Backyard Poultry Medicine Script

Endell Farm Vets

Learning Objectives
1. Confidently and safely handle common poultry species
2. Competently perform a full clinical examination on common poultry
species
3. Recognise common disease presentations in pet poultry and advise
on treatment and disease management
4. Explain how to choose and administer medicines using the
prescribing cascade with appropriate withdrawal periods and
recognise how to choose one non-licensed medicine over another
Registering Poultry
Government run, “The Great British Poultry Register”
When should a client register?
• If a premises houses 50 or more birds at any point of the year, legal
requirement to register
• Includes chickens, bantams, turkeys, ducks, geese, partridges, quail,
pheasants, guinea fowl, ostriches, emus, rhea, meat pigeons
 Husbandry
1. What should be provided for poultry/hens?
1. Nest boxes, perches, shelter, enrichment, protection from predation, good
drainage and ventilation, dust baths with dry earth etc.
2. What dietary considerations do we have with poultry?
1. Should be on a species specific commercial ration (not just corn)
2. Oyster shell/grit for calcium and for aiding food breakdown in the gizzard
3. No kitchen scraps
4. Avoid long/clipped grass
5. Good security of feed to prevent rodents
Clinical exam - detail
Head
• Comb -red, turgid, standing up, no scabs/lesions Legs
• Eyes -clear, no discharge, no swelling and wide open •Paralysis –Marek’s disease,
meningitis
• Nares -check for discharge or crusts/dirt -healthy hen should have clean beak •Scales should be smooth
• Oral exam –erosions, FB •Examine pads for bumble foot

Body • Normal HR 250-300 bpm

• Normal RR 12-40 rpm
• Body condition score -gives you a better idea of duration of disease
• Normal cloacal temperature
• Crop –large and fluid or impacted 40-41.5 °C
• Respiratory tract –listen under wings
• Abdominal palpation –ascites, egg bound, mass
• Check feathers and look for evidence of parasites at base of feather (moulting normal once per year)
• Vent -check feathers around vent for faecal staining, pecking damage,
ectoparasites
BCS - Assess the body condition score by palpating the keel
bone and assessing muscle coverage. (hand out laminate)
Phlebotomy (hand out laminate)
- Why would we need venous access:
- Infectious disease testing/screening
- Haematology/Biochemistry
- Euthanasia
- How much can we collect?
- 1% of body weight maximum (in grams)
at one collection with 14 days between
collections. E.g. 5ml for 500g bird.
- Sick birds should have less blood taken.
Two person job: one to restrain and another to
take the blood.
- What are the 3 main sites:
- Brachial wing vein
- Medial metatarsal vein
- Jugular vein

