A-Z of chicken diseases

[OrpingtonManiac]

This is going to be a list of all chicken diseases, in order from A-Z. I will also do chicken anatomy, and other conditions. This is mostly for my own reference, but hopefully it may help someone else. Every day or so i'll post a new disease, although it probably wont be consistent.
So i will start with A: Aflatoxicosis in the next post and then move onto the next and so on…
(Just a side note: I will research before posting about any disease, to avoid any misinformations.)
I wont be mentioning amounts or specific medicines that can be used.
I will not go into paragraphs and paragraphs of text, and will keep this as simple as possible, without leaving out important information.

Feel free to ask any questions to do with the thread! I'll be happy to answer!!

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

1. Aflatoxicosis:

A type of poisoning from ingesting aflatoxins in contaminated food, particularly corn.
They are produced by Aspergillus flavus, A parasiticus and others.

It can cause: Secondary infections, reduced vaccine effectiveness, gastrointestinal tract damage, liver damage and production losses (decreased quality and amount of eggs)

Symptoms:
Stunted growth; undigested food in faeces; poor egg size; feather pecking; weight loss; convulsions; heat stress; paleness; huddling; sudden death.

There is no specific treatment but probiotics, sea buckthorn oil, tumeric, grape seed extract and activated charcoal have protective effects against it. Removing the contaminated food immediately and feeding higher quality food is important.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

2. Air sac mites (Cytodites nudus)
These mites invade the air sacs , pneumatic bones, lungs and bronchi of chickens ( and other poultry)
They are transmissible between birds by coughing
They have a 14-21 day lifecycle involving a larval and two nymphal stages. C. Nudus has been found to be more common in free-range flocks.

Symptoms:
Changes in vocalisations, coughing, open-mouth breathing, tale bobbing, wheezing, nasal discharge, loss of balance, diarrhoea, moist breathing sounds, frequent swallowing motions, weakness, coughing, clicking sounds, increased breathing rate, beak rubbing and weight loss

Detection:
A swab of tracheal mucus or faecal sample may reveal eggs. Tracheal transillumination- moistening the birds neck with alcohol, and then using a bright light to look for dark, moving specks in the lumen of the trachea.

Prevention:
Environmental management, including clearing out bedding and nesting material, cleaning and disinfecting roosting bars and nest-boxes. Minimising contact with wild birds, reducing stress and quarantining new birds.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

3. Airborne toxicity
Chickens are sensitive to airborne toxins. The cross-current airflow allows for chickens blood oxygen levels to be higher than their oxygen levels when they expire a breath. One of the consequences of this is that they are at a high risk of absorbing high amounts of toxins from the air. This means they reach toxic levels faster than mammals.

Symptoms:
Increased respiratory effort, exercise intolerance, cyanosis, lethargy, tail bobbing, death, nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing, open mouth breathing and ataxia (loss of muscle coordination).

Prevention:
Do not expose birds to air fresheners (including Fabreeze), scented candles, candy cooking flavourings (like peppermint and spearmint), paint, gasoline fumes, methane, glues, solvents, bleach, ammonia, propellants, grooming products (nail varnish, hair spray etc.), aerosols, self cleaning ovens, smoke from fires and cigarettes (including electronic cigarettes) and dander and dust.

 

[Bawkbok]

2. Air sac mites (Cytodites nudus)
These mites invade the air sacs , pneumatic bones, lungs and bronchi of chickens ( and other poultry)
They are transmissible between birds by coughing
They have a 14-21 day lifecycle involving a larval and two nymphal stages. C. Nudus has been found to be more common in free-range flocks.

Symptoms:
Changes in vocalisations, coughing, open-mouth breathing, tale bobbing, wheezing, nasal discharge, loss of balance, diarrhoea, moist breathing sounds, frequent swallowing motions, weakness, coughing, clicking sounds, increased breathing rate, beak rubbing and weight loss

Detection:
A swab of tracheal mucus or faecal sample may reveal eggs. Tracheal transillumination- moistening the birds neck with alcohol, and then using a bright light to look for dark, moving specks in the lumen of the trachea.

