Keeping chickens is a rather troublesome and responsible matter. And of course, any owner of a private household can be very upset if a well-fed bird suddenly becomes ill and dies. One of the most common problems faced by domestic farmers is when chickens fall to their feet. Why is this happening, and how to prevent this - we will talk about this later in the article.
Main reasons
Of course, the cause of the fall of chickens to their feet is always a disease. Most often, such a problem is faced by farmers when a bird is struck:
rickets;
gout;
arthritis;
Marek's disease.
Having correctly diagnosed the disease, it is possible to cure chickens that have already fallen to their feet and prevent the remaining ones from having this problem.
Chicken rickets
In another way, this disease is called hypovitaminosis D. Why do chickens fall on their feet in this case? Actually, rickets itself develops in poultry primarily due to an improperly developed diet and inappropriate conditions of detention. With a lack of vitamin D in the body, chickens simply decalcify their bones.
It is quite simple to determine that it was hypovitaminosis that became the cause of the fall on the legs of the bird. In this case, the shell of the eggs laid by the chickens will also be soft. In addition, this disease is characterized by symptoms such as:
Not only leg bones, but also beak, claws and skull can become soft in patients with rickets of chickens.
Hypovitaminosis Prevention
Vitamin D in the body of chickens is produced when their body is illuminated by the sun after eating a large amount of green food. Stimulate the formation of this substance in the tissues and cells of the bird, thus UV rays. That is, directly in the shed, vitamin D is not produced in the tissues of layers and broilers. After all, light enters the premises of the chicken coop through the glasses that trap ultraviolet light. That is why rickets is the most common answer to the question of why chickens fall on their feet in winter. After all, at this time of the year they spend almost the whole day indoors.
So that the bird does not get hypovitaminosis, it must be released from time to time. That is, next to the shed should be equipped with a spacious walk in the farm. Letting a bird out on the street to prevent rickets for some time is useful not only in the summer, but also in the cold season.
Walking chickens in the fresh air can, of course, only with their floor keeping. If the bird is grown in cages, the following measures are usually taken to prevent hypovitaminosis on farms:
feed rich in vitamin D is added to the chicken diet;
actively use fish oil (1 g per head per day) and concentrated vitamin D (2-3 drops per adult per day) as an additive;
to prevent bone decalcification, the bird is also given tricalcium phosphate (1.5-2.5 g per day).
In addition, poultry on farms at the cellular content is artificially irradiated with ultraviolet light.
Rickets is the main answer to the question of why laying hens fall on their feet in winter. Therefore, it is worthwhile to install UV lamps in the house even when the chickens are kept on the floor. Most often, for irradiation of chickens on farms and in private farms, they use ESM equipment that is installed at a height of 2-3 m from the floor. At first, the bird is irradiated for no more than 30 minutes. Subsequently, this period is gradually increased to 6-7 hours per day.
Treatment
So, rickets is usually the most likely answer to the question of why chickens fall on their feet. What to treat the bird in this case? Unfortunately, helping chickens with such an ailment is possible only in the early stages of its development. With such a disease, chickens are first of all transferred to a more spacious and lighter room and they even begin to let them out onto the street for some time even in the cold season (or install a UV lamp in the shed).
Of course, the diet is also being reviewed for poultry by introducing feeds rich in vitamin D into it. Also in the menu of chickens without fail include fish oil. Of course, concentrated vitamin D can also be added to sick chicken chops. Of course, the dosages of both of these substances should be chosen at most 2–3 times more than with prophylaxis. Too many vitamins and fish oil can not be given to sick hens. Unfortunately, this can lead to the development of hypervitaminosis D.
Why do laying hens and broilers fall on their feet: gout
This disease is also quite common in households. Symptoms of gout are quite different from signs of rickets. Therefore, correctly diagnosing the disease and, accordingly, choosing an effective method of treatment to the owner of the compound, most likely, will not be difficult.
You can determine gout in chickens that have fallen to their feet by the following signs:
Confuse gout with rickets in chickens is possible mainly due to the fact that in this case, the bird also loses its appetite and reduces motor activity. Gout of a laying hen and a cockerel usually begin to suffer due to too intensive development of the body or because of active masonry with a lack of vitamins "B" and "A" in the body.
Most often, this ailment in chickens manifests itself if:
the bird has been too cold for too long;
the bird in the feed had too much calcium and not enough phosphorus;
the chickens lacked drinking water.
