Avian scoring guide

diseases, scoring

footpad dermatitis

characterized by skin alterations of the footpads, caused by an

inflammatory reaction, evolving from redness to hard, scaly, swollen and necrotic lesions

footpad dermititis

trachea

respiratory pathogens may cause lesions in the organ which can evolve from mild

(redness or mild mucus) to severe (caseous/bloody)

depending on the severity of the lesions, eitology of respiratory pathogens in trachea can be:

1. environmental (ammonia, low relative humidity, high dust concentration)

2. viral (infectious laryngotracheitis, newcastle disease, avian influenza, poxvirus)

3. bacterial (E.coli, Mycoplasma)

4. fungal (aspergillosis)

trachea

scratches

disruption of the integrity of the skin, caused by the nails of the companion chickens in the poultry house

scratches

This condition might indicate management or ventilation problems in the farm, increased nervousness of the birds due to external factors (noise, predators) or nutritional problems (deficiencies, imbalances)

scratches

ammonia burns

refer to cornea lesions due to high concentrations of ammonia in the poultry house

ammonia burns

lesions consist of circular, grey-white, opaque, rough-looking areas in the centers of

the corneas

ammonia burns

the lesion can also be split-shaped. The typical appearance in combination with

the presence in both eyes allows differentiation from other eye lesions

ammonia burns

mouth lesions

lesions can be present on the beak, the tongue or the angle of the mouth depending on the etiology (infectious, toxins or traumatic) lesions might differ in appearance (diphteric, plaque-like etc.)

mouth lesions

infectious process

skin scratches can introduce bacteria that can lead to inflammation (cellulitis) and yellow fibrinous material between skin and muscle

infectious process

white striping

degenerating myopathy in broilers characterized by macroscopically visible

white striations on breast fillets and thighs. The etiology is unknown but it is believed that it is linked to the high growth rate of broilers and calcium metabolism

white strings

thymus

specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system and is located next to the trachea

thymus

most common abnormal condition will consist of atrophy of this organ which can occur after infection with immunosuppressive agents (like Chicken Anemia virus,

Infectious Bursal Disease virus, Marek Disease virus etc.).

trachea

bursal damage

most commonly linked to Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) , a highly contagious viral disease, causing lesions to primary lymphoid tissue and especially to the Bursa of Fabricius in young birds

acute phase of infection

the bursa will be swollen, oedematous and haemorhages may appear on the mucosal side

bursal damage

bursa meter

 a ruler shaped tool with holes of different sizes numbered 1-8 used to measure the bursa size

femoral head necrosis

condition can be caused by osteochondrosis, dyschondroplasia or osteomyelitis

femoral head necrosis

lesions are due to focal bacterial infection

femoral head necrosis

enlarged growth plate

widening of the epiphyseal growth plate is caused by an increased zone of proliferating prehypertrophic zone of epiphyseal cartilage

enlarged growth plate

this condition is described in case of calcium/phosphorus imbalances and in some cases of hypervitaminose A

enlarged growth plate

detached cartilage

refers to detachment of the femoral head cartilage during dislocation of the hip joints when performing necropsy. This condition is only scored when no necrotic lesions are present on the detached femoral head

detached cartilage

tibial dyschondroplasia

defect associated with the growth plates and is characterized by an avascular plug of abnormal cartilage in the growth plate of long bones

tibial dyschondroplasia

lameness

inability to use one or both limbs in a normal manner and is becoming a major animal welfare and economic concern

rickets

characterized by severe fragility and bending of long bone and widened growth

plate due to poor mineralization

swollen hocks

this condition is scored in case the hocks are swollen but no exudate is present

swollen hocks

can be caused by non-infectious stressors such as too much sitting

brittle bones

non-flexible bones which will easily break without much force

bone strength relies on:

1. structural factors

2. compositional factors

3. physiological factors

4. nutritional factors

tendosynovitis

Infection of the tendon or inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath surrounding the tendon

synovitis

infection of the synoviae is often accompanied by arthritis and can be diagnosed in the different joints of the birds

synovitis is common in:

1. knee

2. hock joints

3. toes

osteomyelitis

infection of the bone or the bone marrow caused by bacterial infection

airsacs

important part of the avian respiratory system

airsacs

extremely prone to infection and inflammation

lesions in airsacs

ascites

characterized by the presence of excessive fluid in the abdominal cavity

etiology of ascites

1. oxygen supply

2. ventilation

3. high altitude

4. respiratory diseases

5. rapid growth