Poultry birds should be properly taken care of to prevent diseases and maintenance of good hygiene will make the birds resistant to diseases.
Vaccination is an artificial infection resulting in immunity. It involves the administration of a dead or weakened pathogen (virus, bacteria and parasite ) into the body of birds in a regulated manner. Therefore, Vaccination can be carried out using vaccines. Vaccines can be antibacterial, antiviral and antiparasite vaccine. It plays a vital role in the poultry health management.
Some of the diseases farmers manage by vaccination include
Marek’s disease, Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, infectious bursal disease, fowl cholera, mycoplasmaosis, infectious coryza, colibacillosis, salmonellosis, Reovirus, coccidiosis, Encophalomyelitis, fowl pox, chicken infectious anaemia, laryngotracheitis etc.
It is important for farmers to design their own vaccination program. This can be done by consulting their veterinarian. Vaccination is carried out when the birds are healthy and not sick. Sick or weak birds should not be vaccinated as the vaccines will have no effect on the disease. Note that vaccines boost the birds immune system. Therefore, when the bird is infected by or exposed to the disease, the immune cells would fight and overcome the disease making the birds not to be infected.
There are different vaccine. Some are for layers, broilers, breeders, etc.
IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATION
1. The major importance of vaccines is to protect birds against specific infectious diseases. 2.In layers birds, they are needed to ensure that maternal immunity is passed to the chicks and to prevent vertical transmission of infections.
3. Prevent the birds from death which may affect the farm production
WRONG NOTIONS AND COMMON MISTAKES ABOUT POULTRY DRUG AND VACCINE ADMINISTRATION
Many of farmers make mistake when it comes to poultry farming. These mistakes are due to lack of experience, improper guidance or any other reason. Every farmer’s mistake is different. New farmers may suffer due to insufficient knowledge and skills, while experienced farmers may suffer due to overconfidence or carelessness. All poultry farmers should avoid these common mistakes and pay special attention to these mistakes. The following are the simple guidelines to avoid many mistakes in poultry farming.
A. NON IDENTIFICATION OF SICK BIRDS ON TIME
It is very important to check and observe the birds every day so that any sick or injured bird can be isolated for treatment. Therefore, having knowledge and understanding of bird’s normal behaviour is important. All birds must be active and have a nice bright, healthy red or pink comb over on their head, their feathers should be clean, shiny and well groomed.
SYMPTOMS OF SICK BIRDS
These symptoms include;
i. Moving slowly, and not interested in eating
ii. Not eating or drinking
iii. Swollen feet or legs
iv. Head pulled in tightly
v. Hanging Wings and Tail
vi. Heavy or strained breathing
vii. Reduced egg production
viii. Stress
ix. Acting Sluggish
x. Sneezing, wheezing or coughing
xi. Pale or purple comb, and tingling
xii. Cloudy, watery, swollen or watery eyes
If there is a sick or injured bird, it is best to isolate it as soon as possible. Check the sick bird’s weight, vent, face, mouth and nostrils and look for blood, scabs and other signs of injury. Treat the bird, examine it before sending it back to the flock.
B. IMPURE WATER USAGE: The water to give to the birds for drinking, administration of drugs and vaccines should be clean and free from contamination. Avoid using tap water as it contains some amount of chlorine. Well, borehole or stream wate or rain water can be used. Caution should be taken when using stream or flowing water because such water may be polluted by chemicals from unidentified means, especially from upstream.
C. NOT IDENTIFYING POULTRY DISEASES : The farm must have a biosecurity program designed to prevent diseases from entering or spreading on the farm. The two most important aspects are the control of access to the premises and vehicles and disinfection. A farmer should not voluntarily allow people and vehicles to enter and exit the premises, and buyers should not be allowed to freely enter poultry houses. This is one of the safest ways to introduce the disease.
Any bird showing signs or symptoms of any diseases or injury should be quickly identified and isolated for treatment so that the disease does not spread to other birds.
Some diseases cannot be treated for example, bird flu. Birds affected should be culled and buried or burnt and the housing unit and its surroundings should be disinfected. Also, wild birds should be kept away from the housing units.
