Respiratory Diseases of Small Poultry Flocks

Cause: Common fungus called Aspergillus fumigatus, sources of which may include moldy, wet feed; wet bedding; or mold on hatching eggs. Infection occurs when birds inhale large numbers of fungal spores, producing severe inflammation in birds' lungs, air sacs, and sometimes other tissues.

 

 

Diagnosis: Respiratory tract cultures and/or microscopic examination of the affected tissues.

 

Treatment and prevention: Treating individual birds is usually ineffective, very expensive, and not practical. In affected flocks, remove the mold source to prevent new infections. Clean up and disinfect the coop.

 

 

 

Cause: Bacterial infection from Pasteurella multocida, which can be acquired from exposure to sick wild waterfowl or rodents in the poultry area or through bite injuries from predators that carry these bacteria in their saliva. The disease can be further spread through fighting in the birds and may cause pneumonia, abscesses in multiple tissues, and often high death loss.

 

Diagnosis: Bacteria must be cultured in a laboratory from blood samples, abscesses, or dead birds.

Treatment and prevention: Treat the flock with an appropriate antibiotic (ideally based on culture and drug sensitivity information) for at least 10 days. Predator and rodent control is also necessary. Pick up and dispose of dead birds. Clean up and disinfect the coop.

 

 

 

Cause: Type A influenza virus of birds, which is most often present in wild and domestic waterfowl and shore birds. Infection is occasionally transmitted to poultry. Two forms of the illness occur: highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI). LPAI sometimes produces minimal illness in infected birds, but HPAI is very lethal to chickens, turkeys, and upland gamebirds. Disease must be reported to the Department of Agriculture if detected in Pennsylvania. Clinical signs are highly variable but may include respiratory disease, drops in egg production, swollen head, hemorrhages on the body and comb, and sometimes high death loss.

 

Diagnosis: Antibodies can be detected with a blood test. Tests that detect the virus from respiratory and cloacal swabs are also available. These tests are conducted at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Diagnostic Laboratories in State College, Harrisburg, and Kennett Square, Pa.

 

Treatment and prevention: Prevent direct or indirect contact with domestic or wild waterfowl (such as geese or ducks) and their droppings. Avoid high-risk practices such as visiting live bird markets and bird auctions. No vaccines are available for use in the U.S.

 

 

 

Cause: Birds become infected with the pox virus through contact with sick birds or infected scabs in the environment. Mosquitos can also transmit fowl pox.

 

Diagnosis: Typical nodules and scabs can be seen on featherless tracts of skin on the face, wing web, and feet, and often take 3 to 4 weeks to heal and fall off. Nodules can sometimes develop in the mouth and trachea. This form, called "wet pox," is difficult to recognize and may cause affected birds to die from suffocation.

 

Treatment and prevention: Keep a closed flock (no new birds of any age or species introduced to the present flock from outside sources) and control mosquitoes. Clean up and disinfect the coop. A very effective vaccine is available that can prevent the illness or stop the existing infection from spreading if detected early.