1. Birth Defects
Chicks have birth defects just like humans and some chicks are
hatched with defects. They may have a crooked leg or a crossed beak or be very
small or weak or have something wrong internally.
The hatcheries try to remove these chicks when they hatch but not
all birth defects are visible and some are missed in the sorting process. This
is one reason why there are normally 2 extra chicks in a box. If you have one
or two chicks that die in the first day or two or are just not right, do not
worry too much about it. If the number is high there may be a hatchery problem
and you should report to the agent and the supplier and get a vet to diagnose
but a few deaths is not an issue.
2. Ascites or
Waterbelly
This problem usually appears around 4 - 5 weeks of age particularly
in broilers. It’s very common in July and August. The chicken may start gasping
for air and the skin turns blue and it dies with a lot of water in the abdomen.
The cause of this is poor brooding. Not enough ventilation or too much heat or
too little heat. As a result, the heart and lungs do not develop well and when
the bird starts to grow fast the heart and lungs cannot sustain the body size
and it dies. There is no cure. Prevention is to sort out your brooding
management.
3. Flip Over or
Heart Failure
This usually occurs around 5 weeks in broilers especially in hot
weather. The biggest healthiest looking birds die suddenly with no previous
sign of sickness. They actually flip over and die on their backs. These deaths
are actually heart failure due the body having outgrown the heart’s ability to
sustain it.
The prevention is to withdraw feed on one day preferably in the
afternoon for 4 hours. Usually this will solve the problem, but if any further
cases repeat feed withdrawal for one more day.
4. Dishonest Employee
Disease
This is the one that occurs where employees are allowed to take dead
chickens home to eat and the number of deaths mysteriously climbs for no
obvious reason. Usually only affects big chickens. Diagnosis is usually only
possible by changing shifts around or doing the work yourself on a weekend or
holiday. If no deaths occur the days when you are there then you may need to
replace the employee or change the policy or both.
Do you have any
questions or other forms of contributions, kindly use the comment section below
for all your contributions.
- Ruth Henson
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