D. CROSSOVER USE OF HUMAN FORMULATED DRUGS FOR POULTRY BIRDS.
A lot of farmers carry out wrong drug administration on their poultry birds. Most of them uses human drugs on the birds just to “save” the birds quickly. Some farmers do it out of care and desperation. When a bird starts coughing, stooling, or looking weak, the first instinct is to grab Flagyl, Ampiclox, or even Panadol from the house.
But the bitter truth is that, these shortcuts can silently destroy the flock and even harm the people who eat the poultry products. This practice is referred to as drug cross over usage.
Crossover-use of drugs like antibiotics refers to the practice of using drug formulations licensed for humans in animals and vice versa. This practice has the potential to cause adverse drug reactions and contribute to the development and spread of drug resistance between humans and animals.
Most farmers depend on the use of drugs like antibiotics licensed for human use on poultry as a quick resort to combat any disease on the farm. This should be prevented.
In a survey carried out to investigate antibiotic usage in agricultural communities in Uganda, Tanzania and India to understand the practice of antibiotic crossover-use by medicine-providers and livestock-keepers, thematic analysis was conducted to explore driving factors of reported antibiotic crossover-use in the three countries. Similarities were found between the countries regarding both the accounts of antibiotic crossover-use and its drivers. In all three countries, poultry birds and other livestock were treated with human antibiotics, and among the total range of human antibiotics reported, amoxicillin, tetracycline and penicillin were stated as used for the animals in the countries. The major themes identified to be driving crossover-use include:
a. medicine-providers’ and livestock-keepers’ perceptions of the effectiveness and safety of antibiotics,
b. livestock-keepers’ sources of information,
c. differences in availability of human and veterinary services and antibiotics,
d. economic incentives and pressures.
Human drug crossover-use do occur most in low-intensity production agricultural settings especially in low-and-middle income countries. Most of the farmers in these countries claim that they do not have access to improved and affordable veterinary medicines for their livestock-keepers, some claim lack of knowledge in drug usage to cure their poultry diseases and some recieved wrong advices on drug usage.
Thr potential dangers of human drug like antibiotic crossover-use include building resistance to the drug, residual effect in poultry products which can affect consumer health etc.
Note; birds’ systems are very different from humans. Therefore, cross-over -use of thesame drug of human for birds and other livestock, have different effect. Wrong drug usgae and dosage can damage the bird’s liver and kidney, causing poor growth or death.
And continuous use of the drugs result in the birds building resistant, meaning infections in both birds and humans become harder to treat.
Most dangerous of all is that human drug residues remain in the meat and eggs and when humans eat them, those residues enter the body and can:
i. Trigger the drug resistance (making human drugs less effective)
ii. Cause allergic reactions and organ damage
iii. Lead to long-term health issues like liver toxicity or hormonal imbalance
In conclusion, birds may look healthy, but their meat and other products could be silently poisoning the customers of the products.
Therefore,
i. farmers should use only approved poultry medications or reliable organic remedies (like garlic, aloe vera, turmeric, pawpaw leaf) on their birds.
ii. They should also maintain strong biosecurity and hygiene. iii. they should note that prevention is cheaper than treatment.
iv. lastly, always observe drug withdrawal periods before slaughter.
PURCHASE OF VACCINES
1. Vaccines should be purchased from a reliable source, or veterinarian store. The vaccine type, doses age, expiry date, and the sealing should be checked
2. Vaccines are stored in a cold medium. Therefore, when purchasing the vaccines, ice block in a flask should be carried along to store the vaccine before arriving the farm
3. Vaccines should not be freezed or placed in the freezer but keep in the cold part of the refrigerator
4. If the vaccine is not protected, it’s potency would reduce.
5. For the birds, the right dosage must be used
6. After vaccination, the vaccine container or vail should be disposed by burning it in the soil or by burning it because it contains attenuated virus
7. Vaccines must be used immediately and must not exceed 30 minutes after mixture without usage. Some have lifespan that exceed 30 minutes.
TYPES OF VACCINE
There are two types of vaccines
1. Live vaccine, mordified or Attenuated vaccine
2. Inactivated or dead vaccine. And lastly is the. 3. Recombination
RECOMBINANT : These are modern type made using advanced technology. This one is injected from day one at the hatchery. For example, the Vectormune ND which protects against Newcastle disease and Marek’s.
