Some respiratory illnesses are treatable, others are not. It would be beneficial to know what you were dealing with.
Air Sac Disease:
Incidence: common poultry ailment worldwide
System/organ affected: respiratory
Symptoms: most common in young birds: coughing, nasal discharge, breathing difficulty, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss.
Cause: bacteria
Transmission: contact with infected birds, inhaling contaminated dust, to chicks through hatching of eggs.
Prevention: avoid dusty litter, provide adequate ventilation, avoid birds getting cold and other forms of stress.
Treatment: Keep birds warm and well fed with high protein food. Treatment with antibiotics is possible.
Cholera (chronic):
Incidence: common poultry ailment worldwide, but less common than acute.
System/organ affected: primarily respiratory
Symptoms: in birds at least 6-weeks old: cheesy nasal discharge, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss, increased thirst, lameness and swelling of leg joints, wing joints, foot pads, wattles, and sinuses; swollen sticky eyes, sometimes breathing difficulties. In hens: loss of egg production. In cocks: loss of aggression and desire to crow.
Cause: bacteria.
Transmission: contagious; much like acute.
Prevention: Vaccination is not effective. You must not introduce possibly infected birds into flock and use good sanitation and management practices.
Treatment: none effective. Isolate and dispose of infected flock
Infectious Bronchitis
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide
System/Organ affected: respiratory
Symptoms: in birds of all ages: gasping, coughing, sneezing, wet eyes, nasal discharge.
Cause: several strains of coronavirus that survive no more than one week off chickens and are easily destroyed by disinfectants. Will only infect chickens.
Transmission: the most contagious poultry disease; spreads by contact with infected birds or their respiratory discharges. It can travel up to 1,000 yards in the air.
Prevention: Good management. Avoid mixing birds from different sources. Vaccinate with strains of virus found locally.
Treatment: electrolytes in drinking water. Keep birds warm and well fed and avoid overcrowding. Survivors or permanentlyimmune, but become carriers.
Infectious Coryza
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide, especially in fall and winter in tropical and temperate environments.
System/organ affected: respiratory
Symptoms: in chicks: nasal discharge, facial swelling, one or both eyes closed, death. In growing birds: watery eyes, eyelids stuck together, reddish bad smelling discharge from nose, drop in feed consumption.
Cause: bacteria: it does not survive long in environment and is easily destroyed with disinfectants.
Transmission: contagious; contact with infected birds and their nasal discharge.
Prevention: avoid mixing birds from different flocks. Remove the infected birds and disinfect and leave the housing vacant for at least three weeks. Vaccinate only if the disease is positively identified.
Treatment: different drugs. Culling is preferred since survivors may be carriers.
Infectious Laryngotracheitis
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide
System/organ affected: upper respiratory tract
Symptoms: (mild infection) watery inflamed eyes, swollen sinuses, nasal discharge, drop in egg production.(acute infection) nasal discharge, coughing, shaking, breathing through mouth, gasping.
Cause: a herpes virus that affects primarily chickens and pheasants and cannot live off the bird.
Transmission: highly contagious: inhaled virus from infected bird or contaminated litter, rodents, shoes, etc.
Prevention: flock isolation and scrupulous sanitation.
Treatment: none; cull.
Influenza (bird flu)
Incidence: common ailment worldwide, but serious outbreaks are rare.
System/organ affected: primarily respiratory, sometimes involves digestive and nervous system as well.
Symptoms: sudden death without signs, or droopiness, coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, huddling, ruffled feathers, green diarrhea, etc.
Cause: several strains of type A influenza virus; some are mild while others are lethal. It does not survive long in the environment.
Transmission: highly contagious: contact with infected birds and their body discharges, especially droppings, rodents, feet, shoes, etc.
Prevention: during a local outbreak do not visit flocks or let people visit your flock. Keep birds inside and away from wild birds and common water. You can contact your vet to see if a vaccine is available for the local type of virus.
Treatment: mild form: antibiotic to prevent secondary bacterial infection. Survivors are immune for several months, but are carriers.
Severe form: must be reported to your federal health administration because it runs the risk of causing infection in humans.
Newcastle Disease
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide
System/organ affected: respiratory and nervous systems
Symptoms: in growing birds: wheezing, gasping, coughing, chirping, sometimes followed by nervous disorders and death due to being trampled by other birds.
Cause: paramyxovirus that affects many different birds.
Transmission: contagious; spread by inhaling or ingesting the virus from body excretions of infected birds.
Prevention: breed for genetic resistance.
Treatment: keep birds warm and well fed; watch for secondary bacterial infections. Survivors are immune, but will be carriers for about a month.
