What Are the Common Diseases in Laying Hen Farming? Rural Chicken Farming Techniques and Cause Analysis

Nowadays, when rural farmers talk about poultry diseases, they are all afraid, fearing that their chickens will get sick. In fact, for poultry epidemics, it is best to know early, prevent early, and treat early. So what are the common diseases in laying hen farming? What causes them? Let us make a brief analysis below.

1. Soft-shelled eggs

The eggshell is incomplete, with only a thin layer of calcium deposited on the shell membrane.

Causes: 1. Excessive phosphorus intake; 2. Heat stress; 3. Drinking water that is too salty; 4. Mycotoxins; 5. Hen age: older laying hens are prone to this.

2. Cracked-shell eggs

The eggs show fine cracks, star cracks, or even completely cracked shells.

Causes: 1. Heat stress; 2. Drinking water that is too salty; 3. Malnutrition, especially calcium and vitamin D; 4. Mycotoxins

3. White-spotted eggs

Similar to the problem of calcium deposition, except these spots are relatively small and appear on the eggshell before or after the outer shell surface is formed.

Causes: 1. Shell gland defects; 2. Disruption of the calcification process; 3. Malnutrition, such as excessively high levels

4. Brown-spotted eggs

Similar to white-spotted eggs. The spots are brown.

Causes: 1. Shell gland defects 2. Disruption of the calcification process 3. Malnutrition

5. Dirty eggs

All or part of the eggshell is contaminated by chicken manure. Avoid using feed ingredients that easily lead to wet and sticky manure.

Causes: 1. Wet manure; 2. High levels of hard-to-digest substances in the feed; 3. Poor intestinal health; 4. Electrolyte imbalance or drinking water that is too salty

6. Blood-stained eggs

Blood-stained eggs are prone to appear when laying hens experience prolapse, feather-pecking, or vent-pecking. Newly laying hens are prone to blood-stained eggs.

Causes: 1. Overweight pullets; 2. Sudden daily increases; 3. Poor sanitation of cages, trays, and egg collection conveyor belts

7. Faded eggs

The degree of brown coloring of the eggshell depends on the quality of the pigment deposited in the shell surface.

Causes: 1. Infectious bronchitis; 2. Hen age: older laying hens have a higher probability of occurrence; 3. The flock suffers from high stress; 4. Egg drop syndrome; 5. Use of chemical drugs, such as sulfonamides and anticoccidial drugs

8. Pink eggs

The reason the eggshell appears pink or lilac-purple is the color-mixing effect produced by the combination of the shell surface and the extra calcium layer.

Causes: 1. Stress; 2. High-calcium feed

9. Shell-less eggs

The eggs laid by laying hens have no eggshell, only a layer of shell membrane wrapping them.

Causes: 1. Immature shell gland development; 2. Diseases: Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, avian influenza, egg drop syndrome, etc.; 3. Malnutrition: calcium, phosphorus, manganese, or vitamin D

10. Corrugated eggs

Corrugated eggs are characterized by a very rough surface with wrinkles.

Causes: 1. Genetics 2. Newcastle disease or bronchitis 3. Excessive use of antibiotics; 4. Excessive calcium intake; 5. Copper deficiency

11. Wrinkled eggs

Small calcified mound-like protrusions appear on the eggshell surface. The degree of protrusion depends on foreign substances present during the shell calcification process.

Causes: 1. Hen age; 2. Chicken breed; 3. Malnutrition

12. Sandy-shell eggs

Fine wrinkles or creases appear on the eggshell surface

Causes: 1. Stress; 2. Disease; 3. Shell gland defects; 4. Stocking density too high

13. Calcium-coated eggs

In this type of egg, an extra layer of calcified material covers the entire eggshell surface or one end of the shell.

Causes: 1. Shell gland defects; 2. Disruption of the calcification process; 3. Malnutrition, such as excessively high calcium levels

14. Calcium-deposited eggs

White, irregular spots are deposited on the eggshell surface

Causes: 1. Shell gland defects; 2. Disruption of the calcification process; 3. Malnutrition, such as excessively high calcium levels

15. Mottled eggs

When the egg is held up to a light source, the eggshell can be seen to appear mottled or glass-like.

Causes: 1. Humidity in the chicken house too high; 2. Disease and mycotoxins; 3. Manganese deficiency; 4. Overcrowding

16. Self-healed eggs

When the egg is damaged while in the shell gland sac, the hen repairs it by itself before laying.

Causes: 1. Inappropriate lighting; 2. Stress; 3. Hen age: older laying hens are prone to this; 4. Overcrowding

17. Cracked and repaired

The cracks in this type of egg occur when the egg is being formed, but are repaired before laying

Cause: The laying hen receives stress during egg calcification

18. Deformed eggs

Deformed eggs differ from normal eggs in shape and size: too large or too small, appearing round rather than oval.

Causes: 1. Immature shell gland development; 2. Diseases: Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, infectious laryngotracheitis, egg drop syndrome, etc.; 3. Stress; 4. Overcrowding

19. White-ringed eggs

This is caused by two eggs forming at the same time in the shell gland sac touching each other. This means the normal calcification process of the egg is disturbed, and the egg that entered the shell gland sac earlier gains extra calcium on the surface where it touches the second egg.

Causes: 1. Stress; 2. Changes in lighting; 3. Infection

20. Flat-sided eggs

Flat-sided eggs are the second egg in the shell gland sac that does not undergo as complete a calcification process as the first egg, so a flat, sunken mark appears on the surface where it touches the first egg.

Causes: 1. Stress; 2. Changes in lighting; 3. Infection