Content
A strong and large chick is very vulnerable not only to infections. Any young animals are susceptible to infections due to the not yet formed immunity. But goslings are also very sensitive to improper diet and lack of exercise.
Coming very young to a new owner from a goose breeding farm, goslings can bring with them infectious diseases that they contracted in an incubator or received from a goose mother.
Diseases of goslings, with which the chicks come to the new owner, can deprive the happy purchaser of 70% of the newly acquired herd. And sometimes all the goslings die.
Diseases of young animals that goslings can bring with them from the incubator include:
- salmonellosis, aka paratyphoid:
- viral enteritis, often a consequence of salmonellosis;
- pullorosis;
- colibacillosis, aka colisepticemia;
- pasteurellosis.
Enteritis caused by a viral disease and which is a complication of the disease usually appears from the 5th day after birth. The maximum period during which signs of "incubation" enteritis may appear is up to 3 weeks.
The intestines of goslings may become inflamed later, but this will already be a consequence of keeping with a new owner, and not a consequence of a disease brought from an incubator.
Colibacillosis
The disease has so many names that it is easy for inexperienced owners to get confused in them. Colibacillosis is also called coli infection, colidiarrhea, colisepsis, coliseptimization of birds. Another name is common in the West: Escherichiosis.
The causative agent of the disease is various pathogenic species of the bacterium Escherichia coli, which belongs to the enterobacteriaceae family. The bacterium can survive in the external environment for up to 4 months, but is sensitive to disinfectant solutions.
The causative agent of the disease is transmitted through the droppings of sick birds, equipment, food, water, and in other similar ways. Recovered birds for a long time remain a source of the disease, so the egg itself from a recovered goose may become infected. The hatched chick will become infected with colibacillosis right in the incubator.
In birds, including goslings, colibacillosis occurs in the form of septicemia (symptoms of "blood poisoning), affecting the internal organs: air sacs, lungs, liver, outer shell of the heart, and joints." Acute inflammation develops in the joints - arthritis. Because of the pain, the birds sit on their feet and refuse to walk. As a result of lack of air due to lung disease, goslings restrict their movement - they “lie down to rest” with signs of drowsiness. This is actually a sign of a lack of air.
Enteritis (intestinal inflammation) with septicemia is not always observed. But in the case of the development of inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea is observed in goslings. Sometimes with blood.
In the acute course of colibacillosis, up to 30% of birds die. In surviving goslings, their productivity and ability to develop immunity are further reduced when vaccinated against infections.
Treatment of the disease
Unlike many other infectious diseases of birds, in which the ax is strongly recommended as a panacea for all diseases, colibacillosis is treated.
Colibacillosis in goslings must be distinguished from salmonellosis, pullorosis, pasteurellosis and enteritis caused by poor quality feed.
Isolation of the causative agent of the disease is carried out in laboratory conditions, but since it is impossible to wait so much time (a week for sowing), treatment begins at the first signs of the disease.
In goslings, the diet is checked by putting the birds on a diet that prevents the development of enteritis. For treatment, antibiotics of a wide spectrum of action and antibacterial drugs are used: sulfonamides and nitrofurans.
If the herd of goslings is too large and overfishing everyone, it will not be possible for personal delivery of medicines, they use antibiotic spraying in the air in the form of aerosols.
In parallel with the main treatment of the disease, symptomatic treatment is used, aimed at maintaining the gastrointestinal tract of birds and preventing dehydration and intoxication.
Disease prevention
In the case of birds, the main prevention of the disease: thorough disinfection of the room and incubator with formaldehyde vapors. These control measures are relevant only for nurseries.
When buying goslings on the side, they should not be mixed with the rest of the herd until the chicks grow up and they have developed immunity.
Salmonellosis
The disease affects not only birds, but also mammals. But salmonellosis is caused by different types of salmonella. Salmonella persists for a long time in the external environment. Without the use of disinfectants, one cannot be sure of the destruction of the causative agent of the disease. Therefore, if last year the goslings on the farm died from salmonellosis, it is better to wait a year before buying new birds.
Mostly young goslings are sick, adult geese are more resistant to the disease. More precisely, their salmonellosis is asymptomatic. In this case, the goose can carry already infected eggs.
In goslings under the age of 20 days with an acute course of the disease, salmonellosis is characterized by fever, toxicosis, and intestinal damage (enteritis). In the chronic course of the disease, lung damage and joint diseases are observed.
