| There's
a reason for most of those deaths, and it's usually an
undetected UPPER RESPIRATORY FUNGAL INFECTION. There are
numerous upper respiratory ailments and I'm not going to
cover each one here. Instead, I'll address fungal
infections from the most basic of causes, the connection
to our environment, and an exciting new treatment. Sound
complicated? It's not.
Following damp weather or
after drying out damp coop conditions, the molds that
were once actively growing lose the dampness they need to
live. When they do, they 'sporulate' into mold spores in
order to survive for later reproduction. In their mold
spore state, they become airborne or stay in litter or
sand dust and can be inhaled by our birds. Once inhaled,
the spores find a new damp environment in the lungs and
trachea of a bird where their growth creates an upper
respiratory fungal infection.
Birds that are otherwise
strong and healthy can usually fight off a mild infection
and recover nicely, although the fungus can remain in the
bird and reappear during future events of stress.
However, when birds are at their weakest - due to youth,
old age, or stressed in some other way - they can die
quickly and without noticeable symptoms. Noticeable
symptoms include gaping (stretching their neck forward
and opening their mouth), coughing, sneezing, sniffling,
'chirping', and gasping for air. Sometimes a bird with no
noticeable symptoms can be held to your ear to hear
crackling, rattling, and gurgling from inside their lungs
when they breathe. (Symptoms are more noticeable in
waterfowl than in poultry.) The bird can simply suffocate
from the fungus in their trachea, or die from the excess
fluid created in their lungs as their bodies try to fight
off the invaders. A chicken's trachea is a fraction of
the size of a waterfowl's, so chickens can expire much
quicker and without many symptoms.
Up until recently, there
had been no known effective systemic treatment against
most types of fungal infections (that was easily
obtained). Typical antibiotics have no effect against
fungi, are only effective against bacteria, and simply
ward off secondary infections while the bird's own body
tries to recover.
But there is great news! I
have recently had the opportunity to try a relatively new
(and EPA approved), form of treatment for upper
respiratory fungal infections that is ALSO effective
against bacterial and viral infections. It's a stabilized
(UNACTIVATED), 2% chlorine dioxide disinfectant called
OXINE. (The label shows how to activate it with citric
acid - don't.) Oxine is available through Seven Oaks Game Farm, Smith
Poultry Supply, and Cutler's Pheasant Supply. The standard treatment is to dilute 6.5
ounces of Oxine in 1 gallon of water. (This provides 1000 ppm of active disinfectant.) Apply using fogging or
nebulizing equipment every other day for a week - OR - up
to 3 times per day for very severe cases. For those with
very small flocks, use the same dilution and apply
through the finest mist setting on a bottle with a
trigger sprayer. The goal is to get the birds to
literally inhale the Oxine mist or fog. Fogging is best.
I use the hand-held Fogmaster Tri-Jet Fogger. You can
purchase one on the Internet at www.fogmaster.com.
Dyna-Fog also has a nice product at www.dynafog.com.
Once the birds inhale
Oxine, it works as a disinfectant to kill the growing
fungus in the trachea and lungs by direct contact. Once
killed, the fungus is gone forever from the bird's system
and eliminates any further irritation from the infection.
The only time Oxine won't work is if it's administered
after the bird's own defenses have 'walled off' the
fungus (put a coating over it to isolate it from the
healthy cells). If this happens, the Oxine cannot make
direct contact with the fungus, and therefore, cannot
kill it. It is then up to the bird's own defenses to
recover.
At prescribed dilutions,
Oxine is so safe that you could use it as a mouthwash!
Oxine is commonly used to treat human and animal drinking
water and is 'cutting-edge' treatment in the egg
producing and commercial poultry industry. Those that are
aware of Oxine, fog their flocks once a week as part of
their preventative routine. (Oxine has also been proven
to virtually eliminate avian influenza from a select
group of turkey houses in the upper Midwest.)
Oxine disinfects better
than chlorine bleach and kills all known bacteria, molds,
spores, and viruses. It will even kill the airborne mold
spores as you fog. It also has a residual disinfecting
effect when you fog the entire coop or pen in addition to
the birds, and it makes a good egg sanitizer. (Getting
the fog into the birds' drinking water or feed while
fogging is nothing to worry about, and is probably
beneficial.)
Molds, mold spores, and
fungus play a key role in bird loss. But most breeders
have come to expect a certain number of unexplained
losses among their youngsters. This is especially true
among waterfowl breeders. You know the old saying 'don't
count your chickens before they've hatched'? Well, I like
to add to that 'don't count your ducklings until they're
2 weeks old'. If there's going to be a serious
developmental problem within the waterfowl, it usually
shows itself within 2 weeks in the brooder. You shouldn't
have losses after 2 weeks that are unexplainable. If you
do, you've probably got an upper respiratory fungal
infection.
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