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Breeding chickens is an interesting and profitable activity. But farmers are often faced with the problem of poultry disease. The disease of any animal is unpleasant, causing material damage to the owners of even a small poultry farm.
Chickens suffer from various diseases. Some of them are associated with mechanical damage, improper maintenance, care and feeding. Others are caused by infections that can wipe out an entire chicken population in an instant. Marek's disease in chickens has its own characteristics and control measures. We will talk about them now.
History reference
This disease of chickens has been around for over a century. It was described by a scientist from Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century, and even came up with a name - polyneuritis of chickens. A little later, already in 26, polyneuritis was identified by the Americans A.M. Pappenheimer, L.P. Dan and M.D. Zeidlin in the nervous system, eyes and internal organs of chickens.
This infection has been proven to be contagious, the damage from chicken diseases colossal, since it is impossible to completely cure the bird. For a hundred years, the disease has spread to all continents. Soviet scientists were also studying the infection, starting in 1930, but they did not come to a consensus on the issue of treatment.
General information about the disease
The virus of the disease infects the cells of the chicken's body, from that moment it becomes a dangerous carrier of infection. Moreover, infection occurs quickly, if you do not eliminate the sick bird from the rest of the chicken herd.
The dangerous virus of Marek's disease is not only found inside the chicken's body. It can be released into the surrounding area, in the stern, on feathers, in dust and litter. In a word, everything that a sick chicken is near becomes infected.
Marek's disease virus survives at temperatures up to +20 degrees, is in an active state for a long time. Temperatures up to +4 degrees allow him to live for several years. But when the air humidity is high, the virus dies.
How do domestic chickens become infected? Chicken gets DNA containing a virus called herpesvirus. It blocks the formation of antibodies, from the very first minutes it shows interferon activity.
The incubation period of the disease
It is simply impossible to determine that a chicken has Marek's disease at first, since no pronounced specific signs are observed. Although experienced poultry farmers, constantly monitoring the condition of the birds, may notice some external changes:
- in a chicken during illness, the comb turns pale;
- a gait unusual for chickens appears;
- chickens take unnatural postures;
- due to weakening and exhaustion, physical activity decreases.
The incubation period is greatly extended - 2-15 weeks. At the end of it, the symptoms of Marek's disease in chickens become apparent.
Forms of the disease
This infection has three forms, each of which has its own characteristics:
- With neural, the peripheral nervous system of the chicken is damaged, the result, as a rule, is paresis and paralysis.
- Ocular or ocular shape leads to visual impairment. In some cases, the chicken goes blind. The mortality rate of chickens from the eye form is up to 30%.
- When visceral, tumors form on the internal organs.
In addition, the disease in chickens can occur in an acute and classical form.
How to recognize Marek's disease
As we noted, the incubation period is extended. Older chickens with weakened immune systems develop symptoms of Marek's disease more quickly.
Signs of the disease
Acute form
The disease in an acute form, similar to leukemia, is most often inherent in young animals from a month to five. Because the infection is highly virulent, Marek's disease can affect all chickens within one to two weeks. Chickens suffer from paresis and paralysis. One of the symptoms is paralysis, which is clearly visible in the photo.
Symptoms:
- digestion is disturbed;
- chickens do not eat well, which is why they lose weight, become weak;
- tumors form on the parenchymal organs;
- egg production of hens practically disappears.
As a rule, after a short period of time, the hens die.
Classic form
This form of Marek's disease is less aggressive; with timely measures, 70% of the herd can be saved. The lesion affects the nervous system or the eyes of chickens.
What are the manifestations:
- the chicken starts to limp;
- her tail and wings sag, her neck may curl;
- paralysis is also observed, but they are short-lived.
Special attention should be paid to the following if there are signs of a disease on the farm:
- if the disease touches the eyes, then vision is impaired;
- the chicken's iris color changes;
- the pupil becomes unnatural: pear-shaped or of another shape, look at the photo below;
- chickens do not react to light.
In some cases, complete blindness occurs. If the disease touches the eyes, then the poultry will not live long.
Treatment
Poultry farmers do not always manage to recognize the disease, therefore, specialists need to be involved to establish the diagnosis.
If the disease of chickens is noticed and detected at an early stage, you can pierce them with antibiotics and antiviral drugs. When paralysis occurs, no treatment will help. You just have to kill the sick chicken and burn it.
The only way for poultry farmers to keep their chickens safe is to get vaccinated on time.
Features of vaccination
Vaccinating your chicks is a sure way to keep your poultry healthy. It can be done in different ways:
- One of them can be carried out with special equipment while the chick is still in the egg. It is clear that such vaccination is unacceptable for the household. But poultry farmers should know about it. After all, chickens are often bought at poultry farms. What is the essence of the method? The inoculation is placed directly into the egg on the 18th day of incubation. This is the best defense against Marek's disease. Therefore, when buying chicks, you need to ask whether such vaccination was carried out.
- At home, you need to vaccinate newly hatched chickens in the first 24 hours of their life. The vaccine can be purchased at almost all specialty stores or veterinary pharmacies. The vaccine is sold with saline. Read the instructions before vaccinating chicks.
Why is it necessary to vaccinate young animals from the first days of life? You probably remember that the virus can be transmitted through the air, carried on clothing. And in small farms, as a rule, the chickens are brought out by the hen. No one can vouch that she is not a carrier of the infection.
If an effective vaccine is given to the chickens while they are laying eggs, the antibodies formed in the mother's body will be passed on to the chicks. They will be protected for 3 weeks. Vaccination is carried out after the expiration of the protective period. Then no treatment is required.
Vaccination of newborn chickens:
Biosecurity
Biosecurity or preventive measures will help preserve healthy chickens, then there will be no talk of the manifestation of Marek's disease.First, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for keeping. Secondly, chickens need to be given maximum attention.
And now we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules that will help keep your little poultry farm from Marek's disease and get high-quality and healthy products.
Safe Poultry Rules:
- Compliance with veterinary and sanitary standards: enter chicken coop in special shoes and clothes, change them at the exit, wash your hands thoroughly.
- Maintaining cleanliness in the chicken coop, carrying out preventive disinfection. Feathers must be collected and burned.
- Carrying out cleaning of chicken feathers from dandruff with special means.
- Keeping young and adult chickens in different rooms.
- Timely vaccination of poultry.
- Tracking sick chickens, culling and destruction (burning) in order to prevent mass infection of other poultry.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that Marek's disease is not such a rare disease, you can ensure that it does not exist in your courtyard. We described how to achieve this in our article. Subject to all the rules and regulations, your chickens will be healthy. You will receive not only tasty and healthy eggs, dietary meat, but also an annual offspring of strong chickens.
