Davidovick Enterprises Free Range Poultry.

04/10/2026

Let's grow together

04/10/2026

03/10/2026

*Avian Influenza - Bird Flu*

This is a very serious notifiable disease.

Here are full details for chickens:

*1. Cause:*
Virus - Influenza Type A - family Orthomyxoviridae. Main strains are H5N1, H5N8, H7N9. In Zimbabwe the last outbreak at Irvine's was *H5N8*. It mutates quickly and spreads very fast. 853e

*2. How it spreads:*
- Wild water birds (ducks) carry it naturally
- Through droppings, saliva, nasal discharge, contaminated cages, clothes, shoes, feed, water, vehicles
- Very contagious - 20% to 100% of flock can die suddenly 09f72eec

*3. Signs in chickens:*
Watch for:

- *Sudden death without warning* - most common sign
- Lack of energy, ruffled feathers, huddled together, stop eating
- Swollen head, eyelids, comb, wattles, legs - purple/blue colour
- Breathing: coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, gasping, stretching neck to breathe
- Nervous: twisted neck (torticollis), head tilt, tremors, lack of coordination, paralysis
- Diarrhoea - yellow-green watery, egg drop - soft shells or stop laying 03c38da4

*4. What to do if you suspect it:*

This is law in Zimbabwe - you MUST report, you cannot treat or sell birds.

1. *DO NOT move birds, eggs, manure*
2. Isolate sick birds immediately
3. Call your nearest *Veterinary Services / AGRITEX* office immediately. In Harare - call Department of Veterinary Services
4. They will come to take samples and will cull infected flock to stop spread 853e6566

*5. Prevention - Biosecurity is the only defense:*

- Keep chickens in enclosed run with netting - no contact with wild birds
- No visitors, change shoes/clothes before entering fowl run
- Disinfect equipment, drinkers, feeders daily
- Quarantine new birds 30 days
- Remove standing water that attracts wild ducks
- Wash hands before and after handling birds 03c3

*6. Vaccine:*
In Zimbabwe vaccination is *NOT allowed* for small farmers without government permission - because it hides the disease. Commercial farms use Vectormune AI only under vet supervision. Don't buy black market vaccine. 6566

*Human risk:* H5N8 has low risk to humans, but H5N1 can infect people who handle sick birds closely. Always wear8 mask/gloves, cook chicken and eggs fully at 70C for 30 minutes.

Let's grow together

02/10/2026

The *Infectious BURSAL Disease - Gumboro* -This is very common in chickens.

It is not curable once birds get it, but it is preventable with vaccine. Here are the full details:

*1. What it is:*
- Virus disease called IBD - Infectious Bursal Disease
- Caused by Birnavirus that attacks the *Bursa of Fabricius* - the organ that makes immunity in young chicks
- It destroys the chicken's ability to fight other diseases

*2. Who gets it:*
- Mostly broilers and layers *3 to 6 weeks old* - most dangerous age
- Chicks under 3 weeks get silent infection - they don't die but remain weak forever
- Older birds above 8 weeks usually resistant
- It does NOT affect humans

*3. How it spreads:*
- Very contagious virus - survives months in poultry house
- Through droppings, litter, feed, water, clothes, shoes, rats, insects
- Not spread by egg
- Stays on your farm even after birds die if you don't disinfect

*4. Signs you will see:*

- Sudden: Many birds dull, sitting, feathers ruffled
- White watery diarrhoea - vent pasted with whitish droppings
- Pecking own vent
- Birds shivering, no appetite, very thirsty
- Death starts after 2-3 days, peaks, then stops in 5-7 days
- Mortality: 5% to 30% in normal strain, up to 60-100% in very virulent strain (vvIBD)

Inside dead bird:
- Bursa (small bag above cloaca) swollen 2-3x, red, yellow jelly inside, later shrunken
- Thigh and breast muscles bleeding spots
- Kidneys swollen

*5. Diagnosis:*
- From age + sudden deaths + white diarrhoea + swollen bursa
- Vet can confirm with lab test

Don't confuse with: Coccidiosis (bloody diarrhoea), Newcastle (twisted neck, breathing), Infectious Bronchitis

*6. Treatment:*
- *NO treatment for virus itself.* Antibiotics do NOT kill it.
- Give:
- Glucose + Vitamins + Electrolytes (Stressmix) in water to reduce deaths
- Antibiotics like oxytetracycline ONLY to stop secondary bacteria
- Keep house warm, clean litter, good ventilation

*7. Prevention - MOST IMPORTANT:*

*A. Vaccination - Zimbabwe schedule:*

- Day 10-14: First Gumboro vaccine in drinking water (intermediate strain)
- Day 21-24: Second Gumboro vaccine booster
- For layers/breeders: Killed vaccine at 18 weeks

Buy vaccine from Vet shops - keep cold chain! Use clean water without chlorine.

*B. Biosecurity:*
- Clean and disinfect house with Virukill / formalin between batches - rest 14 days
- All-in, all-out system - don't mix ages
- Don't allow visitors in fowl run
- Burn/litter dead birds far away
- Control rats

If you had Gumboro before, the virus is in your soil. You MUST vaccinate every batch and disinfect heavily.

30/09/2026

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30/09/2026

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29/09/2026

Newcastle Disease (ND) is the biggest killer of chickens in Zimbabwe - much more deadly than Infectious Coryza. It's viral, so antibiotics normally do NOT work.

*1. Cause:*
- Virus: _Avian Paramyxovirus type 1_ (APMV-1)
- Many strains:
- *Velogenic (very virulent)* - kills up to 100% - this is what we have in most outbreaks in Harare
- *Mesogenic* - moderate, respiratory
- *Lentogenic* - mild, used for vaccines

The virus survives for months in manure, carcasses, eggs.

