Do you have a farm that is affected by Fowl pox, here is what you should know

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Fowl pox is a global disease of poultry farm caused by viruses of the family called Poxviridae and the genus Avipoxvirus.  

These viruses affect all birds in the poultry; they include chickens, turkey, quail, pigeon and other species of birds.

 Fowl pox as been recognizes as far back as the seventeen century. Fowl pox are also called canker, sorehead, and diphtheria, the rate of its spreading is relatively slow. 

Fowl pox occur on the unfeathered parts of the body. There are two types of fowl pox that are known today, the dry type and the wet type. 

The dry type: this type is called Cutaneouse or dry pox. The pox are small, wrinkle growths on the skins, that is the unfeather part like; wattles, combs, face, eye and the shank.

The wet type: this on the other hand associated with the oral cavity and the upper respiratory tracks, mainly the larynx and trachea. This are may join together to create a layer of mucus, pus and dead cells from the mouth lining. 

The mucus/dead cells/pus can block the trachea thereby making it difficult for bird to breath, and as well it makes it more difficult for the birds to eat. If wet form of fowl pox is severe enough can lead to the dead of the birds.

Mode of transmission

How do these virus transmit within the flock, there are several way in which they move in the poultry, these are

1. Biting insect can carries it within the flock, this insect include mosquitoes.

2. This virus can be transmit from one bird to another through air.

3. This virus can also move within the flock through the wound of infected bird to another.

4. Flies can also transmit the virus within the flock.

Effect of the virus on the birds

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What do you think the effect of these viruses on the flock, or individual birds, though fowl pox tends to spread slowly and can move in the farm for several months. 

It take three to five weeks to manifest in individual birds, but they have the under listed effect on the flock

1. When young birds are affected in the poultry, they are growth are affected, that is, they will have low growth rate.

2. If laying birds are affected, their egg production will be reduced, i.e. reduction in production.

3. Girds of all age will find it difficult to eat and to breath as the wind pipe are in trouble.

Fowl pox treatment or control.

There is no treatment for fowl pox, the best you can do is to prevent the disease since ordinary management and sanitation practices will not prevent the occurrence of the disease in the flock. Fowl pox can be dealt with trough the following means.

Treatment

1. Prevention by vaccination is the best and better than treatment, therefore individual affected in a small flock may be treated. 

There is no specific treatment for Fowl pox but it is worth taking them to your vet, especially if they have the ‘wet form’ as they may prescribe antibiotics to prevent secondary bacteria making the problem worse. 

If your bird is restless and not eating as much food as normal it is worth giving them Chicken Vet Amino, which contains amino acids- the building blocks of protein to compensate for their reduced appetite. 

Birds may find it very painful to eat but may find it less painful to drink; therefore supplements in their water will be of benefit.

2. The best vaccination program depends on the specific need, period of the year, type of birds. 

Before you administered any vaccine consult a vet., doctor. Fowl pox is used to vaccinate turkey, pheasants and chickens. 

Vaccination on producing birds may result in reduction in production. Vaccines are available for fowl pox (ATC vet code: QI01AD12 (WHO)). Chicken are usually vaccinated with pigeon poxvirus. 

This vaccine is usually given to chickens when between the age of 12-16 weeks of age, via the wing web method of injection. 

When a bird is given the vaccine they are exposed to a mild version of the active virus, so they should be completely healthy to prevent severe illness. 

Once a bird is infected there are no treatments, just preventative measures including the vaccine and mosquito management.

Conclusion

In conclusion, since there is no treatment measure in controlling this disease, then vaccination method must be adopted to prevent the outbreak of the virus. 

If they eventually occur, it will not have effect on the birds; therefore vaccination is highly recommended in our farm

How will you manage your pullets? The simple way to manage pullets is fully loaded in this article

The ability to raise pullets of good standard and quality is properly the most important aspect of poultry management to ensure a successful commercial poultry farming. 

May poultry are no more working i.e they are no more in the production process as they fail to raised pullets of good standard and quality. 

Some are more or less productive as they failed in the aspect of raising pullets of good grade, nothing will ever make up for poor results in brooding and rearing. 

While all phases of commercial poultry farming require close attention to detail, this is particularly true of brooding and pullet rising if one hopes to be continuously successful. 

The basis of good egg production is a successful rearing phase, at the end of which the hen should have reached her standard body weight, with a well-developed frame and corresponding appetite or feed intake capacity. 

In rising of pullets that will make you meet up with demand, I mean the purpose of the farming, the following point most put to action.

1. Preparation of the house

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The brooder house should be cleaned and disinfected well in advance of chick delivery. A minimum of 3 weeks down-time between flocks should be scheduled for house preparation.

Before cleaning and disinfection, all manure and feed should be removed and rodent control program should be carried out. 

