Dr.iCow’s Diary
Date: 07.02.2020
Dear Dr.iCow
My 4 months old chicks are dying of yellow diarrhea. What is the cause of this condition? What is the best medicine to stop further deaths?
From: Mr. Njora, County: Nyeri, Kenya.
Discussion:
Mr. Njora has lost several chicken with signs of yellow diarrhea. The chicken were on treatment with a sulphonamide drug but they did not recover and some died and the remaining ones are still having the yellow diarrhea, are weak and look depressed.
Dear Mr. Njora,
There are many causes of diarrhea in chicken with some occurring for a short time and are treatable, while others require prolonged treatment and some of them are deadly. The 4 months old chicken dying of yellow diarrhea also referred to as sulfur-coloured diarrhea could be suffering from Fowl typhoid which is a disease of growing and adult chicken.
Fowl typhoid is more seen in adult chickens and it has high mortality and morbidity. Depending on age of the birds, nutritional status, flock management and concurrent infections, deaths and spread in a flock are usually high. The disease is transmitted through infected droppings, drinkers and feeders, farm personnel clothes and shoes, and dead birds’ carcasses.
The chicken may show the following signs: depression, lack of appetite, droopy wings, ruffled feathers, huddling together, labored breathing, yellow or sulfur coloured diarrhea, dehydration and weakness, loss of weight , presence of faeces on the vent, decreased eggs production in laying birds, reduced hatch-ability and fertility.
Treatment with various sulphonamides and several other antibiotics is effective in reducing deaths but even with this and other treatments the infection is not eliminated and does not bring about cure.
Treatment is undesirable if you are to consider their eradication. Diarrhea depletes the body water and the much needed electrolytes, all of which are needed for a healthy bird. Please replace the water and electrolytes by using vitamins and electrolytes supplements in the chicken’s drinking water and you may use Amilyte w.s.p. Treatment with Esb3 and Amilyte w.s.p. could help.
The best method of controlling Fowl typhoid is eradication of infected birds. Fowl typhoid vaccine is used to control the disease and is given at 8 weeks of age by intramuscular injection.
Thank You.
From Your Friend and Advisor,
Dr. iCow