhea, thirst, loss of appetite, and decreased activity. At the same time, the appearance of unhealthy individuals worsens, and they quickly lose weight.

2-3 weeks after infection, the bird experiences attacks of suffocation, it becomes difficult for it to breathe and a cough appears. Chickens begin to breathe intermittently and a crunching and squealing sound is periodically heard in the sternum. This suggests that every breath is extremely difficult for them. Convulsions and paralysis may occur in young animals when the neck of an infected chicken becomes abnormally twisted. Very often this leads to death. Recovered individuals will develop worse than their relatives in the future.

Treatment of colibacillosis

For colibacillosis, antibiotic treatment is also carried out. In this case, veterinarians advise using biomycin, syntomycin or terramycin. Sick individuals are treated for 5 days, but, if necessary, the course of treatment can be repeated.

Meat or eggs from chickens that have been treated with antibiotics should not be eaten for at least two weeks.

Disease Prevention

As noted above, it is impossible to completely protect livestock from diseases, but this probability can be minimized. To do this you need to adhere to the following rules:

The manifestation of symptoms in one chicken is a reason to inspect the entire flock, since there is a high chance of infection of several individuals at the same time. They all need to be kept separate from healthy birds. At the same time, if possible, infected chickens are given better living conditions and given food with a high content of vitamins and minerals.
There should be no drafts or dampness in the poultry house, and the temperature should not fall below 15°C.
Poultry keeping areas are regularly disinfected.

Self-medication is not always effective. The disease can develop, become more severe and lead to mass death of birds. It is better to consult your veterinarian first.

Video - Wheezing in chickens

Video - What hoarse sounds can a chicken make?

In the process of raising birds, you can sometimes encounter alarming symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. Other breathing disorders may also be observed, for example, heavy breathing, various wheezing. Ignoring such symptoms can result in the death of the bird and the loss of a significant part of the population. Therefore, it is important to know what diseases can give such a clinical picture, and what to do to combat the diseases.

Why do chickens sneeze and wheeze?

The cause of coughing, wheezing and sneezing can be both non-infectious diseases and infections of various origins.

Typically, symptoms are not limited to respiratory disorders and include a number of other manifestations:

discharge from the nasal passages, eyes;
stool disorders (diarrhea);
loss of appetite;
apathy, inactivity, lethargy;
decrease in productivity, live weight;
general deterioration in appearance.

Important!Often, without proper treatment, the infection progresses, and the sick individual spreads it, infecting other birds. If left untreated, a significant proportion of chickens may die.

Chickens have weaker immunity than adult chickens, especially for broiler species, which, as a result of selection, have received very weak immune protection and increased sensitivity to environmental conditions. Sneezing in chickens can be a sign of either a common cold or a deadly infection. If you notice this symptom, first of all, analyze the conditions of detention.
Perhaps there are drafts or cracks in the chicken coop, high humidity, or insufficiently high temperatures (which is extremely important for broiler chickens!). For preventive purposes, chickens can be given a veterinary drug. The drug should be diluted in water in the proportion of 1 ml of medication per 1 liter, and given to drink from the second to the fifth day after birth. To improve immunity, you can drink a solution of the drug (6 drops of the drug per 1 liter of water).

If coughing and sneezing are accompanied by other symptoms, try using broad-spectrum antibiotics - Tetracycline or Levomycetin. You need to dilute the powder of 1 tablet in 1 liter of water and drink it for 4 days. Common causes of cough in young animals are colds, bronchitis, mycoplasmosis, pneumonia, and colibacillosis. These diseases also occur in adults. We will talk further about the specifics of the listed ailments, methods of treatment and prevention.

Possible diseases and treatment

As you might have guessed, many ailments can be manifested by sneezing and coughing, so you need to pay attention to other symptoms to determine the cause of the painful condition. If possible, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian.

