Prevention and treatment methods for digestive tract diseases in broiler chickens
Digestive tract diseases in broiler chickens
This is my own way of calling it, because the causes of chicken digestive tract diseases are now quite complex. Some people think they are caused by bacteria, some think they are caused by viruses, some think they are caused by mold, some think the disease starts in the small intestine, and others think it starts in the proventriculus, and so on - opinions vary. So to this day the true cause of chicken digestive tract disease has still not been clearly determined.
Analysis of the causes
Digestive tract diseases in chickens are not caused by a single bacterium or virus; they are the result of a combination of factors. These include feeding and management aspects (which are the most important factors), as well as bacterial and viral aspects, and also natural environmental aspects.
Feeding and management are the main triggers of digestive tract diseases in chickens. Poor lighting, immunization, overfeeding, the hardness of feed pellets, flock transfer, medication, and so on can all cause stress. Under stress conditions, the intestinal flora of chickens becomes imbalanced, creating conditions for harmful bacteria to multiply, so that feed cannot be properly absorbed and excreted. Due to vertical infection and environmental factors, today's flocks, even under relatively good rearing conditions, carry harmful digestive tract bacteria and viruses as latent infections within the body.
Common clinical symptoms of digestive tract syndrome:
Low feed intake, poor growth in the flock, poor uniformity, emaciation. First, pale yellow undigested feed droppings and fish-intestine-like droppings are passed; later, due to intestinal mucosal bleeding and shedding, loose tomato-like droppings are passed. At normal temperature for the age, chickens will tuck their heads and appear listless; when the temperature is raised, the number of listless birds decreases noticeably. If the disease progresses to the later stage and the flock is subjected to stress, large numbers of chickens will scream, run about wildly, convulse, and die.
Chicken digestive tract syndrome can now be divided into 3 diseases that are relatively widely recognized:
1. Infectious proventriculitis of chickens. Some also call it proventriculus-type infectious bronchitis; some say it is caused by a coronavirus, and some say it is caused by a reovirus. The main manifestations are proventriculus edema, thickening of the stomach wall, with an appearance like a ping-pong ball, and when cut open the stomach wall automatically turns outward. The proventriculus papillae ulcerate, and some have ring-shaped hemorrhages. In some cases, squeezing the proventriculus wall causes watery fluid to squirt out.
2. Chicken gizzard erosion. The main manifestations are degeneration, ulceration, and erosion of the gizzard koilin layer. In severe cases, the gizzard koilin layer completely separates from the gizzard wall. As for the main causes, I personally think (1) it may be related to some kind of bacterium or virus. (2) It is related to excessive secretion of gastric acid. (3) It is related to poor medication habits. (4) It is related to current rearing models. It is not like adding sand grains to the feed. (5) It is related to the use of low-quality fishmeal and mold.
3. Chicken intestinal toxin syndrome. The disease mainly manifests as the mucosal system of the duodenum and small intestine being damaged by harmful bacterial flora, causing an imbalance of the normal intestinal flora. This produces a series of adverse reactions in the chickens. According to the pathogenic bacteria, it can be divided into: (1) Cases mainly involving anaerobic bacteria, mainly seen in 10-day-old chicks, with gas in the small intestine, and acidic, foul-smelling feces containing bubbles. (2) Cases mainly involving Streptococcus, mainly manifested as bleeding points ranging from as small as a needle tip to as large as a sorghum grain on the serosal layer at the end of the duodenum; the longer the course of the disease, the farther the bleeding points extend into the small intestine and the larger they become. (3) Cases mainly involving coccidia, mainly manifested as pinpoint hemorrhages in the mucosal layer of the small intestine, edema of the intestinal wall, and in severe cases intestinal embolism and intussusception. In cecal coccidiosis there is bloody feces. (4) There are three kinds of combined phenomena.
Treatment experience
1. To thoroughly cure digestive tract syndrome, one must start with feeding and management, identify deficiencies in feeding and management, and reduce intestinal stress. This is the most important point. The particle size of corn grits used with concentrated feed and the intensity of sunlight are relatively key.
2. The pathogenic bacteria must be identified accurately, and the medication used must match the pathogen.
3. Early detection and early treatment are necessary. In addition, this disease easily develops drug resistance. When using medication, two or more drugs should be used alternately.
