is receiving increased attention when investigating factors leading to SDS The brooding house should have strict biosecurity

ict biosecurity with

and Ascites.
Perhaps it is time for the industry to re-think some of the early handling,
feeding and management programs for the young chick.
Tips for preventing ECM
Prevention is better than cure' holds good even for ECM. ECM control
needs a multifaceted approach in terms of management, nutrition and
disease prevention.
restricted entry. Control wild birds, animals, and rodents as they
act as carriers.
Long travel from hatchery to brooding house induces stress,
dehydration, gout, and mortality. Transportation in a closed
truck results in ascites due to lowered oxygen tension.
Overcrowding of brooders increases ECM due to trampling,
inanition and stress.
Rough handling while vaccinating, weighing, etc. induces
stress and mortality

UPDATE BULLETIN
If there is a lack of information on maternal immunity status it is
Selection of healthy and good quality chicks at the hatchery. better to vaccinate the chicks against Gumboro, Infectious
Bronchitis and New Castle disease (ND) FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY
Adequate brooding and management of chicks in the houses.
Multivitamins and essential supportive therapy with vitamins A, Published in the Interest of Customer Education VOL. 10 NO. 6
Locate the brooder house as far away from the older birds as
possible. D3, E, C. Amino acids should be given in drinking water.

Never raise birds of different age groups in the same premises. From the 27th day onwards, prophylactic treatment for
mycoplasma along with prophylactic doses of multivitamins
Proper cleaning and disinfection of chicken houses and may be carried out for five days. Early Chick Mortality is of great concern to the poultry farmer because of its economic implications.
biosecurity measures.
The four main causes for Early Chick Mortality are Genetic, Management, Nutritional and Disease. The solution to this problem lies in a multi-faceted
approach. But the best solution is prevention. WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.
VETCARE AWARD FOR
EXCELLENCE IN
Bharat Tandon

Early Chick
1. High brooding temperature leads to
a. Dehydration

AVIAN PATHOLOGY
b. Panting
Well begun is half done' holds good in poultry production also, because a good start
c. Brooding Pneumonia
d. Smothering
means a better bird. The first week of a chick's life is very crucial. To realize the genetic
e. Both a & b potentiality of today's broilers and layers, they need a good start and utmost care.

Mortality
'Vetcare Award for Excellence in Avian pathology' for the year 2002 was
conferred on Dr. M. L. Sathyanarayana, Ph.D, Associate Professor, 2. Young chick contains ______ percentage of water Obtaining a good quality chick is the first step towards achieving high profits. Chicks
Dept. of Pathology, Veterinary College, Bangalore for his invaluable should have qualities such as uniformity, lively bright eyes, good plumage, and a
contribution in the field of Probiotics & Mycotoxins and in turn the 3. Major diseases causing ECM
services rendered to the poultry industry.
plump body with high day-old weight.
a. CRD
Vetcare has been instituting this award to support research activities b. Salmonellosis
and to have continued cooperation between institute and the industry. c. Colibacillosis
Why is the first week so crucial? Furthermore, the digestive organs
Award recognizes and encourages the valuable contribution made by d. All of the above
pathologists in the field of Probiotics and Mycotoxins in Avian species. and liver develop in the first weeks of
Award consists of Rs. 15000/- and citation, is given during annual 4. Vitamin E deficiency in chick causes ______. Constant increase in daily growth, specially in broiler chicks, makes the length of the fattening period life and later, skeletal and muscular
conference of IAVP, every year. shorter, and today's birds eat less and produce more. To achieve this, the first few days of a chick's life tissue mass increases. The intestine
Vetcare requests all eminent pathologists to contribute and cooperate 5. Low blood glucose level in chick results in ______. are important because this is when the basis is laid for optimum growth and health. Immediately after is virtually sterile and has to acquire its
more in this regard. hatching, all kinds of important changes occur in the chick. When a chick hatches out of an egg, 20% of own native microflora. Pathogens
First five entries will be given surprise gift. Hurry up! Send its body weight consists of the remains of yolk. Though yolk provides the chick with sufficient nutrients pose a major challenge as they
your entries to directmarketing@vetcareindia.com or by
PROVIMI NEWS post.
for the first few days, the chick has to switch from digesting the yolk to digestion of solid feed. multiply at a much faster pace
The research facility in de viersprong in Velddriel, Holland has opened compared to normal microflora.
recently. This expansion will enable the Provimi Group to do research with Immune organs are yet to develop
rumen fistulated dairy cows. Provimi companies have already started using fully. All these factors make the first
this facility in co-ordination with Provimi Research and Technology Centre. week very crucial.

