Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Chickens are susceptible to sickness and disease like any other animal. The most
common health problems are caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites, and virus.

Diseases, infections and illness are transmitted to chickens by parasites,

including lice, mites, fleas, ticks and worms, and through ingestion of living
organisms, such as bacteria, bacterial toxins and fungi growing in their feed,
water, hay, and living in the soil where they forage.

Chickens are also susceptible to develop respiratory illness from exposure to

extreme cold, and the damp, toxic and humid conditions that commonly occur
within their housing because of the high quantity of moisture in their excrement.

Chickens are social creatures; they live together, eat together, drink together,
sleep together, and share absolutely everything, including brooding and raising
their young. The only downside to this lifestyle, an outbreak of sickness in one
chicken can result in the devastation of an entire flock.

Understanding the different causes of disease and sickness in their natural

environment, and how symptoms present, preventative measures and
treatment is critical to maintaining good health in a back-yard flock or small
farm, and the food they supply you and your family.

What Is A Disease?
In common terms, a disease is an abnormal condition that is caused by infection,
basic weaknesses, or environmental stress. A disease is defined by a specific
group of signs or symptoms. Diseases prevent affected animals from functioning
normally.

Health is the overall condition of an animal at a given time. Disease causes this
condition to weaken. This can result in poor productivity and reduced quality of
the affected animals. It could even lead to the death/loss of one or all of the
birds in a flock.

Diseases can be categorized by common causes, such as genetic, mechanical,

toxic, and nutritional. Infectious diseases are caused by viruses, bacteria, and
fungi.

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Parasitic diseases are caused by protozoa, worms, and external parasites such as
mites and lice.

Infectious agents, commonly referred to as germs, move from one susceptible

bird to another in order to survive. For this to occur in a flock, a sufficient
number of disease-causing agents must be able to gain access to the susceptible
birds.

These are birds that have no immunity or other resistance against these agents
or whose defence mechanisms have been reduced or overwhelmed at the time
of infection.

WHY IS DISEASE SUCH A CONCERN IN POULTRY?

Certain diseases have the potential to decimate a region’s poultry industry.
When one of these diseases strikes, a quarantine or embargo could suddenly be
placed on a region or nation.

This could cause widespread economic hardship for both commercial and small
flock owners. To protect their animals and the poultry industry flock owners
must be able to identify diseases quickly to prevent them from spreading to
other animals. The sooner a disease is identified and action is taken, the better.

HOW ARE DISEASES SPREAD?

Diseases are spread by:

• Direct contact (bird-to-bird, infected manure)

• Indirect contact (contaminated equipment, people, environment)
• Vectors (wild animals, rodents, insects)

In addition, infectious agents need a “home base,” or reservoir of the disease, to

persist in an area. This reservoir could be other birds or organic matter
providing life support for these agents. Disrupting the methods by which
diseases are spread can greatly reduce the threat to your flock.

Bacterial diseases can be treated with antibiotics.

Viral diseases cannot be treated with antibiotics. Vaccines can be effective for
preventing some viral diseases.

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Fungi may cause illness either by growing in the birds or by producing poisons.
There are no treatments for fungal diseases but they can be treated by cleaning
the environment.

Parasites can irritate and annoy birds, and some can transmit bacteria and
viruses. Parasites are categorized as either internal or external, depending on
where they live in or on the bird.

External parasites generally bite and irritate birds but can also cause blood loss
and transmit diseases. Mites, lice, and ticks are all external parasites. Flies, fleas,
beetles, and mosquitoes, although they live both on and off the bird, can
transmit diseases like fowl pox between birds and, they can concentrate
poisons.

Internal parasites can be very small (like coccidia) or very large (like most worms).
There are treatments and vaccines for some internal parasites.

Poisons like botulinum and aflatoxin are produced by living organisms (fungi and
bacteria). Poisons that are made by humans, like pesticides or disinfectants, can
also cause clinical signs in poultry if they eat or drink them.

Nutritional deficiencies can result in signs of illness and death, especially in young
birds. Once the deficit has been identified and corrected, the birds will often
make a rapid recovery.

Environmental conditions, especially heat, can kill large numbers of birds and are
among the key causes that should be considered when there is high mortality.
Heat loss is more common in confined birds than those that are free-ranging.

Predation usually results in the loss of a few birds rather than whole flocks.

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Bacteria

Bacteria are an enormous classification of microorganisms, separate from plants

and animals, tiny in size; most recognized in sphere, spiral and rod-like shapes
under a microscope. There are more species of bacteria than plants and animals
combined.

Bacteria are natural organisms found living in the soil and water, on the surface
and core of almost every habitat on the planet, and on and within the live body
of all organic matter including humans, animals and plants.

Bacteria are essential to life, providing powerful aid in human digestion,

decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling and exchange, antibiotic
production, fermentation of cheese, and sewage treatment among countless
other functions.

However, some bacteria are pathogenic, creating serious infections in humans

and animals, and even death. Chickens are susceptible to contract infections and
disease from pathogenic bacteria growing in their natural habitat, food and
water sources.