Every other material to be used should be clean and disinfectant as well. Additionally, fumigating the house within 5 days of chick delivery will help ensure sanitary conditions. 

The effectiveness of the cleaning, disinfection and fumigation should be checked by environmental testing of the house surfaces for coliform and Salmonella bacteria. If the birds are placed in naturally ventilated houses, it is better to start with 10% fewer chicks for a given space than during normal temperature conditions. 

This will give the chicks more floor space and better ventilation between the chicks as well as more water and feed space. Increased density of hens in cage or on floor increases effects of heat stress, i.e. reduced egg production due to reduced feed intake, increased feed requirement due to heat stress and increased mortality.

 Increasing space from 310 to 378 cm² per bird resulted in 16.6 more eggs per bird for the cost of 1.9 g feed/hen/day. Increasing space from 387 to 516 cm² resulted in 7.8 more eggs/hen housed, 4.3 g per hen/day higher feed consumption and 2.8% lower mortality. 

It is absolutely essential that the chicks reach their normal body temperature of 40-41°C as fast as possible after housing. Ideally, this should be checked with an ear thermometer a couple of hours after placement. 

If the body temperature is below 40°C, the house temperature has to be increased by all means. Make sure that the air humidity does not drop below 70% as a result of heating. The effect of ambient temperature on feed intake of laying hens.

2. Feeding

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Another thing we need to consider aside the housing system and the requirement is the feeding. 

Proper feeding management ensured the highest performance of the pullets even to the laying time. If the birds are properly fed, they will gain more weight, they also develop as a result, they show up better result.

Between 6 weeks and 12 weeks is the period of rapid growth is which the pullet attains most of the adult structural components (muscles, bones and feathers). Poor growth during this period will prevent the pullet from attaining sufficient bone and muscle reserves needed to sustain a high level of egg production and maintain good shell quality. 

The skeleton is 95% developed by the end of the 13th week of life. At this time the growth plates of the long bones calcify and no further increases in bone size can occur. 

Any compensatory growth occurring after this period will not increase the size of the skeleton. The amount of mineral reserve available for egg shell formation is directly related to the hen’s skeleton size. 

Reactive vaccinations, beak trimming, bird handling and other stressful management practices can delay development during this period of rapid growth.

3. Water

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In the absent of water, the pullet cannot thrive well, they need clean water as this enhance their growth as well. 

Environmental temperature is the most important factor determining water intake, leghorn pullets drink at least twice as much per day at 38°C compared to 21°C house temperature, whilst water temperatures below 21°C do not influence the water intake. 

Most authors agree that the optimum water temperature is about 23°C. A common challenge in hot climate areas is to provide sufficient drinking water at optimal temperature for all birds at all times. 

Water intake is the key to good feed intake, especially in hot climates. The water systems should be the same in the rearing and production house to assure that the pullets find water immediately after transfer. 

If a loss in appetite and feed consumption, perhaps also increased mortality, is observed after transfer, a common reason is that some birds take too long to find water and therefore stop eating. 

Especially in this stressful transition period the birds need to maintain their appetite in order to cope with the challenge of sexual maturity and first egg production, while continuing to gain body weight. 

The maximum daily water consumption is at 6-7 weeks of production which is also peak production.

Conclusion

Raising pullets to a standard of producing good eggs is a challenging in hot environment, excellent performance can be achieved without investing in expensive environment control, if good management is carried out throughout the life of the flock, based on the results of poultry research and experience in practice.

Layers in hot climates need more space in rearing and in production. Feeding coarse calcium separately to a low calcium feed will increase the feed intake and also will reduce the risk of early mortality due to cage layer fatigue. 

Cool water will allow the hens to reduce their body temperature and maintain their appetite. Adding oil and fat to the feed will make it more palatable and therefore easier to consume as well as provide the correct amount of energy even with reduced feed intake. 

Hens like humid feed, wetting the feed will help to increase feed intake in hot climates. Birds can get adjusted to hot climates and can be trained via intermittent hot periods in the rearing to withstand heat stress better during rearing. 

I am very sure, if these are strictly followed, you will get the best result, because these are the steps I followed achieved a great result. 

Drop your comment about this article, while this will help us to develop another means.,

The numbers of days your pullets should spend in the brooding room and what to do

The number of days required in the brooding room ranging between eighteen and twenty one days and each day carries different activities, these activities changes with increase in days and the budding also reduced as the days increases. 

It involves the provision of heat and other necessary care during chicks’ early growing period. Brooding units are designed to house chicks from one day old until they no longer need supplementary heat (21 days). 

Growing pens are used from the end of the brooding period until the broilers are sold or the pullets moved into permanent laying houses. 

Laying pens or cages are used for pullets and hens from the time they start laying, until they are culled and sold at the end of the laying period, about 78 weeks.

