Common Chicken Diseases That Might Affect Your Flock

     One of the hardiest farm animals is the chicken. These farm animal rarely get sick if they live in a clean environment and get fresh food and water regularly. This said, they are still outdoor animals and will be at some risk of catching a disease or falling ill. A chicken owner can better prevent certain illnesses if they are aware of the types of common diseases that affects poultry.
Possibly the most common ailment that a chicken will be exposed to is external parasites. Lice and mites are the common perpetrators. Unless one handles his or her chickens on a regular basis, he or she may not see the infestation until the fowl become visibly sickened. Over time the chicken will develop a moth eaten look if they have Lice, as these parasites will eat the skin and feathers.
Mites are blood-consuming parasites that will severely weaken one's poultry. These parasites are quite smaller than lice and are even harder to detect. A scaly appearance on the legs and face of a persons chicken will be an indication that they have Mites.. A good idea would be to consult a vet for advice if the chicken is showing these symptoms, but a person could also use an insecticide powder that is specifically designed for birds.
Chickens will also need to deal with internal parasites, along with external parasites. Worms are one of the most common internal parasites to which chickens are susceptible. These worms live in the ground and on the chickens' feces. If a persons chickens has eaten from one of the tainted areas, then they will be consuming the worms and will be at risk of becoming infected. Many times, chickens have a small amount of internal parasites that are not harmful.
If one's chickens are kept in a highly contaminated area, they can obtain an overload of internal parasites that bring about diarrhea and can cause starvation. Veterinarians can determine the parasite causing this sickness. By examining a fecal sample from one's flock, the veterinarian can prescribe the correct medication to heal one's flock.
Various pox viruses also affect poultry, the same as the do humans. This "chicken" pox can bring about various skin lesions on one's animals. One bird can transmit this disease to the rest of a persons flock by contact and also by mosquitoes. Once one's flock is infected, it becomes severely difficult to stop the spread. One's poultry can survive this type of disease, but only if caught early enough and special care is given to the lesions on the birds. A person can prevent these types of diseases from spreading to their flock by using certain vaccines.
Another disease that affects chickens is fowl cholera. The older birds in a persons flock are more susceptible to this disease than the younger chicks. It is caused by a bacterium that can kill one's entire flock very quickly. Many times, birds can die within hours of having been exposed. The symptoms one can look for are swollen feet and eye or ear drainage. .
In cases where one's chickens die, he or she needs to take the birds to his or her veterinarian. Detection of cholera will insure that the rest of the chickens are treated appropriately to limit the loss of the entire flock. This disease, if not treated, can spread to other animals through contaminated soil as well as direct contact.