Breeders of Ornamental Pheasants

 in Southwest Scotland

Coccidiosis & Cannibalism

(two problems associated with rearing chicks)

Coccidiosis

Coccidiosis is a disease caused by a protozoa (Coccidia) and is spread through bird droppings. Like many parasites they thrive in warm damp conditions so it is important to keep brooder boxes clean and dry and chicks should not be overcrowded as these poor sanitary conditions are heaven for Coccidia. Young chicks are the usual victims mainly because by the time the birds are around three months of age they will have built up an immunity to the protozoa.

The best and easiest way of avoiding this common and often fatal disease is by using a coccidiostat in the chick food. Avatec is usually used in the UK and with a prescription from the vet can be added to the crumb or pellet. This medicine controls the parasite rather than killing it which helps the chick to develop an immunity to the coccidia.

Symptoms of Coccidiosis are: Diarrhoea, sometimes with blood present;  the chicks infected may have dirty or wet vents; lethargy; little interest in food is another sign as well as dehydration. Also any bird not growing well or possibly looking pale could have the disease. Unfortunately these symptoms are rather general, with the exception of the blood which may not always be there, which is why we like to use a preventative medicine like Avatec. This way all the chicks are protected and coccidiosis can be discounted if we have problems with any of our chicks.

Cannibalism

Cannibalism can be a big problem with pheasant chicks. Infra red lights can help a little by reducing visibility of any redness as the birds will very quickly start to pick on an injured pen mate. Deep bedding in brooder boxes and chicks pens can also be useful to cover chicks toes as they can be pecked and hauled at ruthlessly as if they were a mealworm, which they look rather like.

The chicks can be horrendously cruel and cannibalism can be extremely difficult to stop once it has started. Overcrowding of pens encourages this behaviour which is likely to start from the natural curiosity of chicks which will peck at everything they see. If the birds are given other things to peck instead the problem can often be averted. Any greens with long stalks could be hung up to attract their attention. Places for chicks to hide and perches for the birds can also make the area more interesting and therefore keep the birds busy and give respite to chicks which might be victimised. It is vital however to keep watch for any sign of a bird being picked on as it takes very little time for a chick to be scalped or killed by the offender. Also if a chick is spending much of it's time in hiding it should be removed and kept with smaller birds as it may not be feeding even if it seems to be unhurt.

Birds can be debeaked (the tip of the beak is removed) to make it harder for them to grip another chick or beak bits can be used for the same reason. These keep the beak open slightly and although the birds may seem uncomfortable with them on for the first hour or so they soon get used to them and they are certainly better than an injured bird. We prefer not to use these tactics but if birds are injuring others it is necessary to do something and unfortunately we can not keep all chicks on their own, at least not for long. If using beak bits it is vital to use the correct size so that the bird is not hurt and the beak can continue to grow properly. They are a short term measure only which will hopefully break the bad habits of the offending chick.

Feather picking can be caused by poor diet, although this is not always the case, so it is best to make sure the chicks are started off with a good quality feed. Often it is feather picking which leads to worse things when the culprit sees blood. The colour red certainly seems to attract the birds (they will usually eat red berries before trying others). If we do get an injured bird we spray the injury with terramicin which will help the wound heal. The spray is blue and will stay on the bird for a long time. The blue colour seems to discourage the other chicks from continuing to peck at the injured bird. It may be that it tastes pretty bad too but usually the bird is not touched as long as it has been sprayed.

Prevention is much better than cure and if you can keep your birds occupied with things other than each other it helps greatly. If anyone has good tips for stopping cannibalism in chicks please get in touch as I would like to add these to "Your Page".

Please get in touch with a veterinary surgeon if you are at all worried about your birds. We are NOT qualified vets and our health pages are only meant as a rough guide. 

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