Day One

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This is the first day in the brooding room. On the arrival of your pullet, you give them anti stress like Glucose. 

How do I give them? This is simple, make sure you are using chlorinate free water, if the water is chlorinated, don’t worry, what you need to do is add milk, by so doing you have render chlorine in the water useless. 

Now add the glucose to the water and allow them to drink from it. Then set up your heat garget to heat up the room and make available for them their feed. You can see we are progressing. 

Now allow them to eat their food, now you need to move closer to them by checking their behavior time to time to know weather the heat is too much or otherwise. 

You know you cannot stay with them in the room, so care must be taking to regulate the level of heat in the room. The source of heat will determine how frequent you visit them in the room, whichever way, just make sure the temperature is in control. 

In addition to what I have said, you must give them some medicine such as antibiotic, animal tonic and vitamins. 

Giving them this will boost their immune system and they will also grow fast, so when they are out of the room you will feel good. 

You watch over them at night, some time you may call it slight vigil because you visit them more frequent to know what is going on with them.

Day two - Day five

This is the second day of your pullets in your brooding room, you need to maintain the level of the temperature so as to keep them in good condition. 

Change their water, provide a clean water and continue with their medication. At this time, you may not need to add glucose, but you must continue to use antibiotic and multivitamins so as to boost their immunity. 

Now you may notice strange thing like dead chicks, if the mortality is below 3%, you are good to go, but when you are having more than 5% mortality rate, it is not good. 

So you need to check something like feed, water and the floor. Aside this, check the aeration of the brooding room. 

Mainly, when you make use of charcoal as source heat. Carbon dioxide might result to their death, the reason behind this is simple, this gas affect how blood circulate in their system. 

So you must make sure that there is good ventilation in the brooding room.

Day six - Day nine

This is a good job of you, your birds are now six day old, by now you must have been seen some changes in their lives. Yes, I know that.

To keep your effort in good other, you need to do new thing now from this day six of your pullets. Stop the use of antibiotic for now, but use their multivitamins. 

You need to stop this (antibiotic) for the purpose of their vaccination, Vaccine is very important in their lives, since some diseases can’t be control if they show up, so you need to do something to prevent their occurrence. 

Antibiotic may alter the effectiveness of any vaccine, therefore it is advisable to stop antibiotic for 4 to 5-day before you administer any vaccine.

Apart from this, you must have been seen some feathers coming up from them, so they are welcoming the nature to their live. Keep watching the intensity of the light so as to control the temperature of the brooding room. 

I am not saying you should remove heat from them, please, heat up the room, but watch out for high temperature. Once again, hygiene is the best way to make drugs administered more effective, if the room is dirty, you may likely to see some symptom of diseases, so to avoid this, keep your brooding room clean always.

Day Ten

Welcome to the waiting day. Since it is four to five day now that you have stop the use of any antibiotic, now is the time to give them the very first vaccine. 

How will you do this, it is simple, the night before this day, take away water from them, by doing this they will thirsty. Though, you are new to the system, you might not remember to take water away from them night before day ten. 

Do not worry yourself too much, you can still give them the vaccine, what you need to do is remove water from them at least two hours before you give them the vaccine. Giving  vaccine is not enough, you must get your vaccine from reputable source. 

Always get your birds medicine from reputable source, preferably from  veterinary. Now you want to know the name of the vaccine to administered at day ten, well, it is call GUMBORO. 

Details on vaccination will be publish very soon. Add milk to the water before you add the vaccine, mind you they must consume every in less than two hours, how will you achieve this, you must withdraw water from them at least two  hours before giving them the diluted vaccination.  

If you followed the instruction well as stipulated in this write up, by now you must withdraw their heat, though this is depend on the weather condition or season at hand.

Day  Eleven

This is another day in the lives of your pullets, yesterday you administered one vaccine (Gumboro), You will continue with water that has no medicine, this is just because you will soon give them another vaccine. 

When the time comes I will let you know, any antibiotics may alter the effect of vaccine, so not spend double money on vaccination, don’t give antibiotic some days before vaccination.

Today is the eleven days in the brooding room, do not heat the room any more, though if its raining period you may need little heat but if its dry season or period you don’t need to heat up the room any more.

Day Twelve – Day thirteen

Congratulations, you pullet is getting older every day, that is good job from you. Between this two day, you need to give your pullet one of the most important vaccine. 

We believe this vaccine must have been giving from hatchery, but due to my experience, is not effective and we are not sure may be they gave them or not. So in other not to risk anything we decided to give them the vaccine. 

Please do consult your veterinary doctor for the vaccine for vaccination. You cannot administer this vaccine on your own, here you need an expert to do the job for you. The name of this vaccine is called Marek vaccine. 

