Coccidiosis in chickens: causes, treatment, prevention

Coccidiosis in chickens is a parasitic, infectious disease. The disease is an epidemic. It spreads quickly in the henhouse, especially among the young, and takes away almost 80% of the bird population. The most important thing is to notice the symptoms of the disease in time and take action. It is also possible to prevent coccidiosis by making a preliminary vaccination of young animals and observing the correct rates of poultry keeping.

Treat or hammer on the sickly sick chickens?

This disease is the scourge of many poultry farms. Coccidiosis in chickens, in contrast to the young, is more often chronic. Such birds can not reproduce a full-fledged offspring, they are constant carriers of infection. Any deterioration in the content may be accompanied by weight loss and egg-laying of sick chickens. They can live and even die. There is an opinion that such birds have no sense to contain and treat. It's better, when they are still at a good weight, to score them for meat, and the chicken coop to be disinfected.

What is more profitable - to buy adult chickens or young?

If you decide to breed a bird, then do not buy an adult. It can be a chronic carrier of parasites. Coccidiosis in chickens is dangerous because it can not be determined by an external examination of an adult bird. It is worth making inquiries about the farm in which you want to buy breeding material, how it is safe for diseases. To breeding is better to buy a breeding egg or chicken. That chickens do not get sick, they need to vaccinate or prevent coccidiosis.

Eyemiriosis (coccidiosis) in chickens is a disease that causes great economic harm to poultry farms around the world. Even if you exclude the fall of young animals, then the content of such a bird - it is unprofitable. The bird consumes food as usual, but does not grow, does not gain weight, and laying hens do not carry eggs. It is almost impossible to cure such a livestock completely, it is easier to kill it and replace it with a healthy young one.

What is coccidiosis?

Chickens have various parasitic diseases, one of which is coccidiosis caused by coccidia. Coccidia have 11 varieties, the most common are called "eimeria tenella." Therefore, coccidiosis is also called eumyriosis.

Coccidia enter the intestine of a bird with contaminated food and water. For a few days they completely affect the intestines of the bird, causing its swelling and hemorrhage. Nutrients cease to be absorbed by the body, toxins that cause poisoning accumulate. Oocysts with feces go outside, falling on the litter, in drinking bowls and feeding troughs. They are eaten by another bird, and the disease spreads quickly. If you do not start treatment on time, the chickens may die.

The greatest infection occurs when the bird is stored densely, the litter is dirty and there is a lot of humidity, as well as substandard feed. Chickens are often ill, as soon as they are released to free-range. Eating grass and worms, they swallow oocysts of coccidia. Bacteria of parasites for 9 months and more remain viable and, getting into the stomach of chickens, begin to multiply rapidly. Most of the infection on the ground takes place in rainy, warm weather. Chickens bring parasites on dirty paws, they fall from paws on litter, in water and feed. Particularly affected by chickens with shaggy legs.

Coccidiosis in chickens: symptoms

Ill birds look sluggish and depressed. They basically sit in one place, choking and closing their eyes. Appetite for chickens is lost, but they continue to greedily drink water. Stools become frequent, fluid, foamy and with splashes of blood. The pen around the cloaca is dirty from stool. In the beak accumulates a stiff saliva. In severe cases, convulsions and limb paralysis may occur. At the face and death of the bird, the skin is noticeably cyanotic. Since before death she experiences severe anemia.

Errors of poultry-lovers

Many parasitic diseases of chickens develop precisely in auxiliary amateur farms. The fact is that in industrial poultry farms the bird is mainly vaccinated and kept in cages. Only the breeding stock is located on the floor for the convenience of insemination. The bird is not used for a long time, there is a constant update of the herd.

In amateur farms, the bird is mainly kept on the floor of the barn and on the ramparts (free and enclosures). The breeding family lives for several years. The sick bird is most often tried to cure, but when it recovers, continue to contain further. And they receive from her already weakened offspring.

The litter in the shed, where the bird is kept, rarely changes, often a layer of a dry substrate is simply added from above. Thus, both the shed, the aviary, and the paddock are most often infected with oocysts, and the breeding herd is a hotbed of coccidiosis.

Often, poultry-lovers buy chickens. Since coccidiosis is mainly affected by chickens from 10 days old and up to 4.5 months, the livestock population is at risk.

Molodok is profitable to buy, because in a month they start to sweep, and by winter you can score them for meat. But often, having bought beautiful chickens, buyers in a week become very disappointed. First, absolutely healthy youngsters start to get sick, sit down on their feet, become sluggish and eat badly. The hosts begin to treat them, but the treated chickens still remain carriers of the infection.

