Any poultry farmer dreams of a good healthy brood. But, regrettably, very often, especially among beginners, there is a large mortality of chickens at a young age. so that mortality is not high, it is necessary to understand why broilers die, eliminate the causes, choose the appropriate treatment.
Why do chickens die?
Causes of death of chickens
When a chick dies, it has a bad effect on the entire economy, especially if you do not find out what led to this. The reasons why and from what broiler chickens die can be varied, we will consider them below.
- Incorrect chick keeping. Broiler chickens are defenseless, so care must be taken to keep them within normal conditions. Chicks are very sensitive to temperature. It must not be too high or low. Its differences also affect the health status of the chicken.
- Improper Feeding. Broilers chickens die with an improperly prepared diet. Even if you deviate a little from the diet, you can lose a chick, and more than one. the feed must be fresh and high in vitamins.
- Clogged stomach. The chicken has very delicate organs. Sometimes he can swallow something inedible, such as a pebble. The stomach becomes clogged and may result in the death of broiler chickens.
- Infection or virus. Due to the fact that the formation of immunity is just beginning to rise, it will not be difficult to pick up a virus or infection from other animals. Unfortunately, in almost all such cases, only prevention is suitable, treatment is useless.
- Bowel disease - pullorosis. Broilers chickens die of this ailment quite often. Infection occurs at the stage of being in the egg. Almost 100% of chicks will not survive after a pullorosis incubator.
- Cannibalism. If you spend too long time under the sun, from poor nutrition, being locked up, this disease can develop. First, young chickens pull out feathers from each other, then "peck" parts of the body, then infection occurs, then broiler chickens die.
- Pesticide poisoning. Nitrates (pesticides) are found in many fruits and vegetables. By mistake or inexperience, the poultry farmer may give beets, greens or other nitrate-rich foods to young, immature chicks. Poisoning is a frequent factor, why do broiler chickens still die? Symptoms are as follows: parts of the body turn blue, chicks lower their wings, cramps occur, respiratory depression is observed. Death comes from suffocation.
- Gastric toxic dyspepsia. The lack of vitamins A, B, as well as minerals such as calcium or phosphorus can lead to this disease. At the initial stage, it is manifested by an increase in temperature, the birds have lowered their wings and go sleepy. Then muscle cramps occur, and then death occurs.
- Stomach atrophy. Adult chickens do not die from atrophy, which cannot be said about young ones. If the owner of the chicks does not add gravel to separate feeders and constantly feeds flour feed, this can lead to stomach atrophy. Symptoms are as follows: thirst, chicks are ruffled, stools have changed characteristically, weight has decreased. Broiler chickens will quickly die from further neglect.
Pasteurellosis as the main reason
Pastarelosis is transmitted when fed with contaminated feed. The bacillus of this infection lives well in nutrients, but quickly dies under ultraviolet light. Sick young animals become lethargic, babies lose their appetite, breathing becomes difficult, in some cases, individuals go blind. This infection is widespread, and most young females die from it. Unfortunately, if there are live chicks who have suffered this disease, they are subject to slaughter, as they become potential carriers of pasteurellosis. Two-month-old broilers most often suffer from this disease.
It happens that none of the above reasons is a factor in mortality. In this case, you need to contact your veterinarian to explain what caused it, and what to do to prevent this from happening again. The specialist will open the bird and tell you the reason, which can help in the further maintenance of other chicks of chickens. When a beginner is too worried about the mortality of chickens, he has an obsession that everything should be at the highest level, including the cleanliness of the bird's home. It's hard to think that perfect cleanliness is a great breeding ground for infectious bacteria.
Ways to prevent chick mortality
Having understood the reason why broilers die, you need to move on to the next stage of solving the problem - protection. What to do when chickens die? By following simple rules, you can significantly increase survival. If the problem is in nutrition, it is necessary to study as much as possible all the food offered to birds, especially young animals. It is important to read specialized literature in this area, it is able to reveal some of the secrets of proper nutrition and what to do with the first symptoms of illness.
When purchasing cereals, it is advisable to ask the seller for certificates. If they are not there, which, unfortunately, happens very often, then it is imperative to hand over the grain for laboratory examination to make sure there are no possible bacterial bacilli or other problems in it. When buying feed, you need to pay attention to the packaging. It must be clean, made of simple materials, dry, without damage. Otherwise, you should refrain from buying at this place. It is also important to add vitamin D to the diet, with a lack of which the chick can get rickets, which is often fatal.
The right measures are the key to success
When buying chicks of chickens from a private owner, it is important to find out the state of the laying hen that incubated the eggs. Prevention is always better than cure. That is why, before settling the young in the designated place, it is necessary to carry out disinfection. Slaked lime or other chemicals can be used as an agent. Naturally, after the procedure, it is necessary to ventilate the room for at least a day. After each meal, it is necessary to take away the leftovers of uneaten food, since food is a breeding ground for bacteria, especially in the summer period, when food deteriorates very quickly.
The litter, on which young chickens spend most of their time, must be changed at least 2 times a day in cold weather, and up to 5 times in warm weather. Each substitution should carefully inspect the litter, which should be free of pebbles, straw, dry grass, grains and other hard small particles that a small chick can swallow. The best material for this purpose would be oilcloth or thick paper such as cardboard.
Why do chickens lower their wings and die?
Chickens die, what to do?
Airing should occur every day at least 2 times. Among other things, it is important to check how the chicks sleep. They should be in a normal position, their legs should be hidden underneath. Noticing an unusual posture, you need to contact a specialist. Adequate lighting, especially in winter, is an important factor in maintaining normal chick development at a young age. You also need to remember about the temperature. It doesn't have to be low, high, or fickle.
Treatment or prevention
If, after all, a subcooling has occurred, warm water is poured into the drinkers instead of the usual room temperature. This is a kind of warming of the birds, if you start treatment on time. Gastric dyspepsia is treated by replacing the usual food with cottage cheese, onions. Water is replaced by a weak solution of potassium permanganate. In the absence of potassium permanganate, soda will do. Nitrate poisoning can be cured by giving lactic acid. Suitable for those who are already one month old.
Timely diagnosis is the best treatment for any disease, therefore, it is necessary to show the chicks to the veterinarian as often as possible, especially daily, weekly and monthly. An important point is vaccination. In order for the survival rate to be at a high level, it is necessary to vaccinate all chicks as early as possible. This is a mandatory preventive measure, as some diseases are not treated.
These safety measures can reduce the likelihood of chicks falling, but not the fact that this will happen 100%. There are many other reasons that are difficult to determine before the chicks begin to die en masse. Complex diseases, viral infection - that is difficult to determine before death. If suddenly young chickens die abruptly, and it is unclear why broiler chickens may die, an urgent need to call a veterinarian so that he figured out what was wrong and helped with finding a solution.