Breeding laying hens is a very profitable business, and more and more modern farmers are starting to raise chickens on their farms. There is a saying that a successful and experienced farmer differs from a beginner in the speed of response to diseases that arise in poultry. Thus, having taken up this business, you need to develop a habit of daily inspection of the poultry flock.
Even with a superficial glance at the birds, the farmer can, first of all, identify chickens that have problems with their legs. The most common leg diseases in chickens are lameness and calcareous leg. Some diseases affect not only chickens but also chicks. These are arthritis, tendovaginitis. Crooked and curly toes in laying hens are less common.
As soon as a chicken appears in the flock that limps on one leg, falls on one or both legs or gets up reluctantly, then such a bird should be separated from the rest and examined more carefully. Do this as soon as possible, because chickens do not tolerate a sick individual in the flock. They beat it, and do not allow it to go to the feeder, which does not contribute to the chicken’s recovery.
Chicken lameness
Why do chickens start limping? Lameness most often appears as the main symptom of leg diseases in laying hens. It can be caused primarily by various mechanical injuries: cuts to the fingers or feet by glass fragments, sprains, dislocations, bruises, pinched nerves, muscle damage, or dietary deficiency.
In addition, such a leg disease can appear in broiler chickens because they grow and gain weight very intensively. Another reason for the appearance of leg disease in adult chickens can be diseased kidneys since the nerves responsible for the activity of the bird’s legs pass through these organs.
Symptoms:
- lameness may appear suddenly or increase gradually in one or both legs;
- the joint appears swollen, enlarged, and unnaturally twisted;
- the chicken is limping because its legs are shaking;
- the bird’s legs give way after a short run;
- The chicken has difficulty getting to its feet and cannot stand for long.
Treatment
What should you do if one or more chickens are limping? You need to carefully examine the feet for mechanical damage. Sick chickens should be placed in a separate room (they should be able to see the other birds, but not have access to them, since chickens are flock birds). Sometimes, through carelessness, a chicken can entangle its legs with some kind of thread or lace, which can seriously harm the bird if not removed promptly.
If lameness in chickens is associated only with injuries, then it is enough to isolate the birds from stress and feed them well with complete feed with vitamin supplements. In case of cuts or injections, it is necessary to treat the damaged areas with hydrogen peroxide, iodine solution, or brilliant green. If there are no visible signs that can cause the above symptoms, then you should contact a veterinarian for a more accurate diagnosis.
Prevention
Chickens should not be caught or lifted by their legs, as they can easily be damaged, even broken. No obstacles should be placed in front of the perch, as chickens can get injured when flying off the perches. It is necessary to carefully monitor the cleanliness and order in the chicken coop and on the run, and prevent sharp objects from getting in there that can injure the chicken.
Arthritis, tendovaginitis
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joint bags and adjacent tissues. Broiler chickens are most often affected by this disease. Tendonitis or inflammation of the tendons most often affects older chickens.
The causes of the disease can be of various kinds, ranging from mechanical damage to the entry of a pathogen (virus or bacteria) into a favorable environment. These are diseases of dirty feet.
The disease in young broiler chickens is caused by improper care and maintenance (crowding, dirty or damp litter, poor-quality or unbalanced feed). The disease causes a lot of suffering to the bird because it not only moves poorly but also cannot sit on the perch, due to the pain that occurs.
Symptoms:
- the bird limps and gets up reluctantly;
- the joint in the leg is enlarged and hot to the touch;
- During the day the chicken hardly changes its place.
Treatment
For treatment, it is necessary to use antibiotics and antiviral drugs such as sulfadimethoxine, polymyxin M sulfate, ampicillin, and benzylpenicillin. Treatment is carried out for five days with one of the above-mentioned drugs, which are given to the bird with food or administered intramuscularly to each sick individual once a day in the required dose.
Prevention
It is necessary to monitor the cleanliness and dryness of the room where the hens or young animals are kept. It is advisable to provide a type of feeder that will prevent broiler chickens from climbing into them. Then there will be no sticking of feed and dirt to the paws. It is necessary to take care of the immunity of the hens and increase their resistance to diseases. To do this, it is necessary to include the necessary vitamins microelements, and green feed additives in the feed.