Why did the chicken get sick?

Poultry farmers use the same shed for years, keeping chickens, or walking. Also, feeders, drinking bowls and other equipment are the bearers of the contagion. Many do not even think that before you bring a new bird, you need to process everything, completely clean the shed and replace the entire litter, as well as drinking bowls and feeders. Some poultry farmers have a new bird planted in the already infected old one, and then they wonder why the young fell ill.

In such situations cases of mass mortality of young animals are not uncommon. Failure to comply with the norms of the content ultimately affects, and the limit of the content of oocysts of coccidia causes an epidemic of coccidiosis.

Treatment of coccidiosis in chickens

Treatment of coccidiosis in adult chickens is unprofitable. Ill-treated chickens can be cured, but they will remain carriers of infection, so it is better to immediately score on meat. You need to treat young animals, which showed signs of coccidiosis. But when they reach the right weight, it's better to score for meat, and not use it for breeding.

Experienced breeders of poultry recommend methods that prevent disease.

Prevention of coccidiosis in chickens

• The first rule is to keep young animals separate from the adult bird.
• Before the release of chickens and juveniles in the open-air cage or free-range, as well as on the floor of the shed, preparatory treatment must be carried out. It is necessary to remove all old bedding and make disinfection. To lay new, clean and dry straw or sawdust.
• Disinfect the premises best, burning walls, floors and tools with a blow lamp, the main thing is not to make a fire.
• Feeders and drinkers should be well treated with disinfectants and boiling water.
• To monitor the quality of the feed and the cleanliness of the water in the troughs.
• Chickens can be kept in cages with mesh floor as long as possible, so that the litter falls into the trays.

After the youngsters are released on the floor or in the enclosure, it is necessary to carry out drug prevention on the 5th day. To do this, it is best to use "Baikox" or "Interocox". Dilute at a rate of 3 mg per 1 liter of water. Preliminary from the evening the bird is not allowed to drink, and in the early morning to pour a drinking solution into the drinking bowl. Before dinner, chickens should drink everything. There are means that are mixed in the food. But here it is impossible to trace which bird ate as much. It is better to use drugs that are soluble in water.

The second time the medication is given 25 days after the first reception. Further, the young are given a diluted drug for prevention after the rains, when the weather is humid and warm outside.

These drugs do not inhibit the immunity of chickens. The bird with such care and timely reception of medicines practically does not get sick. Such chickens do not need to be treated, the breeding herd will always be healthy.

As can be seen from the above, the main thing in keeping the poultry is the cleanliness and timely availability of these medications. Never leave a dead bird on the tribe. Affected adult chicken is better immediately to score on meat.

An enclosure of poultry

When aviary content is more likely that the bird does not get coccidiosis. An enclosure for chickens can be made with a plank floor and with a walk on the ground. And in either case, it is better to use the litter, so that you can change the old and dirty to a new one, dry and clean. Cages are with a roof and without a roof. With a canopy, of course, better. There is no dampness when it rains, the crows will not drag the crows, and on a hot day they need a shadow.

An enclosure for chickens is necessary not only so that they do not infect an infection from the outside. He protects them from predators. In addition, chickens in the wild can get into the garden and do a lot of trouble. Yes, and litter around the yard and on the porch - too unpleasant. And in the enclosure of the chickens receive the necessary sunlight, fresh air and at the same time, no one interferes and is protected.

Cultivation of young animals

So many diseases around, what raises the question of how to grow chicks without losses? It's no secret that chickens, like all babies, need warmth, cleanliness and high-quality fodder. And also vaccination and prevention of coccidiosis with drugs.

At present, the question of how to grow chicks from a week old does not cause much complexity. One of the main conditions is the maintenance of good immunity in chicks. This requires vitamins and trace elements. Now special food supplements for feeding chickens and young chickens are produced, which in a certain proportion are poured into the feed. This is "Tsyp-tsyp" and "Sunny". Premixes for chicks not only increase immunity, from them they grow rapidly and develop.

Vaccination of chickens

Vaccination of chickens at home is quite simple. Vaccinations from coccidiosis are done at the age of up to 9 days. Now the Avicox vaccine is very popular. Chickens can be fed with feed or water. The main thing in vaccination is to check the expiration date of the drug, observe the norms and write down the lot number and the number of vaccinations. Bottles from the drug should be disposed of. Vaccination is done once, it lasts a lifetime.