Diarrhea in broiler chickens

Today, many farmsteads breed poultry, including broilers. As a rule, they buy small chickens that still have weak immunity, so they often get sick. Owners need to know how to help them in a difficult situation.

One of the most common problems is diarrhea. Moreover, the color of feces can be different, therefore, the cause of the occurrence is not the same. So, you need to know how diarrhea is treated in broiler chickens in a particular case. We will try to talk about the features of diarrhea and the principles of caring for young animals.

Causes of diarrhea in broilers

Diarrhea in broiler chickens is a fairly common disease. The cause of its occurrence may be non-infectious, as well as the result of some kind of infection. Regardless of the nature of diarrhea, it should be diagnosed as soon as possible and treated promptly. It should not be delayed, since the disease, if caused by an infection, spreads quickly and can kill the entire bird flock.

So, if you see liquid stools in broiler chickens, find out what caused it. The reason may be:

• in low-quality feed;
• in infections.

Other causes of diarrhea

In addition to poor-quality food or infection, diarrhea can be caused by other factors. One has only to correct the situation, as diarrhea goes away by itself:

• changing dry food to wet food
• the stressful state of the bird after a fright or a nervous breakdown;
• colds or hypothermia due to drafts;
• smoking in the poultry house also adversely affects the condition of the intestines;
• the ingestion of poisonous plants into the feed causes intoxication, and, as a result, diarrhea in broiler chickens;
• feeding from copper or galvanized dishes;
• unsanitary conditions in the chicken coop.

As you can see, the list of non-infectious causes of diarrhea in broiler chickens is rather long. If you eliminate the above reasons, then you can grow a healthy bird population.

Symptoms

In many cases, the cause of diarrhea can be recognized by the color of the feces and by the following symptoms:

• lethargy and apathy;
• stools become white, green or brown, sometimes with clots of mucus and blood;
• broilers drop their wings, feathers become untidy;
• most of the time they sit motionless due to swelling of the legs;
• sometimes the body temperature of the chickens rises;
• the cloaca sometimes even swells, and the place around it is constantly wet,

Any diarrhea causes chicken weakness, they stop drinking and eating, resulting in dehydration, intoxication, and, as a result, death.

Determining the cause of diarrhea in broiler chickens is not easy even for experienced poultry farmers, therefore, at the first signs and symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian.

Actions before the arrival of a specialist

Unfortunately, the reality is that the veterinary service in Our Country does not work very well. Moreover, not every locality has veterinary clinics. Therefore, it is not always possible to wait for an ambulance from a specialist. Well, if she arrives the next day. But you can’t tell broiler chickens about this, you won’t make them wait. You have to provide first aid yourself.

What should the owner of sick poultry do at the first sign of diarrhea in chickens:

1. First, regardless of the nature and color of diarrhea, suspicious chicks are transferred to another room.
2. Secondly, disinfect the feeders and drinkers, fill them with clean food and water. All juicy and wet food must be excluded from the diet and only grain should be given.
3. Thirdly, disinfection must also be carried out in the chicken coop, where sick birds have been identified.

Well, of course, you need to watch the chickens to determine the color of diarrhea, because it is he who can tell the cause of the disease and methods of treatment.

While the veterinarian examines chicken manure for infection, preventive measures should be taken:

1. Give the chickens a solution of potassium permanganate to drink or add an absorbent – activated carbon to the drink.
2. Add chalk, gravel, shells to the feeders.
3. Feed dairy products, drink probiotics.
4. Wet food is cooked with rice water.
5. As a prophylaxis of helminths, pierce special preparations.

Comment! Infectious diseases associated with diarrhea in chickens and adult chickens are dangerous not only for birds, but also for humans: you need to work in special clothes that are removed when leaving the chicken coop.

If chicks cannot be cured and the number of diseased poultry increases, it is best to destroy the flock, disinfect and burn the house. New chickens to acquire after some time.

We recognize the disease by the color of diarrhea

By the color of the feces, you can determine the type of infection in broiler chickens and then decide how to treat:

1. Green, brown and white diarrhea can be with avian typhus, pullorez. If the disease is not recognized and the chickens are not given the right medicines, they can die within a week.
2. Yellow diarrhea can provoke worms.
3. With pasteurellosis – avian cholera, the stools are green with small blood clots.
4. Brown, bloody stools can be a cause of coccidiosis.
5. Foamy diarrhea is observed with salmonellosis.

White diarrhea and its treatment

Liquid, white stools in hens and chicks are most likely indicative of Salmonella infection in chicks. The carrier of the infection are adult chickens, which infect the young.

Evidence of illness in chickens, other than diarrhea, is:

• behavior unusual for chickens – slowness of movements, motionless image;
• difficulty breathing, because of this, the beak is always open;
• slow growth.

Treating whitish diarrhea in broilers on poultry farms is an unprofitable occupation, because it takes at least 21 days to do everything about everything. In private backyards, chickens and hens are given sulfa drugs to fight the disease. Healthy and sick birds are kept separately and carefully monitored for their condition.

If the diarrhea is brown

Brown or dark brown stools are not always evidence of infection. Sometimes diarrhea can be caused by poor quality feed. But you should not rely on this, because the brown color of the feces can be a signal for a serious illness in broiler chickens with coccidiosis. This is a disease of the warm season, and infection occurs through dirty bedding and dishes.

Diarrhea is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• slowness of movement, most often the chickens sit motionless, ruffled;
• the wings droop, and the plumage becomes untidy;
• chickens do not eat well or refuse to eat at all, but they drink water all the time;
• comb and beard turn pale due to anemia and dehydration;
• mucus or blood clots may appear in the stools;
• chickens have a fever from diarrhea.

The appearance of blood is the most dangerous symptom, indicating that the intestinal mucosa begins to break down, you need to start active treatment.

If brown diarrhea is not accompanied by the above symptoms, then the appearance of blood in the feces is not associated with an infection, but a consequence of trauma to the cloaca, intestines, or the cause is improper feeding.

Treatment

It is necessary to treat diseased broiler chickens for coccidiosis immediately, because the disease develops rapidly, death occurs after 5 days. To make sure of the disease, the dead birds are opened.

Brown, white, or yellow diarrhea in broiler chickens is most often treated with antibiotics.

So from coccidiosis apply:

• Coccyprodin;
• Avatec 15% SS. It is given as a prophylactic from 0 to 4 months. Brown diarrhea in chickens is also treated with the same remedy;
• Baycox;
• Coccidiovitis;
• Madcox.
• Amprolium 30%;
• Metronidazole;
• Trichopol.

These drugs are prescribed by a veterinarian, he also explains the method of application. Any medicine must be strictly dosed. It is unacceptable to treat with the same medicine for a long time, as chickens quickly get used to it. For greater effect, the drugs must be alternated.

Raising healthy chickens:

Conclusion

Breeding broilers at home is a profitable occupation. You can provide your family with healthy meat and eggs (although broilers do not differ in egg production). After all, feeding is carried out with natural feed without any chemical additives. But you can get healthy chickens and cockerels if you follow sanitary standards and buy high-quality feed.