Diagnostic Methods for Diseases of Peafowl in Autumn and Winter

In the crisp autumn air, this is a season of harvest, but for peafowl breeding it is a season of many diseases and disasters, just like winter, this is a peak period for disease outbreaks. Diseases should be detected early and resolved early, and of course, if the occurrence of diseases can be effectively prevented, that would be best of all. Below are some diagnostic methods for everyone.

1. Look at the head. Various diseases of peafowl are most obvious on the head. For example, when suffering from blackhead disease (histomoniasis), Newcastle disease, avian influenza, fowl typhoid, acute and chronic fowl cholera, septic mycoplasmosis and respiratory infectious diseases, etc., the comb often appears cyanotic; when suffering from cholera, due to difficulty breathing and accumulation of secretions in the throat, the bird desperately shakes its head, also known as head-shaking plague. Therefore, the head of poultry is called the alarm of poultry diseases. 2. Look at the eyes. Changes in the color of the conjunctiva, bleeding and edema of the avian eye are seen in inflammation of the conjunctiva, cornea, iris, etc., commonly seen in avian infectious conjunctivitis, and also commonly seen in the ocular form of infectious laryngotracheitis, fowl pox, avian aspergillosis, chronic avian paratyphoid, avian colibacillosis, avian encephalomyelitis, etc. in peafowl. When peafowl suffer from Marek's disease, the iris pigment disappears, the pupil edge becomes irregular, and blindness occurs, known as white eye disease. When peafowl suffer from VA deficiency, the cornea becomes dry, cloudy or softened. 3. Look at the nose. Nasal discharge is the most obvious sign of nasal tract disease. Nasal discharge is generally a transparent watery liquid; if it becomes viscous and cloudy nasal discharge, and the discharge increases, it is commonly seen in infectious rhinitis, fowl cholera, avian influenza, septic mycoplasmosis, etc. In addition, when peafowl suffer from Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, laryngotracheitis and other diseases, a small amount of discharge also flows from the nostrils. 4. Look at the oral cavity. Excessive mucus in the oral cavity, often carrying food, is mostly seen in crop impaction or pendulous crop, etc. If diphtheria-like lesions are found in the oral cavity, especially in the rear part of the oral cavity, this is a symptom of fowl pox. Pale yellow coagulated material attached to the laryngeal and tracheal mucosa that is not easy to wipe off is mostly seen in infectious laryngotracheitis. When peafowl suffer from candidiasis, grayish-yellow pseudomembranes and ulcers can be seen on the oral mucosa. 5. Look at breathing.

When observing the breathing of sick poultry, try to keep the poultry in a quiet state, and pay attention to whether there is coughing, sneezing, opening the mouth and stretching the neck, etc. If there is difficulty breathing, it is mostly seen in mucosal-type fowl pox, Newcastle disease, aspergillosis, etc.; if it is also accompanied by respiratory rales and coughing, it can be seen in infectious laryngotracheitis, bronchitis, rhinitis, avian septic mycoplasmosis, common cold, etc. 6. Look at the throat. If there is laryngeal edema, bleeding points on the mucosa, and secretion of viscous secretions, etc., these are symptoms of fowl pox. Marked inflammatory congestion, edema, and even formation of caseous plugs are symptoms caused by viruses, such as fowl pox and infectious laryngotracheitis. Changes such as dryness of the throat, anemia, and white pseudomembranes that are easy to tear off are seen in various vitamin deficiency disorders, etc. 7. Look at the feces. Abnormal changes in peafowl feces are often a warning sign of disease; mainly look at color, texture and certain special changes. Healthy feces should be strip-shaped, moderately soft and hard, grayish-green or yellowish-brown with milky white urates attached, and without a foul odor. If it is dry and hard or too thin, that is due to insufficient or excessive drinking water or green feed; if it is too soft, it indicates that the proportion of bran feed is too high; if the feces are yellowish-white or yellowish-green with mucus attached, then it is a disease symptom, for example, when suffering from diarrhea, Newcastle disease, avian influenza, leukemia or Pseudomonas aeruginosa disease. Peafowl feces that are red or brownish-red are mostly coccidiosis. Feces that are white pasty or lime-like thin feces are due to feeding too much protein feed, or are characteristic of salpingitis, white diarrhea, and avian gout. Peafowl passing dark brown feces is caused by feed spoilage or pesticide poisoning. Yellow feces (also called sulfur feces) is commonly seen in peafowl histomoniasis (cecal hepatitis). Pale yellow foamy feces is mostly seen in enteritis. If there is incompletely digested feed in the feces, it is a manifestation of gastroenteritis. Feces excreted without being digested are called undigested feces and should be regarded as a functional disease of the digestive system. 8. Touch the chest and abdomen. If peafowl are found to have swelling of the chest and abdomen, with a large amount of ascites accumulated in the abdominal cavity, the appearance being cyanotic purple, and a fluctuating sensation when touched, it is a symptom of avian ascites and lymphoid leukemia; excessive fluid accumulated in tissue spaces is also called edema; excessive fluid accumulated in body cavities and the pericardium is called hydrops. Edema and hydrops are mainly due to heart, liver and kidney disease or poisoning. When an abscess is felt in the front part of the sternum, it is mostly caused by infection of the poultry body wound by Staphylococcus or Escherichia coli. When edema occurs under the skin of the chest and both wings, and the skin at the edematous site is blue-purple or blue-green, and the sick chicks have difficulty walking, it is mostly caused by selenium and VE deficiency in young peafowl. 9. Touch the skin. Peafowl dermatitis symptoms mainly include 3 types: infectious, nutritional and parasitic. Infectious dermatitis often causes skin necrosis, seen in Clostridium, Staphylococcus infection and cutaneous fowl pox, etc.; the skin in nutritional dermatitis appears rough and cracked, often caused by VH or pantothenic acid deficiency; some female peafowl have back injuries, which are scratches caused by male peafowl during natural mating; some peafowl have scabs on the skin, generally caused by external parasite infection. Skin tumors of different sizes occur at hair follicles, with a blue-white cut surface, which can be broken when pressed hard, often caused by Marek's disease in peafowl.