LOCAL VACCINE VERSUS EXOTIC VACCINES
Vaccines can be either local vaccines or imported vaccines. Vaccination can be done locally such as eye drop, spray and oral vaccination. Imported vaccines are cheaper to use based on the cost and dosage than local vaccines. Local vaccines vail contain 200 doses while imported vaccines contain 1000 doses of vaccines which are used for 200 and 1000 birds respectively. The only disadvantage of imported vaccine is that they are produced to serve a particular climatic area. Imported vaccines manufactured in the temperate region are not adviseable to be used in the tropical region because it is mainly made for temperate bird production where the weather is cold. Local vaccines manufactured for tropical region where the temperature is high is produced to suit bird production in the hot environment.
IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL VACCINE
1. It provides an immediate local protection by virus
2. It is less risky compared to injection. It circulate antibiotics faster and
3. Local vaccines are cheap to purchase
ADMINISTRATION OF VACCINE
The most convenient time to vaccinate birds like chicks is before they leave the hatchery. It is also crucial to note that there are certain times, and ages best for vaccination. Not vaccinating at the appropriate time result to loss of birds. Therefore, vaccination program is needed. The factors to consider when planning to vaccinate chicks include: ages, doses, routes of administration, and the appropriate environmental conditions required before vaccination. Different vaccines are administered at different ages. When handling vaccines, spillover of the vaccines should be avoided because an outbreak of diseases can occur from the spill on the farms. Therefore, the emptied vaccine vail or containers should be properly disposed.
Vaccine can be administered through:
Drinking water.
Spray/nebulization (Chicks in the housed environment).
Eye drop.
Transfixion and scarification (cutaneous route in the wing web or foot).
Injection (intramuscular or subcutaneous).
In-ovo administration.
METHODS OF ADMINISTRATION OF FOWL VACCINE
Fowl vaccine can be administered by
1. Local vaccination on the mucosa
2. Injection of vaccines underneath the skin ( Subcutaneous injection)
3. Vaccination in the SKIN (intermuscular injection)
4. Ocular
5. Nasal
6. Oral
7. Spray
INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION
This is the use of a needle (syringe) to inject the vaccine into the breast muscles of the chickens. Use of automatic syringe is a faster and easy process of administration and it does not cause harm to the bird. The correct dose must be administered.
SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION
This method is similar to intramuscular injection. The vaccine is injected under the skin, usually at the back of the neck. Handlers of vaccine should make ensure that the vaccine is injected into the bird and not just into the feathers. It is the method commonly used for fowl pox vaccination.
OCULAR
The vaccine is administered to the birds eye using an eyedropper.
Vaccination using eye drop vaccination is also
called intra occular vaccination. The vaccine is dropped into the eye and comes in close contact with the mucous membrane of the eye. It also passes through respiratory tract to the lacrimal duct. Chicks should be vaccinated on the third day with intra occular vaccine. Some farmers vaccinate their chicks on the fifth day after purchase. The effectiveness of the vaccine on the bird will be seen as by birds licking after administration of the vaccine.
Eye drop vaccine is used for treatment of diseases such as Newcastle diseases, infectious bronchitis, and infectious laryngotracheitis. All are viral diseases.
ADMINISTRATION OF EYE DROP VACCINES
The birds have to be handled individually to administer the vaccine. This takes time to yield good result
NASAL
The vaccine is introduced into the birds’ nostrils which the birds inhale. These vaccine are manufactured in form of dust or as a liquid drop.
ORAL /DRINKING WATER
This method is effective in mass administration of vaccines to large numbers of poultry.
The vaccine is mixed with the birds drinking water or dropped with dropper into the fowls’ beak. As they swallow the vaccine, the vaccine make its way to the respiratory system or get to the digestive tract before entering the body. Most live vaccines are administered in water. Note, water treated with chemicals should not be used. For chlorinated water, application of skimmed milk powder to the water is a simple and effective way to overcome the detrimental effects of the chlorine. Enough drinkers should be provided to ensure that all birds have access to the vaccine water at the same time to and to minimize exceeding the vaccine lifespan. Any leftover vaccine should be discarded after exceeding it’s lifespan.
Oral administration of vaccines can only be successful if the virus can survive the acidity level in the stomach of the chicks. Oral can also be administered by subcutaneous, or intra muscular by injection which is the only way to administer dead vaccines.
