Disease sheet · NEXTEKCI School
Salmonellosis (pullorum disease and fowl typhoid)
pullorum disease · bacillary white diarrhoea · fowl typhoid
A group of diseases caused by salmonella bacteria. Pullorum disease mainly strikes chicks in their first weeks (white diarrhoea); fowl typhoid tends to affect older birds. Some salmonella can also infect people through eggs or meat: hygiene protects consumers too.
Type
bacterium
Severity
serious
Who is affected
All poultry: broilers, coloured chickens, pullets and layers.
Most affected age
Pullorum disease: first weeks. Fowl typhoid: growing and adult birds.
Signs to look for
- •Chicks huddled under the heat source, drooping wings, chirping loudly.
- •Whitish diarrhoea, down stuck around the vent.
- •Mortality in the first weeks.
- •In older birds: dullness, pale comb, yellow-greenish diarrhoea.
- •In layers: drop in laying.
How it spreads
- •Through the egg, from hen to chick: hence the importance of buying chicks from a licensed hatchery.
- •Soiled droppings, water and feed.
- •Rats, litter beetles, carrier backyard poultry.
- •Contaminated equipment, crates and boots.
Not to be confused with
- •Colibacillosis
- •Gumboro disease
- •Coccidiosis
- •Aspergillosis (in chicks)
Prevention
- •Chicks bought from a licensed hatchery.
- •Constant control of rats and litter beetles.
- •Clean water, feed stored dry and protected from rodents.
- •No backyard poultry on the farm; single-age flock.
- •Cleaning, disinfection and downtime; frequent egg collection, dirty eggs set aside.
What to do if you suspect it
- •Call the vet in your area: only an examination or laboratory test confirms the disease.
- •Isolate sick birds and do not sell them.
- •Strict hygiene: gloves and hand washing after handling birds or droppings.
- •The vet will tell you whether the veterinary services need to be notified.
- •Respect the withdrawal period for birds and eggs if a treatment is prescribed.
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.