Sudden death of chickens can be caused by various reasons, including the following:
1. Infectious disease: Chicken plague: a highly contagious viral disease that can cause the death of a large number of chickens. Newcastle disease: also highly contagious, can cause rapid death of chickens. Infectious bursitis: This is also a common infectious disease that poses a serious threat to the health of chickens.
2. Viral infection: Avian influenza: caused by avian influenza virus, can lead to large-scale death of chicken flocks, usually accompanied by respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.
3. Poisoning: Fungal poisoning: Due to the presence of fungal toxins in feed or environment, chickens may be poisoned and die after ingestion. Pesticide poisoning: If chickens are exposed to pesticides, especially free range chickens, pesticide poisoning may occur.
4. Malnutrition and hypoxia: Malnutrition refers to the imbalance or lack of essential nutrients such as vitamin D, vitamin E, and calcium in feed, which may lead to impaired growth and development, weakened immunity, and even death in chickens. Hypoxia: Chickens living in a closed environment for a long time may die due to poor air circulation caused by hypoxia.
5. Cardiovascular disease: Cardiovascular dysfunction: may lead to heart failure and sudden death. Cardiac malformation: Some chickens may be born with abnormal cardiac structures, which can easily lead to cardiovascular disease.
6. Other factors: Egg carrier disease: Egg carriers carry viruses from the mother's body, which may cause chicks to develop and die shortly after birth. Temperature changes: The temperature inside the chick rearing room fluctuates, which may cause the flock to catch a cold and ultimately lead to death. Poor air circulation: The doors and windows of the brooding room are tightly closed to maintain temperature, but poor air circulation may lead to an increase in ammonia concentration, causing respiratory diseases. Natural Enemy Invasion: During the free range stage, chickens may be hunted and killed by natural enemies such as weasels and eagles.
To reduce the sudden death of chickens, it is recommended to take the following measures:
1. Strengthen feeding management: Regularly clean the chicken coop, keep it clean and hygienic, disinfect regularly to reduce the growth and spread of pathogens.
2. Reasonable feeding: Provide nutritionally balanced feed to ensure that chickens receive sufficient nutrition.
3. Improving the environment: Maintain air circulation in the chicken coop to avoid hypoxia caused by a closed environment.
4. Disease prevention and control: Timely and standardized vaccination of chickens to prevent the occurrence of diseases.
5. Coping with weather changes: During the brooding period, pay attention to controlling the temperature in the brooding room to avoid excessive temperature changes that may cause colds in the chicken flock.
The causes of sudden death of chickens are complex and diverse, requiring comprehensive consideration of multiple aspects such as feeding management, nutrition, environment, disease prevention and control to prevent it.