What causes colds in free-range chickens? A detailed explanation of the causes and prevention and treatment methods
Most friends who live in rural areas keep a few chickens free-range at home, but during the process of raising chickens, the flock can catch colds. Many farmers do not pay attention at first, which leads to secondary infections with other diseases later, and even death. So a cold infecting the flock is a headache for chicken farmers. So how should it be prevented? Let's take a look together.
I. Causes of colds in free-range chickens
1. Colds caused by temperature differences
Temperature difference is one of the important causes of colds in chickens. In summer, the temperature is relatively high, and the nighttime temperature is also relatively high, so the temperature difference is not very large, but in the other seasons, the temperature difference between day and night is still relatively large. Free-range chickens are generally raised on hills and in woodland, where the nighttime temperature is lower. The insulation performance of the chicken coop is poor, or the ventilation is poor, which very easily causes the coop temperature to drop rapidly and leads to the flock catching colds.
2. Colds caused by rain exposure
Colds caused by rain exposure are also a headache for farmers. Every plum rain season, rainfall is heavy and there are many rainstorms. Free-range chickens have sufficient feed intake and will not return to the coop to eat, and if the flock does not take shelter from the rain in time, they get soaked and catch colds.
II. Preventive measures
You can strengthen the insulation work of the chicken coop by adding plastic film and lowering it at night as a basic insulation measure to reduce the temperature difference. Chicken farmers should pay attention to the weather forecast. When it rains, do not let the flock out of the coop. The raising cycle of free-range chickens is relatively long, and during daily feeding it is not advisable to feed too much; it is most suitable for them to finish eating in 1-2 hours. When it rains, directly take a small amount of feed into the coop to feed them, and the flock will follow back, which can effectively reduce colds in the flock caused by rain exposure.
III. Treatment methods
In the early stage of a cold in the flock, the symptoms are on the surface, and you can directly give ginger water for drinking. Free-range chickens have strong resistance and will recover quickly very easily. In the middle stage of the disease, the chicken's body is vigorous at this time, and the chicken is generally in a high-fever state, so the main focus is clearing heat. Formulas such as Qingwen Baidu San and Jingfang Baidu San can be used, and most are for treating colds at this stage. In the late stage of the disease, the chicken's constitution is relatively weak at this time, and the main focus at this point is supporting healthy qi. Do not continue to use large doses of bitter and cold Chinese medicines to control it, as this will be counterproductive.
The above is an introduction to the causes of colds in free-range chickens and prevention and treatment methods. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.