Those farmers who maintain a chicken farm need to be prepared to counteract various diseases of their living creatures, one of which is the prolapse of the oviduct. One of the most common bird diseases is the prolapse of the oviduct in chickens. Laying hens are the most susceptible to the disease, which provide farmers with a large income from the eggs they receive. The ability to lay eggs is a very important and complex physiological process, it can often be disrupted due to the development of pathologies of the oviduct.
Oviduct prolapse in chickens
Most often, this breed is affected by salpingitis. This is the name of the inflammation of the oviduct, as a result of which it eventually falls out. Such ailments can affect the overall health of birds, including the ability to lay eggs. If there is an inflammation of the cloaca and oviduct in chickens, this process will decrease in proportion to the development of the disease, if the oviduct has fallen out, then something needs to be done, otherwise the possibility of obtaining eggs will disappear.
What is salpingitis
To date, there are no specific sources that give an idea of the origin of such a disease in birds, but there is an opinion that the disease appeared during the domestication of chickens. The reasons include the environment of the animal, as well as the action of the most dangerous microorganism - staphylococcus, which is very common in places where chickens live.
Salpingitis is considered a dangerous disease that can cause colossal losses to the farm. The productivity of the chicken in terms of egg production depends on this disease. In especially neglected forms, without treatment by a veterinarian, the disease can cause the death of all chickens, which contributes to an increase in losses for the farmer, since the meat of the deceased chicken is considered unfit for consumption. You can see in more detail how salpingitis in chickens looks like in the photo.
The reasons for the development of the disease
When there is a prolapse of the oviduct in chickens, consider the causes of the disease. There are several factors that increase the risk of organ damage by inflammatory processes. These include:
- Poor feeding of hens. With a lack of the necessary dose of calcium, useful vitamins and choline in the feed, the probability of developing this disease increases in a laying hen.
- Quite often, inflammation of the oviduct can develop as a result of a blow, falls from a height, or because of the broken integrity of the canal. In young laying hens, a rupture can happen due to eggs that are too large in size, which are simply not able to pass painlessly through the canal. Such a large egg can remain inside the oviduct for a long time, which causes rupture and inflammation of the organ.
- Salpingitis can be caused by a completely different disease and not such as inflammation of the oviduct. The presence of another infection is more likely to lead to organ inflammation. Cloacal inflammation, for example, often develops into salpingitis.
- Complications in the case of a prolapsed oviduct. This problem is widespread and widespread in layers. This can happen due to the lack of vitamins such as D and E in the body of the laying hen, which causes disturbances in the microflora of the affected organ. When the oviduct falls out, it will have to be in the external environment, where you can find a lot of pathogenic microscopic organisms that begin to occupy the organ, causing its inflammation in the future.
Signs of illness
The most obvious symptom indicating such a disease of the oviduct is rapid fat deposition. This process can be called unequivocal proof that the bird does not lay eggs due to salpingitis. The first stage involves the pathology of fat metabolism. In poultry, clinical analysis shows elevated levels of compounds such as cholesterol and choline. Over time, these elements begin the process of accumulating in the body of the chicken, which causes rapid weight gain. It is best to start treatment at this stage.
The second stage, inflammation of the oviduct canal is accompanied by metabolic disorders, as well as disruption of the functioning of the internal organs of the laying hen. At this stage, chickens have a deteriorating appetite, bowel movements are difficult, and the pet becomes tired. The final stage often ends in failure. When the body of a sick individual is opened, liver problems are found. Such changes occur due to metabolic disorders.
Diagnostics of the disease in poultry
Diagnosis of the disease is possible by observing the birds, analyzing how egg-laying is proceeding and based on the results of the analyzes obtained. The disease tends to occur in two forms: acute and chronic. In a smaller number of cases, the disease proceeds without pronounced symptoms, which is why certain abnormalities in condition and behavior should be checked through a laboratory blood test. This can mainly occur in the case of a chronic course of the disease.
In the case of acute forms of the disease, the bird decreases the number of eggs produced per day. Treatment in this case should be carried out immediately upon detection of at least one symptom.
It so happens that the egg is stuck and no shedding is observed, or the channel from which the egg comes out has fallen out in layers. At the same time, the hen stops eating normally and looks depressed. After some time, the bird's temperature rises by 1 or 2 ° C, and a little earlier it will be possible to notice a change in the color of the scallop: it will become bluish. It is necessary to determine the disease as accurately as possible, for this it is recommended to carefully examine the bird.
On examination, you can pay attention to the inflammation of the outlet of the oviduct, an enlarged abdomen, due to which the laying hen moves very poorly, and over time the ability to walk completely disappears. If the appropriate measures are not taken, the disease will progress. You can see the manifestation of the symptoms of the disease in more detail in the photo.
Treatment methods
Chickens should be treated immediately after the diagnosis has been made, otherwise the diseased individuals may die in the next day. If the disease is in the first stage and the prolapse of the oviduct is not threatened, therapeutic measures include providing the sick bird with adequate nutrition with a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. The food should be balanced and contain all the vitamins necessary at the moment.
Proteins needed to provide energy to poultry are no exception and should be part of treatment. They will help the bird overcome this ailment. If the prolapse is confirmed, then the use of drug therapy is necessary. First of all, petroleum jelly is injected into the cloaca of a sick animal in order to prevent bursting actions in the event of a delay of especially large eggs.
Layers should be treated as follows:
- Sinestrol solution of intramuscular type (1 mg);
- Pituitrin (50 thousand units of action, 2 times a day, for 4 days).
If the cause of the disease in layers is the activity of microscopic organisms, then the treatment of the bird is carried out with sulfonamides and antibiotics, which act directly on pathogenic microscopic organisms. After carrying out antibiotic therapy, it is imperative to resort to prebiotics that help restore the poultry microflora to a normal level.
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Preventive measures
In order to avoid inflammation of the oviduct, the basis of prevention is the complete and proper nutrition of the affected layer. In particular, careful selection of feed is necessary when laying eggs. This is done at the end of puberty and after the end of the winter break. At such a time, birds are most vulnerable to ailment and they are threatened with prolapse of the oviduct. For a greater effect, vitamins and supplements with a high calcium content can be added to the feed. However, it is important to take into account the individual productivity of the chicken. It is also necessary to ensure a sufficient rest period by controlling the lighting regime in the chicken coop.
Some of the farmers resort to the following prevention methods: they throw in iodine and potassium with the feed, with the calculation of 3 mg for each individual. Some even give 40 mg of chlorane chloride for 20 days. Thus, the immunity of the chicken body to the effects of infectious ailments increases.