Sick turkeys help if you've seen this.

[casportpony]

I kinda wonder about that because if you see the liver of a bird affected with the parasite, it's pretty extensive damage. And the yellow then green feces sure appear to point to billirubin then billiverdin- like coloring, as if they might be dying from liver damage. Then you realize why the birds just fade away and die.

The ones I have had necropsied by UC Davis all had secondary systemic e. coli infections and it was my vet that suggested I treat with both metronidazole and Baytril.

 

[Tereseb]

The vet who necropsied my bird said he has seen up to 80% losses in flocks with blackhead. I'd separate them from your chickens ASAP.
In my last batch of table birds, I noticed a 20% drop in weight, I was lucky.

 

[Tereseb]

The ones I have had necropsied by UC Davis all had secondary systemic e. coli infections and it was my vet that suggested I treat with both metronidazole and Baytril.

Interesting

 

[casportpony]

"Once access into the digestive tract has been achieved, H. meleagridis multiplies in the ceca and attacks the tissues of the cecal walls. As the disease progresses, a cheese-like, foul-smelling, yellow substance fills the ceca. This substance can vary in form from a hardened plug to more liquid in nature, and is composed of dead cecal cells and blood. In highly susceptible birds such as turkeys, the Blackhead protozoa then enter the bloodstream through the damaged ceca and are deposited into the liver, where they do even more damage, creating signature "bulls-eye" zones of necrosis (dead tissue). Occasionally, H. meleagridis also enters into other organs such as the kidneys, lungs, heart, and brain. Blackhead does not kill the infected bird, and the disease requires a secondary bacterial infection to be virulent and eventually fatal. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Clostridium sp. are some of the bacteria noted in the secondary infections that caused death (McDougald, 2005)."
Source:
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=343

 

[casportpony]

Interesting

I know of several other people that had necropsy reports exactly like mine.

 

[Tereseb]

I know of several other people that had necropsy reports exactly like mine.

So, the bird was basically septic?
Baytril is a broad spectrum antibiotic?
Sorry if I'm repeating, I'm still figuring out how to follow this forum.

 

[Tereseb]

Another preventative: I was told that earth worms are also an intermediate host. So, spreading salt, real salt- NaCl, or agricultural lime, in the birds area helps to repel these hosts.

 

[casportpony]

Another preventative: I was told that earth worms are also an intermediate host. So, spreading salt, real salt- NaCl, or agricultural lime, in the birds area helps to repel these hosts.

Good idea!

I now use horse stall mats in my grow out pens and that seems to help with the earthworm problem and the chicken poop.

 

[Tereseb]

"Once access into the digestive tract has been achieved, H. meleagridis multiplies in the ceca and attacks the tissues of the cecal walls. As the disease progresses, a cheese-like, foul-smelling, yellow substance fills the ceca. This substance can vary in form from a hardened plug to more liquid in nature, and is composed of dead cecal cells and blood. In highly susceptible birds such as turkeys, the Blackhead protozoa then enter the bloodstream through the damaged ceca and are deposited into the liver, where they do even more damage, creating signature "bulls-eye" zones of necrosis (dead tissue). Occasionally, H. meleagridis also enters into other organs such as the kidneys, lungs, heart, and brain. Blackhead does not kill the infected bird, and the disease requires a secondary bacterial infection to be virulent and eventually fatal. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Clostridium sp. are some of the bacteria noted in the secondary infections that caused death (McDougald, 2005)."
Source:
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=343

TY. Great resource. When the disease progresses progresses to that point I wonder if any antibiotic will work?

 

[Tereseb]

Great idea. Do you pull those out to clean them and what's underneath? Do those repel the worms? I'm using sand. Will buy mats under roosts.

Good idea!

I now use horse stall mats in my grow out pens and that seems to help with the earthworm problem and the chicken poop.