If you went pecking at turkey poults what to do. Pullorosis or white diarrhea in turkeys: treatment and symptoms

Sometimes birds peck at each other separate parts of the body (cloaca, part of the intestine), pluck out a feather and eat eggs.

Cannibalism causes great economic damage, it is widespread, especially among birds of the chicken order - chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quails.

Etiology. Different authors treat the cause of cannibalism in different ways. Some authors consider this disease to be a habit arising from exposure to unfavorable conditions of feeding and keeping. Other authors see a violation of the physiological state as the basis of this disease. In their opinion, the lack of protein, mineral feed is important in the occurrence of the disease, as well as crowded content in the absence of walking.

However, feather plucking is often observed in chicks during periods of intense feather growth (3-4 weeks). It has been established that feather plucking can be observed in ducklings, especially musk breeds of ducks are predisposed to it.

In industrial farms with ducklings, plucking of feathers is noted at the age of 25-30 days.

Deficiency in diets for sulfur-containing amino acids (cystine and methionine) causes pecking in ducklings, growth slows down, enzyme activity decreases.

The reasons for pecking can be different, but more often it is unbalanced feeding, crowded keeping, leading to increased pugnacity, keeping birds in small houses without walking, prolonged and intense exposure to light.

There have been cases of cannibalism due to feeding cornmeal and tearing under intense light conditions. When keeping chickens in dark rooms and unbalanced feeding, there is also a risk of pecking and plucking of feathers. When chickens are caged, when there is intense long-term lighting and monotonous feeding, pecking is common.

At first, the chicks peck their fingers and pluck the feathers on the tail and neck. If drops of blood appear, then the chickens peck the wound even more and the sick bird dies due to blood loss and large injuries.

Heavy breed chickens and the Italian Leghorn have a particular propensity to eat feathers. At the same time, they pluck or peck feathers on the neck, back and tail, pick up a feather on the ground. On small farms, feather-eating is highly prevalent among chickens when the paddocks are not covered with grass.

Eating feathers arises from a lack of minerals. At first, pecking occurs in individual birds, later the rest are included in the process, and the defect covers the entire herd.

In broiler chickens, dry air can serve as a reason for pecking, which dries the feather and increases its fragility. In such cases, the bird often squeezes the oil gland with its beak in order to lubricate the feather with a secret, and irritates the skin. Skin irritation can also occur when a bird is affected by blood-sucking mites, bedbugs and downy feathers.

Often pecking occurs after replanting new group birds in a flock with the established "biting order". New relationships in food intake, struggle for the best place in the poultry house lead to pecking. It has been established that intense light irradiation of hens starting to lay eggs causes pecking in the area of ​​the cloaca, since the cloacal ring is tense and clearly visible. Stretching of the cloacal ring, and sometimes rupture of blood vessels and the appearance of blood, attract the attention of other hens and can serve as the start of pecking. There have been cases of pecking after taking blood from the scallop of chickens, carrying out vaccinations against smallpox. There are several types of pecking: pecking of the scallop, skin of the neck, back, tail. Roosters are less prone to pecking than chickens. When pecking, the bird loses a lot of blood, is unable to take food, quickly weakens, sometimes the intestines fall out and death occurs.

In turkey poults, pecking can also occur after a sudden change in the conditions of feeding and keeping. There are cases of pecking of the skin and feather in the anus after intestinal upset and pollution of feathers. With crowded content, pecking of the skin flaps of the head in males during fights is observed; females can peck the tail of turkeys. One form of cannibalism in turkey poults is feather plucking. Some researchers believe that this defect occurs in turkeys as a result of a lack of protein and minerals in the diet.

Quite often, chickens peck and eat eggs. The reason may be the laying of an egg with a thin shell, which is destroyed. If a hen pecks at the contents of such eggs, then in the future it becomes a need, so often after laying, hens begin to peck and eat quite normal eggs. Predisposes to pecking deficiency in the diet of protein, calcium.

Prevention. It is necessary to find out the cause of pecking and eliminate it, since the use of various drugs can give a short-term effect.

Particular attention should be paid to the density of planting birds, bring it to normal.

Good results are obtained by the inclusion of mineral supplements in the diet, fertilizing with gypsum (0.5-3.0 g per chicken per day). Gypsum contains sulfur and calcium, which are often needed by birds during the productive period.

To prevent pecking, it is necessary to cut the tip of the beak (debeaking) with a special electrothermocautery.

Trimming the tip of the beak does not adversely affect the bird's health and is an effective measure to prevent pecking. It has been established that the tip of the beak in chickens grows after 1 month, and in adult chickens after 3-4 months.