Early Chick Mortality

This guy was driving on a country road at 70 kilometres per hour and
suddenly noticed a chicken just overtook him and was speeding in the Chick mortality during the early weeks
front. Curious, this guy accelerated and followed the chick which poses a great economic challenge to
eventually ended up in a poultry farm. This guy stopped and found the the poultry farmer and is a matter of
owner, asked him in utter surprise about the racing chick. "Oh, that one great concern. ECM is the result of
.. it's my biotech adventure, a four legged chick. "That's amazing" many interrelated factors. Unless
explained this guy. "But how does it taste?" he asked. "Who knows?" tackled carefully from different
said the breeder. "I could never catch one". angles, viz. management, nutrition,
disease control, etc., it is difficult to
control Early Chick Mortality.
Edited and Published by Bharat Tandon for Vetcare, Divn. of Tetragon Chemie Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. Published from IS-40, KHB Industrial Area,
Yelahanka New Town, Bangalore 560 064 India Ph : 080-846 2055/56 Designed and Printed by Focus Communications, Bangalore 560 003. Ph : 080-3463264.
e-mail: directmarketing@vetcareindia.com www.vetcareindia.com
Causes of ECM:
There are many causes of Early Chick Mortality. Some
important causes are:
1. Genetic causes. 2. Managemental causes.
3. Nutritional causes. 4. Diseases.
MANAGEMENTAL CAUSES
A) Brooding and Brooding Temperature
Brooding the chicks on the floor needs a 3-inch layer of clean dry litter.
Sawdust and other fine litter material should be avoided to prevent
excessive litter consumption, which results in choking. Brooding on
slippery surfaces like newspaper or wood floors is not advisable as the lack
of good traction may result in permanent leg damage. A chick guard 18-24
inches high and 6-10 ft. across is sufficient for 100 chicks.
High brooding temperature causes:
Dehydration: The body of young chicks contains about 70% water.
Continuous high temperature causes loss of water from the body
and when this water loss reaches about 10% the chicks die due
to dehydration.
Pasting: This is another problem of high brooding temperature
wherein feces block the vent. Pasting ultimately results in death.
At the same time, Low brooding temperature causes:
Chilling or Brooding pneumonia: Temperatures below normal lead
to pneumonia in young chicks, in which the lungs turn blue.
Smothering: Under low temperature chicks huddle together to
maintain body temperature and this results in smothering and
death.
GENETIC CAUSES
Sticky embryos die during the last four days of incubation and about half the
naked chicks die during the two or three days before hatching time.
Congenital loco is lethal within a week of hatching and congenital tremor
kills 90% of the affected chicks within a month. If the eggs from a control and
a carrier flock are incubated under the same conditions, the maximum
difference in hatching will be about 25%.
Feed poisoning: Fungus-contaminated feed and toxic material in feed
cause feed poisoning .
Salt poisoning: Salt poisoning due to excess salt in drinking water and feed
also causes mortality.
Ammonia: Putting curtains down for long hours leads to accumulation of
ammonia, which causes irritation of mucous membrane and eyes, low
feed consumption, reduced growth rate, loss of cilia in the trachea,
hemorrhage, and death at levels above 100 ppm. Ammonia
concentration should therefore be less than 25 ppm.
Tannin or Litter poisoning: The ingestion of toxic material like tannin in
sawdust causes mortality.
Injuries: Improper handling of chicks during various operations such as
sexing, vaccination, dubbing and de-beaking can lead to injuries and
death.
C) Relative Humidity
High relative humidity in the brooding house causes dampness of litter
material, which facilitates the growth of micro-organisms that cause infections.
D) Predators
Predators cause mortality if brooding houses are not properly constructed with
protection against predators such as rats, cats, and dogs.
Vitamins
Severe deficiency of vitamins (A, D, E & K) causes death, while minor deficiency causes cessation of growth, ruffled feather, lacrimation, rickets,
encephalomalacia, exudative diathesis, anemia, etc. Similarly, severe deficiency of these vitamins (B-complex and C) causes death, while minor deficiency
causes loss of weight, poor feathering, poor growth, dermatitis, perosis, nervous signs, anemia, etc.
Vitamin signs of deficiency
Vitamin D3
Beak and claws soft and pliable, severe weakness of legs
Pantothenic Acid
Retards growth, ragged feather development, eyelids stick together, crusty scabs at the corner of mouth and eye
Vitamin A
Cessation of growth, drowsiness, weakness, incoordination, emaciation, ruffled plumage.
Folic acid
Deficiency results in poor feathering, retardation of growth, and anemia
Vitamin E
Central nervous system disturbance, subcutaneous edema, muscle abnormalities
Riboflavin
Diarrhoea, retardation of growth, leg paralysis
Vitamin B12
Retarded growth, gizzard erosion, fatty heart, liver, and kidneys may occur, along with poor feathering
All these vital nutrients are important not only for growth, but also for body resistance. Amino acids especially Arginine, Threonine and Methionine are
very important for development of the immune system. Essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 and Omega 6 positively influence immune response.
DISEASE CAUSES