Intra-cardiac can be used in anaesthetised birds to take

larger volumes of blood prior to euthanasia.
Sedation/anaesthetic
How can we sedate or anaesthetise birds?
• Inhalation
• Sevoflurane vs Iso
• Iso more common, Sevo faster induction and recovery due to decreased blood and tissue solubility and smoother
recoveries with less ataxia (although reported in avian species to cause more hypotension and increased acid-base
imbalances)
• Use a box to gas down, then maintance: concerns with scavenging?
• Inhalation anesthesia induction and recover is more rapid in birds than mammals because of the greater lung surface area
and an efficient cross-current gas exchange in the air capillaries
• Masks can be used: use a glove instead of the rubber seal and make a small hole in, which the birds head can be passed
into to reduce leakage
• Should place ET tube if over 30 mins
• Cuffed vs uncuffed? Uncuffed always, due to complete tracheal cartilage rings in avians, cuffed may cause tracheal necrosis
• Injectable?
• Ketamine/medetomidine combination where machine not available
• Local
• Useful, may not need to knock out e.g. crop surgery
Bumblefoot
1. What is bumblefoot?
i. Pododermatitis; inflammation +/- infection of the foot
ii. What bacterial is the typical agent? Staphylococcus
2. Predisposing factors for the disease?
i. Wet ground, sharp objects/flint, having level perches and well maintained
enclosures to prevent uneven weight distribution, low vitamin A and biotin,
overweight birds, overgrown toe nails
3. How do we grade the disease?
i. Grade 1 – 5 (see next slide)
4. How can we treat and manage the disease?
i. Depending upon grading, see next pages
Bumblefoot – grading (hand out laminate)
Bumblefoot - treatment
Early stages/ Non-surgical: environmental/husbandry changes. Keeping the enclosure drier and improve
maintenance (Grade I and II)
• Foot soaks: Soaking the foot in warm water with or without Epsom salts or chlorhexidine solution helps to
soften the hardened, proliferative, scabbed tissue as well as using keratin-softening agents.
• Bandaging: Bandaging the foot with colloidal dressings or medical honey or similar product until it is completely
healed also helps keep the area clean and moist to encourage healing. A variety of bandages have been
described such as “ball” in which the foot is bandaged into a ball, a “snowshoe” in which the bandage is flat
bottomed to disperse the weight over a larger surface area, or a bandage that puts no weight on the bottom of
the foot by strapping a U-shaped bar to the leg or making a donut with a pool noodle or other material.
Changing the bandage frequently to keep it clean and dry is necessary.

Grade III and higher: infection likely present (ulceration, swelling and inflammation), surgical debridement may be
required (antibiosis and pain relief?)

Post-surgical care:
• Irrigation of the wound may be required initially with sterile saline/dilute chlorhexidine
• Bandage and wound management, supportive care and maintaining a very clean environment for healing.
 Red Mite- Dermanyssus gallinae
1. What is the agent?
i. Ectoparasite, Dermanyssus gallinae
2. What clinical signs are seen?
i. Lethargy, anaemic (pale comb/wattles), reluctance to go into the coop, reduced egg production, blood spots on eggs
and can cause death.
ii. Minor cases may be reported as restless or itchy birds.
3. How do we diagnose the disease
i. Mites are visible to the naked eye (0.7mm grey or red) and are often found congregated in crevices/under the perch in the chicken coop, especially
visible early morning after the nightly feed.
ii. Can be seen using microscopy for confirmation
iii. Mites can also transmit other diseases such as mycoplasma, salmonella and avian influenza.

4. How can we treat mites?

Controlling an infestation requires frequent treatment of the coop and birds with eradication being extremely difficult, being
complicated further by the mite’s ability to survive without a meal for 8 months. Mite lifecycle is 7-10 days depending on environmental
conditions with mites rapidly multiplying in warmer months.
Birds
- Exzolt (fluralaner)- added to drinking water- 2 doses, 7 days apart. Further treatments can be given 3 months later. No egg
withdrawal, expensive
- Off-license 1% Ivermectin spot-on use often discussed
- Minimum withdrawal period of 1 week for eggs
- Should we be using this if there is a licensed product!?!
- Diatomaceous Earth powder can be applied to the birds and the coop – kills mites in 3 days through destruction of the
mite’s waxy coat.
Coop: must be thoroughly cleaned out prior to application of treatments and applied frequently
• Diathomateous Earth: the fine powder adsorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of the exoskeletons of many species of insects;
this layer acts as a barrier that resists the loss of water vapour from the insect's body. Damaging the layer increases the evaporation
of water from their bodies, so that they dehydrate, often fatally.
Respiratory disease
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
1) How does M. gallisepticum present?
i. Respiratory disease
ii. High morbidity and low mortality.
2) Methods of transition?
i. Transmitted vertically through infected eggs
ii. Horizontally through aerosols, parasites, contaminated feed/water and fomites.
iii. Birds remain infected for life with shedding increasing at times of stress.
3) Clinical signs?
i. Varying degrees of severity.
ii. Sneezing, gasping, nasal and ocular discharge, swelling of infraorbital sinus
iii. Reduced productivity.
4) Will antibiotics work?
i. Antibiotics may reduce clinical signs and transmission through eggs, but they do not eliminate infection.
ii. Control is achieved by good biosecurity and sourcing stock from free breeder flocks.
Respiratory- Gape worms -Syngamus
trachea
What is the agent?
Parasitic nematode that adheres to the tracheal mucosa of
both domestic and wild birds and feeds on blood (hence red
appearance). Poultry become infected after consuming larvae in the
environment.
Clinical signs?
Younger birds are more susceptible. Affected chickens are often
observed stretching their necks out, while opening their mouths and gasping
or gaping for air. The gaping is caused by the presence of multiple worms in
the trachea, causing a partial to complete block in airflow. Without treatment,
if birds are heavily infested, they often die from suffocation.
• Secondary pneumonia can also occur.

