Backyard Poultry Disease Discussion

Mohamed El-Gazzar, DVM, MAM, PhD, Dipl. ACPV

Assistant ProfessorISU Poultry Extension Vet

elgazzar@iastate.edu

We will try to answer these questions

• What causes poultry diseases?

• How do we know that birds are sick?

• How do they infect our birds?

• What can we do about Disease?

What causes Infectious Poultry Diseases?

Poultry Diseases

• Nutritional

• Genetic/Developmental

• Environmental

• Reproductive

• Behavioral

• Infectious

Nutritional Causes

• Deficiency (Minerals – Vitamins)

• Excess (protein – energy)

• Imbalance

Environmental Causes

• Temperature (Heat stasis – Ascites)

• Obnoxious gases (Ammonia – Carbon Dioxide)

• Housing related (bumble foot)

Toxic Causes

• Biological (Botulism)

• Environmental (Lead – Arsenic)

• Chemical (Antibiotics – insecticides)

Other Causes

• Developmental

• Reproductive

• Behavioral

Infectious Poultry Diseases

• Viral (Influenza – Newcastle)

• Bacterial (Cholera – Coriza)

• Fungal (Aspergillosis)

• Protozoal (Coccidiosis)

• Parasitic (Ascarediosis)

Infectious Causes

• Viruses

• Bacteria

• Fungi

• ParasitesS

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nd

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ity

How do we know that birds are sick?

Lethargic Birds

Normal

105◦F

Respiratory Signs

Respiratory Lesions

Turbinate

Normal Trachea

Inflamed Trachea

Early Airsacculitis

Polyserositis Pnuemonia

Digestive Signs

Digestive Lesions

Musculoskeletal Signs

Musculoskeletal Lesions

Neurological Signs

Neurological Lesions

Skin Lesions

How do they infect our birds?

Disease Transmission

• Direct Transmission: direct physical contact

• Indirect Transmission: through indirect transportation vehicles

Direct Transmission

• Contact:– Other poultry– Wild birds (Open Water Bodies)– Captive birds– Animals and human

• Multispecies or multiages• Day old birds• Newly acquired birds• Birds when back from:

–Show–Market–Fair

Indirect Transmission

• Potential vehicles for Indirect Transmission:1. Human

2. Domestic animals including pets

3. Wild animals including varmints and rodents

4. Inanimate objects including equipment

5. Feed

6. Water

7. Air

8. Environments including shared pastures and water ponds

What can we do about Disease?

Infectious Causes

• Vaccination

Veterinarian

• Medication

• BIOSECURITY YOURSELF

Biosecurity

• Prevent pathogen access

• Sterility is not the target

• Control specific pathogens

• General sanitary practices

Specific poultry pathogens

• What is the source of these pathogens??

– Poultry

– Birds

– Animals

– Humans

Route of Transmission

Source of disease Poultry PopulationRoute of Transmission

Good Biosecurity

• Interventions with Direct Transmission

• Intervention with Indirect Transmission

Chicks

Other Poultry

and Animals

Feed and

Water PeopleManure

Insects

HatcheryVehicles and

EquipmentWild

BirdsVaccines &

Equipment

Rodents

Housing

Summary• Many causes of disease

• Microbes

• Infect birds and we can’t see them

• Present in affected body system

• But biosecurity could stop it

• Worse case vs ideal situation

Questions