In addition to an unbalanced diet, crowded content can lead to gout in chickens.
Prevention
Gout is one of the most common answers to the question of why chickens fall on their feet. Unfortunately, this disease, also called uric acid diathesis, among other things, is considered incurable in poultry. When the symptoms of gout become noticeable, the ailment usually goes into the late stage and nothing can help the chickens. Therefore, in farms it is important to take preventive measures aimed at preventing the development of this disease in chickens.
In order to prevent the bird from falling to its feet due to uric acid diathesis, as with rickets, the owner of the compound should first of all pay maximum attention to developing the right diet. In the chicken menu, you must definitely enter foods rich in vitamins "A" and "B". In no case should you feed the poultry on the farm with feed containing any chemical additives. Unfortunately, this is what often leads to the spread of gout in the stock.
When sick chickens are detected on the farm, in order to stop the ailment, fish and meat and bone meal, as well as yeast, are usually excluded from the diet of the bird. At the same time, more carrots, grass flour, beets and nettles are introduced into the chicken menu.
What to do with a sick bird
So, in the farm it was revealed that it was gout that caused the chickens to fall to their feet. What to do in this case? If the disease is already in a late stage, chickens, unfortunately, can only be slaughtered.
If the disease was diagnosed early and has not yet fully manifested itself, you can try to water the bird with the following compounds:
In large farms, most often in the treatment of gout, feed is leached with bicarbonate of soda. This food is given to chickens for 2 weeks. Next, take a break of 1 week and again 2 weeks feed the bird leached food.
Arthritis and Tendovaginitis
These diseases also sometimes become the reason why the chicken falls on its feet. The treatment of this disease, in contrast to those described above, is often quite effective even in the later stages. Actually, the chicken body itself in this case practically does not suffer.
Arthritis is called inflammation of the joint bag in young chickens. In older individuals, tendovaginitis often develops - inflammation of the tendons.
The main causes of these diseases in birds become dirt in the chicken coop and crowded content. All sorts of ailments cause all kinds of viruses that multiply in unclean litter. An unbalanced, monotonous diet (decreased immunity) also contributes to the disease of chickens with arthritis and tendovaginitis. In broiler chickens, arthritis can develop due to growth too fast.
The main symptoms of these two diseases in chickens are:
Preventative measures
Layers of arthritis and tengovaginitis rarely suffer. Most often, this disease still affects broiler chickens. Therefore, the prevention of such ailments is usually carried out by farmers containing precisely hybrids. In order to prevent such hens from contracting arthritis or tenovaginitis, ideal cleanliness should be observed in the house first.
Also, for broilers, you must definitely develop the right diet. In the process of development, the bird should receive all the substances necessary for its body. This will strengthen her immunity and prevent infection with viruses.
Is it possible to cure
Arthritis, therefore, is often the answer to the question of why meat chickens, cochinchins, hybrids of various kinds and broilers fall to the feet of chicken. But, of course, in some cases this ailment can manifest itself in layers.
In any case, unlike gout and rickets, arthritis and tenovaginitis, as already mentioned, are not considered deadly diseases of chickens. In any case, such ailments can be treated. However, only a veterinarian can help a bird in this case.
They treat chickens with this problem with various antibiotics, which, unfortunately, can only be obtained by prescription these days. It is believed that broiler chickens are not bad for arthritis and tenovaginitis, for example, Ampicillin, Benzylpennicillin, Sulfadimethoxin.
Marek's disease
This ailment also often enough becomes the answer to the question of why chickens fall on their feet and die. In another way, this disease is called bird polyneuritis. It affects most often chickens and young chickens. The cause of its development becomes a virus infection. Unfortunately, Marek’s disease usually takes on the form of an epidemic and affects a large number of individuals. Symptoms in a bird with this ailment are observed as follows:
Sick chickens with such a disease begin to limp very much, fall to their feet, and greatly turn their neck. Their tail and wings are omitted. The body temperature of a bird with such a disease does not rise.
Prevention and treatment
To prevent the development of this disease on farms and farmsteads, a proven method such as vaccination is usually used. Causes Marek’s disease in chickens herpes virus. Also, effective measures to prevent this ailment include periodic cleaning in the barn.
Marek's disease, unfortunately, quite often becomes the answer to the question of why chickens fall on their feet. It is impossible to cure it in poultry at all. There are currently no drugs on the market that can cope with this disease. If this ailment is detected, the bird is slaughtered at the farms, and the carcasses are disposed of.