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Common Poultry Diseases: Signs, Symptoms, and Control Measures

Keeping chickens healthy is key to successful poultry farming. Just like humans, birds show early signs when they are unwell. Farmers who learn to recognize these signs and act quickly can reduce losses and keep flocks productive.

General Signs of Ill-Health in Chickens

If your birds show any of the following signs, it could mean illness is present:

  • Huddling together for warmth

  • Coughing, sneezing, or rapid breathing

  • Discharge from the mouth or nostrils

  • Dullness, poor appetite, or closed eyes

  • Diarrhoea (green, yellow, white, or bloody droppings)

  • Ruffled feathers

  • Pale combs and wattles

  • Presence of worms in faeces

  • Paralysis of legs/wings, twisted necks

These symptoms point to different poultry diseases, some of which are outlined below.

Major Poultry Diseases and Their Symptoms

1. Newcastle Disease (NCD)

  • Cause: Viral disease spreads via air, contaminated eggs, clothing, shoes, and equipment.

  • Impact: One of the most dangerous poultry diseases; young chicks may experience up to 100% mortality.

  • Symptoms:

    • Dullness, coughing, sneezing, gasping

    • Nasal discharge, gurgling in the throat

    • Greenish diarrhoea, sudden high mortality

    • Nervous signs: twisted neck, dragging wings/legs

2. Fowl Pox

  • Cause: Viral disease spread by mosquitoes and blood-sucking insects, often seasonal.

  • Symptoms:

    • Breathing difficulties, sneezing, and nasal discharge

    • Cheesy growth in the trachea (causing suffocation)

    • Loss of appetite

    • Pox lesions on the skin and mouth

  • Mortality: Can reach 100% in chicks; lower in adults.

3. Fowl Cholera

  • Cause: Bacterial disease spread by contaminated water, feed, wild birds, and secretions.

  • Symptoms:

    • Sudden death

    • Respiratory issues: coughing, sneezing, gaping

    • Septicaemia: watery yellow/green diarrhoea

    • Swollen joints, lameness

    • Purple or dark comb/wattles in acute cases

    • Chronic cases show eye swelling, twisted neck, nasal discharge

4. Marek’s Disease

  • Cause: Viral disease spread via poultry dust, faeces, and air. Affects birds between 6–26 weeks.

  • Symptoms:

    • High mortality

    • Paralysis of wings/legs

    • Breathing difficulty

    • Blindness

    • Circling or whistling movements

  • Control: Vaccination at hatchery, use of resistant breeds, and strict hygiene.

5. Gumboro (Infectious Bursal Disease)

  • Cause: Viral disease is highly infectious among young birds.

  • Impact: Weakens the immune system, making chickens vulnerable to other diseases.

  • Symptoms:

    • Ruffled feathers, tremors, unsteady gait

    • Loss of appetite, dehydration

    • White diarrhoea

    • Prostration followed by death

6. Fowl Typhoid

  • Cause: Bacterial disease affecting mostly adult birds.

  • Symptoms:

    • Depression, loss of appetite

    • Dark red combs and wattles

    • Yellow droppings

    • Closed eyes, head down

    • Death within 3–6 days after infection

7. Coccidiosis

  • Cause: Protozoan parasite of the intestines, most common in chicks up to 12 weeks.

  • Symptoms:

    • Loss of weight and appetite

    • Ruffled, dirty feathers

    • Pale combs

    • Huddling in corners

    • Watery, greenish-brown droppings with blood

  • Control:

    • Preventive: Add coccidiostats (e.g., Bifuran) to feed, keep litter dry, isolate chicks in clean pens.

    • Curative: Use coccidiostats in water as directed, isolate sick birds, disinfect pens after outbreaks.

Control Measures for Poultry Diseases

  • Vaccinate birds on schedule (especially against NCD, Marek’s, Gumboro, and Fowl Pox).

  • Practice strict hygiene and biosecurity; keep pens clean, limit visitors, and disinfect equipment.

  • Provide balanced nutrition to build strong immunity.

  • Control parasites (internal and external).

  • Isolate sick birds immediately to prevent spread.

Conclusion

Poultry farming can be profitable, but disease outbreaks can wipe out entire flocks within days. Early detection, vaccination, and good management practices are the keys to success.

At Greenfarm Organics, we encourage farmers to stay vigilant, practice preventive care, and seek veterinary support when needed. Healthy birds mean healthy profits. 🐓🌱

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