Kienyeji Chicks vaccination schedule

Vaccination plays a very big role in disease protection for any kind of poultry breeds. As we all know, one of the advantages of Kienyeji chicken rearing over other types of poultry farming in kenya is that the kienyeji ones are very much disease resistant compared to other types of chicken breeds.

This however does not mean that they are entirely free from disease threats. Therefore it is important to offer vaccines for the kienyeji chicks especially for some very common poultry diseases in kenya like Gumboro and Newcastle. Below is a simple vaccination program that is recommended to effectively safeguard your kienyeji chicken.

Chicken vaccination schedule

It is also very important to know these vaccinations alone may not help to totally eliminate the occurrence of these diseases.

There are other factors that you must also take into account. These in include the hygiene of the feeding and drinking equipments, ventilation of your kienyeji poultry structures, quality of your feeds, vitamins and minerals and many others.

Poultry Diseases Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment

Protozoa - Protozoa such as Emiria tenella (coccidia) are larger than bacteria hence more easily visible by microscope.

Outbreaks of protozoan diseases are an indication of poor sanitation and hygiene. Prevention and control Vaccination and isolation of healthy birds from sick ones and proper disposal of dead birds can prevent diseases.

Vaccination - Vaccination is the use of mild, live or inactivated infective agent (virus or bacteria) to stimulate production of antibodies to a specific infective agent.

Antibodies are chemical substances produced within the host body. They recognize and destroy the virus or bacteria used during vaccination before onset of disease. Vaccines are prepared from the same virus or bacteria that cause the disease to be vaccinated against.

They are sensitive to heat, pH (acidity) and therefore should be handled following manufacturers’ instructions.

Vaccination programmes - Vaccination for indigenous chicken in a free-range system depends on age, disease incidence, severity and status of endemic diseases.

1.NCD - Depression, poor appetite, coughing and difficult breathing, diarrhoea,nervous signs, twisted neck and death in large numbers in a short time.
Vaccination - Antibiotics to control secondary infections.

2.Fowl pox - Spreading eruption on comb, wattlenose & other featherless parts,poor appetite/egg production, depression.Deaths may result in chicks

3.Infectious Bronchitis - Chicks/growers: Depression, huddling,poor appetite, coughing,gasping/difficult breathing, death.
Adult: Coughing/noisy breathing,few eggs laid/with soft shells

4.Avian Influenza - Depression, coughing, discharge from eyes/nostrils, swollen face,poor sight and feeding, nervous signs and diarrhoea.

5.IBD - Depression, poor appetite, unsteady walk, pecking at vent and diarrhoea.
Control by vaccination.

Bacterial diseases - diseases that can be prevented through good hygiene and treated using antibiotics such as Tetracycline.

Salmonella - There are 3 types of infection caused by the Salmonella microorganism. These are pullorum disease, fowl typhoid disease and salmonellosis.

1.Pullorum disease - caused by sub-species S. pullorum is fatal in chicks. It is transmitted from hen to chicks during egg formation, contamination of eggs at laying or the chicks are infected from faeces.

Symptoms - Include dead embryo in eggs that do not hatch, chicks develop wet vents (tail) within the 1st week, whitish diarrhoea, huddling and difficulty in breathing.
Mortality can reach 100% in the 1st 2 weeks.

2.Fowl typhoid - Is caused by the species S. gallinarum and is severe in growers and adult birds. It is spread by contamination of feed and water by faecal matter from infected birds.

Symptoms - Include drop in egg production, egg fertility and hatchability, anorexia and dullness followed by sudden death.

3.Salmonellosis - Is caused by any other Salmonella species. It is severe in both chicks and adult birds. It is spread by contamination of eggs at laying or to both chicks and adults through contaminated feed, water and faeces.

Symptoms - Include drop in egg production,egg fertility and hatchability, anorexia and dullness followed by sudden death.

Sanitation, and eggs and nest fumigation using formaldehyde pellets in the nest can prevent it. Broad-spectrum antibiotics such as sulphur drugs can control infections.
Control is by vaccination.

4.Collibacillosis - Is acute in chicks and chronic in adult chicken. It is transmitted through eggs to chicks and through contaminated faeces, feed and water to both adult birds and chicks.

Symptoms - include respiratory distress, diarrhoea and high mortality in chicks while those in embryonic infection include dead embryos in spoiled eggs.

It can be avoided by maintaining standard egg sanitation and using broad-spectrum antibiotics such as sulphur and tetracycline to treat and to reduce transmission.
It can be controlled by vaccinating with bacterin.

5.Infectious Coryza - can be acute, mild or chronic. It is spread by faecal matter, aerosols or through contaminated feed and water.

Symptoms include swollen watery eyes, nasal discharge, laboured breathing and drop in egg production.

 It can be prevented by vaccinating with bacterin in water at 10-12 weeks and 16-18 weeks. All clinically ill birds should be destroyed.

