CHICKEN DISEASES & PARASITES

Avian Pox/Fowl Pox:

Symptoms: White spots on skin; combs turn into scabby sores; white membrane and ulcers in mouth,
on trachea; laying stops; all ages affected.
How contracted: Viral disease; mosquitoes, other chickens with pox and contaminated surfaces.
Treatment: Supportive care, warm dry quarters, soft food; many birds with good care will survive.
Vaccine available: Yes; recovered birds are immune and do not carry the disease.

Botulism:
Symptoms: Tremors quickly progressing to paralysis of body, including breathing; feathers pull out
easily; death in a few hours.
How contracted: Caused by a bacterial byproduct and by eating or drinking botulism-infected food or
water
Treatment: Antitoxin available from vet but expensive. If found early try 1 teaspoon Epsom salts
dissolved in 1 ounce warm water dripped into crop several times a day.
Vaccine available: None; locate and remove source, usually decaying carcass, meat near water, or
insects that fed on the meat or the water the carcass is in.

Fowl Cholera:
Symptoms: Usually birds over 4 months greenish yellow diarrhea; breathing difficulty; swollen
joints; darkened head and wattles; often quick death. Does not infect humans.
How contracted: Bacterial disease; wild birds, raccoons, opossums, rats, can carry. Also transmitted
bird to bird and on contaminated soil, equipment, shoes, clothing contaminated water and food.
Treatment: None destroy all infected birds if recovery occurs the bird will be a carrier
Vaccine available: Yes, but only your state Department of Agriculture can administer it.

Infectious Bronchitis:
Symptoms: Coughing; sneezing; watery discharge from nose and eyes; hens stop laying.
How contracted: Viral disease; highly contagious; spreads through air, contact, and contaminated
surfaces.
Treatment: Supportive care; 50 percent mortality in chicks under 6 weeks.
Vaccine available: Yes. Give to hens before 15 weeks of age because vaccination will cause laying
to stop.

Infectious Coryza:
Symptoms: Swollen heads, combs, and wattles; eyes swollen shut; sticky discharge from nose and
eyes; moist area under wings; laying stops.

How contracted: Bacterial disease; transmitted through carrier birds, contaminated surfaces, and
drinking water.
Treatment: Birds should be destroyed as they remain carriers for life.
Vaccine available: None.

Mites and Lice

A parasite is any living thing that lives off
thing. External parasites can either suck blood or
Chickens with bad infestations become thin, dont
and have reduced fertility. With really bad
your birds may die. Chickens can get anemia from
Hens, to some extent can treat themselves by
Dust bathing is really good for your chickens.

another living
eat
feathers.
lay eggs well,
infestations
these
bugs.
dust
bathing.

Symptoms

Itchiness
Bare patches
Lots of scratching
Loss of weight
Diarrhea
Symptoms of paralysis
Swollen legs with scales standing up
Laying slows or stops
Sitting hunched up with ruffled feathers
Reduced fertility
Listless

Treatment
A good treatment for mites and lice wood ash for your chickens to dust bath in. Sevin Dust I found
out has been banned for use on poultry. There are other treatments like poultry sprays. Treat by spraying
on the chicken and on the roosts, nesting boxes, everything. I use Garden & Poultry dust to help prevent
(not treat) mites and lice. Theyre many other treatments for these parasites. Covering the nits in
petroleum jelly prevents them from hatching and they then fall off.
Prevention
Always keep your chicken coops clean and dry. Use dust like Garden & Poultry dust to prevent these
parasites. Make sure your chickens have a place to dust bath. Regularly check your chickens for these
parasites (at night will be easier because you wont have to catch them).

Ascarids (Large Intestinal Roundworms)

One of the most common parasitic

poultry (Ascaridia galli) occurs in chickens and
worms are about one and a half to three inches long
size of an ordinary pencil lead. Thus, they can be
with the naked eye. Heavily infected birds may show
emaciation and diarrhea. The primary damage is
efficiency of feed utilization, but death has been
severe infections.

roundworms of
turkeys. Adult
and about the
seen
easily
droopiness,
reduced
observed
in

Symptoms
These large, whitish worms can grow close to 3 inches in length. The main signs of roundworm
infection in chickens, as coccidiosis, are diarrhea and weight loss. In cases of severe infestation, masses
of adult worms can cause a blockage of the intestine, which can be fatal if not treated.
Treatment
Available drugs remove only the adult parasite. The immature form probably produces the most
severe damage. The treatment of choice is piperazine. Many forms of piperazine are produced, and all
are effective if administered properly. Piperazine is only effective for treating this parasite. It has no effect
on other internal parasites of fowl. Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Prevention
The parasite can be controlled by strict sanitation. If the birds are confined, clean the house thoroughly
and completely before a new group is brought in. Segregate birds by age groups, with particular care
applied to sanitation of young birds. If birds are on range, use a clean range for each group of birds.