SPRAY
The vaccine is sprayed on the birds, or into the air above the birds using a spray applicator. As the vaccine fall on the birds, it enter the body. Other birds that pick on the shiny feathers of birds with vaccine droplets also ingest the vaccine into their body. Vaccine droplets in the air may also be inhale in small quantity by birds. It is effective in immunizations of large numbers of birds.
IN-OVO ADMINISTRATION
This is a new technology developed in which the vaccine is administered into fertile eggs through the air cell. The egg is vaccinated at three weeks of incubation using a special machine.
The system has being used for administration of Marek’s disease vaccine, infectious bursal disease vaccine, fowlpox, avian influenza and a number of other types of live vaccine.
TYPES OF WATER USED FOR VACCINE DILUTION.
The water advisable for diluting vaccines include distilled water, rain water, well water, borehole water can be used as solvent. Water that contain chemicals are not adviseable for use as they reduce the potency of the pathogens.
MIXTURE OF VACCINES
Live vaccines such as gomboro should be mixed with milk to reduce the surface tension and neutralise the effects of some undissolved salts before administering the vaccine to the birds. For intra occulla vaccines, oral administration is used.
REASONS FOR ADDING MILK TO TAP WATER WHEN VACCINATING CHICKS AND OTHER POULTRY BIRDS
Vaccination is one of the most important ways to protect chicks from deadly diseases such as Newcastle and Gumboro. However, the method used to give the vaccine can affect its effectiveness. The most common and easier method is through drinking water.
Tap water is usually used for mixing vaccines on farms. But this tap water is often chlorinated. Chlorine in the water can destroy the live vaccine and make it useless. To prevent this, skimmed or powdered milk should be added to the tap water before mixing in the vaccine. The milk neutralizes the chlorine and protects the vaccine, ensuring that chicks receive its full benefit.
HOW TO ADMINISTER THE VACCINE
To administer vaccines, the correct practice is to first withdraw drinking water from the chicks for about three hours to make them thirsty. During this time, prepare the vaccine by adding the skimmed milk in the water. Let it stand in the shade for about 30 minutes. Then, clean the drinkers thoroughly with fresh water. After the 30 minutes, mix the vaccine with the milk solution and give it to the chicks immediately. The birds will drink eagerly, and the vaccine will work as intended.
This simple step of adding milk to tap water is very important for successful vaccination. It helps farmers avoid vaccine failure and protects flocks from dangerous diseases that can wipe out poultry businesses.
REASONS WHY LAYERS NEED MORE VACCINES THAN BROILERS AND OTHER FOWL
Layers stay in production for about 18 months so they need more vaccination than broilers. Broilers on the other hand are slaughtered early (5–6 weeks), so they do not need as much vaccines as layer birds.
Important things to note when vaccinating as a farmer:
i.) Always transport vaccines in a cool box with ice packs to keep them effective.
ii. ) Give vitamins a day before vaccination and a day after vaccination not on the Vaccination day especially if it’s an oral vaccine– this reduces stress in birds.
iii. ) Never mix vaccines with vitamins.
iv. ) Do not vaccinate sick birds.
v.) If birds are on antibiotics, stop 2 days before vaccination and continue 2 days after.
vi.)Prepare the vaccine and use it quickly – don’t expose it for long.
vii.) For vaccines given in drinking water: Birds should finish the water in not more than 2 hours and discard leftover vaccine mixture after 2 hours, wash drinkers, and then provide fresh water with vitamins afterwards.
PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE IN VACCINE ADMINISTRATION
1. For vaccine injection, handlers of vaccine should be trained in the administration of the vaccine at the right position in the breast muscles and underneath the skin.
2. Vaccine handlers should ensure that the needle does not pass into any of the key organs.
3. Handlers of vaccine and equipment to use must be in good hygienic condition. And proper vaccine handling procedures must be maintained to prevent unnecessary contamination.
4. All equipment used for vaccination must be carefully cleaned and completely free of disinfectants and detergents (note that live vaccines administered through the drinking water can be destroyed by disinfectants and soap). Therefore, cold, fresh and clean drinking water must be used
5. When vaccines are to be mixed with water, the vaccine bottle should be opened under the water.
6. Before administering vaccine mixed with water to birds, make sure the birds are thirsty to stimulate the intake of an adequate dose of the vaccine. This can be done by starving the birds overnight without water and feed. For example, lasota vaccine.