After the vaccination of this vaccine you will give them multivitamin for three days. You need to watch you pullets closely now, at least spend up to thirty minutes with them twice a day, mainly in the morning and evening.

Day Fourteen –Day Sixteen

This show case that your birds are between fourteen and sixteen days old, I am surely believed they are doing well now. 

Between these days you need to give them anti coccidiostat or simply coccidiostat. You must do this to prevent them from getting cocci infections, this should last for about five days, and must be repeated every two weeks interval. 

Though you may say is getting too much, mind you, prevention is better than cure. Cocci infection is bad thing to express in our poultry, so you must do everything to prevent them from showing up in our farms. 

This infection may kill birds if not treated or if we do not noticed them on time, please make sure you prevent it from coming up.

Day Seventeen

Day Seventeen should be the continuations of the anti cocci you are giving to your birds, but you need to give them only water due to what will happen on Day eighteen.  

Though a day before you administer vaccine you must not administer any medicine to your birds. So therefore on the Seventeen day, you must give them only water. This is to make sure that, the vaccine will be effective as they take it. 

Once again, make sure you get your drugs and the vaccines from reputable veterinary shops. Now prepare yourself for the next day.

Day Eighteen

This is another day in the lives of your birds, not an ordinary day, but important day in their lives. Today you are giving them the second dose of Gumboro vaccine, do you still recollect how to use this vaccine, if yes, good. 

But if no, no problem, we will go over it again and again until you know how to administer it. Yesterday you give water free of any medication, that is good.  

Before you introduce this vaccine to your birds, they must be thirsty, how will you make them thirsty? Take away water from them at least two hours before the introduction of the vaccine.  

But me the best is take away water from them at night before the day of vaccination. You may be wonder why are we doing this before will give them, the answer is so simple, they must finished everything in a very short time.

Now the processes again, go to veterinary shop with your warmer or cooler which ever you call it. You may go with ice block, at time, they will provide this at the point of collection of the vaccine. 

Get your water that is free of chlorine and add dilute the vaccine according to the instruction. Mind it is advisable to add milk to the water before adding the vaccine (before diluting the vaccine), after dilution you must give them to take immediately, they must finish everything in less than an hour. 

That is good job from you, now you bird have few days more in the brooding room before you will expose them to the environment.

Some operations are need to be carried out in Poultry for the best production of the birds, these operation are explain here

The simple definition of poultry operations is any activities carried out on the poultry birds for certain reasons or the others for the benefit  and development of the birds and the farm as a whole.

Every operation carried out in the poultry have some advantages that are attached to it and are of good benefits to the birds at the end. 

These poultry operations are of various kind, they are as well carried out at various stages in the lives of the birds in the poultry and they are carried out for different purposes. Among the operations are

1.       Debeaking

2.       Detoe

Now let take this operations one after the others and explain in details while they must be carried out in poultry farms.

1. Debeaking

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Debeaking is the process of removing some part of the beak from the upper and lower jaw of the birds. Debeaking is a delicate operation which requires the cutting of the beaks manually or with use of machines. 

You must be careful in carry out this operation, if not it might lead to the loose of some birds in the process. The age at which this operation is carrying out will determine the level of success one will achieved from it.

For me I carried out this operation when my birds are between 35-days and 40 days old, this is the period I do carried out the first cutting, and the time of the day is between 8pm and 10pm. 

You might be wonder while this time of the day, the answer is to prevent too much of blood from coming out of the cut, while too much blood might result to the death of the birds.

This operation is carrying out two to three time before they are fully matured and must be diligently carry out. The second operation is between the age of eight and ten weeks while the last operation is when they are at the age of seventeen and eighteen weeks.

The first operation is cutting the upper jaw; the second operation is also the cutting of upper jaw while the third operation is the cutting of the lower jaw. Once again, you must be carefully in carrying out this delicate operation.

You will be wonder while are we doing these to our birds, the reasons behind is to prevent them hurting one another while fighting with the use of their beaks.

If they are not debeak, they ma injured themselves and these may cause serious injuries. Aside this, they use beak to brake their eggs in most cases, therefore there is need to prevent this as it may result to shortage in the farm.

So, in other not to allow this to come up, we need to remove part of their beak (debeaking).

2. Detoe

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This is another operation one need to carries out in the poultry, just like debeaking, detoe is also important operation in the poultry.

What is detoe?  Detoe is the process of removing part of the nails from the legs of the poultry birds. It also required some skills in carrying out the process, because if their nails are not properly removed from them, it might lead to loose of much blood from their body and may result to the death of the birds. 

This operation might be carries out using machine, but some many farmers carry out this operation manually. Mechanical method is faster and it is on the saver side while manual operation is not fast, and as well slow in operation. It is also risk, as it might lead to much blood coming from the animals.