Cecal Worms
This parasite (Heterakis gallinae) is found in the ceca of chickens, turkeys and other birds.
This parasite apparently does not seriously affect the health of the bird. At least no marked
symptoms or pathology can be blamed on its presence. Its main importance is that it has been
incriminated as a vector of Histomonas meleagridis, the agent that causes blackhead. This protozoan
parasite apparently is carried in the cecal worm egg and is transmitted from bird to bird through this egg.
Symptoms
None
Treatment

The cecal worm can be effectively

fenbendazole. Since the worm itself produces
damage and the eggs live for long periods, it
necessary to keep chickens and turkeys
prevent spread of blackhead.

treated
with
no observable
is advisable and
separated
to

Prevention
Avoiding access to
Routine anthelmintic treatment.

earth

and

earthworms.

Tape Worms
There are many different species of tapeworm that affect
poultry although they are not often found and thankfully, most
of them are completely harmless. Large numbers can cause
weight loss and a reduction in laying. Tapeworms or Cestodes
vary in length, some are 4 to 5 mm long and others are up to
25cm long! Tapeworm infect birds indirectly via intermediate
hosts such as flies, earthworms and snails. The adult
tapeworm lives in the intestines of the bird, it buries its head in
the lining of the intestines. Tapeworm is quite rare to find in
chickens but none the less can still be found on occasions.
Symptoms
Diarrhoea (sometimes bloody diarrhoea such as with Raillietina tapeworms, that use beetles as an
intermediate host) weight loss, reduced egg production. Tapeworm segments or worms in droppings.
Death can occur with very large infestations. The photo to the right, courtesy of chickenvet shows (white)
tapeworm segments in a chickens dropping.
Treatment
There is conflicting advice on what kills tapeworm. Flubenvet at the standard dose will not usually
kill tapeworms in chickens. Vets will sometimes prescribe Flubenvet at a stronger dose under their clinical
judgement but above the standard dose, although a withdrawal period for eggs as well as meat will then
be necessary (your vet will advise you on a suitable withdrawal period which by law has to be a minimum
of 7 days).
Prevention

In general, tapeworms are most readily controlled by preventing the birds from eating the infected
intermediate host. Tapeworm infections can be controlled by regular treatment of the bird with
fenbendazole or leviamisole.

Gapeworms
The gapeworm (Syngamus trachea) is a
that attach to the trachea (windpipe) of birds
disease referred to as "gapes". The term
open-mouth breathing characteristic of
infected birds. Heavily infected birds usually
sound because of the difficulty in breathing
from suffocation. The worms can easily block
they are particularly harmful to young birds.

round red worm

and causes the
describes
the
gapewormemit a grunting
and many die
the trachea, so

Symptoms
Gasping (gaping), yawning, gurgling / respiratory distress, head shaking, loss of appetite, and
eventually coughing and choking.
Treatment
Flubendazole (Flubenvet) is the only licensed anthelmintic for use in poultry and game birds.
Continuous medication of pen-reared birds has been recommended, but is not economical and increases
the possibility of drug resistance. Several other compounds have been shown effective against S. trachea
under experimental conditions. Methyl 5-benzoyl-2-benzimidazole was 100% efficacious when fed
prophylactically to turkey poults. 5-Isopropoxycarbonylamino-2-(4-thizolyl)-benzimidazole was found to be
more efficacious than thiabendazole or disophenol.
Prevention
Gapeworms are best prevented by administering a wormer at fifteen to thirty day intervals or
including a drug at low levels continuously beginning fifteen days after birds are placed in the infected
pens. One drug that is effective for eliminating gapeworms is fenbendazole, however, its use is not
presently approved for use in birds by the Food and Drug Administration.