Avian vet are increasingly asked to deal for backyard domestic fowl , and backyard poultry possessor are more likely today to seek treatments for individual birds . Diseasespreads cursorily through great deal , so it ’s crucial for you notice abnormalities in your volaille . By observing your chicken ’s behavior , as well as performing unremarkable physical interrogation on individual bird , you may potentially forestall the banquet of disease and help your veterinarian target the appropriate diagnosing and like for the trouble .
Get Into The Exam Routine
Routine strong-arm exams of your chickens can serve you interpret their normal behaviour and identify problem more easily . First , appear at your Gallus gallus ’s appearance and behaviour from a space . A healthy bird is bright , brisk , antiphonal to the environment and interacting with the flock . It will have a good for you appetency and be producing eggs consistently if still within its production point . Abnormal behaviors you might look for include voluntary separation from other birds , reluctance to move , lameness , or decreased water supply or food consumption . fuck up or ruffled plumage , depressive disorder , going of appetence , and a hunched appearance can also be causes for business organisation . If you observe any of these signs , it ’s worth direct your chicken to see an avian ex-serviceman .
Next , examine your chicken ’s droppings or the bedding from the flock , as this can also help you identify signs of illness . Diarrhea is a common job triggered by many infectious diseases , include bacterial and viral infections and sponge . Any trace of blood is also problematic .
As you move onto examining the individual birds , take precaution to perform the exam the same way every prison term to control you do n’t escape subtle change . For example , I always start at the head and work my fashion down .
Evaluate the oral cavity for discharge , masse and memorial tablet . Common disease associated with oral plaque let in yeast , poxvirus , trichomoniasis and vitamin - A deficiency . A pendulous harvest is generally due to loss of muscle flavor and check crop emptying , often follow an affect crop or after gorging follow a geological period of starvation .
By calculate at the feather you may see signs of parasites , molt or feather - pick . The feather should consist matt against the body and be well - dress . raise up the feather and check the base of the feather shafts , which should be exonerated and free from sponge . Lice may rest their bollock at the base of the feather shaft , appearing as white bunch . The feathering in the tail and vent region should also be unobjectionable and free from any faecal material as white build - up or pasty vent-hole may be indicative of intestinal disease . Inspect the preen secretory organ ( at the base of the tail feathers ) for mass , abscesses or impactions .
Body Condition Scoring
A chicken ’s trunk status grievance is watch using the pectoral musculus . If the breastbone is easily feel , it is indicatory of inveterate weight loss . finger around the keel , a bone in the breastbone domain , for any wave abnormality . ulceration or scabs on the breast can mean the chicken has been down for a period of time of time .
go the wings gently and look for extrusion or laceration , and feel around for fractures and other possible injuries . The chicken should n’t show signs of pain when you do this .
canvas the legs , finger for bony deformities . The scales on the feet and legs should be legato and closely adhered to each other . Upturned scale may be the upshot of a scaly leg mite plague .
The bottoms of the feet should also be free from scrape , puff up , scab or ulcerations . Bumblefoot , or pododermatitis , is a very common problem in backyard poultry , most commonly caused byStaphylococccus aureus , which can also cause arthritis . Both conditions are coarse in poultry raised on stiff litter or approximative wire surfaces . transmission can necessitate the padder , joint and tendons if stark . Systemic infection can cause discriminating joint swellings .
Reproductive problemsare very common in backyard poultry , and reduction in egg laying are the most coarse reason to take your chicken to see a veterinary . Sometimes other problems are not recognized in the mountain until ball production is influence . Conditions oftentimes seen include infection or cancer of the Fallopian tube ( uterus ) , impacted tooth , internal laying and egg binding .
Important lawsuit of dip in egg production include dietary and infective diseases . dame on commercially prepared feeds are less likely to succumb to sustenance - relate diseases . Some razzing may be “ false level , ” showing the characteristic of orchis production , but lie down no existent eggs . “ False layers ” or abnormal egg production can result from anterior infection with infectious bronchitis virus . uterine tube infections can also occur from anterior respiratory disease , such as withE. coli .
A full neurological evaluation is justify when any neurological signs are evident : Wobbly or stilted pace and palsy are commonly seen with Marek ’s disease computer virus and injury . authoritative causa of central neurologic signs admit many bacterial , fungal , viral and parasitic diseases as well as nutritional deficiency ( thiamine , vitamin E ) and poisoning ( botulism , jumper lead or other heavy metal toxicosis and mycotoxicosis ) .
What To Expect At The Vet
When you take a chicken to a vet , it ’s helpful for your vet to have a thorough history of its care . Also be prepared to answer specific doubt , such as :
I use a detailed account sheet for owners to complete to aid get a complete picture of the chicken ’s tutelage . Often the answers to these questions help us target the exact problem the wimp is experiencing .
stock , age , grammatical gender and reproductive status information also help focus the physical examination . For example , the age of the hen that has late stopped repose may aid your veterinarian assess whether whether she ’s “ spent ” or has an underlying reproductive disease .
Your veterinarian will evaluate the respiratory rate before handle the chicken . Is the bird open - beak respiration ? What is the people of color of the comb before and after handling ? Important causes of respiratory disease in backyard fowl includefowl Asiatic cholera , mycoplasmosis and infectious laryngo - tracheitis , but many infectious disease can have respiratory signs .
We apply a good - quality shell to incur a consistency weight immediately after restrain the chicken . In the clinic , if the bird is critically sick , having the body exercising weight allows for early fluid and medicament calculations that might be administered immediately after the physical examination . Hydration can be subjectively assessed by encamp the upper lid and rolling the tegument over the keel . If the poulet is dehydrated , the palpebra might not fall back quickly into home , and the skin over the keel may stick .
After Your Vet Visit
Once the bird is turn from the examination , pass judgment the duration and character of convalescence . Birds should step on it back into the flock within one to two minutes after sack from restraint .
Routine examinations of the individuals and the flock can help oneself pinpoint early issues and help your veterinarian target specific problems . Once you have perform these testing a few times , you ’ll be able to pick out subtle differences in your deal that may avail you make former determination as to whether you need to look for out the advice of your avian vet .
This article first break away in the November / December 2015 outlet ofChickensmagazine .
