Why chickens can die
Any poultry farmer dreams of a good healthy brood. But, sadly, very often, especially among beginners, there is a high mortality rate of chickens at a young age. so that mortality is not high, it is necessary to understand why broiler chickens are dying, eliminate the causes, and choose the appropriate treatment.
Why do chickens die?
The causes of death of chickens
When a chick dies, it has a bad effect on the entire economy, especially if you do not find out what led to this. The reasons why and from what broiler chickens die can be varied, we will consider them below.
- Incorrect chick keeping. Broiler chickens are defenseless, so care must be taken to keep them within normal conditions. The body of chicks is very sensitive to temperature. It cannot be too high or too low. Its changes also affect the health of the chick.
- Improper Feeding. Broiler chickens die with an improperly formulated diet. Even if you deviate a little from the diet, you can lose a chick, and more than one. the feed must be fresh, high in vitamins.
- Clogged stomach. The chicken has very delicate organs. Sometimes he can swallow something inedible, such as a pebble. The stomach becomes clogged and may result in the death of broiler chickens.
- Infection or virus. Due to the fact that the formation of immunity is just beginning to rise, it will not be difficult to pick up any virus or infection from other animals. Unfortunately, in almost all such cases, only prevention is suitable, treatment is useless.
- Bowel disease - pullorosis... Broiler chickens die from this disease quite often. Infection occurs at the stage of being in the egg. Almost 100% of chicks will not survive after a pullorosis incubator.
- Cannibalism... If you spend too long time under the sun, from poor nutrition, being locked up, this disease can develop. First, young chickens pull out feathers from each other, then "peck" parts of the body, then infection occurs, then broiler chickens die.
- Poisoning with pesticides. Nitrates (pesticides) are found in many fruits and vegetables. By mistake or inexperience, the poultry farmer can give beets, greens or other foods rich in nitrates to young immature chicks. Poisoning is a common factor in why monthly broiler chickens still die. Symptoms are as follows: parts of the body turn blue, chicks lower their wings, convulsions occur, and inhibited breathing is observed. Death comes from suffocation.
- Gastric toxic dyspepsia. Lack of vitamins A, B, as well as minerals such as calcium or phosphorus can lead to this disease. At the initial stage, it is manifested by an increase in temperature, the birds have lowered their wings and go sleepy. Then the chick's muscle cramps come, and then death sets in.
- Stomach atrophy. Adult chickens do not die from atrophy, which cannot be said about young chickens.If the owner of the chicks does not add gravel to separate feeders and constantly feeds flour feed, this can lead to stomach atrophy. Symptoms are as follows: thirst, chicks have crumpled, stool has changed characteristically, weight has decreased. From further neglect, broiler chickens will quickly die.
Pasteurellosis as the main cause
Transmitted pastarellese when feeding contaminated food. The bacillus of this infection lives well in nutrients, but quickly dies under ultraviolet light. Sick young animals become lethargic, babies lose their appetite, breathing becomes difficult, in some cases individuals go blind. This infection is massive, and most young females die from it. Unfortunately, if there are live chicks that have undergone this disease, they are subject to slaughter, as they become potential carriers of pasteurellosis. Two-month-old broilers most often get sick with this particular ailment.
It happens that none of the above causes is a factor in mortality. In this case, you need to contact your veterinarian to explain what caused it and what to do to prevent this from happening again. The specialist will open the bird and tell you the reason, which can help in the further maintenance of other chicks of chickens. When a beginner is too worried about the mortality of chickens, he has an obsession that everything should be at the highest level, including the cleanliness of the bird's dwelling. It's hard to think that perfect cleanliness is a great breeding ground for infectious bacteria.
Ways to prevent chick mortality
Having understood the reason why broilers are dying, you need to move on to the next step in solving the problem - protection. What to do when the chickens die? By following simple rules, you can significantly increase the survival rate. If the problem is nutrition, it is necessary to study as much as possible all food offered to birds, especially young birds. It is important to read the specialized literature in this area, it is able to reveal some of the secrets of proper nutrition and what to do at the first symptoms of illness.
When purchasing cereals, it is advisable to ask the seller for certificates. If they are not there, which, unfortunately, happens very often, then it is imperative to hand over the grain for laboratory examination to make sure there are no possible bacterial bacilli or other problems in it. When buying feed, you need to pay attention to the packaging. It must be clean, of simple materials, dry and free from damage. Otherwise, you should refrain from buying in this place. It is also important to add vitamin D to the diet, in the absence of which the chick can get rickets, which is often fatal.
The right measures are the key to success
When buying chicks of chickens from a private owner, it is important to find out the condition of the laying hen that hatched eggs. Prevention is always better than cure. That is why, before settling the young in the designated place, it is necessary to carry out disinfection. Slaked lime or other chemicals can be used as a product. Naturally, after the procedure, it is necessary to ventilate the room for at least a day. After each meal, it is necessary to take away leftover food leftovers, since food is a breeding ground for bacteria, especially in the summer, when food deteriorates very quickly.
Litter, on which young chickens spend most of their time, it is necessary to change at least 2 times a day in cold weather, and up to 5 times in warm weather. Every time the bed is changed, the litter should be carefully inspected to be free of pebbles, straw, dry grass, grains, and other small hard particles that a small chick could swallow. The best material for this purpose would be oilcloth or thick paper such as cardboard.
Airing should take place every day at least 2 times. Among other things, it is important to check how the chicks sleep. They should be in their normal position, their legs should be hidden underneath.If you notice an unusual posture, you need to see a specialist. Sufficient lighting, especially in winter, is an important factor in maintaining the normal development of the chick at a young age. You also need to remember about the temperature. It doesn't have to be low, high, or fickle.
Treatment or prevention
If, nevertheless, hypothermia occurs, warm water is poured into the drinkers instead of the usual room temperature. This is a kind of warming of the birds, if you start treatment on time. Gastric dyspepsia is treated by replacing the usual food with cottage cheese, onions. Water is replaced with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. In the absence of potassium permanganate, soda will do. Nitrate poisoning can be cured by giving lactic acid. Suitable for those who are already one month old.
Timely diagnosis is the best treatment for any disease, therefore, it is necessary to show the chicks to the veterinarian as often as possible, especially daily, weekly and monthly. Vaccination is also an important point. In order for the survival rate to be at a high level, all chicks need to be vaccinated as early as possible. This is a mandatory preventive measure, since some diseases are not cured.
These safety measures can reduce the likelihood of chicks falling, but not 100%. There are many other reasons that are difficult to determine before the chicks begin to die en masse. Complex diseases, viral infection - something that is difficult to determine before death. If suddenly young chickens die abruptly, and it is unclear why broiler chickens may die, an urgent need to call a veterinarian so that he figured out what was the matter and helped with finding a solution.