What is the cause of diarrhea in laying hens and how to treat it?

Diarrhea of laying hens has gradually become a headache for laying hens. Diarrhea is a clinical symptom of digestive function change. When intestinal mucosa inflammation, poor feed, especially indigestible crude fiber, fermented mature products, bacteria and their toxins, histamine, serotonin and other mechanical and chemical stimuli, the secretion function of intestinal mucosa is enhanced, intestinal juice is secreted in large quantities, and water and mucus in the intestinal cavity are increased, forming thin or watery intestinal contents. At the same time, due to mechanical and chemical stimulation, intestinal peristalsis is strengthened, and the retention time of intestinal contents in the intestine is too short to be fully digested and absorbed, leading to diarrhea. Diarrhea can excrete harmful substances in the digestive tract in some cases, which has a certain defensive effect, but long-term diarrhea can make a lot of water and electrolytes lose, which can cause dehydration and acidosis. The causes and mechanisms of diarrhea are complex and multifaceted. With the different etiology and pathogenesis and the length of the course, its symptoms, pathological changes and diagnosis and treatment measures are also different. Only correct diagnosis and scientific and reasonable treatment can achieve satisfactory results.

I. Physiological diarrhea

Physiological diarrhea often occurs in laying hens at the age of 120 days. Diarrhea chickens have good mental state, normal diet, plenty of water, normal eggshell color and a small number of chickens die (all due to excessive dehydration). Because at this time, when laying hens enter the laying period, there will be mutations and stress in physiology; At the same time, the production performance of chickens has shifted, which requires that the intestines must be digested more intensively to meet the body's demand for various nutrients. Coupled with the use of high-energy and high-protein feed, the intestinal environment changes, which makes the intestine prone to stress and leads to nutritional diarrhea. The production of immune substances is relatively reduced, and the body's immunity and regulatory function are reduced, which will also affect the digestion and absorption of nutrients in feed and lead to diarrhea.

Second, seasonal diarrhea.

The physiological characteristic of chicken is that there are no sweat glands, and the urinary system is directly connected with the cloaca, so excess water in the body is discharged from the cloaca with feces. In hot summer and autumn, chickens can only adjust their body temperature by drinking more water and increasing their breathing frequency. At this time, the chickens will eat less, drink more, and the ratio of feed to water is seriously unbalanced, so the feces in the chicken house are often as thin as water.

Third, the disease diarrhea:

Disease diarrhea includes diarrhea caused by bacterial diseases, viral diseases, parasitic diseases and toxic diseases.

A. Bacterial diseases: infections such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli and Clostridium welchii lead to enteritis and diarrhea.

B. Viral diseases: infectious bursal disease, Newcastle disease, avian influenza and other viral infections, which invade the intestine and cause enteritis and diarrhea.

C. Parasitic diseases: mainly small intestinal coccidia, often confused with necrotizing enteritis.

D. Poisoning diseases: Poisoning by aminoglycosides, sulfonamides, mycotoxins and other drugs in feed can cause damage to digestive system and urinary system, leading to diarrhea.

Fourth, prevention and control measures

Correct diagnosis and rational drug use. Combine antibacterial drugs with antiviral drugs to increase the amount of vitamins in water or feed, repair damaged intestinal mucosa in time, and enhance and promote the body's disease resistance and adaptability.

As the saying goes, "three-point rule and seven-point support", the usual feeding management is very important. For high-energy feed, bile acid can be properly added to feed or bile acid salt can be added to drinking water. Bile acid is not only the digestive juice of the body, but also the excretory fluid. As digestive juice, it can make up for the deficiency of bile acid secretion, promote fat digestion and absorption, improve feed utilization rate and prevent nutritional diarrhea; Reduce fat deposition in liver and abdominal cavity, protect liver and gallbladder, prevent fatty liver syndrome in laying hens and improve production performance; As excretory liquid, it can effectively remove toxins (drug residues, heavy metals, mycotoxins and other harmful substances, etc.). ) accumulated in the intestine, the metabolism was smooth, and the egg laying rate and eggshell quality were improved.

Adding a proper amount of Chinese herbal medicine-Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract into feed or drinking water, in which chlorogenic acid, a natural biological antioxidant, has the functions of scavenging free radicals, relieving stress reaction, and broad-spectrum antibacterial and antiviral; Eucommia ulmoides flavonoids-phytoestrogens, improve immunity and enhance human antiviral ability; Eucommia ulmoides polysaccharide is a nutrient for beneficial bacteria, which can maintain the health of intestinal flora and improve the nonspecific immunity of the body.

To sum up, strengthening management, reducing stress and improving immunity are effective means to prevent diarrhea in laying hens. To treat diarrhea in laying hens, it is necessary to find out the cause in order to be targeted. As long as the primary disease is cured, the symptoms of diarrhea will naturally disappear without deliberate treatment.