How to prevent and treat perosis in ducklings? Analysis of causes and symptoms

Perosis in ducklingsis also known as manganese deficiency, contracted tendon disease, short and thick bone disease, slipped tendon disease, knee joint disease, leg deformity and weakness, etc. It is a deformed weak-leg disease of young ducks, characterized by abnormal leg bone growth in affected ducks. Heavy breeds of chickens are more prone to it than light breeds. This disease is often easily confused with rickets, but in this disease bone calcification is normal and the bone substance is hard, unlike rickets, in which bone calcification is incomplete and the bones become soft.

Perosis in ducklings is a disease that occurs easily during the brooding period. It is mainly caused by poor feed nutrition or improper feeding and management practices, as well as by low temperature and high humidity inside the house. Ducklings over 10 days of age are susceptible to the disease.

Symptoms: In the early stage of the disease, ducklings will have difficulty walking, trembling while standing, inward bending of the hock joint, and sometimes crawling postures, but their appetite is still good. As the disease worsens, affected ducks are completely unable to stand, and when moving they touch the ground with the hock joint, or even support the ground with both wings, thereby causing the limbs to become worn, ulcerated and inflamed, and the joints to swell and deform, appearing in an “O” or “X” shape. Affected ducks have difficulty eating, gradually become emaciated, and even die. By 21 days of age, the incidence rate rises to 50%, and the mortality rate can exceed 10%.

Prevention and treatment: Rationally mix the feed to ensure nutritional needs: supplying the nutrients needed by ducklings is an important part of preventing and treating this disease. During the brooding period, each kilogram of feed should contain 2900 kcal of energy, 22.00% crude protein, 3.5% crude fiber, and 1.28% calcium, 0.71% phosphorus, 1.05% lysine, and 0.73% methionine plus cystine. Each kilogram of feed should contain 0.2 grams of multivitamins, and an appropriate amount of manganese and zinc must be supplemented. Control temperature and humidity and reduce stocking density: keep the temperature inside the duck house at around 25℃ and the humidity at 65%-70%, and raise 7-10 ducklings per square meter. Isolate, treat and raise them separately, and supplement feed nutrition: once ducklings become ill, they should immediately be grouped for treatment, and at the same time raised separately in small pens so that every affected duck can drink water and eat. At the same time, according to the nutrients lacking in the affected ducks, minerals, vitamins and trace elements, etc. should be supplemented. When ducklings are ill, add 50 milligrams of manganese per kilogram of feed, and feed each duck 5 milligrams each of vitamin D, vitamins, and vitamin B2, and after 7 consecutive days reduce the amount. In addition, green feed and fish-product feed should be appropriately supplemented in their feed.