Adding bone meal, fish oil to the diet prevents pecking. In typical broiler rooms, red lighting is sometimes used; chickens lose their ability to peck under it. Red lighting can also be used in poultry houses where pecking is observed in adult birds.

There should be enough room for the chicks to dig through the litter. In good weather, in small farms, chickens need to be released for walking. They should be fed with a variety of food, chopped green mass of plants, especially cabbage, a sufficient amount of minerals (lime) should be added to the diet. Cannibalistic chickens must be separated from healthy ones.

It was possible to stop the pecking of ducklings by introducing a diet of 3-4 g of feather meal per day for 10 days. One of the measures to prevent pecking ducklings is to transfer them to water walking.

To prevent pecking in birds, it is necessary to observe a certain length of the feeding front (Table 1).

To combat cannibalism, it is necessary to find a bird suffering from this defect in a timely manner. Chickens should be fed varied, give minerals. Grass flour should be introduced into the diet in sufficient quantities or, depending on the time of year, replaced with carrots or fodder beets (half cut). To reduce the ability to peck, you can try giving sedatives in drinking water.

The length of the feeding and watering front for birds (in cm per head)

As a means of preventing cannibalism, citric acid is widely used at 0.02-0.05 g per chicken per day for 15-20 days; methionine 400 g or biovetin 50 g per 1000 chickens with feed for 20-30 days. The use of drugs without eliminating the cause that caused pecking is ineffective.

S. Marsden and D. Martin (1962) recommend the following measures to prevent feather plucking and cannibalism in turkey poults: pull the wire over the feeder so that turkey poults can clean their beak after eating; the feeding front should be at least 5-6.3 cm during the growing period;

Temporarily for 4-5 days, table salt can be added to the diet in a dose of no more than 2% to the feed;

In adult turkeys, mouthpieces threaded into the nasal opening can be used instead of debeaking; I reduce glare and apply red light; t increase by 1% in the diet of animal protein, manganese sulfate - up to 200 g per 1 ton of feed.

When pecking eggs by chickens, it is necessary to strictly comply with the requirements of rationed poultry feeding, include herbal, meat, bone meal, veterinary fish oil in the diet.

Egg collection should be as frequent as possible (every 3-4 hours). In particular, it is unacceptable to leave eggs laid on the litter in the house for a long time. Chickens suffering from this defect must be separated and killed for meat. To prevent pecking of eggs, a certain number and size of nests for birds is necessary.

Sometimes bad habit, which arose in inappropriate conditions, is not eradicated after correcting the factors that caused the pathology. This article tells turkey breeders about the causes of pterophagy and tells you what measures you can use to cope with the disease.

Causes of cannibalism

Why do young turkeys peck each other until they bleed? The finicky of turkeys is the fault of the person who bred early maturing breeds that require an extremely high concentration of feed vitamins, essential carboamic acids, as well as special conditions of detention. Among the main causes of pterophagy in turkeys are the following:

• feed factors.
• Inappropriate conditions of detention.

Feed factors

Lack of energy, essential amino acids, biological catalysts. It is impossible to independently prepare a feed mixture that satisfies all the needs of the chicks.

An imbalance of nutrients leads to the appearance of defects on the skin. So, with a deficiency or excess of protein, retinol is destroyed, acidosis develops, digestion is disturbed, and the cloaca is polluted. The feathers around it stick together, the skin becomes inflamed and cracked. The affected area itches, the chick pecks at it until it bleeds. Healthy turkeys experience hunger, which they seek to fill with alternative sources - the bodies of those around them.

Inappropriate conditions of detention

Windowless rooms with a controlled microclimate minimize the problems of pterophagy, which is not observed when keeping turkey chicks in a private backyard. Among these problems, the most important are the following:

A distinction should be made between the treatment of pecked turkeys and measures to combat cannibalism. What to do with the wounded? They are isolated from healthy ones and defects are treated with aerosol antiseptics. For speedy healing, you can use external products containing ASD 2 or ASD 3. An unpleasant odor will scare away an aggressive bird so that it does not peck at the healed one upon returning to the herd.

To speed up the restoration of plumage, turkeys are transferred to factory-prepared mixed fodder or include a therapeutic premix containing methionine, sulfate compounds of manganese, copper, iron, cobalt and selenium salts in the feed mixture.

Control measures

There are the following methods of dealing with pecking in turkeys:

• Debicking.
• Separate cultivation of individuals of different ages.
• Bringing content parameters to recommended standards.
• Organizing a complete meal.
• Jigging of birds prone to pecking, followed by culling.