*2. How it spreads - very fast:*
- Sick bird droppings and breathing - one sick bird infects whole flock in 2-3 days
- People, crates, bicycles, feed bags carrying virus
- Buying new birds from market, wild birds, pigeons
- Wind can carry it 1-2km

*3. Signs - depends on strain:*

*Velogenic (the deadly form):*
- Sudden death - many birds die overnight with no signs
- Difficulty breathing: gasping, coughing, rattling
- Greenish-white watery diarrhea - very characteristic
- Swollen head, eyes, neck
- Nervous signs: twisted neck (torticollis), circling, paralysis of legs/wings, falling over
- Drop in eggs: soft-shelled, no shell

*Mild form (vaccinated birds or lentogenic):*
- Sneezing, mild cough
- Small drop in egg production

In chicks: 90-100% die. In layers: 30-80% can die even with vaccination if strain is very strong.

*4. Difference from Coryza / Flu:*
- Coryza = smelly nose + swollen face, low death
- Newcastle = green diarrhea + twisted neck + sudden high death + no bad smell

*5. Diagnosis:*
- Field signs: high death + green diarrhea + nervous signs = suspect Newcastle
- Lab: blood test (HI test) or PCR - Vet Lab in Harare, Dept of Veterinary Services

It is a *notifiable disease* - you must report to Vet Department.

*6. Treatment:*
*There is NO treatment.* Once birds show nervous signs, they will die.

What you must do in outbreak:
1. Separate sick birds immediately, stop moving birds
2. Kill and bury/burn dead birds deep - don't sell or eat sick birds
3. Disinfect everything: 3% Virukill / 5% bleach for houses, drinkers
4. Give vitamins + electrolytes in water to help survivors - not antibiotics unless vet says secondary infection
5. Don't bring new birds for at least 30 days after last death

*7. Prevention - VACCINATION is the only protection:*

In Harare you must vaccinate, because virus is everywhere.

*Typical program for layers/village chickens:*

- Day 7: Hitchner B1 or Clone 30 in eye drop
- Day 21: LaSota in eye drop / drinking water
- Day 35: LaSota again
- Then every 2-3 months for layers / village birds - LaSota via drinking water

*For broilers:* Day 7 and Day 21.

*Important rules for vaccine to work:*
- Vaccine must stay cold - from agrovet to farm in cooler with ice, or it dies
- Use clean water without chlorine for drinking water vaccine - add 2g powdered milk per liter first
- Give in early morning, birds must be thirsty 1-2 hours
- Vaccinate all birds same day

Biosecurity: All-in all-out, footbath, no visitors from other poultry farms, net to keep wild birds out.

28/09/2026

They love and enjoy good care!

27/09/2026

*Infectious Coryza*

This is a bacterial respiratory disease of chickens - very common and very contagious. It hits fast and makes a whole flock sick within 2-3 days.

*1. Cause:*
- Bacteria _Avibacterium paragallinarum_ (old name _Haemophilus paragallinarum_)
- 3 serotypes: A, B, C. Vaccines must match the type in your area.
- Survives only a few hours outside the bird, but spreads fast bird-to-bird.

*2. How it spreads:*
- Direct contact, airborne droplets from sneezing
- Contaminated water, feed, equipment
- Carrier birds - birds that recovered still carry it for months/life and infect new birds
- Brought in when you buy new pullets / cockerels that look healthy

*3. Signs - you will see this:*
- First sign: watery eyes, then swollen face / infraorbital sinuses - one or both eyes shut
- Thick, smelly nasal discharge - classic bad smell like rotten eggs
- Sneezing, rattling, open-mouth breathing
- Drop in feed and water intake
- Drop in egg production: 10-40% drop, can be up to 70% in layers
- Swollen wattles, especially in males
- Mortality is usually low (5-20%) unless complicated with Newcastle, IB, or Mycoplasma

Incubation: 1-3 days.

*4. Diagnosis:*
- Based on smell + facial swelling + fast spread - very characteristic
- Lab: bacterial culture from sinus swab, PCR test to confirm serotype
- Differentiate from Mycoplasma (MG), Swollen Head Syndrome, Fowl Cholera - Coryza has that foul smell.

*5. Treatment:*
Treatment reduces severity but birds remain carriers.

- Antibiotics effective:
- Erythromycin + Streptomycin combo is classic
- Sulfadimethoxine, Florfenicol, Tylosin, Enrofloxacin (check withdrawal times)
- Give in water for 5-7 days
- Supportive: warm, dry housing, vitamins A, D, E in water, clean drinkers daily

You must treat whole flock, not just sick ones.

*6. Prevention / Control - Most important:*

- *All-in / all-out* - don't mix ages
- *Don't buy from live markets.* Buy day-old chicks from clean hatchery.
- Quarantine new birds 21 days
- Culling: In breeders/layers, many farms cull recovered birds because they stay carriers. For broilers, market early.
- *Vaccination:* Killed bacterin vaccine, 2 doses - first at 6-8 weeks, booster at 14-16 weeks before point-of-lay. In high-risk areas like Harare / Chitungwiza where Coryza is endemic, vaccinate every production cycle.
- Strict biosecurity: disinfect drinkers with 0.5% Virukill, footbaths, no visitors

If you have it right now in your flock:
1. Separate swollen birds
2. Start antibiotics today
3. Clean all water lines with chlorine
4. Do not sell birds or eggs for hatching - you will spread
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