Content
A strong and large bird as a chick is very vulnerable not only to infections. Any young animal is susceptible to infections due to its immature immune system. But goslings are also very sensitive to poor diet and lack of exercise.
Arriving as very small children to a new owner from a goose breeding farm, goslings can bring with them infectious diseases that they contracted in the incubator or received from their mother goose.
Diseases of the goslings, with which the chicks come to the new owner, can deprive the happy owner of 70% of the newly acquired flock. And sometimes all the goslings die.
Diseases of young animals that goslings can bring with them from the incubator include:
- salmonellosis, also known as paratyphoid fever:
- viral enteritis, often resulting from salmonellosis;
- pullorosis;
- colibacillosis, also known as colisepticemia;
- pasteurellosis.
Enteritis, caused by a viral disease and a complication of the disease, usually manifests itself starting from the 5th day after birth. The maximum period during which signs of “incubation” enteritis may appear is up to 3 weeks.
The goslings' intestines may become inflamed later, but this will be a consequence of being kept by the new owner, and not a consequence of a disease brought from the incubator.
Colibacillosis
The disease has so many names that it is easy for inexperienced owners to get confused. Colibacillosis is also called coliinfection, colidiarrhea, colisepsis, and avian coliseptimia. Another common name in the West is escherichiosis.
The causative agent of the disease is various pathogenic varieties of the bacterium Escherichia coli, which belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. The bacterium can survive in the external environment for up to 4 months, but is sensitive to disinfectant solutions.
The causative agent of the disease is transmitted through the droppings of sick birds, equipment, feed, water and other similar methods. Recovered birds remain a source of disease for a long time, so the egg itself from a recovered goose may become infected. The hatched chick will become infected with colibacillosis right in the incubator.
In birds, including goslings, colibacillosis occurs in the form of septicemia (symptoms of “blood poisoning”), affecting internal organs: air sacs, lungs, liver, outer lining of the heart, and joints. Acute inflammation develops in the joints - arthritis. Because of the pain, the birds sit on their feet and refuse to walk. As a result of lack of air due to lung disease, the goslings limit their movement - they “lie down to rest” with signs of drowsiness. In fact, this is a sign of lack of air.
Enteritis (inflammation of the intestines) with septicemia is not always observed. But if gastrointestinal inflammation develops, goslings experience diarrhea. Sometimes with blood.
In acute cases of colibacillosis, up to 30% of birds die. Surviving goslings subsequently decrease productivity and the ability to develop immunity when vaccinated against infections.
Treatment of the disease
Unlike many other infectious diseases of birds, for which the ax is strongly recommended as a panacea for all diseases, colibacillosis is treatable.
Colibacillosis in goslings must be distinguished from salmonellosis, pullorosis, pasteurellosis and enteritis caused by poor-quality feed.
Isolation of the causative agent of the disease is carried out in the laboratory, but since it is impossible to wait so long (a week for sowing), treatment begins at the first signs of the disease.
The diet of goslings is checked by placing the birds on a diet that prevents the development of enteritis. For treatment, broad-spectrum antibiotics and antibacterial drugs are used: sulfonamides and nitrofurans.
If the herd of goslings is too large and it is not possible to catch them all, it will not be possible to personally dispense medications, spraying antibiotics in the air in the form of aerosols is used.
In parallel with the main treatment of the disease, symptomatic treatment is used, aimed at maintaining the gastrointestinal tract of birds and preventing dehydration and intoxication.
Disease prevention
In the case of birds, the main prevention of the disease: thorough disinfection of the room and incubator with formaldehyde vapor.These control measures are relevant only for nurseries.
When purchasing goslings from outside, they should not be mixed with the rest of the flock until the chicks grow up and develop immunity.
Salmonellosis
Not only birds, but also mammals are susceptible to the disease. But salmonellosis is caused by different types of salmonella. Salmonella persists for a long time in the external environment. Without the use of disinfectants, one cannot be sure of the destruction of the pathogen. Therefore, if last year the goslings on the farm died from salmonellosis, it is better to wait a year before buying new birds.
Mostly young goslings are affected; adult geese are more resistant to the disease. More precisely, their salmonellosis is asymptomatic. In this case, the goose may lay already infected eggs.
In goslings under 20 days of age, with an acute course of the disease, salmonellosis is characterized by fever, toxicosis, and intestinal damage (enteritis). In the chronic course of the disease, damage to the lungs and joint diseases are observed.