Debicking

Beak trimming radically solves the problem of cannibalism. The operation is performed in the first or second week of life by trained specialists using special equipment in large poultry farms.

Separate rearing of individuals of different ages

This technique is used in poultry farms to prevent not only pterophagy, but also infection of chicks with diseases carried by adult turkeys without compromising their own health.

In the conditions of a personal farmstead, it is necessary to prevent contacts of birds of different ages. Use different rooms for it, as well as separate walking areas. In addition, the diet should meet the needs of the birds of this age.

Environmental factors have a significant impact on bird behavior. So, in the early days, round-the-clock lighting is necessary so that the turkey poults adapt to the conditions of detention, quickly find food, peck more often, and grow faster. Brightness should be adjusted so that it is moderate. Color plays a big role in the development of pecking habits. The most suitable are fluorescent lamps.

You should study the recommendations for observing the temperature regime in order to prevent freezing. If on the first day the air cools below 35 °, the chicks crowd together, trying to keep warm, fights arise, the case ends with cannibalism.

Subsequently, as the thermoregulation mechanism develops in the turkey, the temperature in the room is lowered. Overheating also negatively affects the body. You should not neglect the zoohygienic rules of planting density, feeding front, provision of drinkers.

Organization of complete nutrition

Turkey poults need a higher protein content (28%) and energy concentration (3000 Kcal/kg) compared to other poultry species. For comparison, 1 kg of wheat contains 12–13% protein with comparable energy saturation.

We should not forget that they need fiber, but not more than 4%. What matters is the consistency of the feed, the size and shape of its particles.

If you use traditional millet, boiled eggs and cottage cheese, you can make a mistake in proportions. Why do turkeys, in need of any food component, peck each other? Because they have no source of satisfaction of needs, except for the body of a neighbor. The best option is to use at least the first 4 weeks of factory-made feed.

Thereafter, the protein requirement becomes smaller, remaining high (20%) until four months of age. You can use grain turd mixed with BVMK (protein-vitamin-mineral concentrate).

Jigging of a bird prone to pecking

When aggressors are found in the herd, they, as well as victims, are removed. The wounded are treated, and the bully is culled, having previously been fattened to lethal conditions.

When bloody turkeys are found, the poultry farmer should think what he is doing wrong? Bringing the parameters of feeding and keeping to the recommended norms in most situations stops pterophagy in turkey poults.

Kira Stoletova

Often breeders are faced with such a problem as pecking in turkey poults. This manifestation of cannibalism can cause irreparable harm to the farm, especially in the first weeks of the life of the chicks. But pecking does not happen for no reason, it becomes the fault bad conditions maintenance, hunger or disease of turkey poults.

Reasons for pecking

It is impossible to unequivocally answer why turkey poults peck each other to the point of blood. There are a lot of reasons and they all have absolutely different nature origin. Cannibalism most often begins with pecking eggs, then the bird switches to itself or weaker chicks.

In order to stop pecking in domestic turkeys, it is necessary to find out its Cause. Most often, turkeys peck each other because of:

1. Problems with digestion. They also provoke contamination of the feathers in the anus. This attracts other of his brethren and leads to pecking.
2. Too bright lighting gives the chicks the opportunity to see the bleeding cloaca of the mother turkey. During the laying of eggs, the cloaca is under constant stress and can crack and bleed.
3. Manifestations of hierarchy in the flock. If you plant a new turkey, then the rest begin to peck at his head and wings. It is for this reason that it is recommended to form groups of chicks by age.
4. The weakness or sickness of the turkey also contributes to cannibalism. Stronger individuals pounce on the chick and peck at it.
5. Lack of nutrition or contaminated food and water. Trying to make up for the lack of nutrients, the birds peck at everyone who comes across to them. As a result, almost all chicks of this group remain injured.
6. Too crowded content leads to the same result.

But in addition to cannibalism among the livestock of turkeys, it often happens that the turkey poults begin to peck themselves. As a result, the sight of blood attracts other brethren. Turkey poults themselves peck themselves out due to an overabundance or lack of protein foods in the diet. Because of this, small cracks form around the anus, causing pain and discomfort to the bird and forcing it to harm itself.

Also a common reason why turkey pecking occurs is excessive dryness. environment. They have to strain the coccygeal gland to secrete the secret and lubricate their feathers. This causes discomfort, and the turkey begins to peck itself.

