Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12: Chicken Diseases
4 Main Types of Chicken Diseases
Metabolic Disease:
These are diseases that affect the chicken's metabolic system. The causes of these diseases
can be genetic or hereditary. Factors that can cause problems are also poor nutrition or not
getting enough feed. Sometimes the chicken is unable to absorb the nutrients from its food.
Examples of these metabolic diseases are Cage Layer Fatigue, Rickets and Fatty Liver Syn-
drome.
Nutritional Disease:
These diseases are tied in with metabolic diseases and cause by inadequate nutrients from
the chicken's diet. They can have a high mortality rate.
Infectious Disease:
There are many diseases that can infect your chickens. Infectious diseases are caused by a
variety of pathogens. They can infect the chickens through water, food or air. They are usu-
ally very contagious and can easily be carried from bird to bird. Examples of these diseases
are Salmonellas, Newcastle Disease and Fowl Pox.
Infections can be devastating to your flock and some diseases require destroying infected
birds. Isolation of sick birds is a must and daily checking of your chickens is important.
Many infectious diseases are due to poor hygiene and dirty food and water. It is a good pre-
ventive measure to keep the coop, feed and water utensils clean. A covered run is also good
as many diseases are carried by wild birds.
Parasitic Disease:
These diseases are caused by parasites using your chickens as hosts. They can be contracted
from another infested chicken. These parasites can also live in cracks in the coop or bedding
and come out at night to feast on your chickens while they are sleeping. Examples of these
are Parasitic Worms, Lice and Mites.
