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Writer's pictureKayla Joyce

6 COMMON CHICKEN PROBLEMS YOU CAN AVOID WITH PROPER NUTRITION


If you've ever owned chickens, you know that they're fascinating animals. They'll do anything for a good treat, and will follow you around if given the chance. But there are some common chicken problems that can pop up in your flock. These are six common issues that are avoidable with proper nutrition.


Feeding your chickens a balanced diet is an important step in their overall health. It's not enough to just provide them with water, food and shelter. It's also important to make sure that they have the right nutrients for them to thrive.


This can be done by giving them plenty of greens and herbs such as alfalfa, clover and dandelion which are all high in protein content. The proper balance of calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals will help keep your birds healthy on a daily basis, and keep their immune system boosted.


Fowl Cholera


Fowl Cholera is a chronic illness brought about by the bacterium Pasteurella Multocida. This disease can impact various parts of a bird's body, including its joints, wattles, sinuses, and other tissues. Symptoms of this condition typically include a loss of appetite, greenish diarrhea, disheveled feathers (feathers may look like they've been dipped in paint), purple wattle swelling (a swollen area around the throat), enlarged comb or wattles (a fleshy growth on each side); joint swelling; lamenes

s; discharge from mouth/nose/eyes; sudden death.

It is caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food sources such as feed contaminated with bacteria which eventually causes inflammation throughout their bodies leading to organ failure such as kidney failure leading to death within 24 hours if not treated immediately after eating contaminated feed.



Coccidiosis


Coccidiosis is a disease that affects the chickens' digestive system. It's caused by the parasite Coccidian protozoa, which resides in and harms a specific section of a chicken's gut. The infection process starts when chickens ingest sporulated oocysts, which are then broken down by digestive acids, releasing infectious sporocysts. This initiates a cycle that leads to the destruction of intestinal epithelial cells.



Coccidiosis can cause severe illness and death in chickens; it usually occurs when they have been exposed to poor-quality feed or water containing high levels of bacteria from sewage run-off. The most common symptom is diarrhea caused by blood-tinged mucus released from the intestines as part of an immune response initiated by these infections—this may not be visible until after death occurs due to dehydration associated with severe dehydration due to lack of good quality nutrition leading up towards this point."



Avian Influenza


Avian Influenza (Avian flu) is an illness that affects chickens, turkeys and other birds. It's also known as bird flu or H5N1 virus.


Avian influenza is a sickness caused by type A Orthomyxoviruses. This virus is frequently found in and spread by wild waterfowl, which then infect domesticated poultry. The symptoms of bird flu include diarrhea, nasal discharge, swelling in the comb and wattles (the red skin under the beak), discoloration of the skin to a purplish hue/redness on their feathers; coughing up blood; sneezing constantly when sleeping; disheveled feathers around their necks/head area where they may go bald due to excessive shedding due to stress during this time period too.


Fowl Pox


Fowl Pox, also referred to as Avian Pox, is a highly contagious disease. Chickens that are infected with Avian Pox can develop two distinct forms of the illness: Dry Pox and Wet Pox. The symptoms of this condition are recognizable by the appearance of wart-like bumps on the wattle and comb of the bird. Furthermore, young birds may experience stunted growth and a reduction in egg production.


It is spread by contact with infected birds or their droppings; however it can also be transmitted through direct contact with an infected person or object such as clothing or feed bowls that have been contaminated by saliva from an infected animal.



Newcastle Disease


Newcastle disease (ND) is an acute respiratory illness that can spread quickly. The symptoms of this disease depend on the type of virus causing the infection and whether it targets the respiratory, digestive, or nervous system. Although it can affect both wild and domesticated fowl, domesticated poultry is much more likely to suffer from severe symptoms.


It's caused by a virus that affects the brain and nervous system so that it causes damage to your chickens' brains as well as their lungs—and ultimately makes them very sick (and can lead to death). This means you'll need to do everything possible for your chickens!


The good news about ND is that unlike many other diseases out there (like avian influenza), which tend to be spread easily via contact with infected birds without any other requirement being met besides having some sort of preexisting immunity against these viruses; however if left untreated then there's no way around getting affected by this nasty little bugger either way!


Salmonellosis


Salmonellosis is a bacterial illness that can lead to septicemia and enteritis in young chickens. Although it has a low death rate, it is contracted orally and can be spread by rodents. The symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, closed eyes, a lack of appetite, thirst and disheveled feathers. It can also cause depression as well as anemia (low red blood cell count) which could lead to feather loss if not treated quickly enough!


There are many ways you can prevent this disease from happening in your flock including: cleaning out pens regularly; using clean water sources; keeping food waste out of the pen; providing fresh drinking water daily at all times so they don't have access to dirty or stagnant water sources like buckets lying around outside where predators could easily take advantage.


Conclusion


There you have it. The six most common chicken health problems and how to prevent them with quality nutrition. We hope this article has given you a better understanding of what your chickens need in order to thrive, as well as some tips on how best to provide for their needs.


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