Disease sheet · NEXTEKCI School
Newcastle disease
avian pseudo-plague
A highly contagious viral disease with no cure, which can empty an unprotected house within a few days. It has three faces depending on age: sudden deaths in young birds, nervous signs in pullets, a drop in laying in layers. It is prevented by vaccination and biosecurity, and it must be notified.
Type
virus
Severity
very serious
Who is affected
All poultry: broilers, coloured chickens, layers, village poultry.
Most affected age
All ages.
Notifiable disease: inform the veterinary services without delay.
Signs to look for
- •Mortality rising very fast, within a few days.
- •Dull birds with ruffled feathers, eating and drinking less.
- •Breathing difficulties, rattling, open-beak breathing.
- •Greenish diarrhoea.
- •Nervous signs: trembling, twisted neck, birds turning in circles, paralysed wing or leg.
- •In layers: sudden drop in laying, shell-less, pale or misshapen eggs, watery albumen.
How it spreads
- •Sick or carrier birds: village poultry, birds bought at market, unsold birds brought back to the farm.
- •Crates, lorries, sacks and equipment coming from another farm or from the market.
- •Shoes, clothing and hands of visitors, traders and workers who move from farm to farm.
- •Droppings, dust and carcasses thrown outside.
Not to be confused with
- •Avian influenza
- •Infectious bronchitis
- •Fowl cholera
- •Heat stroke (sudden deaths)
Prevention
- •Vaccination following the protocol of the vet in your area. The vaccine must be kept cold, between 2 and 8 °C, never in the sun; a vaccine left in the heat no longer protects.
- •No village poultry or market birds on the farm; no unsold birds brought back.
- •Crates and equipment from outside washed and disinfected before coming in.
- •Few visitors, farm boots and clothing, a footbath at every house.
- •Single-age flock (all in, all out) and a downtime period between flocks.
What to do if you suspect it
- •Isolate the house: nobody enters without changing boots and clothing.
- •Call the vet in your area immediately, with the record sheet, photos and a video.
- •Do not sell, give away or move any bird, alive or dead.
- •Do not throw carcasses outside: keep them in closed bags until the vet advises.
- •Do not put anything in the water “just in case”: an antibiotic does not cure a virus and confuses the diagnosis.
- •Notifiable disease: the vet reports it to the veterinary services with you.
- •After the outbreak: thorough cleaning, disinfection and a downtime of 21 to 30 days.
This sheet helps you recognise the disease and react quickly. It does not replace the veterinarian: only they can diagnose and prescribe a treatment. Worried about your flock? Write to us on WhatsApp at +225 05 44 83 27 79.