How to prevent pullorum disease in chickens? Prevention and control measures every farmer must read
Many diseases often occur during chicken farming, and pullorum disease in chickens is one of them. It is a general term for diseases caused by Salmonella, and is an acute septicemic infectious disease. Once it occurs, it can cause the death of large numbers of chickens, with an extremely high mortality rate. So how should it be prevented? Let's take a look.
1. Clinical symptoms
Sick chickens will show listlessness, standing still, drooping head, closed eyes, drooping wings, ruffled feathers, reduced appetite or refusal to eat, increased water intake, and watery diarrhea. The eyes tear up, and in severe cases this causes blindness, and sometimes arthritis is caused. If breeding eggs are infected with the disease in the early stage of incubation, the chicks will die within a few days after hatching.
2. Epidemiological characteristics
The disease spreads very rapidly. Sick chickens and carrier chickens are the main sources of transmission, and the main route of transmission is through the egg. In addition, the chicken house environment, litter, feces and rearing equipment can also spread the disease after being contaminated by the pathogen. Chicks have weak resistance and are highly susceptible to pullorum disease. During an acute outbreak, they may die within one day of hatching, and without any obvious symptoms.
3. Preventive measures
First of all, eggs whose shells are contaminated by pathogens cannot be used as breeding eggs. Egg-handling equipment should be clean and disinfected. During storage, contact between eggs should be avoided as much as possible. The storage temperature is best kept at 10-15 degrees, and the storage time should not exceed one week. Before incubation, formaldehyde steam can be used to good effect, as this can eliminate pathogens on the eggshells. To prevent pullorum disease during the brooding period, workers need to wear disinfected clothing, shoes and hats, no animals are allowed to enter, and to avoid feeding equipment being contaminated by feces, it must be disinfected regularly.
The above is an introduction to preventive measures for pullorum disease in chickens. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.