EXTERNAL SYMPTOMS FOR DIAGNOSING POULTRY DISEASES
Contents taken from the Mississippi State University Department of Poultry Science. URL: http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disaid.htm
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*You may also check out the Avian Disease Facts and Diagnosis if this page did not help you*
Symptom |
Possible Cause |
Moist under wing... |
Infectious coryza |
Loss of... |
Molting |
Deposits at base of shafts... |
Lice or mite eggs |
Soiled hackle feathers... |
Infectious coryza, eye infection |
Feathers picked... |
Lice; nutritional deficiency-methionine; birds not debeaked |
Depigmented... |
Nutritional deficiencies-lysine, iron or folic acid |
Broken on upper thigh... |
Self picking |
Feather eating... |
Nutritional deficiency-methionine |
Symptom |
Possible Cause |
Pigmentation excessive ... |
Poor production; high pigment intake |
Nodules, mainly legs... |
Marek's disease |
Nodules over vent... |
Flukes (rare) |
Moist, necrotic, edematous... |
Necrotic dermatitis, exudative diathesis |
Darkened, purplish... |
Erysipelas; fowl cholera |
Crusted areas... |
Erysipelas; scab; gangrenous dermatitis |
Scabby hip... |
Self picking, inflicted by other birds |
Gangrenous, green... |
Hemmorhage; arthritis; gangrenous dermatitis |
Vent irritated... |
Northern fowl mite; lice (occasionally) |
Pale... |
Anemia; nutritional deficiencies-iron, copper, or vitamin B12 |
Symptom |
Possible Cause |
Mottled, red and white margins... |
Frozen |
Eruptions, nodules... |
Fowl pox |
White, scaly, powdery... |
Favus |
Symptom |
Possible Cause |
Pustules... |
Nutritional deficiency-vitamin A |
Crusts at margins... |
Nutritional deficiencies-pantothenic acid or biotin |
Beak soft, rubbery... |
Nutritional deficiencies-vitamin D or calcium-phosphorus imbalances |
White coat over tongue and in mouth... |
Wet form of fowl pox |
Ulcers... |
Mycotoxins; chemical injury |
Symptom |
Possible Cause |
Paralysis (limber neck)... |
Botulism; yellow jasmine poisoning |
Twisting... |
Newcastle disease; fowl cholera; brain infection; improper injection of Marek's vaccine |
Retracted over back... |
Newcastle disease; nutritional deficiency-thiamin |
Retracted under breast... |
Nutritional deficency-vitamin E; Newcastle disease |
Scabby necrotic areas... |
Improper injection of drugs; other injury |
Symptom |
Possible Cause |
Paralysis... |
Marek's disease; botulism; heat stoke; epidemic tremor; cage layer fatigue; vitamin E deficiency; algae poisoning; yellow jasmine poisoning; acute lack of water |
Rough, scaly... |
Fowl pox; scaly leg mite |
Bowed, weak... |
Nutritional deficiency-vitamin D; osteodystrophy |
Bone bends... |
Nutritional deficiency-vitamin D |
Joint swelling... |
Infectious synovitis; paratyphoid; pullorum; zinc deficiency; staphylococcosis; tenosynovitis; arthritis |
Tendon at hock displaced... |
Perosis (nutritional deficiency-manganese or choline) |
Stilted gait... |
Tenosynovitis |
Shank depigmented... |
Nutritional deficiency-vitamin A; coccidiosis; any low grade slow disease (for any length of time) |
Toes twisted... |
Genetic |
Symptom |
Possible Cause |
Joints fixed... |
Tenosynovitis |
Swollen foot pad... |
Infectious synovitis; bumblefoot |
Toes curled... |
Nutritional deficiency-riboflavin; genetic; management deficiency |
Foot pad cracked, dermatitis... |
Nutritional deficiency-biotin or pantothenic acid; management deficiency |
Bird walks on toes... |
Tenosynovitis |
Toes twisted... |
Genetic |
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