Symptoms of the disease
The latent period of the disease lasts from 1 to 3 days. In birds, salmonellosis occurs acutely, subacutely and chronically. In the acute course of the disease, goslings under the age of 20 days lose their appetite and desire to move, anemia, diarrhea, and purulent conjunctivitis are observed. Nervous seizures appear, expressed in convulsions, during which the goslings make chaotic movements of their heads, fall on their backs, and move their limbs. Mortality in the acute form of the disease can reach 70%.
A subacute course of the disease is observed in older goslings. Signs of the subacute course of the disease are purulent conjunctivitis, runny nose, diarrhea, and inflammation of the joints.Inflammation of the joints causes the goslings to fall on their feet.
Goslings most easily tolerate the chronic form of the disease, which they suffer from at the age of 2 months. The chronic form of the disease is characterized by diarrhea and developmental delays.
Treatment of the disease
To treat the disease, antibiotics and antibacterial drugs are used in combination, according to the instructions included with the medications or issued by the supervising veterinarian. In addition to drug treatment of the disease, goslings are provided with symptomatic support by adding vitamins and drugs that enhance immunity to the food.
Disease prevention
In the case of poultry, the main measure to prevent the disease is thorough disinfection of the premises and territory where geese are kept, and the purchase of new livestock only from salmonellosis-free farms.
If you can get it, you can vaccinate geese with a live recombinant salmonella vaccine for birds, used abroad.
Pasteurellosis
A disease caused by a pathogenic bacterium. The properties of Pasteurella of different serotypes vary greatly and largely depend on the species of animal from which they were isolated.
In the external environment, pasteurella can persist from several days to 4 months. The deadline is indicated for animal corpses.
The main methods of transmission of Pasteurella are through the respiratory tract and through the gastrointestinal tract. Infection occurs through contact with sick or recovered birds, with food, or through rodents. A goose that has recovered from pasteurellosis carries infected eggs, in which the embryos die on days 9–15 of incubation.If the embryo survives, the hatched gosling becomes a virus carrier.
Symptoms of the disease
The incubation period for the disease is from 2 to 4 days. In birds, the disease is very severe, with signs of general blood poisoning. The course of the disease in birds can be hyperacute, acute and chronic.
The hyperacute course of the disease is expressed in the sudden death of the bird and, most often, the owner can only throw up his hands. In the acute course of the disease, which lasts no more than 3 days and is observed, the following symptoms are most often noticeable:
- drooping wings;
- exhaustion;
- thirst;
- temperature 44°C;
- foam from beak and nose;
- diarrhea;
- death after 18 – 72 hours.
In the chronic course of the disease, only rhinitis and viscous discharge from the nose and eyes are observed.
Treatment and prevention of the disease
Birds are not treated. If pasteurellosis was previously detected on the farm, the birds are vaccinated against pasteurellosis according to the instructions. Particular attention is paid to compliance with sanitary and veterinary rules for keeping livestock and poultry and regular disinfection of premises and territory.
Pullorosis
A bacterial disease that young birds are especially susceptible to. Goslings show signs of general blood infection and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, that is, enteritis.
The causative agent is a bacterium from the Salmonella family. It can be stored in soil for more than a year, and dried for 7 years. Sensitive to disinfectants.
Symptoms of the disease
With congenital pullorosis, that is, when goslings are hatched from infected eggs, the incubation period of the disease is from 3 to 10 days. Such goslings exhibit general weakness, refusal to feed, the yolk is not completely retracted into the abdominal cavity, and liquid droppings are white. The fluff around the cloaca is glued together with droppings.
If infected after hatching from an egg due to being kept with sick chicks, the incubation period of the disease is 2–5 days. Postnatal pullorosis can be acute, subacute and chronic.
In the acute course of the disease, general weakness, upset digestion, slimy white diarrhea, and a beak open to breathing are observed.
Subacute and chronic courses of the disease can be observed from the 15th day of the gosling’s life: developmental delay, intestinal disorder, inflammation of the joints of the legs. The mortality rate for the last two types of disease is low.
Treatment of the disease
Only conditionally healthy birds are treated, prescribing antibiotics of the terramycin group and supportive therapy. The sick bird is destroyed.
Preventive measures for pullorosis include compliance with veterinary rules for incubating eggs and raising young animals.
Viral enteritis of geese
Caused by a DNA virus. Adult geese are immune to the virus; only goslings are affected.