Prevention:
Environmental management, including clearing out bedding and nesting material, cleaning and disinfecting roosting bars and nest-boxes. Minimising contact with wild birds, reducing stress and quarantining new birds.

In what part of the country (USA) are these mites located?

 

[Bawkbok]

3. Airborne toxicity
Chickens are sensitive to airborne toxins. The cross-current airflow allows for chickens blood oxygen levels to be higher than their oxygen levels when they expire a breath. One of the consequences of this is that they are at a high risk of absorbing high amounts of toxins from the air. This means they reach toxic levels faster than mammals.

Symptoms:
Increased respiratory effort, exercise intolerance, cyanosis, lethargy, tail bobbing, death, nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing, open mouth breathing and ataxia (loss of muscle coordination).

Prevention:
Do not expose birds to air fresheners (including Fabreeze), scented candles, candy cooking flavourings (like peppermint and spearmint), paint, gasoline fumes, methane, glues, solvents, bleach, ammonia, propellants, grooming products (nail varnish, hair spray etc.), aerosols, self cleaning ovens, smoke from fires and cigarettes (including electronic cigarettes) and dander and dust.

Even triple heated pine shavings produces some amount of dust. Or are you referring to house dust? Many of us bring birds into our home to isolate or care for in various circumstances. Dust is unavoidable, even in the cleanest of homes.

In my situation, every time the next door neighbor starts his mega ton truck, they inhale diesel fuel, as we all do.

There are frequently controlled burns in our region which creates smoky conditions for hours if not days.

Could you please reference the source from where you are gathering the information? Thank you

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

Even triple heated pine shavings produces some amount of dust. Or are you referring to house dust? Many of us bring birds into our home to isolate or care for in various circumstances. Dust is unavoidable, even in the cleanest of homes.

In my situation, every time the next door neighbor starts his mega ton truck, they inhale diesel fuel, as we all do.

There are frequently controlled burns in our region which creates smoky conditions for hours if not days.

Could you please reference the source from where you are gathering the information? Thank you

Inhaling dust, smoke or diesel fuel does not cause airborne toxicity in every case, but increases the risk.

I have been using multiple sources:
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-2255-4
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2016.12.033
https://doi.org/10.1093/ps/77.8.1130
https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.97105188
And other internet sources, which I unfortunately cannot link.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

In what part of the country (USA) are these mites located?

The paper i sourced the information from was based in Australia. This mentions the mites being found in Washington (on the second page): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9342570/pdf/jcmvetarch136588-0009.pdf
Other than that, i cant find anything else mentioning where the mites are found.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

4. Airsacculitis
Airsacculitis is the inflammation of one or more of a chickens air sacs. When a chickens air sacs inflame, it causes them to thicken and accumulate purulent. It is usually caused by a bacteria or fungus. Some of the most common pathogens isolated from chickens with Airsacculitis were E. Coli and Mycoplasma Gallisepticum. Airsacculitis' infectivity is dependent on the causative agent itself.
Diseases associated with the onset of Airsacculitis are:
Avian chlamydiosis, Newcastle disease, Chronic respiratory disease, Aspergillosis and Ornithobacteriosis.
Syptoms:
Depression, coughing, open-mouth breathing, low exercise tolerance, tail bobbing, difficulty breathing, nasal discharge, loss of appetite, weight loss and a drop in egg production.

Prevention:
Design for adequate ventilation in coop; minimise stress; prevent birds from getting chilled in cold weather; do not use dusty bedding materials and allow access to clean water.

Treatment:
Veterinarians usually will prescribe an antibiotic for the exact infectious agent

 

[Bawkbok]

The paper i sourced the information from was based in Australia. This mentions the mites being found in Washington (on the second page): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9342570/pdf/jcmvetarch136588-0009.pdf
Other than that, i cant find anything else mentioning where the mites are found.

Thank you for your reply. Looking forward to your other entries. Every opportunity to learn is a good opportunity.