P a t a c G a m e F a r m

Disease Diagnosis
Disease	Symptoms	Prevention/Control
Avian Influenza (Virus)	Mild form: Decline egg production - Mild respiratory disorder - Sneezing- coughing - Low mortality Systemic form: Chronic respiratory infection - Sinuses filled with cheese (like plugs) - Drowsiness, swelling of heads - High mortality	Serological test only means of proper diagnosis - Prevent through vaccination - Vaccination not successful because of the many serotypes and short immunities - Management best prevention - De-population best control
Blackhead (Protozoan)	Sulfur colored droppings - Enlarged ceca with cheese-like core - Large saucer- shaped lesions on the liver - 50% mortality after 15 days	Rotate range and keep different ages of bird separate - dimetridayole is an effective treatment
Cholera (Bacterium)	Listless, refusal to eat or drink - Rapid loss of flesh - Diarrhea, severe drop in egg production - Darkened head and combs - Swollen or paralyzed feet, head and legs - Swollen wattles and high temperatures. Lesions: Hemorrhages on heart and liver - hemorrhages on gizzard and intestines - light spots visible on liver and heart	Sanitation, rotate range - dispose of carcasses promptly - vaccines are available - treatment of sulfa-tracylines
Coccidiosis (Protozoan)	Low mortality - loss of weight and poor growth - Bloody droppings - Intestines or ceca are swollen, bloody mucus when opened - Many types of coccidia; each affect different portion of intestine or ceca.	Coccidia are always present - good sanitation, dry litter - use of a coccidiostat helpful - change coccidiostat so coccidia does not become resistant - treatments of sulfas are effective for early outbreaks
Fowl Pox (Virus)	"Wet Pox" - labored breathing nasal/eye discharge, facial swelling - canker are found in the mouth - cankers are found in the throat and windpipe "Dry Pox" brown/yellow bumps on face, comb and body - bumps look like scabs in 2-4 weeks.	Vaccination best prevention
Infectious Bronchitis (Virus)	Respiratory noises in both chicks and old birds - gasping rales and coughing - wet nasals and eyes - inactive, tend to huddle - Declined feed consumption - dropped egg production with soft-shelled, misshaped eggs and poor egg quality - lower mortality	Vaccination - no specific treatment established - must make affected birds as comfortable as possible - increase heat to eliminate drafts
Infectious Coryza (Bacteria)	Sneezing - clogging of nostrils and sinuses with a sticky, putrid smelling exudate - exudate accumulates and causes swelling of face, eyes and wattles - cheesy core sometimes develops in eye	Caused by stress, drafts - birds which recover from severe infections become carriers and seem to become ill often - sulfa drugs have been a satisfactory treatment
Laryngo-tracheitis (Virus)	Coughing, sneezing, difficult breathing - depressed - stretches neck when inhaling (causing sound as they breathe) - occasional facial swelling - medium to high mortality Lesions: bloody mucus in the trachea - cheesy plug at the upper tracea, usually causing death (get lab diagnosis)	Vaccination is only treatment - Quarantine
Merek's (Virus)	Paralysis - slower growth and feathering - usually no signs Lesions: swelling in the peripheral nerves in legs and wings - tumors on some visceral organs	Vaccination - no treatment available
Newcastle (Virus)	Coughing, sneezing, rattling in the windpipe - decreased feed consumption - increased water consumption - nervous symptoms and paralysis - heads down or in circles - stopping egg production - many soft shelled eggs - yellowish cloudy air sacs	Vaccination - no treatment available

Signs of Health and Disease in Poultry

Feature

Normal

Unhealthy

Posture

Bird stands erect. Head and tail elevated.

Head held close to body, tail and possibly wings droop, neck twisted with head held over back or between legs.

Head

Comb and wattles bright red in color. Face parts filled out. Eyes bright and alert. Nostrils clean, free of exudate.

Comb and wattles shrunken, pale or blue in color. Face parts shrunken. Eyes dull, may be held only partly open. Nostrils caked, crusted. Eyes watery. Sinus area below eye swollen or flutters with respiration.

Musculature

When handled, bird has feeling of weight, when struggling has power in its movement.

Loss of weight and strength. Muscle at point of the keel and near crop cavity shrunken, resulting in a thin breast.

Legs and Feet

Scale covering clean and waxy. Legs filled out, joints are smooth and cool to the touch.

Dehydrated with prominent tendons. Joints enlarged, warm to the touch. Bottom of feet cracked, crusted or discolored. Scales enlarged and crusty.

Feathers

Smooth, neat and clean.

Feathers not preened. Feathers fluffed out or broken. Staining in areas of abdomen. Bird generally ruff looking.

Pigmentation

Characteristic for breed and strain, period of production.

Reduced depth of color. In adult hens an excess of yellow pigment may result from disease reducing rate of lay.

Appetite and Thirst

Eat and drink frequently.

Loss of appetite or excessive drinking.

Respiration

Absence of noise. Breathing through nostrils. Movement of abdominal wall barely perceptible. when pen temperature exceeds 85� F. healthy adult poultry will breathe through the open mouth. Young chicks will demonstrate this at temperatures about 100� F.

Gurgling, rattling, snickering noise; gasping; obvious movement of abdominal wall.

Manure

Gray, brown, white caps. Mass has definite form. Droppings firm, sticky, not firm. Dropping passed from ceca may be frothy.

Milky white, green, yellow, red. Dropping very liquid or very sticky, not firm.

Avian Disease Fact Sheet

Table of Contents

Introduction