Crooked fingers
Chickens can get this foot disease in the first weeks of life. It is necessary to distinguish between crooked toes (the bird walks on the sides of the foot) and curly (the toes are bent downwards and the bird moves as if on tiptoes). The cause of occurrence can be mechanical trauma, cold floors in the hen house, keeping chicks on mesh floors, improper incubation conditions, or heredity. If there are no visible reasons for the curvature of the toes in a bird, then it should not be left to obtain offspring.
Symptoms:
A bird with crooked toes moves on the lateral surfaces of its legs.
Treatment
Creating appropriate conditions for keeping birds from the first days of life.
Prevention
If the causes of the disease are genetic, the breeding bird should be changed. It is necessary to strictly observe all the necessary conditions during egg incubation. Avoid keeping chicks on a cold or mesh floor.
Curly fingers
Curly toes are a developed paralysis of the limbs. The chicken moves on the tips of its toes bent downwards. It is impossible to straighten them. The bird can get this disease in the first weeks of life. The cause is most often poor-quality feed with a low riboflavin content. Among the chicks that have suffered from this disease, there is a high mortality rate. But even the surviving individuals grow poorly and do not develop, so keeping them is inappropriate.
Symptoms:
The bird moves with difficulty only on its fingertips.
Treatment
When the first signs of a developing disease are detected, the bird should be given multivitamins with an increased content of riboflavin. If time is lost, the disease cannot be treated.
Prevention
If chicks with such innate characteristics appear, you need to change the producers. The chicks should receive high-quality balanced feed.
Tendon displacement
Broiler chicken diseases often originate from this disease, so its timely detection, diagnosis, and treatment are so important. Tendon displacement (perosis) is a common disease of fast-growing individuals. The cause of its occurrence lies in unbalanced feed with a lack of vitamin B. In very advanced cases, chickens can neither drink nor eat, so the farmer will have to decide on the slaughter of the bird.
Symptoms:
The chickens’ hocks swell and turn outward unnaturally.
Treatment
Adding vitamin B and manganese to the feed will help solve, but not eliminate, the problem.
Prevention
Conduct genetic selection. Feed your chickens only fresh, balanced feed and vitamin supplements.
Knemidocoptic mange or scabies
Knemidokoptoz of chickens, otherwise called chalky legs or scabies, is a fairly common disease that is easily treated if detected in poultry promptly. The disease is classified as contagious since its causative agent is the scabies mite. It is transmitted very quickly from one individual to another through direct contact, as well as through bedding, feeders, drinkers, and other equipment.
Knemidokoptoz of chickens is a chronic disease that can last for years if the poultry farmer does not take the necessary measures. The life activity of mites occurs on the unfeathered part of the legs under the scales. They gnaw microscopic passages in the tissues of the bird, in which they lay eggs. Larvae develop there. This activity of mites causes severe itching, which brings discomfort to the bird.
Ticks are most active at night or in warmth. Gradually, the scales on chicken legs peel off, become covered with a white, chalky coating, and then fall off completely. If ticks affect the surface of the toes of chickens, various types of growths form there.
Symptoms:
- the appearance of ugly growths on the legs;
- the scales on the paws are covered with a white coating, peeling off and falling off;
- pecking wounds on the legs of chickens;
- the bird is restless and reluctantly goes into the hen house.
Treatment
Scabies are easy to treat. To do this, you need to prepare a soap solution, into which the bird’s legs are immersed for 20-30 minutes, and then the affected areas are treated with a 1% creolin solution; birch tar can also be used.
Prevention
Regular inspection of the herd and timely detection of sick individuals will help prevent the spread of ticks in the farmyard.
Hazard to human health: Transmission of chicken mites to humans has not been identified.
In addition to the leg diseases discussed above, there is a whole list of infectious chicken diseases that cause problems with the legs of chickens: pasteurellosis, paratyphoid fever, ornithosis, Marek’s disease, coccidiosis, and others. An amateur poultry farmer needs to know that timely detection of the disease at an early stage makes it possible to completely cure the bird. If it is impossible to diagnose the disease yourself, you need to contact a veterinarian as soon as possible to prevent the spread of the disease to the entire flock.