Cold

This is one of the most common causes of coughing and sneezing. At first glance, this is a harmless and harmless disease, but the catch is that without proper treatment, a cold can cause serious complications. The cause of the disease is hypothermia of birds as a result of walking at sub-zero temperatures, dampness and cracks in the house, poor heating or its complete absence in winter.
Usually, in addition to coughing, a cold is accompanied by mucus discharge from the nose, a constantly open beak, decreased appetite, heavy breathing and various sounds in the process: whistling, wheezing, bubbling. The bird moves little and usually hides in a corner.

Important!If possible, sick individuals should be separated from the rest of the herd. Quarantine must continue throughout the entire treatment period. The room during the quarantine period must be warm and dry. The main poultry house should be disinfected and cleaned at the same time.

Treatment and prevention

Treatment of the disease comes down to the following measures:

For prolonged colds, antibiotics are used: “Erythromycin” (40 mg per 1 kg of live weight), “Tetracycline” (5 mg per 1 kg of live weight). Antibiotic therapy lasts 7 days.
With a milder course or at the beginning of the disease, you can try to fight the disease with herbal decoctions from the leaves of nettle, currant, raspberry and linden. They can also be given for prevention. To prepare the decoction 5 tbsp. l. raw materials are poured with 1 liter of hot water and infused in a water bath for 30 minutes. The decoction is given to black whales instead of water for 3–4 days.
The chicken coop should be thoroughly cleaned and washed, including all drinking bowls and feeders.
Eucalyptus aroma lamps can be used as an auxiliary method.

The main preventive measure is to prevent hypothermia in birds. To do this, you should properly arrange the chicken coop, monitor the temperature (it should not be below +15 ° C), and, if necessary, insulate the walls and floor. It is necessary to eliminate drafts, at the same time, ventilation is mandatory.

Laryngotracheitis

Laryngotracheitis is a viral infectious disease that affects the respiratory tract. It appears most often in chickens aged 2–4 months. The disease is not dangerous for humans; eggs from chickens that have been infected can also be eaten. The virus is very quickly transmitted from a sick individual to everyone else, while a chicken that has been ill or even vaccinated develops immunity, but remains a carrier of viral agents for life and can infect others.

The disease can occur in acute, subacute and chronic form. Accordingly, the mortality rate is 80%, 20% and 1–2% for each form. Outbreaks of the disease are most often observed in the autumn-spring period. Additional factors that provoke the disease are musty and dusty poultry houses, poor diet, and excessive humidity. To establish the disease, you need to examine the larynx of the sick individual - you can notice hyperemia and swelling, mucus and cheesy discharge on the organ.
Sometimes the eyes can be affected with the development of conjunctivitis, which often leads to blindness. In the ocular form of the disease, coughing and sneezing may be absent. It is very important to differentiate this disease from other infectious diseases: bronchitis, pasteurellosis, mycoplasmosis.

Treatment and prevention

Unfortunately, in some cases, an extreme measure is recommended - sending the entire livestock for slaughter and, after thoroughly disinfecting the premises (with chlorine turpentine), starting a new one. If this option is unacceptable, it is necessary to cull the most weakened and emaciated birds, and for the rest, carry out the following therapy:

Initially, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used: tetracycline drugs, fluoroquinolones. A solution is prepared based on Ciprofloxacin (175 mg per 1 liter of water) and adults are fed for 7 days. Furazolidone is added to the feed in a proportion of 8 g per 10 kg of food, the course of treatment lasts 7 days.
Vitamin preparations can be added to the main feed. "Aminovital" can be added once to food or water at the rate of 4 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water. You can also add the drug “ASD-2” to the food or water (3 ml per volume of food for 100 animals). Vitamin therapy is carried out for 5–7 days.

To prevent an outbreak of the disease on the site, you need to monitor the health of new chickens added to the flock. You can also get vaccinated, but there is one important point to consider. A vaccinated individual is just as infectious to all birds as one who has recovered from the disease. Therefore, once you have vaccinated your livestock, you will have to do it constantly!

