Chicken Farming Redefined

Poultry farming in Kenya has evolved from traditional small scale chicken keeping to a fully commercialized industry. The growth I this sector has been catalyzed by increased consumption due to population growth and the white meat campaign from nutritionists. Increased land fragmentation has made farmers to resolve to ventures that have highest economic benefits per area and poultry farming one of them.

In spite of the growing demand, interested chicken farmers are usually scared by the risks involved especially in the first month. The risk varies from layers, broilers and dual Purpose. Various types of poultry diseases can cause serious loss in the poultry farming business. Diseases occur due to lack of proper care and management, inadequate nutritious feeding and some other factors.

Chicken diseases can be categories in three

1.      Contagious Diseases: They spread from affected bird to healthy ones

·         Viral Disease: Newcastle, chicken pox, gumboro, mareks, duck plague

·         Bacterial Diseases: Cholera, pullorum

·         Fungus Diseases: Spargilosis, fevus, thrash, micotoxicosis

2.      Parasitic Diseases: Created by organisms that lives on bodies of poultry for example fleas, Lice,     worms & mosquitoes. The organisms my also act as vectors that spread diseases from one organism to another. Examples of parasitic diseases are Micoplasmosis, colibesilosis, steptocackich, coccidiosis, espegilosis

3.      Malnutrition Diseases: If you don’t feed your birds well balanced and nutritious feed, then they might suffer by malnutrition diseases. Malnutrition diseases are of two types.

·         Vitamin Deficiency Diseases: The diseases which caused due to lack of vitamins are called vitamin deficiency diseases.

·         Mineral Deficiency Diseases: Some diseases attack the poultry birds due to lack of sufficient amount of various types of minerals. This types of diseases are known as mineral deficiency poultry diseases. Mineral play a vital role in keeping the poultry birds healthy. So they become sick and live unhealthy life due to mineral deficiency diseases.

Other Poultry Diseases: The poultry birds also get affected by some other miscellaneous diseases like cannibalism, egg bound etc. Although cannibalism and egg bound are not specifically poultry diseases.

Common Poultry Diseases, Symptoms and Prevention

1.      Newcastle Disease: It is the most fatal poultry disease in Kenya, often between 30% and 80% of the birds die when the disease hits. The disease is very common during dry seasons, and is often seen in young chicks, but also in adults.

·         Symptoms: The chickens lose appetite and have poor digestion. They might show heavy breathing, greenish droppings, and sometimes bloody diarrhoea. They may show nervous symptoms, paralysis and die suddenly, and the symptoms may occur all at the same time.

·         Prevention/Treatment: The disease is a virus, so there is no treatment, but it may be prevented through vaccination of all birds including chicks from Week 2  and repeat again once a month for the first 2 months

2.      Fowl pox:  It is often seen in young chicks when it fatal but also in adults and pullets. The disease is common during dry seasons, but may be found all year around

·         Symptoms: Shows as pocks (small lumps) on wattles, comb and face. High body temperature, tiredness followed by sudden death.

·         Prevention/Treatment: The disease is a virus, so there is no treatment, BUT a Vaccine is available and highly effective. App

3.      E. coli infection: It is common among newly hatched chicks, causing infection in the stomach region in adults, the disease Stops of egg production, immune system weakening. 

·         Symptoms: In older birds - Respiratory distress or infection in the egg organ with stop of egg production.

·         Prevention/Treatment: The best prevention is improved hygiene of eggs for hatching and of the nests. Treatment of sick chicks might be possible with antibiotics.

4.      Fowl cholera (pasteurellosis): It can occur any time in all ages. Infection is through contaminated feed and drinking water. May occur as a chronic disease or hit as sudden death.

·         Symptoms: severe diarrhoea, respiratory symptoms, loss of appetite, blue combs and wattles.

·         Prevention/Treatment: There is no treatment. Best prevention is strict hygiene and vaccination. Kill and burn affected birds. Vaccine is usually available.

5.      Pullorum disease (Bacillary white diarrhoea): It is common in young chicks. Disease is transmitted to chicks from the eggs of infected hens, which may not show signs of being ill.

·         Symptoms: Chicks walk with difficulty, show big bellies and drag their wings. Their droppings are liquid and turn white

·         Prevention/Treatment: There is no treatment. Prevention is strict hygiene. If illness occurs, isolate or kill and burn the birds.  

6.      Fowl typhoid: It is common in older birds. Can be deadly, do not buy chicks from unknown sources, and do not use eggs for hatching from hens that have been ill.

·         Symptoms: high body temperature, tiredness, blue comb, sudden death

·         Prevention/Treatment: No treatment. Prevention is through strict hygiene and culling of ill hens.

7.      Coccidiosis (internal parasites): The disease may occur at any time at all ages. It causes death in young chicks. If the chicks survive, they will remain thin and be late in laying

·         Symptoms: Sick, tired, head down, ruffled feathers, bloody diarrhoea

·         Prevention/Treatment: Regular and careful cleaning of troughs and poultry houses. Anticoccidiostatics in drinking water or feed. Do not crowd birds together. Avoid different age groups of birds in the same house, as the disease may spread from adults to young chicks.

8.      Roundworms and tapeworms (internal parasites) Internal parasites are very common in all ages in the village based production systems. Internal digestion is filled with parasitic organisms capable of starving and/or infecting chicks

·         Symptoms: poor health, weight loss, drops in egg production, and bloody diarrhoea.

·         Prevention/Treatment: The best treatment is adding antihelmintics in the drinking water once or twice a year, at best two weeks before vaccination against nutritional deficiencies. Careful hygiene may prevent heavy infection.

9.      External parasites: Attacks all ages any time, but occurs more frequently in humid chicken houses with bad hygiene. If not treated, mites, lice, fleas, ticks will cause weight loss and possibly loss of feathers due to the parasites sucking blood and to skin irritation.

·         Symptoms: Adult birds are clearly disturbed and spend a lot of time pecking and polishing feathers. Young chicks may die from anaemia. Lice can be seen around eyes and nose. Fleas can be seen on the belly.

·         Prevention/Treatment: Spray or dust with pesticides, ashes, and oil. Ashes and sulphur powder may be used where the hens do dust bathing. Nests may be protected by putting a few tobacco leaves mixed with ashes in the nests.

10.  Scaly legs: Scaly leg is caused by an external parasite irritating the skin on the birds’ legs. Irritates hens and could lead to further patristic infection.

·         Symptoms: Legs clearly have scales and wounds and may become crippled in their appearance.

·         Prevention/Treatment: Dip the legs daily in kerosene, oil or in an insecticide until the scales disappear.

11.  Nutritional diseases:  Nutritional diseases may be avoided when the birds have access to normal vegetation and are therefore rare in scavenging chickens. Some deficiencies may cause feather loss.

·         Symptoms: Bone deformation and feather loss. The birds walk with difficulty; they limp. Legs are deformed.

·         Prevention/Treatment: If detected in time, give supplementary vitamins and calcium, fresh grass, and cow dung.