Commercial gamebirds

What are the main game birds reared in the UK?

• Pheasants

• Partridges (grey/ red legged)

• Grouse (red/black)

  

What are the production phases of commercial gamebird?

Where can the problems related to commercial gamebirds arise from?

• Hatchery related

  • Hygiene & sanitation —> egg storage, transport, cleaning

  • Incubator conditions —> temp, ventilation, humidity

  • Post-hatching issues

• Infectious causes —> bacterial, fungus, viruses, parasites

List the problems that can affect young gamebird chicks (2-14 days old)

• Yolk sac infection

• Septicaemia (E. coli or Salmonella usually)

• Starve out

• Aspergillosis

• Rotavirus

What are the two causes of yolk sac infection in young chicks? How do they differ?

• Infection in eggs —> (navel infection) peak mortality at 3 days

• Environmental infection/ spread —> bacteria grows well in yolk sac, peak mortality about 5-7 days

How do you prevent septicaemia?

• Competitive exclusion onto chick/surroundings at day old

• Hygiene & sanitation

What are they clinical signs of starving out (2-14do)?

• High mortality

• Lethargic chicks

• Empty gizzard

• Gizzard containing bedding material

What are the causes of starving out?

• Breeding flock unhealthy

• Prolong hatching period

• Chill-effect after hatch

• Temp variation on arrival/house

• Environ —> ammonia, heat, carbon

• Poor feed & water insufficient/distribution

Where is aspergillus fumigatus acquired from?

Feed/bedding & environ

What are the clinical signs of aspergillosis in chicks?

Gasping poults, weight loss, mortality increased

How is aspergillosis diagnosed, treated and prevented?

Diag —> signs/lesions, nodules in lungs/ airsacs, culture

Tx —> Not practiced, too expensive

Prevention —> management, biosecurity

What gamebirds does rotavirus affect?

Pheasants & partridges

What are the signs of rotavirus? What are the sources of infection?

• Mortality, up to 70%, 4-14 days old

• Signs —> depression, dropped wings, closed eyes, huddling, ruffle feathers, death

• Source of infection:

  • Egg shell contamination

  • Environment (multiage)

How is rotavirus disagnosed, treated and prevented?

• Diag —> signs/lesions, PCR

• Tx —> suitable disinfectant, in drinking water or spray, high dilution rate

• Prevention —> freq egg collection, cleaning & disinfection of eggs and between flocks/ pens/ batches

What are the diseases that affect young poults?

• Spironucleosis

• Trichononiasis

• Coccidiosis

• Bacterial infections

• Parasites —> worms

  • Enteric —> Ascarids, Capillaria

  • Respiratory —> S. trachea

What are the causative agents of spironucleosis & trichonosiasis?

• Spironucleus meleagridis (1-12 weeks)

• Trichomonas gallinae (6-16 weeks)

Causing similar dx

What are the clinical signs of spironucleosis & trichononiasis?

Watery D+, often yellow and frothy, dehydration, weight loss, depression, lethargy & death

What are the predisposing factors of spironucleosis & trichononiasis?

Wet & moist environment, overcrowding, stress allows survival of organism

How is spironucleosis & trichononiasis diagnosed? How do they differ?

Necropsy, from fresh SI make smear & examine under microscope, differentiate the protozoa

• Duodenum & ileum = mostly spironucleus

• Caecum = trichomonas

How is spironucleosis and trichononiasis treated and prevented?

Tx —> ABs & electrolytes

Prevention —> keep environment dry and clean, avoid water leakages, substances that can desiccate these protozoa, reduce stocking density.

What is the most pathogenic species of Eimeria in young poults? What age does it mainly affect?

• E. colchici in caecum

• Normally 15 days to 16 weeks old

What are the clinical signs of coccidiosis?

Weight loss, lethargy, ruffle feathers, dropped wings, death

How is coccidiosis diagnosed, treated and prevented?

Diag —> necropsy, gut smear for microscopic exam, faecal analysis

Tx —> toltrazuril, amprolium

Prevention —> decr stocking density, coccidiostat in feed

What are the diseases that affect the releasing poults?

All the young poults dxs as well as

• Enteritis/ dysbacteriosis

• Stress

What does enteritis/dysbacteriosis cause in releasing poults?

Scour in growing poults → dehyd

How is enteritis/dysbacteriosis diagnosed and treated?

Diag —> necropsy, inflammation GIT

Tx —> ABs, improves hydration, acidificaiton of water system, competitive exclusion products, electrolytes

What are the stress factors that are related to release in game birds?

• Chill-effect following release to new environment/outside

• Transport stress —> ventilation, withholding food/water

• Unfamiliar environment

• Searching for food and water

• Exposure to predators

What are the diseases that affect breeder game birds?

• With time, worm build-up

• Resp dxs

  • Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mg

  • Mycoplasma synoviae, Ms

  • Corona virus infections

• Bacterial infections

What worms affect breeders, what signs do they cause?

• S. trachea

• Heterakis gallinarum

• Capillaria spp

• Ascarid spp

Causes high mortality, poor food conversion and weight gain

How would you prevent and treat worm build up in breeders?

• Pen management

• Treat w/ flubendazole in feed & water

What are these lesions associated with?

• Blackhead/histomoniasis

• Histomonas meleagridis

  • Intermediate host —> Heterakis gallinarum

Mortality up to 100%

What is the prevention / tx of blackhead?

• No specific tx against histomonas

• Biosec top priority

• Control of worms —> heterakis using flubendazol

• Tetracylines?

What are the clinical signs of a mycoplasma infection in breeders?

• Infrorbital sinus & eye swelling

• Nose and eye discharge

• Breathing difficulty

• Weight loss and death

• Decr egg prod and hatchability → production losses

• Lameness

• Exacerbated by stress factors

How is mycoplasma infection prevented and treated?

• Prevention —> vaccine, autogenous

• Tx —> ABs (macrolides)

What coronavirus affects gamebirds?

Pheasant coronavirus

What are the signs of cornavirus infection in gamebirds?

• Adult —> sudden death, urates in kidneys, drop in egg production/ hatchability

• Young birds w/ swollen kidneys, urates deposition of visceral organs

How is pheasant coronavirus diagnosed, prevented and treated?

• Diag —> PCR

• Prevention & tx —> no specific, some use IBV vaccine in parent birds but biosec top priority

Recall the signs of Newcastle disease. How is it diagnosed?

• Dullness, depression, D+, neuro

• Drop in egg production/quality

• Diag —> PCR

What is the prevention / tx of newcastle dx?

• No specific tx

• Use of live & inactivated NDV vacc

• Biosec top priority