There are various ways in which prevention of diseases can be done in chickens.
Vaccinations provide active immunity First and foremost, the day old chickens should be vaccinated against a number of common poultry diseases such as Marek's diseases.
This produces antibodies in their system and can help the chickens to fight the diseases when they become exposed to the diseases.
Getting passive immunity Passive immunity can be passed on from the hen to the egg.
If the hen had a higher level of antibodies they can be easily passed to the egg yolk and the fluids in the egg.
This helps the chick to become resistant towards many diseases for a few weeks.
It's the duty of the poultry manger to know the maternal antibody levels so that they can also schedule the vaccinations at the appropriate time for the little chickens.
If the little chickens have high levels of antibodies following their birth, then giving them a vaccination may in fact result in a reduced state of response.
Bio scurrility program implementation Many of the poultry vets also talk about the bio security that can effectively reduce the exposure to the diseases in chicken.
This can be done when the poultry farm owners and workers can understand the mechanism in which the diseases can be transferred and combine the knowledge that they have with a program that will prevent the spread of the diseases.
These are known as diseases prevention programs.
The program can't stop the diseases, however it can reduce the probability of the spread.
The effects of the correct implementation of the program is usually felt over a series of flocks and isn't visible in the true sense in the first flock when the program is initiated.
There is lack of support for these programs as many farm managers see this as an expensive program that is time consuming and doesn't yield the results instantly.
As with other products such as vaccinations and medications.
Disinfections of the coop and other materials that come in contact with the chicken Prevention of the diseases by disinfecting the tires and the shoes before entering the coop is very important.
Now commercial poultry farms will go to the extent of spraying disinfectant on the trucks, tires and protective clothing that is worn by humans.
This prevents the spread of diseases from one farm to another.
Those that have smaller chickens can also resort to disinfections of the visitor shoes and protective clothing.
Oxine is a product that can be used effectively.
However remember that oxine has a bleaching effect on the clothes and the feather, so use it cautiously.
Fogging with oxine should be done at least once a week, as it can kill all the airborne virus and bacteria.
Ensure that you fog well in the areas that have become damp as well.
If you find that there are small rodents, then set for mousetraps immediately, otherwise you can have a real predator problem on your hand.
The mouse or rodents presence can be seen through their droppings in the water and the food bowl and they look a lot like pepper pellets.
Ensure that the food and the water bowls are cleared out everyday Clearing out the water bowls and the food bowls on a regular basis will control the spread of parasitic organisms that spread through the bird droppings and faeces in the water.
Bacteria can grow quite easily in the bowls that aren't cleaned out.
This spread of bacteria and protozoa can be extremely harmful for the chickens.
The water bowls and the food bowls that are used for them should never be used for other avian population or other animals on the farm.
This can be quite disastrous for both the populations.
Keep the young and old population separately The younger chickens don't have full-blown immunity and they can get extremely sick when exposed to the older chickens.
Older chickens can easily pass on the infections that can kill the younger lot.
If this happens, it can have a devastating effect on the avian population in your farm.
Ensure that wild chickens or fowl don't enter the coop as they can get a number of diseases that can kill the chickens immediately.
Vaccinations provide active immunity First and foremost, the day old chickens should be vaccinated against a number of common poultry diseases such as Marek's diseases.
This produces antibodies in their system and can help the chickens to fight the diseases when they become exposed to the diseases.
Getting passive immunity Passive immunity can be passed on from the hen to the egg.
If the hen had a higher level of antibodies they can be easily passed to the egg yolk and the fluids in the egg.
This helps the chick to become resistant towards many diseases for a few weeks.
It's the duty of the poultry manger to know the maternal antibody levels so that they can also schedule the vaccinations at the appropriate time for the little chickens.
If the little chickens have high levels of antibodies following their birth, then giving them a vaccination may in fact result in a reduced state of response.
Bio scurrility program implementation Many of the poultry vets also talk about the bio security that can effectively reduce the exposure to the diseases in chicken.
This can be done when the poultry farm owners and workers can understand the mechanism in which the diseases can be transferred and combine the knowledge that they have with a program that will prevent the spread of the diseases.
These are known as diseases prevention programs.
The program can't stop the diseases, however it can reduce the probability of the spread.
The effects of the correct implementation of the program is usually felt over a series of flocks and isn't visible in the true sense in the first flock when the program is initiated.
There is lack of support for these programs as many farm managers see this as an expensive program that is time consuming and doesn't yield the results instantly.
As with other products such as vaccinations and medications.
Disinfections of the coop and other materials that come in contact with the chicken Prevention of the diseases by disinfecting the tires and the shoes before entering the coop is very important.
Now commercial poultry farms will go to the extent of spraying disinfectant on the trucks, tires and protective clothing that is worn by humans.
This prevents the spread of diseases from one farm to another.
Those that have smaller chickens can also resort to disinfections of the visitor shoes and protective clothing.
Oxine is a product that can be used effectively.
However remember that oxine has a bleaching effect on the clothes and the feather, so use it cautiously.
Fogging with oxine should be done at least once a week, as it can kill all the airborne virus and bacteria.
Ensure that you fog well in the areas that have become damp as well.
If you find that there are small rodents, then set for mousetraps immediately, otherwise you can have a real predator problem on your hand.
The mouse or rodents presence can be seen through their droppings in the water and the food bowl and they look a lot like pepper pellets.
Ensure that the food and the water bowls are cleared out everyday Clearing out the water bowls and the food bowls on a regular basis will control the spread of parasitic organisms that spread through the bird droppings and faeces in the water.
Bacteria can grow quite easily in the bowls that aren't cleaned out.
This spread of bacteria and protozoa can be extremely harmful for the chickens.
The water bowls and the food bowls that are used for them should never be used for other avian population or other animals on the farm.
This can be quite disastrous for both the populations.
Keep the young and old population separately The younger chickens don't have full-blown immunity and they can get extremely sick when exposed to the older chickens.
Older chickens can easily pass on the infections that can kill the younger lot.
If this happens, it can have a devastating effect on the avian population in your farm.
Ensure that wild chickens or fowl don't enter the coop as they can get a number of diseases that can kill the chickens immediately.
Source...