As an organic farmer, you have two ways of treating this disease
without using synthetic drugs:
- Proper litter or bedding
management
- Use of herbal medications
Proper litter management is one of the organic ways of controlling
coccidiosis in poultry. Although, it is one of the ways of preventing
coccidiosis in poultry; this method can also be termed organic treatment of
coccidiosis because it involves no use of coccidiosis drugs; it is just a
method that makes the immediate environment of the birds unfit for the survival
of the pathogen causing coccidiosis disease.
Causes of
Coccidiosis in Poultry
It is very imperative you know the causes of coccidiosis before
finding ways to prevent it. Knowing the causes of this disease is the first
line of organic treatment of coccidiosis in poultry. Coccidiosis is a protozoan
disease caused by Eimeria spp.
There are about 7 species but only 5 are common. Of these 5, Eimeria
tenella is more fervent and common in poultry. The pathogen that causes
coccidiosis, coccidia, thrive best in a wet litter or bedding material; the
chickens pick and ingest the pathogen from the litter material.
After ingestion, the coccidia multiplies in the chicken’s system.
The coccidia produces eggs, which are passed out from the chickens as
droppings; other chickens pick up the eggs and the cycle continues.
Coccidiosis is very common with young chickens between the ages of 4
and 6 weeks; these chickens are in their brooding and rearing stages, hence,
they have direct contact with the litter or bedding material. Caged chickens
are rarely infected by coccidiosis because they do not have direct contact with
the beddings.
If you are brooding day-old chicks or rearing chickens in deep litter
system, you need to take good care of your bedding materials. Ensure they are
not wet and are regularly changed; I do recommend every week but every two
weeks is not bad too. The earlier, the better.
Symptoms of
Coccidiosis in Poultry
Symptoms are the indicators of diseases; chickens show arrays of
symptoms when diseased. Common symptoms of poultry diseases are:
- Loss of appetite
- Reduced feed intake
- Emaciation
These are general symptoms of diseases in poultry. The major sign of
coccidiosis in poultry is bloodstains in the droppings of the chickens.
Another operational tool you need as a poultry farmer is “close
observation”. Before feeding your chickens and carrying out other management
practices in the morning, walk around the pen to determine the colour, texture,
and size of the chicken’s drooping.
If you have over 200 birds in a pen and you observe just one
bloodstained dropping, quickly change the bedding and treat the chickens for
coccidiosis.
Coccidiosis can be controlled, on early detection of this faeces but
in most cases, mortality makes most poultry farmers conscious of coccidiosis.
Organic
Treatment of Coccidiosis in Chickens
When you observe bloodstains in the droppings of your chickens, it
is a sure sign of coccidiosis. You can treat coccidiosis organically using
these ingredients:
- Bitter leaf
- Garlic
- Lime
- Cayenne pepper
These are the natural ingredients needed to make organic medicine
for coccidiosis in poultry. Blend 500 grams of garlic, 2 peeled lime, 30 grams
of cayenne pepper and 200 grams of Bitter leaves, all in 2 litres of water.
Strain the mixture and collect the liquid portion separately.
Dosage:
To treat coccidiosis naturally, serve at 10ml per litre of drinking
water for 5 days consecutively, and then change the bedding material. However,
you can serve occasionally for prevention, maybe weekly, at a rate of 3ml per litre
of drinking water.
Coccidiosis is best treated naturally by adopting preventive
measures such as; keeping the bedding material dry always, changing the bedding
material regularly and using this organic treatment on a scheduled basis. If
possible, fumigation of the pen and bedding should be done before stocking and
brooding. It kills the coccidia present in the poultry house.
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