Common diseases of the feet in chickens
Today, many people have chickens in their backyard - this occupation brings good profits. But the success of this business depends on the experience of the owner, because it is necessary to quickly respond to emerging problems and diseases of the legs of chickens. First of all, you should learn to notice the symptoms in a timely manner, and for this, the habit of examining the inhabitants of your backyard daily is important. Many broilers have leg ailments.
Diseases of the feet in chickens
It is enough just to watch the birds a little to understand that any of the chickens have a problem with their paws. Sometimes a chicken stands on one leg, but few people react to such a symptom, but in vain. This behavior indicates a violation of the state. Among chicken leg diseases, the first place is occupied by lameness and the so-called calcareous leg. Feathered inhabitants of the courtyard have paralysis with crooked and curly fingers.
If among the chickens you notice an individual that is limping, falls on its paw, moves with difficulty or the chicken does not stand up, then immediately isolate it and examine it very carefully. And the sooner you separate the sick bird from the rest, the better it will be for it - among its relatives it will only get worse: it will be beaten, not allowed to eat, which will only aggravate its condition.
Lameness in poultry
What is the cause of chicken lameness and its symptoms? Most often, if the chicken is lame, then this is the main symptom of any illness or injury. The chicken can get such mechanical injuries as cuts on the feet or toes, for example, by glass fragments, the bird can stretch the ligaments, dislocate, bruise the paw, and damage the muscles. Lameness can also be a consequence of dietary deficiency. Broilers can suffer from lameness due to the fact that they grow and gain weight intensively. Lameness can also appear in birds that have growths or spurs. They appear mainly in adults and can develop due to poor-quality flooring. In any case, the spur or growths must be removed.
A chicken can also start limping due to the fact that it develops a disease of internal organs, namely the kidneys. Such a symptom of kidney disease becomes quite understandable if we take into account that it is through this organ that the nerves that are "responsible" for the activity of chicken legs pass.
The symptom may gradually worsen - from a barely noticeable limp to deep lameness - on one leg or both at once. The appearance of the joint changes - it swells, becomes larger, takes an unnatural position. the hen may also limp due to trembling legs. After running for a short distance, the legs may "break" or the hen cannot stand for a long time, it can hardly stand on its paws.
Treatment of lameness in chickens
First of all, you should inspect the legs of the chicken for mechanical damage.Sometimes it happens as a result of falling from the perch, the chicken lies on its side, the legs swell, this is due to injury. It also happens that a bird inadvertently gets entangled in some kind of rope, fishing line, wire. If not released in time, such bonds can cause great harm to the chicken. If you are convinced that only trauma is the cause of lameness, then you need to treat it according to the minimum plan.
First you need to isolate from other individuals (but since these are herd birds, it is better for a sick laying hen to see its relatives - through the net), complete feed enriched with vitamins and treatment of existing injuries or scratches. For cuts, punctures, use hydrogen peroxide, iodine or brilliant green. If the lame individual has no visible damage, then it is worth showing it to the veterinarian.
Prevention of lameness
The bones, joints and ligaments on the legs of chickens are not strong enough, so you do not need to catch them by the paws - this way you can easily cause injury, even get a fracture. Try to position the perches so that birds have easy access to perch - without obstacles, about which they can be damaged, flying down. Of course, you need to make sure that no sharp objects get into the herd's habitat, to monitor cleanliness.
Arthritis and tendovaginitis
Arthritis is the process of inflammation of the joint capsules and tissues adjacent to them. Broilers are most susceptible to arthritis. Tenosynovitis is an inflammation of the tendons. This disease is more typical for older individuals. In a rooster, this disease is not uncommon. These diseases can arise for various reasons - both mechanical in nature and due to the ingress of a pathogen (bacteria, virus).
But still it is more a disease of dirty feet. In broiler chickens, the disease can be the result of improper maintenance: a large overcrowding of birds, untimely replacement of litter, unbalanced feed. A bird with this disease, not only cannot walk, but even perching on a perch hurts it. The first thing to do is to improve the living conditions of the birds.
Symptoms of arthritis and tendovaginitis
- The bird gets up heavily.
- Chicken lameness failed both legs
- There may be growths on the paws.
- The joint looks enlarged and hot when touched.
- the chicken sits in one place all the time.
Treatment
At home without antibiotics and antiviral agents are indispensable here. The following drugs will be needed: ampicillin, sulfadimethoxin, polymyxin M. One of these drugs is given to infected individuals along with food for 5 days. The dosage and the drug itself are prescribed exclusively by the veterinarian, taking into account the characteristics of your chicken and the stage of the disease.
It is also necessary to put in order the room where the individuals are kept. The main thing is cleanliness and dryness in the chicken coop. And so that food and dirt do not stick to the legs and there are no growths on them, you can put feeders into which the chickens will not be able to climb with their legs. The second is to strengthen the immunity of chickens, for which vitamins and microelements must be added to the feed.
