How to prevent addiction in raising pheasants

Pheasant addiction, also known as pecking, pica, bulimia, mutual pecking, is a kind of abnormal taste syndrome caused by a variety of nutrients deficiency and metabolic disorders. Chickens of all ages and breeds can occur, especially in chicks and middle chickens, especially in intensive breeding and caged chickens. Once the addiction chicken appears, it will soon spread to the whole flock, with an incidence of more than 80% and a mortality rate of 50%. Even if the motivational factors disappear, addiction will often persist in the flock, resulting in injury, disability and death of chickens, resulting in certain economic losses.

1 the causes of chicken addiction

There are internal causes and inducements for chickens to develop addiction. The internal cause is mainly congenital genetic factors, and the inducement is mainly induced by human factors. Some people think that chicken addiction is caused by improper feeding management, narrow chicken corral and insufficient sulfides in feed, while others think that it is caused by insufficient alkali and calcium in feed, lack of protein and vitamins, intensive feeding and lack of outdoor exercise. From the point of view of modern veterinary medicine, chicken addiction is a kind of stress syndrome caused by congenital genetic factors induced by imperfect human conditions. The main causes of chicken addiction are as follows.

Insufficient nutrients in the diet, or improper proportion of various nutrients

Such as dietary nutrition incomplete price, animal protein or some amino acid content is too low, amino acid imbalance, crude fiber content is too low, vitamin and mineral deficiency, lack of green fodder or roughage, salt deficiency, corn content is too high and so on. Full-price granules are more likely to cause chicken addiction than powder and caged than flat breeding.

The main results are as follows: (1) protein and amino acids are necessary nutrients for chicken life. For example, laying hens need 8 g protein per day for maintenance, and 15 g protein for each egg laid. If the laying rate is maintained at 70%, the daily protein requirement for each hen should not be less than 18.5 g. It is generally believed that the crude protein in the diet of laying hens is less than 15%, that of medium chickens is less than 14%, that of chicks is less than 19%, or that methionine in the diets of laying hens is less than 0.27%, that of medium chickens is less than 0.25%, and that chicks are less than 0.3%, all of which are easy to induce addiction. In addition, there is only plant protein but no animal protein in the diet, or the amount of methionine is sufficient, but the balance of various amino acids is ignored, which is also easy to induce addiction.

(2) deficiency or deficiency of certain vitamins can cause physiological dysfunction and metabolic disorder of chickens. Normal chicken feed should contain at least 14 essential vitamins, and the proportion should be appropriate, otherwise disease will occur. For example, the lack of VB1, VB2 or VB12 in chicken feed can affect the normal absorption of protein; lack of VB6 can make chicken body information transmission disorder, and even appear obvious neurological symptoms.

(3) Major elements such as Ca, P and trace elements such as Fe and Se are essential substances for chicken body forming cells, forming bones, maintaining muscle and neurophysiological activities, etc. For example, the absorption rate of Ca in the diet of chickens is 50% Mel 60%, and each egg contains about 2.2g calcium. Therefore, for every egg laid by laying hens, at least 4 g Ca is needed. It is generally believed that addiction can be induced when the content of Ca in the diet is less than 3% for laying hens, 0.6% for medium chickens, and 0.9% for chicks, or the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the diet is lower than 5:1 for laying hens, 1.2 for Chinese chickens, and 1.3 for chicks. In addition, dietary salt is less than 0.3%; there is a deficiency in various trace elements; or improper proportion of various trace elements can also induce addiction.

(4) the crude fiber in diet can promote intestinal peristalsis, digestion and absorption. It is generally believed that the crude fiber content in the diet should not be less than 2.5% or more than 4.5% for laying hens, less than 3% or higher than 5% for Chinese chickens, and no less than 3% or more than 4% for chicks.

Poor environment for raising chickens and improper feeding and management

(1) the temperature is on the high side, the ventilation is not smooth; the harmful gas concentration is high, the ammonia gas is pungent and dazzling; the ground is humid, the chicken feels muggy and uncomfortable; the sun is too strong or the light is too strong, the lighting system is unreasonable; restricted feeding and so on, can make chickens feel irritable, induce addiction, and affect the laying rate. (2) the ability of chickens to identify companions is limited. if the group is too large and the cage or flat breeding density is too high, it will increase the chance of pecking each other because they are not familiar with each other, and violent pecking will often occur. (3) mixed culture of strong and weak, large and small, or mixed culture of different breeds, different ages and different feather colors when regrouping. (4) the light in the egg box is too strong, or the egg box is insufficient, and more chickens compete for the nest, which will increase the chance of pecking anus. Eggs are not collected in time, especially for thin-shell eggs and soft-preserved eggs. Once they are trampled by chickens, egg-eating addiction will be induced quickly after being pecked by chickens. (5) improper feeding. For example, the feeding time is not fixed, the feeding amount is not enough, the feeding time is uncertain, the feed quality is poor, moldy and deteriorated, the supply of drinking water is insufficient and so on. In addition, if the feeding trough is insufficient, or if the feeding frequency and time are changed at will, the chicken will bully the weak in the process of fighting for food and form a bad habit in the pecking fight.