4. During treatment, combining Chinese and Western medicine gives relatively good results. Appropriate use should be made of microbial preparations such as Lactobacillus and Bacillus. Appropriate supplementation is needed with
compound amino acids and vitamins.
5. With digestive tract syndrome, the occurrence of secondary diseases should be considered and promptly controlled.
Analysis of the causes
Digestive tract diseases in chickens are not caused by a single bacterium or virus; they are the result of a combination of factors. These include feeding and management aspects (which are the most important factors), as well as bacterial and viral aspects, and also natural environmental aspects.
Feeding and management are the main triggers of digestive tract diseases in chickens. Poor lighting, immunization, overfeeding, the hardness of feed pellets, flock transfer, medication, and so on can all cause stress. Under stress conditions, the intestinal flora of chickens becomes imbalanced, creating conditions for harmful bacteria to multiply, so that feed cannot be properly absorbed and excreted. Due to vertical infection and environmental factors, today's flocks, even under relatively good rearing conditions, carry harmful digestive tract bacteria and viruses as latent infections within the body.
Common clinical symptoms of digestive tract syndrome:
Low feed intake, poor growth in the flock, poor uniformity, emaciation. First, pale yellow undigested feed droppings and fish-intestine-like droppings are passed; later, due to intestinal mucosal bleeding and shedding, loose tomato-like droppings are passed. At normal temperature for the age, chickens will tuck their heads and appear listless; when the temperature is raised, the number of listless birds decreases noticeably. If the disease progresses to the later stage and the flock is subjected to stress, large numbers of chickens will scream, run about wildly, convulse, and die.
Chicken digestive tract syndrome can now be divided into 3 diseases that are relatively widely recognized:
1. Infectious proventriculitis of chickens. Some also call it proventriculus-type infectious bronchitis; some say it is caused by a coronavirus, and some say it is caused by a reovirus. The main manifestations are proventriculus edema, thickening of the stomach wall, with an appearance like a ping-pong ball, and when cut open the stomach wall automatically turns outward. The proventriculus papillae ulcerate, and some have ring-shaped hemorrhages. In some cases, squeezing the proventriculus wall causes watery fluid to squirt out.
2. Chicken gizzard erosion. The main manifestations are degeneration, ulceration, and erosion of the gizzard koilin layer. In severe cases, the gizzard koilin layer completely separates from the gizzard wall. As for the main causes, I personally think (1) it may be related to some kind of bacterium or virus. (2) It is related to excessive secretion of gastric acid. (3) It is related to poor medication habits. (4) It is related to current rearing models. It is not like adding sand grains to the feed. (5) It is related to the use of low-quality fishmeal and mold.
3. Chicken intestinal toxin syndrome. The disease mainly manifests as the mucosal system of the duodenum and small intestine being damaged by harmful bacterial flora, causing an imbalance of the normal intestinal flora. This produces a series of adverse reactions in the chickens. According to the pathogenic bacteria, it can be divided into: (1) Cases mainly involving anaerobic bacteria, mainly seen in 10-day-old chicks, with gas in the small intestine, and acidic, foul-smelling feces containing bubbles. (2) Cases mainly involving Streptococcus, mainly manifested as bleeding points ranging from as small as a needle tip to as large as a sorghum grain on the serosal layer at the end of the duodenum; the longer the course of the disease, the farther the bleeding points extend into the small intestine and the larger they become. (3) Cases mainly involving coccidia, mainly manifested as pinpoint hemorrhages in the mucosal layer of the small intestine, edema of the intestinal wall, and in severe cases intestinal embolism and intussusception. In cecal coccidiosis there is bloody feces. (4) There are three kinds of combined phenomena.
Treatment experience
1. To thoroughly cure digestive tract syndrome, one must start with feeding and management, identify deficiencies in feeding and management, and reduce intestinal stress. This is the most important point. The particle size of corn grits used with concentrated feed and the intensity of sunlight are relatively key.
2. The pathogenic bacteria must be identified accurately, and the medication used must match the pathogen.
3. Early detection and early treatment are necessary. In addition, this disease easily develops drug resistance. When using medication, two or more drugs should be used alternately.
4. During treatment, combining Chinese and Western medicine gives relatively good results. Appropriate use should be made of microbial preparations such as Lactobacillus and Bacillus. Appropriate supplementation is needed with
compound amino acids and vitamins.
5. With digestive tract syndrome, the occurrence of secondary diseases should be considered and promptly controlled.