What is the best treatment for rickets in chickens?
During the growth and development of chickens, especially in low-temperature seasons, if the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body is disrupted, it will cause abnormal growth of bone tissue and form a nutritional disease. In adult chickens, it is collectively called osteomalacia, and in chicks, it is called rickets. So how should this disease be prevented and treated? Follow the editor and take a look.
1. Symptoms
Affected chickens mainly show poor growth, loss of appetite, fluffy feathers, and soft and bent bones. At the junction of the soft ribs and hard ribs, there are round bead-like hard nodules, and the chest is flat and narrow, protruding to both sides. If the symptoms are relatively severe, the beak becomes soft like rubber, making pecking difficult, the two limbs are painful and the chicken cannot stand, and most lie in a crouched position. In affected chicks, the two shanks are often curved in an arc or X shape, the spine is curved, and the chicken's calls are weak. In laying hens, affected birds at the base will not lay eggs.
2. Preventive measures
The supply amount and ratio in the daily ration should be adjusted, especially focusing on supplementing calcium-rich bone meal and fish meal, and phosphorus-rich calcium phosphate and calcium hypophosphite. Generally, the ratio of calcium to available phosphorus is: 2.2:1 for chick feed; 2.5:1 for growing chicken feed; 0.9:1 for laying hen feed. During the peak laying period of laying hens, the calcium content must not be lower than 3.5%-3.7%, and the phosphorus content must not be lower than 0.8%-0.9%. At the same time, attention should also be paid to the quality of calcium and phosphorus in the feed. The temperature of the chicken house should be kept between 18-23 degrees, and the feeding area per chicken must not be lower than the normal standard. For chickens with more severe conditions, they should be taken out of the cage and raised on the ground, while adjusting the feed ratio, and put back into the cage for rearing after they recover their health.
3. Treatment
After affected chickens are found, the proportion of calcium and phosphorus substances in the daily ration should be increased in a timely manner, mixed according to the formula above, with special attention to supplementing vitamin D or cod liver oil to promote the chickens' absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Under normal circumstances, add 2000 international units of vitamin D per kilogram of feed, and use 1-2 milliliters of cod liver oil per chicken per day. In addition, substances such as bone meal should also be added to the daily ration in a timely manner, accounting for about 1%-2% of the daily ration, to promote the chickens' rapid recovery.
The above is an introduction to how to treat rickets in chickens. I hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please follow us.