Symptoms of the disease
The incubation period lasts from 2 to 6 days. The course of the disease is acute. The illness can last from 2 days to 2 weeks. From 60 to 100% of goslings die. Signs of the disease: weakness, thirst, loss of appetite, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity.
Goslings under 10 days of age experience chills. They huddle together trying to stay warm. Older goslings lie without reacting to stimuli and lower their wings, pluck each other, and are stunted. At 7 weeks of age, the course of enteritis is chronic. No more than 3% of the goslings die, and growth stops completely.
Treatment and prevention
The classical treatment regimen for the disease requires the presence of serum from convalescent geese.Today, to treat enteritis, and in fact to help the body, since viruses cannot be treated, hyperimmune serums are used that stimulate the natural immunity of goslings. Antibiotics are used to suppress secondary infection.
Preventive measures are applied according to the instructions for combating viral enteritis in geese.
Aspergillosis
A disease caused by the mold Aspergillus. It appears as a black coating on walls and household items. Present everywhere. Does not cause problems provided good immunity. When the immune system is weakened, the fungus begins to multiply in the respiratory system.
Old birds with weakened immune systems and young birds whose immunity has not yet developed are susceptible to the disease.
Aspergillosis in birds
The reasons for the development of aspergillosis are keeping goslings in a damp, dark room and feeding them moldy grain. Fungal spores enter the lungs and begin to germinate, causing disease.
Symptoms of the disease
Mold makes breathing difficult, so the goslings try to cough up the obstructing object. Breathing is labored, with an open beak. Trying to “push” a piece, the bird stretches its neck. Mold grows into other internal organs, causing diarrhea, cramps, and conjunctivitis.
There is no cure for aspergillosis. The sick bird is slaughtered, the room is cleared of animals and thoroughly treated with anti-mold preparations.
Helminthiasis
Geese become infected with worms by swallowing larvae near water bodies.
Amidostomatosis
Geese become infected with this nematode by directly ingesting the larvae in grass or water.
Symptoms of the disease
Goslings are especially sensitive to the parasite. When infected with a nematode, the gosling becomes inactive, often sits on its feet, and poor feather growth is observed. The gosling is developmentally delayed. With mixed invasion, cases of death of goslings are not uncommon.
Hymenolipedosis
The causative agent of the disease is one of the types of cestodes. Geese become infected by ingesting plankton or shellfish. When infected with a cestode, exhaustion, stunted growth, unsteady gait, convulsions, and sometimes paralysis of the limbs and, as a result, falls are observed. The droppings are liquid and have an unpleasant odor.
Prevention of diseases associated with helminths involves regular deworming of the entire livestock.
Diseases of little goslings are not limited to infectious diseases. Often goslings die from non-infectious diseases, which could have been avoided with proper care of the chicks and proper preparation of their diet.
Owners of newly hatched goslings often face two problems: cannibalism and the death of the goslings when walking them with the goose.
Cannibalism
The reason for cannibalism is considered to be a lack of animal protein or microelements in the diet of goslings. But when the goslings are still very small, this factor is unlikely to really matter. Cannibalism can also be caused by stress from keeping birds too crowded. Experienced goose breeders have another explanation.
From the first day of life, the gosling must walk and nibble grass. In the brooder he simply has nothing to do and the goslings begin to pluck each other until they bleed. Goose breeders fight manifestations of cannibalism in a very interesting way, presented in the video.
The second problem is the death of goslings after being in the pond. The point here is that in the first days there is little fat on the gosling’s down. Or, more precisely, there is no fat at all. After a long stay in the water, the down gets wet and the chick dies from hypothermia.
The problem of rickets
Goslings are very fast-growing birds. At 4 months they no longer differ much in size from their parents. For rapid growth, goslings need not only high-quality feed, but also long walks in the fresh air. Trying to protect chicks from diseases, owners often keep birds indoors without walking.
In such conditions, the goslings' paws begin to bend. Unable to walk on their spreading legs, the goslings fall on their feet. This situation can be avoided if, from a very early age, the chicks are provided with a long walk with the possibility of active movement. At the same time, such walking in the presence of grass will solve the problem of cannibalism in geese.
Rickets is not the only developmental problem facing goslings. The video shows an example of wings that began to bend under the influence of external factors and the timely correction of the problem.
Conclusion
It must be borne in mind that falling on one's feet is not a disease in itself. This is a symptom of some more serious disease. Upon careful examination, the owner will probably notice other signs of illness in the gosling.