Parasitic diseases - Parasites are organisms that live on others without benefit to the host and include worms living in the opening of organs, and lice and fleas on the external.

The parasites may cause diseases, weakening the system so that other disease-causing agents thrive or transmit diseases. Worms are internal parasites that inhabit the alimentary canal and other internal organs such as provendriculus, gizzards, trachea, lungs.

There are 2 groups of worms, round worms and flat worms;

1.Round worms - Ascridia galli,infects both chicks and adult chicken. Eggs are laid by female worms in birds’ intestines and are passed out in droppings.

They mature in one week or more after which they may be swallowed up by chicken, hatch and cause fresh infection. Clinical signs include slow growth (stunted), culled feathers and drooping head, thirst, low egg production and death due to intestinal obstruction in young birds.

Due to their feeding habits, it is difficult to prevent this condition in scavenging chicken.

2.Gape worms - Syngamus trachea roundworms infect the trachea (windpipe) of chicken. Adult worms live and lay eggs in the birds’ trachea; the eggs may be coughed out or into the oesophagus and swallowed in which case the hen passes the eggs in stool.

The eggs hatch to larvae which infect chicken or enter simple carriers (intermediate hosts) such as beetles and earthworms. Symptoms include difficulty in breathing and gasping for air, hence the term gapeworm, culling and huddling and death due to suffocation.

The condition can be controlled by giving Thiabendazole or Gapex in drinking water.

3.Tape worm - Raillietina tetragona infests scavenging chicken. The worms pass eggs either as free eggs or retained in a segment. Intermediate hosts such as beetles and snails ingest the eggs or segments.

The eggs develop in the host and in turn infect chicken that feed on the intermediate hosts.

Symptoms include stunting, thirst, poor health, low egg production and death in young birds on poor diets. It is  prevented in scavenging chicken by using clean containers and drenching at 3- month intervals with Albendazole and Fenbendazole.

Isolation disposal of dead birds - Do not introduce new birds purchased from markets or given as gifts directly in to the flock. Keep them separate and observe them for at least one week. Sick birds should be confined away from the rest. Carcasses should be disposed of by burying at more than 3 feet underground

Viral diseases - Viruses are the smallest germs and cause incurable viral diseases. They should be prevented by early vaccination.

1.Newcastle disease - Is the most economically important and the only notifiable disease in chicken. It is spread by sick birds, dogs, wild birds and man.

Symptoms include respiratory stress, lack of appetite, diarrhoea, nervous symptoms and high mortality. Sometimes death can be sudden without the symptoms.

Chicken that reach the tertiary stage showing nervous symptoms may survive but will always show lack of nervous co-ordination. The only way to protect chicken is by early vaccination.

2.Fowl Pox - Is a chronic disease in adult birds but acute and fatal among chicks and growers. It is caused by Pox virus and transmitted by mosquito bites and mechanically through broken skin.

Clinical symptoms include pimples or scabs on the birds’ combs wattle and eyelids, a watery discharge from eyes, difficulty in breathing indicated by whizzing sound and loss of appetite.

Mortality is low in adult chicken but high in chicks and growers. There is usually a drop in egg production in laying birds.

The disease can be avoided by clearing bushes or controlled by vaccinating the chicken when they are 4 weeks old by wing web stab using a needle.

Follow this by examining the vaccination site after 7 days for reaction. Pox virus can survive for 10 years in the soil.

Since infected chicken are predisposed to secondary infections, infected chicken should be covered with an antibiotic treatment.

3.Infectious bronchitis - Is a contagious disease, acute in chicks and chronic in adult birds. The disease is transmitted from sick birds through faeces, contamination of litter and by air.

Symptoms in adults include sneezing and watery eyes, nasal discharge, wet droppings, poor egg shell with no death unless from secondary infection.

Chicks gasp and cough, breath noisily, have watery eyes and nostrils, become depressed and huddle.
Mortality can be as high as 25%.

It is controlled by vaccinating with multiple serotype or covering with antibiotics during outbreaks.

4.Avian Influenza(Fowl plague) - Is an acute disease in chicken, ducks, turkeys and wild birds. It is transmitted through contaminated faeces, water and air.

Symptoms include respiratory distress, sneezing, sinusitis (swollen head and face), emaciation and nervous disorder. Infected birds should be destroyed and the location of infection quarantined.

5.Infectious Bursa Disease(Gumboro) - Is common in hatcheries and birds are likely to be infected by the time they are acquired. It is spread through feed, water and faeces.

It affects young chicken aged 2-6 weeks. It is rare in indigenous birds.

Symptoms include diarrhoea, sleepiness and depression, ruffled feathers, and trembling of the head.
Mortality is between 50 and 80%.
The disease causes immuno-supression, predisposing the bird to other infections. It can be controlled by vaccinating the chicken when they are 2-6 weeks old through drinking water.

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