Symptoms of the disease
The latent period of the disease lasts from 1 to 3 days. In birds, salmonellosis is acute, subacute and chronic. In the acute course of the disease, goslings under the age of 20 days lose their appetite and desire to move, anemia, diarrhea, and purulent conjunctivitis are observed. Nervous seizures appear, expressed in convulsions, during which the goslings make chaotic movements of their heads, fall on their backs, and move their limbs. Mortality in the acute form of the disease can reach 70%.
The subacute course of the disease is observed in older goslings. Signs of a subacute course of the disease are purulent conjunctivitis, runny nose, diarrhea, inflammation of the joints. Inflammation of the joints causes the goslings to fall to their feet.
Most easily goslings tolerate the chronic form of the disease, which they suffer from at the age of 2 months. The chronic form of the disease is characterized by diarrhea and developmental delay.
Treatment of the disease
For the treatment of the disease, antibiotics are used in combination with antibacterial drugs, according to the instructions attached to the medications or issued by the supervising veterinarian. In addition to drug treatment of the disease, symptomatic support for goslings is carried out by adding vitamins and drugs that increase immunity to the feed.
Disease prevention
In the case of poultry, the main preventive measure for the disease is a thorough disinfection of the premises and territory where geese are kept, and the purchase of new livestock only from farms that are free from salmonellosis.
If you can get it, you can vaccinate geese with a live recombinant Salmonella vaccine for birds used abroad.
Pasteurellosis
A disease caused by a pathogenic bacterium. The properties of pasteurella of different serotypes vary greatly and largely depend on the species of animal from which they were isolated.
In the external environment, Pasteurella can last from several days to 4 months. The deadline is for animal carcasses.
The main ways of transmission of pasteurella are through the respiratory tract and through the gastrointestinal tract. Infection occurs through contact with a sick and ill bird, with food, through rodents. A goose who has had pasteurellosis carries infected eggs, in which the embryos die on the 9th - 15th day of incubation. If the embryo survives, the hatched gosling becomes a virus carrier.
Symptoms of the disease
The incubation period for the disease is 2 to 4 days. In birds, the disease is very difficult, with signs of general blood poisoning. The course of the disease in birds can be hyperacute, acute and chronic.
The hyperacute course of the disease is expressed in the sudden death of the bird and, most often, the owner only has to shrug his shoulders. In the acute course of the disease, which lasts no more than 3 days and is observed, the following symptoms are most often noticeable:
- lowered wings;
- exhaustion;
- thirst;
- temperature 44 ° C;
- foam from the beak and nose;
- diarrhea;
- death in 18 - 72 hours.
In the chronic course of the disease, only rhinitis, viscous discharge from the nose and eyes is observed.
Treatment and prevention of the disease
Birds are not treated. If pasteurellosis was previously recorded on the farm, the birds are vaccinated against pasteurellosis according to the instructions. Particular attention is paid to the observance of sanitary and veterinary rules for keeping livestock and poultry and regular disinfection of premises and territory.
Pullorosis
A bacterial disease, which is especially susceptible to young birds. In goslings, it is manifested by signs of general blood poisoning and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, that is, enteritis.
The causative agent is a bacterium from the Salmonella family. It can be stored in the soil for more than a year, in dried form for 7 years. Sensitive to disinfectants.
Symptoms of the disease
With congenital pullorosis, that is, when goslings hatch from infected eggs, the incubation period of the disease is from 3 to 10 days. Such goslings have general weakness, refusal to feed, the yolk is not completely drawn into the abdominal cavity, and white liquid droppings. The fluff around the cloaca is glued together with droppings.
In case of infection after hatching due to keeping together with sick chicks, the incubation period of the disease is 2 - 5 days. Postnatal pullorosis can be acute, subacute, and chronic.
In the acute course of the disease, general weakness, disturbed digestion, mucous white diarrhea, and a beak open for breathing are observed.
The subacute and chronic course of the disease can be observed from the 15th day of the gosling's life: developmental delay, intestinal upset, inflammation of the joints of the legs. The mortality rate for the last two types of the course of the disease is low.
Treatment of the disease
Only conditionally healthy birds are treated with antibiotics of the terramycin group and supportive therapy. The sick bird is destroyed.
Preventive measures for pullorosis are observance of veterinary rules for incubating eggs and rearing young animals.
Goose viral enteritis
Caused by a DNA virus. Adult geese are immune to the virus, only goslings are affected.