Treatment?
Flubendazole (licensed). Due to the short pre-patent period
birds may require repeated treatments (every 3 weeks) in heavily
infested environments. It is recommended to rotate pastures.
Egg Peritonitis (Egg Yolk Coelomitis)
What is the disease?
1. Term used to describe peritonitis associated with the presence of yolk material, usually caused by conditions such as ectopic ovulation (the follicle ruptures
and the egg does not enter normally in the oviduct) or oviductal disease
2. Results in massive localized inflammatory reaction, accumulation of free fluid, blood, and inflammatory cells.
3. Secondary bacterial infection: E.coli, Klebsiella, proteus, staph and strep
Predisposing factors (secondary to other diseases)?
4. Salpingitis - inflammation of the oviduct
5. Impacted oviduct
6. Ovarian tumours
7. Cystic ovarian disease
Diagnosis?
i. Physical Exam: Palpation of the abdomen can sometimes reveal the presence of soft-shelled or firm shelled eggs in the oviduct, ectopic eggs free within the
abdomen, ovarian masses, or displacement of the ventriculus.
ii. Complete Blood Count (CBC): A blood test, called a complete blood count (CBC), measures the white blood cell count. A high white blood cell count usually
signals inflammation or infection. A blood culture can help to identify the bacteria causing the infection or inflammation. Antibiotic sensitivity testing helps to
identify the best antibiotic to use to treat the infection.
iii. Abdominal Fluid Cytology & Culture: The fluid recovered from an abdominocentesis (a procedure your veterinarian can perform using a needle, to remove
any abdominal fluid present) is sent to a diagnostic laboratory for further testing.
iv. Radiography and ultrasound: May help in revealing the presence of accumulated egg material and space-occupying lesions.
Treatment
v. Depends upon cause and severity of signs. Mild/no seciondary bacterila infection can be managed by supportive care.
vi. More severe/infection present: NSAIDs, aggressive supportive care, antibiotics. Drainage of some fluid may be appropriate if severely distended
i. Surgical exploration/laproscopy?
vii. Correction of underlying cause: e.g. salpingohysterectomy
i. Could use suprelorin – limited success and expensive
Sour Crop/Impacted Crop
1. What is sour crop
i. Typically a fungal yeast infection (Candidia) due to feeding mouldy or inappropriate feed
ii. Large dilated fluid filled crop, poor BCS and general condition, reduced appetite
iii. Foul smell – tip bird upside down to empty and smell
2. Predisposing factors of impactions?
i. Changes to feed
ii. Long grass, especially if cut.
iii. String/enrichment toys
iv. Other diseases resulting in neuromuscular weakness and therefore reduced crop emptying
(e.g. Mareks)
3. Treatment for impactions
i. Medical – Liquid paraffin/massage
ii. Probiotic drench can aid digestion and prevent sour crop developing
iii. Surgical – Ingluviotomy
Egg Bound
1. Predisposing factors?
1. Typically due to unusual shaped eggs: Stress, older hens, low calcium
2. Differentials?
1. Egg bound, abdominal mass, egg yolk peritonitis
3. Diagnosis?
i. Palpation, clinical signs, x-ray?
ii. Clinical signs: swollen vent +/- white discharge, palpable mass, may have secondary
peritonitis,
4. Treatment
i. Warm bath, lubricant and physical removal.
ii. Could perform surgery to remove
iii. Poor prognosis if over 24h or egg has broken.
iv. High chance of reoccurrence
 Mareks Disease
1. What is the pathogen?
i. Herpes Virus
ii. Extremely common (most flocks are considered infected), highly contagious viral disease of poultry characterized by T-cell lymphomas and
peripheral nerve enlargement.