Some breeds of turkeys have genetic predisposition to the pecking of brethren. They are not recommended to be kept together with the rest of the bird, and even more so with chickens or guinea fowls. Young animals are divided into small groups and kept like this throughout their lives.

How to deal with pecking

If among the livestock there are signs of cannibalism, then urgent measures must be taken to eliminate its Causes. The fact is that such behavior can become a habit and it will be unrealistic to wean such turkeys.

The reason why little turkeys peck each other lies in the improper keeping of birds. In order to avoid problems, it is recommended:

The disease begins with the fact that the birds pluck their own feathers, and also peck their paws and tails, then switch to their fellows. If it is not possible to prevent the pecking of the chicks to the point of blood, then more radical methods must be resorted to.

Breeders cut the beaks of young animals under the age of two weeks. This procedure is called debeaking. Spend it in the coldest time of the day. It is advisable to trim the beaks of all livestock at the same time. A missed chick will become a dangerous killer, as he alone will retain the ability to injure others.

Only a small part of the upper beak is cut, no more than 1/3 of the entire length. This must be done carefully so as not to catch the blood vessels. Over time, pruning is repeated.

In addition to the fact that poults with clipped beaks stop harming their brethren and themselves, the percentage of spilled feed is also reduced. But debeaking is an extreme case, when all methods have already been used, but the number continues to decline due to pecking.

Treatment of injured chicks

Wounded turkey poults must be isolated from the rest of the livestock, because they begin to eat worse and weaken. the chicks have to constantly hide from the attacks of their brethren and very soon they die from wounds or from exhaustion.

Individuals with minor injuries can be cured by treating the wounds with an antiseptic. To do this, I effectively use the drug ASD - 2F. Wounds are wiped with a cotton pad soaked in hydrogen peroxide in order to remove dirt and stop bleeding. Next, they are treated with an antiseptic preparation. The procedure is carried out several times a day until the wounds heal and the skin is completely restored.

It is important to remember that turkeys are quite picky birds in terms of diet and. The slightest deviation from the norm is fraught with the loss of the herd. You also need to monitor and adjust it if necessary.

When raising turkey poults, poultry farmers face various problems. One of the most common is that turkeys peck at each other. Let's find out why turkeys peck each other to the blood, and what to do if this happens.

There are a number of reasons why turkeys peck each other until they bleed. What to do in this case, each farmer decides independently, based on personal experience and knowledge. Most often, pecking to the blood occurs due to changes in the conditions of detention. It can also be due to a change in diet.

Many poultry farmers find wounds in chicks in the cesspool area. Why is this happening? This happens when there is a malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract. Or this is a consequence of severe contamination of the surface of the plumage.

The kids begin to peck at the turkey that has just been placed with them. Experts in this case advise not to plant birds different ages and not keep them together, otherwise the elders will peck at the younger ones.

Also, when the birds are laying, the bleeding anus attracts the chicks. For laying hens, it is categorically not recommended to create additional lighting.

Another cause of pecking in turkeys is a deficiency or excess of protein. Cracks form on the skin around the anus, as a result, the chick begins to peck itself.

As you can see, the answers to the question “Why do turkeys peck each other?” quite a bit of. But as a rule, those individuals who have diseases of the anus become the sources of such an unpleasant symptom in small chicks.

How to prevent pecking

To avoid the harm that turkey poults cause to each other, you must first find out why turkeys peck each other to the blood, and what to do to prevent this problem. Once you know the cause, you can quickly fix it. The first thing to do is to ensure proper grouping. Those birds that already live together do not react well to the emergence of new ones. Therefore, it is categorically not recommended to carry out the joint maintenance of turkeys of different ages. This is the key rule.

You must know all the nuances of keeping such chicks. The temperature in the house should be between +35…+37 °C. This requirement is explained by the fact that young animals are not able to maintain optimal body temperature on their own. Lower the temperature gradually. When the chicks reach the age of 1 month, the temperature should be around +25 °C.

Use dark-colored burlap as bedding. If the chicks are warm and comfortable, you will not have a question why the turkeys peck each other. So that they do not peck each other to the blood, organize a cellular content. It is important that a mesh floor is present in the design.

Create the right lighting system. It is better to use a reddish or blue lamp for these purposes. Remember: such birds are harmful to bright light.

Inspect your poults regularly. If you find a pecked individual, immediately begin treatment.

As you know, the best treatment is prevention. Do a debeak. This procedure consists in cutting the beak. Experts recommend doing this at the daily age of the chicks. But beak trimming at the age of 1 week is also allowed. With timely debeaking, you will not have a question why the turkey poults peck each other.