Suffer from parasitic diseases

Chickens with parasitic diseases in the body often remain inside and outside the anus after defecation. At this time, the chicken pecks itself because of itching, or other chickens come to fight for food after seeing the worm and peck through the anus. Chickens with ectoparasitic diseases often peck and tickle themselves, and once they bleed, they will immediately attract the same flock of chickens to compete for pecking.

Other factors (1) molting factor. When the chicken moults and the chicks give birth to new hair buds, the skin itches and occasionally pecks and bleeds when pecking and relieving itching, which can also attract the same flock of chickens to compete for pecking. (2) hormone factors. The increase of estrogen and progesterone in the blood of the soon-to-be-born chicken and the increase of androgen in the rooster are all factors contributing to the increase in the tendency of addiction. (3) the disease was not cured and the diseased chickens were not kept in isolation. Such as: suffering from parasites, enteritis, itchy skin during molting, and failure to isolate chickens with trauma, pecking injury, anal fissure, cloacal prolapse and other diseases in time. In particular, the chickens that are often waiting for the opportunity to peck at the anus and wounds of other chickens are not isolated. (4) adjust the flock and determine the order of the flock. When adjusting the flock, adding new chickens will destroy the original stable pattern, often struggle to re-establish the order of the group, and peck each other before determining the subordinate relationship.

2 common types of chicken addiction

Meat pecking is the most common addiction. After the same flock of chickens attack each other, injure or even die, some of the bodies are eaten by the attackers. It can occur in different breeds of chickens and chicks of all ages. If it is prevented in chickens, it rarely occurs before adulthood.

Anus pecking is the most serious addiction to the anus and its lower abdomen. it is found in high-yield caged chickens or open-production flocks, and most of the losses are high-yield laying hens. The inducement is that too large eggs take a long time to expel and cause prolapse or tear. Once the anus was pecked, the flocks of chickens competed for pecking until the intestines protruded and fell to the ground, causing death. After mating and pullorum, when the feathers around the anus are covered with white gray dung, it is easy to peck at the anus.

Feather pecking often occurs in the moulting period of developing chicks and laying hens, especially in the high-yielding new chickens, which is mostly related to the deficiency of sulfur-containing amino acids, sulfur and B vitamins. The performance of feather-pecking, wing-pecking, tail-pecking or self-pecking, being pecked, pecking each other. It often makes feathers incomplete, skin and flesh exposed, and egg production decreased. Sometimes after pecking the flesh exposed to bleeding, it develops into a meat pecker.

Toe-pecking chickens peck at each other's toes, causing bleeding or lameness, serious toes can be pecked off, chicks are most likely to occur. In addition, crown pecking and beard pecking are more common in the struggle between cocks, and scale pecking is more common in chickens with pathological changes caused by external parasites on their feet.

As soon as the egg-eating hens lay eggs, the hens flock to peck at the eggs, and sometimes the laying hens also peck at their own eggs, mainly in the egg-laying flock, especially in the spring when the eggs are flourishing. Due to lack of calcium or protein content in feed, it is often accompanied by thin-shell or soft-shell eggs. It often starts with a soft-shell egg being stepped on, or occasionally breaking an egg in the nest or on the ground.

Pica pecks at old white ash, bricks, ceramic fragments, and swallows feathers and sawdust contaminated by feces and urine, which are more common in Chinese chickens or adult chickens. The common manifestations of diseased chickens are indigestion, dull feathers, emaciation and so on.

3Preventive measures of chicken addiction

Timely beak amputation and beak trimming is a better way to prevent and stop the occurrence of chicken ringworm. Broken beak, is with the help of special equipment to cut off the tip of the chicken beak, the upper beak is slightly shorter, the lower beak is slightly longer, so that the chicken loses the ability to peck flesh and eggs, so as to avoid the formation of addiction. Although broken beak can not completely prevent addiction, but it can reduce the incidence of addiction and reduce its damage, but also save feed.

(1) beak-breaking instruments: beak-breakers have been mass-produced in China. There is no beak breaker, scissors and electric iron can be used instead. In addition, a thin iron plate is used to drill several oval holes with different diameters according to the thickness of the beak as a protective plate.

(2) the timing of beak amputation: early beak amputation, it is better to cut beak for the first time at the age of 5-9 days (or 7-10 days), and to trim the laying hens at the age of 10-12 weeks (or before laying). The beak was amputated in the late stage at the age of 10-12 weeks. No later than 18 weeks of age at the latest, because the beak is broken during the laying period, which will lead to a decrease in the laying rate. If you don't want to cut off the beak of the whole flock, you should at least catch the hateful chickens in the flock and cut off the beak.