Every birdhouse owner, of course,I want his birds not to hurt and show maximum productivity. But, unfortunately, their diseases are not rare. Sometimes a question arises in front of the poultry farmers: why do feathers fall from laying hens? What's happening? The chicken does not just lose the feather, but it can even partially bald. This process is considered a disease of chickens, and is scientifically called alopecia. Read more about this phenomenon. And find out why the chickens fall feathers on the back and other parts of the body.
Seasonal moult
If the chicken started to lose feathers, you should notto panic! First you need to make sure that it is not shed. Seasonal shedding is a natural process of feather renewal in birds. The change of feathers is strictly in order:
- head;
- neck;
- breast;
- back;
- wings;
- sides;
- tail.
Molting in poultry depends on the age and time of year. In spring, molting begins only in young chickens, the rest of the bird molts in autumn. This process lasts from four to eight weeks.
What is alopecia?
Chicken owners face this problem:bird loses feather, grow bald. This does not happen during the autumn molt, and may happen at any time of the year. Usually affects parts of the body such as the neck, back, and breast. Feathers become brittle, and the chicken can lose not only them, but also down. All this is different from the usual molting and is considered a disease that is called "alopecia".
It is important to notice the disease at the very beginning.With alopecia, bird feathers become discolored, lose their luster and fall out. And with seasonal moult, small feathers fall out from the lower layers. There is a difference. If chickens fall feathers, why should you worry? What is it fraught with? If you do not immediately begin treatment, the bird can very quickly lose up to 90% of the plumage.
Causes of Alopecia
Bird baldness can start quite suddenly.This process is amplified by certain factors. Consideration should be given to the reasons why feathers fall out in chickens. One of the main is considered an unbalanced diet, when the diet does not have enough vitamins and minerals, and loss is possible with a lack of cystine, calcium, sulfur, iodine, phosphorus and manganese.
Еще одной причина, почему у кур выпадают перья на neck and back - keeping birds in poor conditions: dirt, dust, too dry or, conversely, moist air, lack of ventilation and temperature disturbance, as well as keeping in cramped spaces. The cause of the disease can also be parasites (lice and feathers). This also can be attributed to the lack of light, the lack of walks in the fresh air, lack of vitamin D.
What is dangerous disease?
Damage to the skin delivers birdsserious inconvenience. With alopecia, the functioning of vital organs is disturbed, and the bird has a nutrient deficiency. Reproduction is impaired in laying hens, due to the fact that most of the nutrients are spent on the formation of eggs. A sick bird begins to carry fewer eggs, and then the clutch stops altogether. The bird weakens and loses weight, can be fatal.
Elimination of causes
So, first of all, it is necessary to identify the reason why feathers fall out in chickens. With timely treatment, the bird can be saved. Consider the causes and their elimination.
Improper diet
With a violation in the diet, the chickens lose the luster of their plumage, feathers begin to fall, and egg production decreases. What should be done:
- The presence of mineral supplements and vitamins in the feed is required. Special supplements can be purchased at the store.
- Together with vitamins, you should add to the feed sulfur or glauber salt in each meal.
- To supplement the level of minerals, it is necessary to add potassium permanganate or iodine to the drinking water in the morning.
- Must buy benign specialfood in the store. From natural fodder it is useful to add cabbage leaves, leguminous vegetables, and bone meal to the feed. These products contain sulfur, which has components in it that contribute to the growth of feathers. You can add to feed and combustible sulfur, it can be purchased at the pharmacy.
Signs of alopecia
When alopecia affects the following areas of the body:back, neck, breast, tail and belly. Sometimes a chicken can become completely naked, its skin becomes inflamed, with bruises. In case of illness, chickens lose weight, stop nauseating, the immune system is greatly weakened.
What is dangerous disease?
Alopecia with timely and proper care is not a serious illness. But if the bird is not treated, it can even be fatal.
Medicines
Medications are important too. The following medications are used to treat alopecia:
- "Ganasupervit" - water-soluble vitamins;
- "Chiktonik" - a multivitaminic agent;
- "Gamavit" - an immunomodulatory agent;
- "Desi Spray" - wound healing spray;
- "Opera" - feed mixture, which is equivalent to drugs.
Folk remedies
Для лечения заболевания можно использовать folk remedies. Horns or hooves of domestic animals are best suited for this purpose. It is necessary to make flour from them and add them daily to feed. It is believed that organic means are very effective: they help stop the loss of feathers and contribute to the growth of new ones. Flour should be used until the result is visually noticeable. If it is not possible to prepare flour from the horns and hooves, you should proceed as follows: collect all feathers in the chicken coop, chop and add to feed. They also contain cystine, which will also have a positive effect.
Incorrect conditions
If it became known that the cause of alopecia is poor content, it is enough to carry out the following activities (in the absence of a bird):
- clean the room;
- carry out complete disinfection;
- hold airing;
- make a hood if it's not there.
It is recommended to make a large window indoors.so that the sun could fall into the chicken coop. If you can, you should buy ultraviolet lamps. The temperature in the room should be maintained at about 22 degrees Celsius, the humidity should not exceed 60%, no drafts should be allowed. It is necessary to provide chickens walking. They should be able to stay in the fresh air.
Why do the hen feathers fall on the pope?
Further.When kept on dirty, wet litter in chickens, baldness begins in the butt area, and the constant contact of the feathers with the wet dirty floor helps to remove feathers from this part of the body. All this leads to focal alopecia. It is necessary to treat the floors with disinfectant solutions in the hen house in order to prevent the infestation of birds by parasites. It is recommended to ensure that the floor in the room is always dry.
One of the reasons why chickens fall feathers,are parasites. It is very serious. In the presence of parasites in a bird, alopecia begins with the tail, and then spreads to other parts of the body. Fluff eaters and peroedi feed on down and feather, as well as skin epithelium. For the prevention and control of parasites should be in the room where the birds are, set ash bath. Chickens, bathing in the ashes, will carry out a good cleaning of feathers. Only you need to ensure that the contents in the tank was not wet.
Means for combating parasites:
- Front Line;
- Ivomek;
- “Epicide A”;
- "Neomasthosan";
- Novomek.
Why does the chicken have feathers on the breast?
И это не все.Also, the bird may fall feathers on the breast due to the presence of parasites. In addition, the chicken with a lack or absence of mineral supplements in the diet begins to pull out feathers from the breast. Therefore, the diet must be present:
- sodium;
- calcium;
- phosphorus;
- bone flour;
- old extinguished lime;
- wood ash;
- a piece of chalk;
- fish flour;
- fish fat.
