Rearing
Ducks
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WORMS, WATERFOWL
etc
Many of you particularly if you keep a number of geese
will run them with other livestock such as sheep or
horses . If a combined worming programme is not used
there can often occur a case of worm resistance in one of
the breeds . As an example , if geese or ducks are kept
with sheep , goats or cattle the larger species can be
wormed and the wormer will cause them to shed parasite
eggs . Many of these will be killed , the others are then
picked up by the goose or duck and will pass through
their system and later reinfect the host, this being a
frequent cause of "worm resistance" . The smaller species
may also suffer as they may be reinfected via the larger
re distributing their own worm eggs.
The simplest way to treat this is to use the same
wormer on both species and if the makers labels and dose
ratings are followed ( often with a calculator to reduce
the dose from many kilo to one and a half!) . The option
of adding a syringe to the mouth of individual geese is
both time consuming and stressful to both owner and
animals , a better method is to dilute the dose for the
pen or pens and make up a wet mash or to soak the grain.
Egg withdrawal for most makes is twenty four hours
remembering that this is the day after worming as the
eggs laid on the day of worming were produced during the
previous day . (They can be added to food for growers but
will not incubate).
Another option is to run species together which cancel
out the worms of each other such as geese and horses .
Many of the Victorian horse books talk of this being
"efficacious" and is probably the reason for so many
geese being painted in stable yards. For those without an
"estate" the muscovy is a smaller version , although it
is technically neither goose nor duck it is closer to the
goose genetically and I personally sell a number of
muscovies for general farmyard hoovering . Perhaps the
only drawback to this is it enables a broody goose or
muscovy to hide their clutch even more effectively making
the young susceptible to small rodents and the resulting
rugby scrum to collect the babies whilst being 'assisted
by mum' is another story.
DUCK VIRUS ENTERITIS(DVE)
or duck plague is an acute contagious
infection of ducks, geese and swans caused by a herpes
virus. Usually seen in domestic and feral waterfowl in
urban/farm pond settings during breeding season (April to
June). Diagnosis is based on clinical signs, pathology
supported by the isolation and identification of the
virus.
Identification : The
virus may be isolated from the liver and spleen of birds
dying from this infection. Virus can be recovered by
infecting susceptible ducklings, in which the disease can
be reproduced; by inoculating embryonated Muscovy duck
eggs on the chorioallantoic membrane; or by inoculating
cell cultures of duck embryo or Muscovy duck embryo
origin. The identity of the virus can be confirmed by
neutralisation tests using specific antiserum to inhibit
pathological changes in the duck embryos or the
cytopathological effects in the cell cultures, or by
direct or indirect fluorescent antibody tests on infected
cell cultures.
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUESDuck virus enteritis (DVE)
is an acute, sometimes chronic, contagious virus
infection that occurs naturally only in ducks, geese and
swans. The agent is a herpesvirus and similar to
Newcastle Disease in chickens. The infection has not been
reported in other avian species, mammals or humans. In
domestic ducks and ducklings, DVE has been reported in
birds ranging from 7 days of age to mature breeders. In
susceptible flocks, the first signs are often sudden,
high and persistent mortality with a significant drop in
egg production. In chronically infected partially immune
flocks, only occasional deaths occur. (In mine they did
not stop laying and even laid eggs the morning they
died)
Clinical signs
associated with a DVE outbreak vary with the species, age
and sex of the affected birds, and the virulence of the
virus. In breeder ducks, the range of signs include
photophobia (fear of light or apparent blindness),
polydipsia, loss of appetite, ataxia, watery diarrhoea
and nasal discharge. Birds often have ruffled feathers
and soiled vents. Sick birds may maintain an upright
stance by using their wings for support, but their
overall appearance is one of weakness and depression. In
ducklings 2-7 weeks of age, losses may be lower than in
older birds, and the signs associated with DVE infection
include dehydration, loss of weight, a blue colouration
of the beaks, and bloodstained vents.
REQUIREMENTS FOR VACCINES A live attenuated
virus vaccine can be used to control DVE in birds over 2
weeks of age. Fattening or breeding ducks may be
vaccinated subcutane-ously or intramuscularly to produce
an active immunity. The vaccine virus is not thought to
spread by contact from vaccinated to unvaccinated ducks,
as the unvaccinated birds remain susceptible to
infection.
Gleaned and edited From Various sources
on the net and elsewhere
The position with the vaccine is that it was brought
into this country from Holland by Intervet after a
request from Slimbridge.They imported a large quantity
and sold few .As many vets are not totally au fait with
waterfowl the disease is still little known but as it has
the same devastating effects as Newcastles it should not
be ignored
This
page will be completeed as time allows
Waterfowl
Disease Links
Duck virus enteritis... the only really transmittable
fatal duck disease aka duck plague http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/httpdata/nwhc/mortal1.html
Duck viral Enteriris http://www.oie.int/diseases/A_B305.HTM
Duck viral Hepatitis http://www.oie.int/diseases/A_B304.HTM
Duck Viral Enteritis http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/30020001.htm
Duck Diseases http://www.csiro.au/news/mediarel/mr1998/mr98279.html
Veterinary facts http://www.poultrynet.gatech.edu/
The
netvet pageshttp://www.netvet.wustl.edu/birds.htm
Incubation
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