Symptoms of the disease
The incubation period lasts from 2 to 6 days.The course of the disease is acute. The disease can last from 2 days to 2 weeks. From 60 to 100% of the goslings die. Signs of illness: weakness, thirst, loss of appetite, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity.
Chills are observed in goslings under the age of 10 days. They huddle together, trying to keep warm. Older goslings lie unresponsive to stimuli and lower their wings, pluck each other, lag behind in growth. At 7 weeks of age, the course of enteritis is chronic. No more than 3% of goslings die, growth completely stops.
Treatment and prevention
The classical treatment regimen for the disease requires the presence of serum from convalescent geese. Today, for the treatment of enteritis, and in fact to help the body, since viruses cannot be treated, hyperimmune sera are used, which stimulate the natural immunity of goslings. Antibiotics are used to suppress secondary infection.
Preventive measures are applied according to the instructions for combating viral enteritis in geese.
Aspergillosis
A disease caused by aspergillus mold. Looks like a black bloom on walls and household items. It is present everywhere. Does not cause problems with good immunity. With a weakening of immunity, the fungus begins to multiply in the respiratory organs.
The disease affects old birds with weakened immunity and young animals in which immunity has not yet been formed.
Aspergillosis in birds
The reasons for the development of aspergillosis are keeping goslings in a damp dark room and feeding them moldy grain. Spores of the fungus, getting into the lungs, begin to germinate, causing the disease.
Symptoms of the disease
Mold makes breathing difficult, so the goslings try to cough up the interfering object. Difficulty breathing, with an open beak. Trying to "push" a piece, the bird stretches its neck. Mold grows into other internal organs, causing diarrhea, seizures, and conjunctivitis.
There is no cure for aspergillosis. A sick bird is slaughtered, the room is freed from animals and carefully treated with anti-mold preparations.
Helminthiasis
Geese become infected with worms by swallowing larvae near water bodies.
Amidostomatosis
Geese are infected with this nematode by directly swallowing the larvae with grass or water.
Symptoms of the disease
Goslings are especially sensitive to the parasite. When infected with a nematode, the gosling becomes inactive, often sits on their paws, and poor feather growth is observed. The gosling lags behind in development. With mixed invasion, goslings die often.
Hymenolipedosis
The causative agent of the disease is one of the types of cestodes. Geese become infected by swallowing plankton or shellfish. When infected with cestode, exhaustion, stunting, uncertain gait, convulsions, sometimes paralysis of the limbs and, as a result, falls. Liquid litter with an unpleasant odor.
Prevention of diseases associated with helminths consists in regular deworming of the entire livestock.
Diseases of young goslings are not limited to infectious diseases. Often goslings die from non-communicable diseases, which could have been avoided with the correct keeping of the chicks and the correct composition of their diet.
Owners of newly hatched goslings often get two problems: cannibalism and death of goslings when walking them with the goose.
Cannibalism
The version of a lack of animal protein or trace elements in the diet of goslings is considered as the cause of cannibalism.But when the goslings are still very young, this factor is unlikely to really matter. Cannibalism can also be caused by the stress of too crowded keeping birds. Experienced goose breeders have another explanation.
From the first day of life, the gosling must walk and nibble the grass. In a brooder, he simply has nothing to do and the goslings begin to pluck each other until they bleed. The goose breeders are fighting the manifestations of cannibalism in a very interesting way, presented in the video.
The second problem is the death of goslings after being in the pond. Here the fact is that in the first days there is little fat on the down of the gosling. Or rather, there is no fat at all. After a long stay in the water, the fluff gets wet and the chick dies from hypothermia.
Rickets problem
Goslings are very fast growing birds. At 4 months, they already differ little in size from their parents. For rapid growth, goslings need not only high-quality feed, but also long-term walking in the fresh air. Trying to protect chicks from diseases, owners often keep birds indoors without walking.
In such conditions, the goslings begin to bend their paws. Unable to walk on moving legs, the goslings fall to their feet. This situation can be avoided if, from a very early age, the chicks are provided with long walks with the possibility of active movement. At the same time, such a walk in the presence of grass will solve the problem of cannibalism in geese.
Rickets is not the only developmental problem lurking in goslings. The video shows an example of wings that began to bend under the influence of external factors and a timely correction of the problem.
Conclusion
It should be borne in mind that falling on the paws is not a disease in itself. This is a symptom of some more serious illness. On close inspection, the owner will certainly notice other signs of illness in the gosling.
