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| MORTALITY MANAGEMENT |
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One unfortunate consequence of owning poultry is to deal with dead birds. Not all mortalities will be the result of infectious disease, but proper handling of dead birds will help to reduce the impact that an infectious disease might have on a flock and reduce the risk of disease from spreading to another flock.
Handling Dead Birds
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- Dead birds are a potential reservoir for infectious disease that can affect other birds or the owner. The flock should be checked at least once daily to look for dead birds and to generally assess the health of the flock.
- When handling mortalities, hands should be protected with disposable latex or nitrile gloves or even an intact plastic bag over the hand.
- Once the carcass has been secured the gloves should be discarded and hands washed and sanitized.
- Dead birds should be removed from the flock as soon as they are found and placed into a sealed container. This could be a plastic bucket with a lid or a double plastic bag tied closed.
- The outside of the container should be cleaned and disinfected before removing it from the barn.
- Each barn or shed should have its own collection vessel to prevent possible disease transfer through sharing.
- Once the dead birds have been removed from the transport container, the container should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before it is used again, or discarded well away from any poultry.
- The dead birds can then be processed to form compost and can be used as a fertilizer which is described
Responding to Disease
I think my birds are sick, what do I do?
You should always be monitoring your birds for any signs of sickness. If problems are noticed early, there is a better chance for successful treatment and lower bird mortality or production loss. Every animal owner should establish a relationship with a veterinarian for consultation and diagnostic services. A legitimate veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) is required for your veterinarian to legally dispense drugs and other medications. This is very important when you encounter a disease problem that would necessitate treatment or any further action that may involve government regulations. Veterinarians are educated and trained to diagnose and treat animal diseases.
Record Keeping of the Flock
Good records are an important part of good management. There are many observations that can be recorded that could prove to be of value when investigating a problem, even if you have only a few birds. Having ongoing records also prompts you to regularly observe the flock. There is never too much information to be recorded, but some of the basic observations should include:
- Production records – even if you have only a few birds, knowing how they are producing, including egg production and weight gain, is important. Loss of weight and decreased appetite can be an early signal of disease problems and such records are also important. Some owners of very small layer flocks have records of production of each bird. While this may be impractical if you have 25 birds, it illustrates the detail that can be accomplished. If a drop in production is noted, then an investigation can be launched, even if it is only to check out and ensure that all management elements are optimum.
- Feed and water consumption – a drop in appetite is often the first effect of illness in birds. With good records, any change in consumption will be quickly spotted.
- Flock health records – flock health records not only document the health of your flock but also provide excellent background information should a disease event happen. Very relevant information may be contained in previous health records.
- Medications & treatments
- Genetics program – if you are breeding your own stock, good family records will help you to identify conditions that could have a genetic basis.
- New introductions
- Document farm visitors and service activity – Information from such records will help to trace the movement of a disease, should it be infectious. This will help not only determine its source but also provide a means by which other flock owners could be notified if there has been contact with your farm.
- Other – other activities such as weather observations, construction, cleaning activity, feed changes, and predators can provide clues to underlying stressors that might precipitate a disease.
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Developed by :
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Dr.Rahulpreet Singh
( M.V.Sc Scholar ) |
Dr. Pranav Kumar
(Assistant Professor)
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Dr. Amandeep Singh
(M.V.Sc Scholar, IVRI ) |
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| Division of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, R.S. Pura, SKUAST Jammu |
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