Recognizing Unhealthy and Distressed Birds

Examination

General Appearance

• Comb and wattle

• Ocular or nasal discharge

• Feather/skin condition

Attitude/Behavior

Respiratory rate/respiratory effort

Ambulation (movement)

Normal Droppings

• Periodic cecal droppings

Appearance relative to flock members

Non-specific “sick bird” Signs

• Fluffed feathers/ poor feather condition

• Closing eyes

• Drooping wings and tail

• Quiet/dull attitude, lethargic

• Failure to perch

Respiratory Distress

• Increased respiratory rate (Normal heart rate = 35 bpm)

• Open mouth breathing

• Could be a respiratory noise

• Tail bobbing (tail exaggerated movement every breath)

Can indicate:

• Disease primarily of the respiratory system

• Abnormalities of other respiratory system

Heat Stressed Birds

• Wings spread

• Fluttering

• Panting

Droppings

Urine, urinate, fecal components

• Observe volume, color, consistency of each

• Normal will vary with species and diet

Many possible abnormalities

• Diarrhea (unformed fecal component)

• Polyuria (increased urine component)

• Green tinge (biliverdin from bile)

  • Liver disease or anorexia

• Fresh (blood in droppings)

  • Check cloaca/vent

Wing Droop

• Fracture of the bones of the wings or the pectoral girdle

• Soft tissue or joint damage

• Neurologic disease

Safe Handling

• Assess how a bird could be physically injured

Initial Capture:

• Close off potential escape routes and hiding places

• Remove non-essential persons

• Be calm and quiet

During Restraint

• Restraint of keel incursion

• Poorly secured limbs

• Prevent bruising with rough handling

Restaint of Chicks

• Use a yolk grip with pointer and middle fingers on either side of neck

  • Other fingers and thumb hold wings against body with out limiting movement of sternum

Restraint of Adult Fowl

• Hold wings against body to prevent flapping/striking

• If carrying, hold under your arm and against your body

• Hold feet together with one hand, using finger to separate each leg

Physical Examination

30 second PE in unstable birds

• Auscultation of heart and resp system with a stethoscope

• BCS

• Hydration status

  • Eye lid turgidity

  • Capillary refill time using comb

• Brief crop and coelomic palpation

*If patient is stable then perform a full systems exam

Trauma with Poultry

• Common trauma is attacks from predators

  • Also can have conspecific trauma (cannibalism)

Common PE findings:

• Lethargy, weakness

• Tissue wounds

• Wing droop and lameness

  • Fractures and luxations

• Respiratory distress

Respiratory Distress

• Discharge from eyes or nares

• Sneezing, coughing, respiratory noises

• Open beak breathing

  • Also seen with stress or overheating

• Comb is cyanotic (blue)

Common Causes of Resp. Signs

• Non-respiratory disease compressing air sacs

  • Repro disease, fluid accumulation in celomic cavity

• Infectious respiratory disease most common is Mycoplasma spp

• Environmental respiratory irritants

Crop Distension

• Recent meal (should go down after several hours without feed)

• Bacterial/fungal growth

  • Sour crop

  • May be secondary to underlying GI disease

• Impaction by foreign material, outflow obstruction

  • May be secondary to dehydration

• Neurologic (lead toxicosis or mareks disease)

• Idiopathic pendulous crop (possible underlying genetic tissue)