Crooked toes
Chickens can get this disease during the first month of their life. It is necessary to distinguish between two types of disease: crooked toes, when the individual walks with its paws to the side, and curly paws that somehow bend down, which makes the bird walk on tiptoe. The symptom of crooked toes is quite obvious: when moving, the individual rests only on the lateral surface of the paws or on one limb.
The disease occurs due to mechanical trauma, cold floors in the chicken coop, mesh floors, and also due to violations of the rules of the incubation period. Heredity can also play a role. Therefore, in such cases, when the bird does not have obvious reasons for crooked fingers, it is not worth leaving it for breeding. You can see the curvature of the fingers in poultry in more detail in a photo or video.
Treatment
It is too late to treat such a disease if the individual has grown up. It is appropriate to talk only about prevention. And for the chickens, you need to create the right conditions for keeping. In the case of a genetic cause of the disease, another tribe is needed. During incubation strict adherence to all conditions is required. And in no case should chickens be kept on a cold floor, as well as on a mesh floor.
Curly fingers in a bird
In essence, it is developing paralysis of the legs. The specimen walks on the tips of the fingers bent downward. She cannot straighten them. The same thing that the bird's legs were taken away. The disease is acquired by the bird in the first few weeks of life. Usually, this is caused by food in which there is not enough riboflavin and it turns out that the paws are taken away. Chickens with this disease die quickly. And the surviving chicks grow poorly, so there is no point in keeping them any longer. There is only one symptom - the bird walks with difficulty, standing on the tips of the fingers.
Treatment
In the initial stages, even if the manifestation is mild, a multivitamin with riboflavin in high doses should be given. But if the disease is neglected, nothing can be fixed. It is necessary to change the breeding bird if chicks hatch with congenital traits. You need to feed the young brood with a balanced feed. In winter, include more greens and vitamins in the diet of chickens. With a full-fledged diet, individuals acquire strong and stable immunity.
Tendon displacement (perosis)
It is very important to detect this disease in time and start treating it, because it is this that causes many diseases in broilers. This disease is not uncommon for fast growing birds. But it can be avoided, for which it is required to feed the bird in a balanced way, paying increased attention to the content of vitamin B. The hocks of chickens swell and acquire an unnatural shape - they turn outward.
At the initial stage of the disease it is easy to defeat it. A veterinarian should be called in to make a diagnosis. Sometimes it is enough just to show a photo of a sick chicken and an experienced specialist will confirm or deny the presence of a tendon displacement.
Treatment
Manganese and vitamin B, which must be added to the feed, can alleviate the condition of the disease. During periods of vitamin deficiency, you can give vitamin B in combination with other supplements. The best prevention of perosis is genetic selection. Also, do not forget about the balance of feed and vitamin supplements. Young growth is necessary from birth feed properly... Immediately after birth, the young should be with their parents.
Knemidocoptosis in chickens
This disease is also called calcareous foot or scabies. This disease is quite common. With timely treatment, you can get rid of the disease. But it should be borne in mind that the disease is contagious - the scabies mite is easily transmitted both through direct contact between individuals and through inventory. Combed areas turn red, the skin may have small holes in some places. Knemidocoptosis is considered a chronic disease if the disease is started. The essence of the disease is that ticks live in the unfeathered part of the leg, make moves and lay eggs in the tissues, from which the larvae develop.
Due to the constant itching from the outside, which is caused by ticks, the infected bird behaves very restlessly. Especially at night or in warm weather - the most favorable conditions for ticks. Over time, the scales begin to flake off and become covered with a coating similar to calcareous, and then fall off. If fingers are affected, growths form on them. Scabies can be suspected by growths on the legs. The scales on the legs have a coating of white; over time, they flake off and fall off. Due to the itching, the bird can peck at the wounds on the legs. She behaves restlessly, she goes to the chicken coop with reluctance.
Treatment
Treating chicken scabies is quite simple. Method 1: you need to prepare a soapy solution. In it, the legs of a sick bird must be kept for 20-30 minutes.After such a bath, the paws should be treated with a 1% solution of creolin. Method 2: For treatment, birch tar is also suitable, which needs to be treated with problem areas. To prevent the scabies mite from spreading to the courtyard and infecting the entire herd, you just need to regularly examine the birds and take timely measures if the disease is detected.
For humans, the pathogen of chicken scabies is completely safe - no cases of transmission of this tick to humans have been identified. It must be borne in mind that problems with paws in birds can occur due to other diseases. In particular, we are talking about infectious diseases that can affect chicken legs: pasteurellosis, coccidiosis, psittacosis.
Useful Tips
This entire list of diseases should not scare the amateur poultry farmer and force him to abandon his beloved and profitable business. You just need to remember: the bulk of diseases are treatable if they are diagnosed and acted upon in time. Do not forget the owner of the poultry yard and the fact that it is not always possible to make a diagnosis on your own. If the cause of the disease is not entirely clear or is in doubt, then it is better to consult a professional.
The veterinarian will help diagnose and determine exactly why the chickens have legs that are out of order. The correct diagnosis and timely treatment started is what will prevent the spread of the disease and preserve the entire bird population. Keep the room clean, install good air ventilation. Be sure to make a rationed feeding regimen and change your diet periodically to make it varied.