The keeping of backyard poultry gives great enjoyment to a lot of people. The production of fresh eggs and meat for human consumption, plus the enjoyment they provide as pets or as animals, makes poultry a valuable member of a lot of families. Unfortunately, poultry, including dogs and cats, may get ill for a variety of reasons. There are the top poultry infections generally found in small poultry flocks.
1. Chicken Eye Styes
There are two types of styes: external and internal. They are both painful. Outside the eyelid, the external styes develop right next to the eyelash. This type of style goes on its own in a couple of days to a week. The inside of the eyelid has an internal stye. Now, an inner stye infection can go away, even if it can leave a fluid-filled cyst or nodule. Styes are not to be confused with chickenpox or a bee sting.
Styes are caused when a gland in the eyelid is plugged or blocked, resulting in a tender sore on the eyelid. Before you start trying to treat the stye, first find out if it is really a stye. Chickens eyes may also be swollen for other reasons. It'll look like an inflamed abscess or a pimple around the eye. Learn more about it here.
2. Bumblefoot: What is it?
Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection in the feet of birds, rodents and rabbits. Ulcerative pododermatitis is referred to as "sore hocks" when it affects the rabbit and "bumblefoot" when the bird is affected. The words "sore hocks" and "bumblefoot" are used interchangeably when describing ulcerative pododermatitis in small mammals. Infection can typically be attributed to poor husbandry practices and is therefore much more likely to happen in captive animals than in the wild. Learn more about it here.
3. Infectious Coryza
The bacterium Haemophilus Paragallinarum induces bacterial coryza, also called a cold or roup. This disease mainly affects chickens, but it may also affect quail and pheasants. Coryza is transmitted mainly by direct communication of bird to bird. Moreover, by breathing airborne bacteria and eating infected feed and/or water, birds can also catch the disease. The disease can also be introduced by introducing infected birds into the flock. Birds that have recovered from the disease remain organism carriers and will periodically shed the bacteria throughout their lifespan.
At poultry shows, bird exchanges, and live-bird sales, birds face publicity. Outbreaks usually occur when infected birds are brought into a healthy flock without displaying any symptoms of the illness. Learn more here.
4. Marek's Disease
Marek is a viral poultry disease, mainly chickens. It can occur in many "types," and symptoms can involve, but are not limited to: partial or complete paralysis of the hands, often arms, and even the neck; visceral lymphoma (carcinogenic tumours in the body), blindness, tumours or skin development, general sluggishness, wasting away, or poor health, to name a few.
Some chickens get just one symptom, and others get more than one symptom. Some chickens exhibit symptoms, while others display no signs. It is a very common disease as it is transmitted by chicken dander (dust) and can be easily spread over new chickens, wind, clothes and shoes, and even wild birds can carry it. It isn't always present in quarantine. It can be fatal, and no cure has been found. More details about this infection here.
5. Vent Gleet aka Nasty Chicken Butt
Vent Gleet is characterized by fouling the feathers around the vent with poo, urates and exudate, (mucus), and often an unpleasant, nasty odorous discharge. Initially swelling and reddening of the mucosa is seen, progressing to ulceration affecting the ventilation and going a short distance into the cloaca, this may be covered with a yellow diphtheritic membrane, that is to say, the infection may also cause a red and/or swollen vent that may bleed. Check it out here.
6. Coccidiosis
Coccidia is a microscopic parasite organism that infects chicken poultry when ingested. The parasites found in the soil or bird faeces are attached to the lining in the gut, multiplying and becoming an oocyst feeding in the digestive tract, which causes it to bleed. Once infected, the parasites pass in their poop days before symptoms develop. Learn more about it here.
7. Mushy Chick Disease
Omphalitis is a common cause of death in chicks during the first week of life and is most common among chicks with artificial hatching. It is a bacterial infection of the yolk sac. Various bacteria may be involved in yolk sack infection, Staphylococci, E.coli, Proteus, Fecalis, Clostridia, and Pseudomonas. Know more here.
8. White Poop / Diarrhoea In Chickens
Much like people who have eaten too much, chickens too can be guilty of eating too much of a good thing. They might find their way into your fresh salad bed and reduce the lettuce to stumps. The price of overeating?
diarrhoea. Learn more about it here.
9. Avian Pox in Chickens
Avian pox is a viral disease in birds that is relatively slow to spread, characterized by wart-like nodules on the skin and diphtheritic necrotic membranes lining the mouth and upper respiratory system. It has been visible in birds since the very beginning of history. Mortality is generally not significant unless marked with respiratory involvement. Learn how you can help your flock avoid this disease here.
10. Wry Neck
Wryneck is a condition that is frequently referred to as "crookneck," and it usually affects ducklings and baby chicks, even though adult birds may be affected by it if they are fed an improper diet; Birds with the disorder are unable to hold their heads alone, and as it progressively gets worse, the affected birds begin to fall over or lie on their backs, unable to walk alone. This can be very distressing for owner and bird. For owner and bird, this can be very distressing. They have no control and can bang and crash into things so easily, causing themselves more harm. I have suffered this my self with my favourite bird, and I can certainly say from my own experience it's not pleasant and you often feel helpless as this is not an illness that is easily cured. Learn more about it here.
