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Nasal discharge, sneezing or gasping.
Sneezing, difficulty breathing, nasal discharge, swollen area around the eyes, ocular discharge or gaping are signs of respiratory disease in birds. There are many types of pathogens that can cause these diseases and they usually affect the sinus, trachea, air sacs or lungs.
The most common of these is:
Mycoplasma
One of the most common respiratory diseases seen in backyard poultry. It is a bacterial disease and there are two strains that cause disease in backyard poultry: Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma Synoviae (MS). It is often associated with secondary bacterial infections (E. Coli) or other respiratory pathogens (like viruses). The bacteria can go months without showing any clinical signs (even after treatment) and not become apparent until the bird has a period of stress or concurrent disease.
Symptoms
- Sneezing/snicking.
- Rattling/ difficulty breathing.
- Nasal or ocular discharge.
- Swollen eyes and sinuses.
- Eggs may have a glassy top to them and be wrinkled or paler than normal.
- With Mycoplasma Synoviae you may also see hock infections and lameness.
- Poor quality chicks – Mycoplasma can be passed down to chicks from the parents.
Diagnosis
- A swab of the choana (slit in the upper part of the mouth) or down the trachea (care must be taken to not damage the larynx) can be sent for MG or MS PCR.
- In some cases it may be advised to submit one of these swabs for culture and antibiotic sensitivity.
Treatment
Use of a licensed antibiotic will be first line of treatment, however, mycoplasma can become resistant to antibiotics very quickly so careful consideration about when a bird needs treatment should be discussed with your vet to preserve the antibiotics efficacy.
- Isolate the affected birds from the rest of the flock. It may also be wise to consider removal of that animal from the flock completely. Contact your vet to discuss plans to create a mycoplasma free flock, especially if they are used for breeding.
Other relevant pathogens include:
Opportunistic Bacterial disease
Bacteria like E. coli and ORT are opportunistic and will only cause disease if your birds are stressed, have immunosuppression or are infected by another pathogen that makes them more susceptible to infection (such as mycoplasma).
Symptoms
- Variable but often just exacerbates the symptoms seen with diseases such as mycoplasma
- Snicking/sneezing.
- Nasal or ocular discharge.
- Swollen head, eyes and sinuses.
- Rattling/difficulty breathing.
Infectious Coryza
Caused by a bacterium known as Avibacterium paragallinarum. It affects chickens but is uncommon in backyard flocks. It is a very infectious bacteria and usually nearly all the chickens in a flock infected within around two weeks. Birds may carry this disease and transmit it to others despite showing no symptoms.
Symptoms
- Depression
- Nasal/ ocular discharge
- Swollen eyes/sinus
- Coughing
- Difficulty breathing
- Reduced egg production
- Death
Diagnosis
- A swab from the choana/ trachea for culture and sensitivity. Requires a specialist medium to grow successfully.
ILT – Infectious Laryngotracheitis
A virus that causes severe irritation and damage to the larynx and trachea of a bird. It is not very common in backyard flock situations.
Symptoms
- Sudden death
- Severe coughing producing bloody mucus
- Extreme difficulty breathing/ rattling
Diagnosis
- On clinical signs and post-mortem of deceased birds.
- Throat/ tracheal swab PCR.
- Prior exposure to the virus can be assessed by blood serology.
Infectious Bronchitis
A virus that causes considerable economic losses at the commercial level, however, backyard flocks are rarely affected by it. There are many different strains of this virus all with varying severity.
Symptoms
- Sneezing/snicking.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Nasal discharge (sometimes with ocular discharge).
- Occasionally swollen eyes/sinuses.
- Diarrhoea and depression.
- Pale eggs/ blind laying.
- Death.
Diagnosis
- PCR on swabs from the cloaca/vent or trachea.
- Prior exposure to the virus can be assessed by blood serology.
Avian Pneumoviruses (APV)
A viral group also known as Avian Metapneumovirus. This includes the viruses known as ART (Avian Rhinotracheitis) and TRT (Turkey Rhinotracheitis). This virus causes more severe symptoms in turkeys than chickens. This virus is uncommon in backyard flocks.
Symptoms
- Nasal/ ocular discharge.
- Swollen heads, eyes and sinuses.
- Rattling/ difficulty breathing.
- Snicking/sneezing/ coughing.
- Diagnosis
- RT-PCR on blood serum.
- Prior exposure to the virus can also assessed by serology.
Prevention and Control
- Maintaining good biosecurity will help reduce the likelihood of contracting and spreading these diseases.
- Respiratory diseases can often be spread by nasal secretions contaminating in the drinking water, especially if sharing the resource with wild birds. We recommend the use of a water sanitisation product such as hydrogen peroxide with a silver stabiliser to reduce the level of spread between birds at this source.
- A good environment for the birds is essential. When their living space is suboptimal it creates stress which makes them more susceptible to disease;
- Temperature fluctuation: whilst out of our control it should be noted that temperature variations and wet/dry weather changes can make birds uncomfortable and therefore stressed. Always provide a warm dry area for birds to access.
- Housing ventilation: A build-up of dust and ammonia can damage the airways of your birds and make them more susceptible to respiratory disease pathogens. Regular clean outs and good ventilation is a must to prevent this. A house that is well ventilated will have no moisture build up in the mornings and very few cobwebs developing.
- Isolate new birds for up to four weeks before introducing them into your flock and continue to monitor them closely for signs of respiratory (and other) disease.