2. How is the disease transmitted?

1. The virus is shed in feather dander and may remain infective in the environment for over a year.
2. Once introduced into a flock the virus spreads rapidly between birds.
3. Infected birds become carriers of the virus for long periods of time and will shed the virus.
4. Vaccination will reduce shedding but will not stop birds becoming infected.
5. Affected birds are more susceptible to bacterial and parasitic infections.

3. What clinical signs are commonly seen?

i. Signs are seen from 6 weeks old with most cases being between 12-24 weeks (depending on stressors) but cases can be seen at 40
weeks+.
ii. Paralysis of legs, wings and neck, loss of weight, grey iris or irregular pupil, vision impairment and skin around feather follicles raised and
roughened.
iii. Morbidity varies from 10-50%, mortality can be up to 100% if unvaccinated
iv. No treatment (vaccine prevention in commercial flocks)
 Notifiable diseases
Avian Influenza (Highly pathogenic (HPAI) and low pathogenic strains (LPAI) *Zoonotic*
1) What are the 2 notifiable diseases in poultry?
i. Avian Influenza
ii. Newcastle's Disease

2) Why is Avian Influenza notifiable and of concern?

i. the potential for low pathogenic avian influenza A(H5) and A(H7) viruses to evolve into highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5) and A(H7) viruses with major
agricultural implications
ii. the potential for rapid spread and significant illness and death among poultry during outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza
iii. the economic impact and trade restrictions from a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak
iv. the possibility that avian influenza A viruses could be transmitted to humans exposed to infected birds
3) How does it spread
i. Bird to bird by direct contact or through contaminated body fluids and faeces.
ii. By contaminated feed and water or by dirty vehicles, clothing and footwear
iii. Avian influenza virus changes frequently, creating new strains, and there is a constant risk that one of the new strains may spread easily among people.
4) What clinical signs are seen?
i. Highly variable. Species dependant
i. Which species are the most susceptible? (Chickens)
ii. Sudden death, oedema of the head, cyanosis of the comb and wattles, loss of appetite, depression, coughing, nasal and ocular discharge.
iii. Additionally, neurological signs such as paralysis and sometimes green diarrhoea can be seen
iv. LPAI may cause very few clinical signs
2021- 2022 has seen widespread cases of HPAI across the UK over the wild bird migration season.
 Notifiable disease
Newcastle disease:
1. What is the pathogen?
i. Virus, avian paramyxovirus type 1.
2. How many forms of the disease are there?
i. Lentogenic or mild
ii. Mesogenic or moderate
iii. Velogenic or very virulent. The lentogenic strains are very widespread but cause few disease outbreaks.
3. How common is the disease in the UK and Europe?
i. Last case in the UK was 2006
ii. Summer 2018 – cases in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Sweden
4. Mode of transmission?
1. Contact with direct bodily fluids, especially faeces
2. Also via fomites