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Bacterium is responsible for a large majority of health problems in chickens.

Bacterial infections and diseases are most often spread from one chicken to
another rapidly through ingestion of infected faeces. Some of the most common
bacteria-caused health problems include:

• Bumblefoot
• Ulcerative Pododermatitis
• Campylobacteriosis
• Erysipelas
• Fowl Cholera
• Fowl Typhoid
• Infectious Coryza
• Necrotic Enteritis
• Psittacosis
• Pullorum
• Salmonella
• Ulcerative Enteritis
• Mycoplasma
• Omphalitis

Bacterial Toxins

A toxin is a non-man-made poisonous substance produced by or within a living

organism. Toxins may vary in strength from the temporary discomfort caused by

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

the toxin in a bee sting, to deadly toxins contained in spider and snake bites that
attack red blood cells or the nervous system causing death immediately upon
contact.

Small organisms like bacteria, fungi and viruses also produce toxins, some highly
dangerous and deadly, and commonly attributed to food or blood poisoning. In
addition, chicken excrement contains high levels of nitrogen gas, which is
considered a highly toxic gas, and dangerous to breath, by humans and chickens
alike.

One of the most dangerous bacterial toxins that presents as food poisoning,
causing extreme pain, illness and even death in humans, is equally harmful to
chickens is Botulism

Fungi

A fungus is classified as a living organism, with its own distinction separate from
plants, animals and bacteria. Through mycology (the study of fungi), an
estimated 1.5 million different fungi species exist in our world today, with a life
cycle more closely resembling animals, than plants.

Fungi are natural organisms found in soil, and during decomposition on living
matter including animals, plants and other fungi. Fungi are often undetected for
their small size, until they begin fruiting into a visible mold.

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Fungi are essential to decomposition of organic matter, and nutrient cycling and
exchange. While some fungi are used to produce antibiotic medicine, and other
consumer products, many fungi are toxic and pathogenic, causing sickness,
disease and even death in humans and other animals.

The most common chicken health problems caused by fungi or fungus include:

• Aspergillosis
• Moniliasis
• Yeast Infection
• Thrush

Parasites

Parasitism is a non-mutual relationship between two living species, where the

parasite organism grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or inside a different
organism called the host. The parasite benefits at the expense of the host, often
depleting essential nutrients needed to maintain sound health.

Parasites infect their host by burrowing into and biting the skin, or through
ingestion, and may easily transfer from one host to another.

The most commonly known parasites include: lice, mites, fleas, ticks, and worms.
Parasites can cause irritation, deplete the host of essentials like food, water,
heat, and blood necessary for host survival, and spread dangerous pathogens,
causing discomfort, disease and even death in humans and animals.

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

Intrusive parasites that invade the internal organs of chickens, causing a wide
range of health problems include:

• Blackhead Disease (Histomoniasis)

• Coccidiosis
• Gapeworm (Red Worm, Syngamus Trachea)
• Red Mite (Dermanyssus Gallinae)
• Scaly Leg Toxoplasmosis Trichomoniasis

Virus

A virus is a small infectious agent that only replicates itself inside living cells of
an organism. A virus may also be a pathogen, and can replicate and cause
damage, even death to its host.

A virus can spread quickly through a flock. Viral infections are automatically
attacked by the immune system of the host, which often eliminates the infecting
virus altogether. While antibiotics are of no use against viruses, many vaccines
are available for some prevention and treatment.

Viral infections and diseases adapted and mutated from different species of
birds, animals and even humans, dangerous to the health of your chicken flock
and other livestock include:

• Bird Flu (Avian Influenza Fowl Pox)

• Avian Infectious Herpesvirus 1 (GaHV-1 Infectious Laryngotracheitis)
• Infectious Bronchitis
• Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro)

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 Module 1 - Causes of Chicken Sickness & Disease

• Lymphoid Leukosis
• Marek’s Disease
• Newcastle Disease

CATEGORIES OF DISEASE IN POULTRY

Bird diseases and conditions can be divided into three categories.

Category 1 Diseases:
1. Death in the flock is very high – often up to 100%.
2. Multiple organ systems (respiratory, digestive, nervous,
reproductive, etc.) are affected by these diseases.
3. Trade restrictions may be associated with these diseases;
quarantines and notification of animal health authorities may be
required.
4. Prevention through vaccination and biosecurity are the only options.
Treatment of active disease is ineffective. Stamping out flocks may be
the only option for controlling the disease once birds are infected.

Category 2 Diseases:
1. Mortality is lower than in Category 1 disease and/or treatment is
possible.
2. Only one or a few organ systems are involved.
3. These diseases limit how much income a community can earn from
poultry flocks; they result in the death of some birds, decrease egg
production, and/or lower feed conversion rates.
4. There are medications, vaccinations, and other treatments
available for these diseases.

Category 3 Diseases:
1. These are conditions rather than diseases, and are not caused by
organisms that are spread between birds.
2. Depending on the cause, they may affect multiple organ
systems.
3. They are environmental in origin and control is mostly through
providing adequate housing and sanitation.
4. Medication may be available for some conditions in this
category.

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