- ✓Tell apart the main causes: house environment, bacteria, viruses, moulds
- ✓Recognise the signs and know what the veterinarian can and cannot treat
- ✓Prevent through ventilation, litter and stocking density
The environment first
A bird's airways are fragile. Ammonia from wet litter, dust (litter that is too dry, mash feed, harmattan), cold draughts at night and overcrowding irritate and weaken these airways: the germs present everywhere take advantage. The first treatment of any respiratory disease is therefore: dry litter, ventilation without draughts on the birds, stocking density brought back to the standard, curtains closed at night during the harmattan.
The nose test from level 2 remains the best probe: if the ammonia stings at bird height, the lungs are already working in the gas.
The four families
| Family | Examples | What you see | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacteria | Mycoplasmas (chronic respiratory disease, CRD), coryza, colibacillosis | Rattling, runny nose, swollen face and eyes (coryza), coughing; slow progression, flock that lags behind | Antibiotics effective if prescribed early by the veterinarian; withdrawal period |
| Viruses | Infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease, laryngotracheitis | Sneezing, rattling, sometimes nervous signs or drop in laying; rapid spread | No antibiotic against the virus; prevention by vaccine and biosecurity; secondary infections treated |
| Moulds | Aspergillosis (mouldy litter or feed, especially in chicks) | Chicks breathing with beak open, neck stretched, without rattling; mortality | No effective treatment: remove the source (litter, mouldy bag), ventilate |
| Environment alone | Ammonia, dust | Watery eyes, sneezing, irritable flock | Litter, ventilation, stocking density |
A veterinarian tells these families apart by the signs, the progression and the post-mortem (cloudy air sacs, red trachea, mould nodules). You bring them the record sheet, the house environment and a freshly dead bird.
The signs, and how to listen for them
At night, curtains closed, house silent: stay still for five minutes and listen. Rattling (like a wet snore), sneezing and wheezing can be heard before they can be seen. During the day, look at the eyes (tears, eyelids stuck together, foam), the nostrils (discharge, crusts), the face (swollen on one side or both), and count how many birds are breathing with their beak open at rest. Record everything on the record sheet with the time.
Prevention
- Ventilation: house 10 to 12 m wide at most, open ridge, curtains managed; air that flows through, not air that blows on the birds.
- Dry litter, turned over; ammonia checked by nose.
- Stocking density to the standard (8 to 10 white broilers per m² in an open-sided house).
- Nights: curtains closed when the temperature drops, especially during the harmattan; no shock between the heat of the day and the cold of the night.
- Healthy feed and litter: never any mould.
- Vaccines against respiratory viruses as the veterinarian advises (bronchitis, Newcastle disease); chicks bought from a reliable hatchery.
For the entrepreneur
- ›Faced with a respiratory problem, ask about the house first: ammonia, dust, stocking density, nights. An antibiotic in a house full of ammonia is money wasted.
- ›Have the stocking density reduced as soon as a flock coughs: birds moved elsewhere are worth more than sick birds crammed together.
- ›Insist on the withdrawal period for any antibiotic, on the record sheet and before sale.
For the technician
- ›Five minutes of listening at night in the silence; signs recorded with the time (rattling, sneezing, eyes, nostrils, beak open).
- ›Ammonia checked by nose every morning, dry litter, curtains closed on cool nights, stocking density respected.
- ›A mouldy bag or mouldy litter goes out immediately; a freshly dead bird kept for the veterinarian.
The 3 questions to ask your technician this week
- Did you hear rattling or sneezing last night, and how many birds are breathing with their beak open?
- Does the ammonia sting at bird height this morning, and how many birds per m² are we at?
- Have the curtains been closed at night since the nights turned cool?
Key points
- •A respiratory disease = a house (ammonia, dust, draughts, stocking density) + a germ: you treat both.
- •Bacteria (CRD, coryza): antibiotics effective if prescribed early; viruses (bronchitis, Newcastle disease): vaccines and biosecurity; moulds (aspergillosis): remove the source.
- •Listen at night in the silence; look at eyes, nostrils, face, beak open; record with the time.
- •Prevention: ventilation without draughts, dry litter, stocking density, curtains at night, healthy feed and litter, vaccines.
- •Withdrawal period for any antibiotic.