7. All the water present in the drinkers and nipple lines should be consumed by the birds prior to vaccination
8. For good effectiveness of vaccines, a well-designed vaccination program combined with proper management, good nutrition and a well followed biosecurity program should be maintained.
9. In ovo administration, a good hatchery sanitation and proper disinfection of the hatching eggs must be carried out
SOME INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN POULTRY TREATED USING VACCINES
1. ANTIBACTERIAL VACCINES :
a) PASTEURELLOSIS
Fowl cholera is caused by Pasteurella multocida,. It affects both fowl and turkeys. P. multocida vaccines include bacterins adjuvanted with aluminum hydroxide or oil emulsions, or they may contain attenuated live organisms.
b) MYCOPLASMOSIS
These diseases are caused by several pathogenic Mycoplasmas. The most important are Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS). Mycoplasma gallisepticum causes chronic respiratory disease, whereas Mycoplasma synoviae causes respiratory disease or synovitis
c) INFECTIOUS CORYZA
This is an acute respiratory disease of fowl caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum. It is characterized by nasal discharge, sneezing, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, and facial swelling. Affected hens show a significant drop in egg production. Coryza may be complicated by the simultaneous presence of many other bacteria in addition to infectious bronchitis virus
d) SALMONELLISIS
Salmonellae present the poultry farmer with two potential problems. One is the fact that they may kill large numbers of birds. The other is that they may cause human food poisoning caused by the contamination of eggs and poultry meat with Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis. This is of major concern to the poultry industry.
ANTIVIRAL VACCINES
1. NEWCASTLE DISEASES: This is a serious viral disease in poultry. It spread through infected droppings and respiratory discharge, transportation of infected equipment, personnel, truck, wild birds or by air.
CLINICAL SIGNS: High mortality, depression and difficulty in breathing
2. MAREX DISEASE OR NEUROLYMPHOMATOSIS: It occurs in birds between 12 to 16 weeks old. Day old chicks become infected by oral respiratory route. Marek’s disease is primarily controlled by Mareks vaccine which is administered either in ovo at day 18, or by subcutaneous injection at day of hatch. The vaccine is not used for broiler or breeder stock but used for pullets that spend more than a year on the farm.
CLINICAL SIGNS: loss of weight, paralysis, one leg stretches forward and the other backwards
3. INFECTIOUS BURSAL DISEASE
Also called Gumboro disease, the causal agent of IBD is an avibirnavirus.
It infects multiple bird species, but causes clinical disease only in fowl less than 10 weeks of age
4. INFECTIOUS BRONCHITIS
Infectious bronchitis is a respiratory disease of fowl that also causes nephritis, decreased egg production, poor growth, and high morbidity. It is caused by a gammacorona virus, avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). The combination of high morbidity, and loss of performance, together with secondary bacterial infections can lead to unsustainable losses
5. AVIAN REOVIRUSES
Avian reoviruses belong to the genus Orthoreoviruses in the Reoviridae family. They cause arthritis/tenosynovitis, proventriculitis, a runting-stunting syndrome, and “blue-wing disease” in broilers. These diseases affect very young birds. Reovirus vaccines are often administered to breeding hens to stimulate maternal immunity and protect the newly hatched chicks.
6. FOWLPOX
Fowlpox is caused by an Avipoxvirus. They are transmitted through aerosols or by biting insects. It is a slowly spreading infection characterized by proliferative skin lesions (dry pox) on unfeathered skin, or by diphtheritic lesions in the mucosa of the mouth, esophagus, larynx, or trachea (wet pox). The latter can result in asphyxiation of young chicks.
7. EGG DROP SYNDROME
Egg drop syndrome (EDS) is caused by an adenovirus infection in laying hens. It is characterized by production of soft-shelled and shell-less eggs.
ANTIPARASITE VACCINES
COCCIDIOSIS
Coccidiosis Infection is caused by a parasite called Eimeria coccidia. Live coccidial vaccines are used in controlling the disease . These vaccines typically contain live sporulated oocysts from multiple Eimeria species and strains. Live coccidiosis vaccines are delivered to day-old chicks either at the hatchery or on the farm by spray application, gel, or feed vaccination. Administration on feed involves spraying the feed with the diluted vaccine to moisten it before feeding to the birds.
In conclusion, remember that proper vaccination will lead to a healthier flock which leads to higher profits.
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