Air Sac Disease:
Incidence: common poultry ailment worldwide
System/organ affected: respiratory
Symptoms: most common in young birds: coughing, nasal discharge, breathing difficulty, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss.
Cause: bacteria
Transmission: contact with infected birds, inhaling contaminated dust, to chicks through hatching of eggs.
Prevention: avoid dusty litter, provide adequate ventilation, avoid birds getting cold and other forms of stress.
Treatment: Keep birds warm and well fed with high protein food. Treatment with antibiotics is possible.
Cholera (chronic):
Incidence: common poultry ailment worldwide, but less common than acute.
System/organ affected: primarily respiratory
Symptoms: in birds at least 6-weeks old: cheesy nasal discharge, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss, increased thirst, lameness and swelling of leg joints, wing joints, foot pads, wattles, and sinuses; swollen sticky eyes, sometimes breathing difficulties. In hens: loss of egg production. In cocks: loss of aggression and desire to crow.
Cause: bacteria.
Transmission: contagious; much like acute.
Prevention: Vaccination is not effective. You must not introduce possibly infected birds into flock and use good sanitation and management practices.
Treatment: none effective. Isolate and dispose of infected flock
Infectious Bronchitis
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide
System/Organ affected: respiratory
Symptoms: in birds of all ages: gasping, coughing, sneezing, wet eyes, nasal discharge.
Cause: several strains of coronavirus that survive no more than one week off chickens and are easily destroyed by disinfectants. Will only infect chickens.
Transmission: the most contagious poultry disease; spreads by contact with infected birds or their respiratory discharges. It can travel up to 1,000 yards in the air.
Prevention: Good management. Avoid mixing birds from different sources. Vaccinate with strains of virus found locally.
Treatment: electrolytes in drinking water. Keep birds warm and well fed and avoid overcrowding. Survivors or permanentlyimmune, but become carriers.
Infectious Coryza
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide, especially in fall and winter in tropical and temperate environments.
System/organ affected: respiratory
Symptoms: in chicks: nasal discharge, facial swelling, one or both eyes closed, death. In growing birds: watery eyes, eyelids stuck together, reddish bad smelling discharge from nose, drop in feed consumption.
Cause: bacteria: it does not survive long in environment and is easily destroyed with disinfectants.
Transmission: contagious; contact with infected birds and their nasal discharge.
Prevention: avoid mixing birds from different flocks. Remove the infected birds and disinfect and leave the housing vacant for at least three weeks. Vaccinate only if the disease is positively identified.
Treatment: different drugs. Culling is preferred since survivors may be carriers.
Infectious Laryngotracheitis
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide
System/organ affected: upper respiratory tract
Symptoms: (mild infection) watery inflamed eyes, swollen sinuses, nasal discharge, drop in egg production.(acute infection) nasal discharge, coughing, shaking, breathing through mouth, gasping.
Cause: a herpes virus that affects primarily chickens and pheasants and cannot live off the bird.
Transmission: highly contagious: inhaled virus from infected bird or contaminated litter, rodents, shoes, etc.
Prevention: flock isolation and scrupulous sanitation.
Treatment: none; cull.
Influenza (bird flu)
Incidence: common ailment worldwide, but serious outbreaks are rare.
System/organ affected: primarily respiratory, sometimes involves digestive and nervous system as well.
Symptoms: sudden death without signs, or droopiness, coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, huddling, ruffled feathers, green diarrhea, etc.
Cause: several strains of type A influenza virus; some are mild while others are lethal. It does not survive long in the environment.
Transmission: highly contagious: contact with infected birds and their body discharges, especially droppings, rodents, feet, shoes, etc.
Prevention: during a local outbreak do not visit flocks or let people visit your flock. Keep birds inside and away from wild birds and common water. You can contact your vet to see if a vaccine is available for the local type of virus.
Treatment: mild form: antibiotic to prevent secondary bacterial infection. Survivors are immune for several months, but are carriers.
Severe form: must be reported to your federal health administration because it runs the risk of causing infection in humans.
Newcastle Disease
Incidence: common chicken ailment worldwide
System/organ affected: respiratory and nervous systems
Symptoms: in growing birds: wheezing, gasping, coughing, chirping, sometimes followed by nervous disorders and death due to being trampled by other birds.
Cause: paramyxovirus that affects many different birds.
Transmission: contagious; spread by inhaling or ingesting the virus from body excretions of infected birds.
Prevention: breed for genetic resistance.
Treatment: keep birds warm and well fed; watch for secondary bacterial infections. Survivors are immune, but will be carriers for about a month.