Treatment of wounded turkeys

Damaged turkeys must be protected from healthy individuals. It is necessary to add crushed grain to the feed mixture for treatment. Such birds need to be provided with cake, meal, as well as oats. Table salt is considered an important component of the therapeutic diet. Install not too bright lighting in the house. Give the birds a special abrasive mixture to grind down the beak and prevent damage to other turkeys.

To restore health, give the affected turkeys Methionine, Arginine, Cystine. To restore feathers, add iron and copper sulfate to the feed mixture. Sodium selenite and cobalt chloride are also suitable.

Now you know what to do if the turkeys peck each other until they bleed, and why this happens. Only compliance with the basic rules for content will allow you to avoid this problem. Otherwise, you will have to start treatment as described above.

Video "How to stop pecking"

In this video, you will learn why pecking occurs and how to stop this process.

Why turkeys peck each other is a problem that worries almost every poultry farmer. Cannibalism in poultry can lead to a significant reduction in livestock and cause considerable damage to the economy.

At the first stage of the onset of cannibalism, individual individuals peck at egg shells, inflamed areas in the area of ​​\u200b\u200binjured skin areas, wounds, etc. If diseased birds are not isolated in time, then other turkey poults will also peck their relatives. When pecking, turkeys pluck and eat feathers, peck out their eyes, and peck their belly to the insides. The pecked young growth sharply grows thin.

Pecking in turkey poults can begin as a result of a change in housing and feeding conditions. Wounds in the anus can appear as a result of an intestinal disorder, or as a result of contamination of the feathers. The following are the most common causes of turkey cannibalism:

Turkey poults are often taken to peck at strangers. Adding new birds to an already established flock breaks the hierarchy and often leads to bloody fights. It is extremely important to prevent the joint keeping of turkeys of different ages. Older individuals will certainly begin to peck at the young.

Excessive illumination of rushing turkeys also leads to pecking. The cloaca during this period is very tense and it happens that it bleeds. The sight of blood attracts turkeys, and they begin to peck at the skin and feathers of layers.

Most often, turkey poults suffer from cannibalism in violation of feeding. An excess or deficiency of animal proteins in the diet of turkeys will almost certainly cause pecking. Overfeeding with proteins entails an acid-base imbalance, which is the cause of the destruction of vitamin A and can lead to dysfunction of the mucous membranes, in particular, the cloaca. The space around this organ of birds dries up, cracks form on the skin. The itching causes the turkeys to peck themselves into bloody wounds.

In some turkey poults, the cause of pecking may be excessive dryness in the room. Excessively dry air leads to brittle feathers in turkeys. To prevent it, the birds are forced to strongly squeeze the coccygeal gland in order to release a special liquid (secret) to lubricate the plumage. This behavior leads to skin damage and subsequent pecking.

Cannibalism in turkeys is quite difficult. In the first days of illness, turkey poults tear out the plumage on the tail and neck, peck their paws until they bleed. With the manifestation of blood, the intensity of pecking increases, and the bird may die.

A radical method of preventing pecking is debriking, i.e. beak trimming of turkeys with special tools. The operation should be carried out in the first weeks of life of the chicks.

Some breeds of turkeys are genetically predisposed to cannibalism. To blood peck their own kind in their nature. Sharing such varieties with the main stock should not be allowed.

The presence of fiber in the feed of turkeys can help reduce the aggressiveness of the bird. Adding crushed grain to the diet also reduces the desire of young animals to peck at each other.

Turkeys are sensitive to changes in the color scheme of lighting in the house. To prevent pecking of the bird, it is recommended to keep turkey poults under bluish or dull white light.

Some farmers advise adding abrasive materials to turkey feeders that grind down the beak. This method is able to reduce injuries and mortality of birds during pecking to a minimum.

The presence of a sufficient area for walking allows you to direct the energy of birds to more peaceful purposes than the desire to peck their relatives.

Birds with minor injuries should be isolated and treated. Wounds must be treated with an antiseptic. Some poultry farmers advise using the ASD-2 agent, which not only disinfects and heals the pecked areas, but also scares away other young animals from them.

It is possible to give birds methionine, arginine and cystine in combination with various bromide preparations for the treatment of victims of cannibalism. For the formation and restoration of feathers, iron, manganese and copper sulfates, sodium selenite and cobalt chloride are introduced into the diet of turkeys.

Pecking can appear at any age. In turkeys, it occurs when the down is replaced by plumage. During this period, weak young animals must be kept separately so that they do not peck.

Bird nutrition must be properly balanced and enriched with vitamin and mineral supplements.