Diseases Associated with Mortality and Pathological Changes in Cockerel Birds

Abstract

The diseases associated with mortality and pathologic changes were studied in three different cockerel farms in the rural area of Trishal upazilla in Mymensingh district from day-old chicks up to 60 days of marketing during the period from 5th August to 3rd October 2000. Diagnosis of diseases was based on clinical history, characteristic pathological changes and occasionally isolation of the causative agents. The infectious bursal disease (IBD), yolk sac infection, vitamin E deficiency, coccidiosis and others were diagnosed. The mortality rate in cockerels caused by IBD, yolk sac infection, vitamin E deficiency, coccidiosis and others were recorded as 7.29%, 0.62%, 0.72%, 0.21% and 0.10% respectively. The characteristic lesions of IBD were hemorrhage in thigh and pectoral muscles grossly and microscopically the bursa showed dead and pyknotic nuclei of lymphocytes. The typical lesions of yolk sac were thickened with unabsorbed yolk in all chicks grossly and microscopically thickened yolk sac due to fibroblastic proliferation and mononuclear infiltration in association with normal fat cells. The vitamin E deficiency was diagnosed grossly by softened, swollen and focal hemorrhage on the cerebellum and microscopically by proliferation of huge number of glial cells. Grossly coccidiosis was characterized by swollen, thickened, firmer and hemorrhagic caeca and microscopically by hyperplastic, tall columnar epithelial cells contained large number of schizonts and merozoites in the affected crypts and villi. The findings indicate that IBD is the major disease problem in cockerel farming in Mymensingh. Key words: Mortality; diseases; pathological changes; cockerels DOI = 10.3329/bjvm.v1i1.1915 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2003). 1 (1) : 33 - 38