Chapter 9 Miscellaneous Diseases

 

 

 

 

                 

9.1 Cannibalism.

• a. Picking at the head, wings, or vent.
• b. Cause
  • 1. Over-crowding
  • 2. High environmental temperature.
  • 3. Lack of enough fiber in the ration.
• c. Prevention.
  • 1. Loss due to lowering market grade.
  • 2. Over-crowding in the brooder must be avoided.
  • 3. Correcting any management error. Debeaking bird at an early age Toe-cutting in turkeys. 

9.2 Round Heart Disease.

• a. This disease is on the increase in turkey growing area. It has also been described in chickens and young pullets.
• b. Etiology: Unknown.
• c. Signs:
  • 1. Age: Poults 2-4 weeks of age.
  • 2. Mortality: Low, about 1%.
  • 3. Affected birds isolate themselves from the rest of the flock and show ruffled feathers, droopy wings and unthrifty appearance.
• d. Lesions:
  • 1. Litter rather than feed, is found in the crops of some affected birds.
  • 2. Round heart. The heart resembles an egg with no distinct apex or base. While all of the heart is swollen, the right ventricle is most markedly distended.
  •  
  • 3. The coronary veins are engorged with blood and there is a large amount of straw-colored pericardial and peritoneal fluid. The heart lacks its normal thickness and firmness.
  • 4. The liver is greatly enlarged, pale to an almost bleached color, fibrinous and firm.
• e. Prevention and Treatment: Unknown. 

9.3 Pendulous Crop, Turkeys. 

a. Etiology:

• 1. Hereditary predisposition toward the condition. 
• 2. Occur after increased liquid intake. 
• 3. Crop does not empty normally, stagnant, sour liquid contents are retained.
• 4. Mucous membrane thickens and may become ulcerated due to secondary microbial infection.

b. Signs:

• 1. Chronic. 
• 2. Unthrifty and emaciated. 
• 3. Cause of death are rupture of the crop, mechanical or inhalation, pneumonia, and starvation.

c. Lesions:

Necrotic ulcers

d. Treatment and Control.

• 1. Operation
• 2. Avoid mating birds that have a family history of this weakness. 

9.4 Heat Prostration

a. Etiology:

Excessively high temperature accompanied by high humidity.

b. Signs:

The effected birds showed low body temperature, sweating, prostration and death.

c. Treatment:

• 1. Remove birds to cool area.
• 2. Give plenty of cold water. 

9.5 Xanthomatosis

a. General

• 1. Primarily in adult leghorns.
• 2. Age: 5 weeks to 18 months of age. 
• 3. Chronic

b. Etiology

• 1. Not certain.
• 2. Xanthonatosis appeared simultaneously with alimentary toxemia.

c. Gross Lesions.

• 1. Unilateral or bilateral swelling of the wattles.
• 2. Skin became firm, thickened or nodular on the breast, abdomen, or feathered portion of the legs.
• 3. The epidermis becomes orange-yellow.

d. Histopathology.

• 1. Early lesions. Infiltration of vacuolated lipoid- laden macrophages, "foam cells"
• 2. Lymphocytes, numerous
• 3. Cholesterol crystals

e. The skin lesions are permanent and affected birds are unfit for meat consumption.

f. Egg Bound 

• a. Definition: An egg is lodged in the cloaca but cannot be laid.
• b. Etiology
  • 1. Oviduct inflammation.
  • 2. Partial paralysis of the muscles of the oviduct.
• c. Treatment
  • 1. Relieved by inserting a lubricated finger into the cloaca and exert pressure on the abdomen with the other hand.
  • 2. Break the shell through the vent by using a sharp object