Did you know?During the Iraq War, American soldiers used chickens as an identifier for chemical contamination in the air. The fact is that the respiratory system of birds is much weaker and more sensitive than that of humans, so black whales became the first victims of chemicals. The miners did the same when going underground, only they used canaries instead of chickens.

This is a severe viral disease that affects not only the respiratory organs, but also the reproductive and central nervous systems of birds. The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets and spreads with lightning speed throughout the entire population. Chickens of any age and breed are susceptible to rhinotracheitis.

In the most severe cases, a bacterial infection may occur, causing swollen head syndrome. In such a situation, the clinical picture is complemented by the following symptoms: inflammation of the eyes, damage to the oviduct and skull. The mortality rate in the advanced stage of the disease is very high.

Treatment and prevention

At the moment there is no specific therapy against this pathogen. To prevent infection of birds, it is necessary to carefully adhere to sanitary standards for keeping chickens and promptly vaccinate the livestock. The causative agent of the infection, metapneumovirus, quickly dies in the external environment, especially under the influence of disinfectants, so regular cleaning and maintaining cleanliness in the poultry house significantly reduces the risk of infection outbreaks.

Vaccination is carried out for chickens at one day of age, once for broiler breeds and twice for laying hens. The most effective method of vaccination is nebulization of a live vaccine to directly enter the respiratory tract. It is worth considering that the effectiveness of the vaccine decreases over time.

Infectious bronchitis

A highly contagious infectious disease caused by a myxovirus. It mainly affects chickens up to 30 days old and young animals aged 5-6 months. When one individual is infected, it spreads extremely quickly throughout the entire population. Infectious bronchitis causes significant economic damage.
The main carriers of the disease are birds that are sick and have recovered for 3 months. The disease can manifest itself as a symptom of damage to the reproductive organs and nephroso-nephritis syndrome.

Important!If a laying hen suffers from infectious bronchitis at the beginning of her productive age, her egg production is reduced to 20-30% and is no longer restored throughout her life. If a chicken gets sick, it will be severely delayed in development.

Treatment and prevention

There is also no specific treatment for this disease. Sick individuals are protected from the rest of the flock, and the poultry house is also thoroughly disinfected with the following substances: chlorine turpentine, iodine monochloride with aluminum, Lugol, Virtex, etc. If most of the flock is infected, it makes sense to think about slaughtering the birds and forming a new flock, so how bronchitis becomes chronic and cannot be treated.

To prevent the disease, live and inactivated vaccines are used. It is important that a farm experiencing a bronchitis outbreak stop supplying chicks, hatching eggs and hens for a few months.

Video: infectious bronchitis

Bronchial pneumonia is another common cause of coughing and sneezing. The disease can occur as a result of pneumonia, after a cold or infectious bronchitis. It can occur in mild, moderate and severe forms. Often the cause of bronchopneumonia is banal hypothermia - a long stay in the cold, in the rain, living in a cold chicken coop, especially if there are drafts.

Most often, the disease is diagnosed in chickens aged 14–20 days. This disease causes significant damage to the farm, since as a result of the disease, the development of the ovaries and oviduct in birds is disrupted, which has an extremely negative impact on productivity.

Treatment and prevention

The procedure for bronchopneumonia is not much different from that for other bird diseases. Individuals with a pronounced clinical picture are immediately isolated from the rest, and the poultry house is treated with a disinfectant solution. Be sure to thoroughly wash and treat feeders and drinkers.

You can give the whooping whales antibiotics. For example, feeding with the veterinary medicine “Norfloxacin-200” gives good results. The drug is added to water at the rate of 0.5 ml per 1 liter of water, and the chickweed is drunk for 5 days.

It is imperative to take preventive measures:

ensure separate keeping of young and adult chickens;
eliminate dampness and drafts in the poultry house, insulate the walls and floor;
be sure to provide the livestock with vitamins and minerals;
vaccinate against bronchopneumonia.