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Faced with the mass and little-explainable death of young animals, poultry farmers, especially beginners, are asking themselves: "Why do broiler chickens die?" The reasons for this there are many phenomena, but most often the loss of chickens is associated with a violation of the conditions of keeping and feeding, as well as the spread of deadly poultry infections.
Why do broilers die? Cause of illness
The prerequisite for obtaining a strong stock of meat chickens is careful selection of chickens when purchasing or selecting from an incubator. Weak, sickly birds can be seen right away. They are less active than healthy brethren, eat less, move less. If it is a question of purchasing poultry in a third-party farm, there is a risk of getting into the poultry house of individuals with infectious and viral diseases, with helminthic infestations or parasite infestation. All this carries a danger not only for weakened birds, but also for quite viable chicks.
One of the most formidable reasons why broilers of different ages die are bird diseases. All diseases carry a special danger for young animals, as the chickens are still poorly formed immunity, and to exhaust the body you need very little time.
Therefore, even infections caused by Escherichia coli and in adult birds that can be easily treated, young animals are subject to rapid dehydration, weakening, intoxication and death.
For example, bird cholera or Pasteurrez kill the lives of chickens in 5-6 hours, accompanied by:
- a sharp increase in temperature;
- the appearance of mucus from the nasal apertures;
- Uncharacteristic for healthy birds of the species of litter;
- changes in the color of the beard and crest;
- wheezing and difficulty breathing.
The lethal outcome with this disease is almost inevitable.
Treatment and prevention of diseases of broiler chickens
What if the broilers die? If the poultryman has noticed terrible symptoms, then immediate treatment is performed with the help of potent antibiotics. Injections are made to all the hens in the hen house. The dead birds must be disposed of.
In most cases, pasteurellosis and other diseases can not be quickly recognized. To prevent the death of a bird, the focus is not on combating problems, but on preventing them!
Stop contamination with many diseases can be, strictly observing the purity of the poultry. Cages, brooders, chicken coops, paddocks and other places of keeping broilers are thoroughly washed, cleaned and disinfected. Sanitary treatment is subjected to all inventory, feeders and drinkers. It is important to regularly wash, wash and disinfect the shoes and clothes of the poultry man in which he works in the henhouse.
In order to prevent the death of birds from worms, fleas, lice and puffers, broiler chickens are periodically treated from these parasites. Polluted bedding is changed, from time to time, the herd is transferred to a new paddock area. Give the bird the opportunity to receive dust-ash baths.
Why chickens die broilers: lack of attention and errors in care
The highest percentage of broiler chickens deaths occur in the first days of the life of the chicks. Moreover, this is not due to infections, but to the banal inattention of the poultry farmer. Why do chicken broilers die, because yesterday they were perfectly healthy and active? The answer to this question from a beginning poultry breeder may contain several reasons.
One of the most common is the violation of the temperature regime inside the brooder with the chicks or in the henhouse, where the grown-up young has been transferred. For the chickens of the first days of life, the elevated temperature, imitating the presence under the hen, is extremely important. Therefore, in the brooder, a mode close to 29 ° C is maintained, and then the day after day the temperature should drop to 24-23 ° C. Even short-term hypothermia of chicks, like their overheating, is fraught with loss of livestock.
The mass case and the development of infections are facilitated by a dull content, as well as the lack of ventilation, which causes rapid reproduction in warm moist air of viruses and bacteria.
Fast-growing broilers can suffer from a lack of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. For example, with vitamin D deficiency, the bird shows signs of rickets. Lacking protein food, birds gain weight poorly. Improper nutrition and maintenance in too bright light can cause cannibalism in the chicken. Stronger individuals pluck feathers or at all peck at weak fellows.
Why do chicken broilers die: low-quality and improperly selected feed
If the poultryman is tormented by the question: "Why do chickens broilers die at a month's age and older? Obviously, are to blame poor living conditions, unbalanced, with a small amount of minerals and vitamins, or substandard feed.
Many poultry farmers prefer to give broilers ready mixed fodders. In this diet it is important that the mixture is fresh, without signs of mustiness and mold and is made by a trustworthy producer of quality raw materials.
When wet mashrooms enter the menu of chickens, their birds should only be given fresh, and not eaten, so that the chicks do not stick together fermented or rotten food.
Why do chicken broilers die, kept in excellent conditions and receiving food in combination with all the vitamins? It is not enough to give the bird a quality mixture and vitamin supplements, it is necessary that all the feeds that were obtained correspond to the age and could be well assimilated.
Grain for broilers and young animals of other breeds is ground, given vegetables shred or tinder to avoid such a phenomenon as resulting in death of occlusion of the goiter and esophagus. To prevent this phenomenon, improve digestion and meet the birds in trace elements to broilers, small gravel, chalk, ash, crushed shells are poured into separate feeders.
In no event, especially during the hot season, you can not leave broilers without clean drinking water.
In the walking areas when distributing green fodders, you should exclude poisonous plants from entering curious birds. But grated carrots, sliced pumpkin, crushed forage turnip, nettle, green onions and other garden crops - are very useful for chickens. They will not only become a welcome additive to the menu, but also replenish vitamin stores, and the onion will become a safe and effective antihelminthic.
Careful attitude to the wards of their maintenance in most cases helps to prevent the death of chickens, or at least not to allow death to become mass.
What to do when the broiler chickens die?
How to find out why the broilers die, and what to do after the death of the bird?
If the farm has isolated cases of mortality of broiler chickens, it is important to find out what caused the sad event. Therefore, especially when you suspect a contagious disease or the presence of parasites, with the participation of a veterinarian, an autopsy is performed. The result of the tests will provide an opportunity to conduct competent treatment, vaccination or prevention in relation to the rest of the livestock.
Mandatory full sanitary treatment of the poultry house, disinfection of hen houses and equipment, replacement of litter and treatment of walls and floor with slaked lime.