If you liked this list, check our some of the other great lists we have here: BYC Top Lists!
1. Chicken Eye Styes
There are two types of styes: external and internal. They are both painful. Outside the eyelid, the external styes develop right next to the eyelash. This type of style goes on its own in a couple of days to a week. The inside of the eyelid has an internal stye. Now, an inner stye infection can go away, even if it can leave a fluid-filled cyst or nodule. Styes are not to be confused with chickenpox or a bee sting.
Styes are caused when a gland in the eyelid is plugged or blocked, resulting in a tender sore on the eyelid. Before you start trying to treat the stye, first find out if it is really a stye. Chickens eyes may also be swollen for other reasons. It'll look like an inflamed abscess or a pimple around the eye. Learn more about it here.
2. Bumblefoot: What is it?
Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection in the feet of birds, rodents and rabbits. Ulcerative pododermatitis is referred to as "sore hocks" when it affects the rabbit and "bumblefoot" when the bird is affected. The words "sore hocks" and "bumblefoot" are used interchangeably when describing ulcerative pododermatitis in small mammals. Infection can typically be attributed to poor husbandry practices and is therefore much more likely to happen in captive animals than in the wild. Learn more about it here.
3. Infectious Coryza
The bacterium Haemophilus Paragallinarum induces bacterial coryza, also called a cold or roup. This disease mainly affects chickens, but it may also affect quail and pheasants. Coryza is transmitted mainly by direct communication of bird to bird. Moreover, by breathing airborne bacteria and eating infected feed and/or water, birds can also catch the disease. The disease can also be introduced by introducing infected birds into the flock. Birds that have recovered from the disease remain organism carriers and will periodically shed the bacteria throughout their lifespan.
At poultry shows, bird exchanges, and live-bird sales, birds face publicity. Outbreaks usually occur when infected birds are brought into a healthy flock without displaying any symptoms of the illness. Learn more here.
4. Marek's Disease
Marek is a viral poultry disease, mainly chickens. It can occur in many "types," and symptoms can involve, but are not limited to: partial or complete paralysis of the hands, often arms, and even the neck; visceral lymphoma (carcinogenic tumours in the body), blindness, tumours or skin development, general sluggishness, wasting away, or poor health, to name a few.
Some chickens get just one symptom, and others get more than one symptom. Some chickens exhibit symptoms, while others display no signs. It is a very common disease as it is transmitted by chicken dander (dust) and can be easily spread over new chickens, wind, clothes and shoes, and even wild birds can carry it. It isn't always present in quarantine. It can be fatal, and no cure has been found. More details about this infection here.
5. Vent Gleet aka Nasty Chicken Butt
Vent Gleet is characterized by fouling the feathers around the vent with poo, urates and exudate, (mucus), and often an unpleasant, nasty odorous discharge. Initially swelling and reddening of the mucosa is seen, progressing to ulceration affecting the ventilation and going a short distance into the cloaca, this may be covered with a yellow diphtheritic membrane, that is to say, the infection may also cause a red and/or swollen vent that may bleed. Check it out here.
6. Coccidiosis
Coccidia is a microscopic parasite organism that infects chicken poultry when ingested. The parasites found in the soil or bird faeces are attached to the lining in the gut, multiplying and becoming an oocyst feeding in the digestive tract, which causes it to bleed. Once infected, the parasites pass in their poop days before symptoms develop. Learn more about it here.
7. Mushy Chick Disease
Omphalitis is a common cause of death in chicks during the first week of life and is most common among chicks with artificial hatching. It is a bacterial infection of the yolk sac. Various bacteria may be involved in yolk sack infection, Staphylococci, E.coli, Proteus, Fecalis, Clostridia, and Pseudomonas. Know more here.
8. White Poop / Diarrhoea In Chickens
Much like people who have eaten too much, chickens too can be guilty of eating too much of a good thing. They might find their way into your fresh salad bed and reduce the lettuce to stumps. The price of overeating?
diarrhoea. Learn more about it here.
9. Avian Pox in Chickens
Avian pox is a viral disease in birds that is relatively slow to spread, characterized by wart-like nodules on the skin and diphtheritic necrotic membranes lining the mouth and upper respiratory system. It has been visible in birds since the very beginning of history. Mortality is generally not significant unless marked with respiratory involvement. Learn how you can help your flock avoid this disease here.
10. Wry Neck
Wryneck is a condition that is frequently referred to as "crookneck," and it usually affects ducklings and baby chicks, even though adult birds may be affected by it if they are fed an improper diet; Birds with the disorder are unable to hold their heads alone, and as it progressively gets worse, the affected birds begin to fall over or lie on their backs, unable to walk alone. This can be very distressing for owner and bird. For owner and bird, this can be very distressing. They have no control and can bang and crash into things so easily, causing themselves more harm. I have suffered this my self with my favourite bird, and I can certainly say from my own experience it's not pleasant and you often feel helpless as this is not an illness that is easily cured. Learn more about it here.
If you liked this list, check our some of the other great lists we have here: BYC Top Lists!