Chilled chicks have smaller bursa compared to those under normal
temperature. Proper brooding helps in absorption of yolk and prevents
yolk-sac infection.
Prevention of temperature-related problems: To prevent dehydration,
pasting, chilling and smothering, adjust the brooding room temperature 24
hours before putting the chicks in the brooding room and during the
brooding period. Try to maintain normal temperature throughout the
brooding period and in the entire brooding area.
B) Poisoning and injuries
Mortality due to poisoning is also high in young chicks.
NUTRITIONAL CAUSES
Yolk-sac is regarded as the nutritional source for the first 48-78 hours after
hatching. Though it is a rich source of maternal antibodies and vitamins, it
does not provide complete nutrition. Use of nutritional supplements as
early as possible can help in developing the intestines, immunity and
general health. It is important to remember that early chick growth is
determined by the intestines. Early intestinal development is one of the
important factors controlling later potential growth. As this development is
completed during the first few days, any mistake during this period can be
disastrous for later productivity. A delay in placement by 24 hours would
mean reduction by 50% in yolk-sac weight and body weight at 3-7 weeks,
apart from early chick mortality. Use waterers that the young chick can
E) Water
Water plays an important role in maintaining the health and performance of the
birds. It acts as a transport medium for nutrients and metabolic end products. It
helps in maintaining body temperature during hot weather. Water plays an
important role in weight gain of broilers. Water is a source of minerals like Na,
Cl, K, etc.
F) Inadequate floor, feeder and watering space
Inadequate floor space is another cause of mortality in chicks as over-crowding
causes dampness of the litter material which then becomes a suitable site for
the multiplication of pathogenic organisms causing coccidiosis, etc.
Inadequate feeder and watering space creates competition among chicks,
which therefore become weak and die due to starvation.
reach, but not fall into. For larger flocks, a nipple watering system at an
appropriate height works very well. Baby chicks, being curious, see the shining
droplet on the nipple waterer, peck at it and thereby quickly learn to activate the
waterers. Nipple height and placement are critical factors in averting early chick
mortality. If the nipple is beyond reach, chicks consume wet bedding material
beneath the nipples, and unable to swallow the material, suffocate and die. The
problem can be corrected by lowering the nipples and increasing the number of
nipples.
Feed: Feeders are to be placed close to the source of heat, but not directly
under the lamp. Keep the feed fresh all the time. Feeding chicks with too much
dusty feed on day one increases mortality due to clogging in the crop and
suffocation. However, feeding larger grain particles, especially maize, causes
'crop bound' and lactic acidosis resulting in mortality. Accidental feeding of
grower or layer mash is also dangerous as particle size is too large.
Infectious diseases play a crucial role in the life of a chick imposing a major
limiting factor on intensive production programs all over the world and more so
in tropical countries. The economic losses may be reflected in heavy mortality
or reduced meat and egg production. Early chick mortality may be caused by
bacterial infections, showing lesions of yolk sac-infection. Air sacculitis,
congested lungs and liver, etc.
Many infections are transmitted from parents vertically and some of them could
be hatchery-borne, e.g. Salmonella, Mycoplasma, Adenoviral infections. Even
eggs contaminated with micro-organisms play a significant role in poultry
production pathology - E. coli, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus. Micro-
organisms cause increased mortality of embryos, lower hatchability and
increased early chick mortality.
30-35% of chick mortality is due to enterobacterial organisms.
Salmonella alone is considered as a frequent cause next to
Colibacillosis and outbreaks occur during the first 3-4 days of a chick's
life.
E. coli with other organisms contribute to yolk-sac infections and
account for 5 - 6 % of chick mortality
Other less common organisms responsible for ECM are Pseudomonas
(6-8%), Klebsiella (3-4%) and Bacillus sp. (1-2%).
Mycoplasma and CRD cause respiratory diseases in the first
3-4 days resulting in huge mortality.
In multi-age group farms where IB vaccination is practiced, IB causes
respiratory problems as well as infectious gout.
IBD cause high mortality during the first 3-4 weeks.
Omphalitis: This bacterial disease affects chicks during and after hatching,
navel infection characterized by inflamed skin in the navel area, soft, flabby,
and distended abdomen, vent pasting and foul smell on carcass opening, due
to unabsorbed yolk.
Pullorum: An acute infectious and fatal bacterial disease in chicks
characterized by ruffled feather, white diarrhea, labored breathing, chirping,
and death.
Salmonellosis: A group of acute rapidly-spreading diseases affecting all ages
and characterized by rise in body temperature, septicemia, omphalitis,
hepatitis, enlargement of spleen, arthritis, and death.
Colibacillosis: An acute septicemic disease caused by E. coli affecting all
ages and characterized by involvement of all systems, poor feed conversion,
and death.
Metabolic Problems: Recently, reference has been made to the possible role
of low levels of blood glucose in triggering some of the non-specific early
mortality problems noted in chicks. Birds that are hatched early or from small
eggs may have reduced blood glucose levels when taken from the hatchery.
Chicks are subjected to various procedures in the hatchery, each adding to the
stress load on the birds. As the stress load increases the demand for blood
glucose also increases, with the result that adrenalin is secreted and glycogen
reserves are mobilized from the body. Thus in a situation where the chick is
without feed for 24 to 48 hours, low blood glucose levels can result. Birds that
hatch early use up their glucose reserves while in the hatchery unlike those that
hatch later. When glucose reserves are depleted, the chicks are in a precarious
state with respect to their ability to handle stress. Low blood glucose has been
shown to be associated with several of the non-specific early mortality
problems reported in chicks. Reduced pH values associated with low blood
glucose will obviously result in changes in acid-base balance, a condition which