5. Common Clinical signs?

• Respiratory distress such as gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, gurgling, rattling
• Nervous signs characterised by tremors and paralysis and twisting of the neck
• Unusually watery faeces (diarrhoea) that are yellowish-green in colour
• Depression
• Lack of appetite
• Affected hens may also suddenly produce fewer eggs. Eggs that are laid may be soft-shelled.
• (Similar signs to Avian Influenza, reporting to the APHA plus laboratory testing required to differentiate)
6. Control measures?
i. Biosecurity and surveillance
ii. A vaccine is available, but not used commonly due to Low disease risk in UK
Euthanasia
1. What are accepted methods of euthanasia in poultry (4 broad categories)?
2. Discuss the ethics of each, and what appropriate considerations there are.
• You must always stun animals before killing. This is known as a ‘simple stun’, which makes an animal unconscious immediately but
does not instantly kill it. Animals must remain unconscious until they’re dead
• Euthanasia options:
• Lethal Injection: Injectable anaesthetic overdose (intravenous, intracardiac, intraperitoneal)
• Requires skill, may require restraint
• Lethal Injection: Intra-cloacal anaesthetic overdose
• Low stress, ensure owner wearing gloves/wash hands if restraining
• Mechanical: Cervical dislocation
• If you have no other method of stunning poultry available, you can stun birds up to 3kg by dislocating their necks by hand
• Up to 5kg, this dislocation can be done “mechanically”
• After stunning, both carotid arteries should be cut to ensure death
• Modified atmosphere: Carbon dioxide
• Difficulties administering in practice
• Not appropriate
• Electrical: Electrocution stun
• Device must be specifically designed for the species
• After you’ve stunned an animal using electricity you must kill it immediately
• Likely not appropriate

• The stunning and/or killing methods that have been identified as relevant for poultry can be grouped in four categories: (1) electrical; (2) mechanical; (3) modified
atmospheres; and (4) lethal injection.
 Cascade
Step Permitted source
Step 1 Veterinary medicine with a Marketing Authorisation valid in GB or UK wide for indicated species and condition

Step 2 Veterinary medicine with a Marketing Authorisation valid in NI for indicated species and condition. For products not authorised in GB or
UK wide a Special Import Certificate from the VMD is required
Step 3 Veterinary medicine with a Marketing Authorisation valid in GB, NI or UK wide for a different species or condition. For products not
authorised in GB or UK wide a Special Import Certificate from the VMD is required
Step 4 Human medicine with a Marketing Authorisation valid in GB, NI or UK wide OR an authorised veterinary medicine from outside of the UK.
For products not authorised in GB or UK wide a Special Import Certificate from the VMD is required; in the case of a food-producing
animal the medicine must be authorised in a food-producing species

Step 5 Extemporaneous preparation prepared by a vet, pharmacist or person holding an appropriate Manufacturer’s Authorisation, located in
the UK
Exception In exceptional circumstances, a human medicine may be imported from outside of the UK. For products not authorised in GB or UK wide a Special Import Certificate from the
VMD is required
 Cascade – example Questions
1. What administration form are most poultry drugs licensed for?
1. Oral! (granules or solution)
2. Very few (if any!?) injectable
2. Are there licensed NSAIDs in any poultry species?
1. No – but published dose rates for meloxicam
2. Farm vets: concentrated preparation 20mg/ml, may need to dilute
3. Are there any licensed injectable antibiotics in chickens?
1. No – around 30 licensed, but all granules/oral powders for mass treatment
4. Can we ever justify using baytril (enrofloxacin)? What considerations should we have?:
1. 100mg/ml Licensed injectable in Cattle, Goats, Pigs, Sheep mainly for respiratory disease including
enrofloxacin susceptible pasturella, mannheimia and mycoplasma
2. 25mg/ml licensed in Cats, Dogs, Ornamental birds, Pigs, Rabbits, Reptiles, Small mammals
1. “Treatment of infections of the alimentary and respiratory tracts where clinical experience, if possible,
supported by susceptibility testing of the causal organism, indicates enrofloxacin as the substance of
choice” – from datasheet
2. What does ornamental bird include? any bird which is normally kept in a cage or aviary primarily as a
show or decorative bird and not for food or egg production, and without limiting the generality of the
foregoing. Parrots, canaries, budgies ect.
3. Baytril is unlikely to be licensed in species you are seeing, off license