Some Strategies to Alleviate the Incidence of Ascites in Broilers are 1. Higher level of Vitamin C, Vitamin E & Se 2. Addition of Sodium bicarbonate 1% 3. Addition of 0.2% Aspirin 4. Feed Restriction
Ascites it's not a disease, it is a metabolic disorder due to lack of oxygen, rapid growth, sodium toxicity, feeding of high energy diet,ammonia in the shed,high stocking density. Ascites cannot show symptoms. Initial 2% or 3% of mortality will be there and slowly mortality will increase up to 25%. Some of management activities that can prevent the mortality: 1. Increase the urine discharge. 2. Feeding low energy diet. 3. Improve ventilation. 4. For hills area we go for tunnel ventilation. 5. Proper brooding management.
The main cause of the ascites problem is the hypoxia or insufficient oxygen which forces the birds to do a physiological effects to compensate and causes a load on the heart muscle to accelerate the heart beat in a trail go get more oxygen which will lead to make the muscle flappy within 3_4 days this causes slowdown the pulmonary and hepatic circulation leading to the stasis of the blood in vessels causes auzing of the serum in the lung causing respiratory affection and accumulated of fluids in the abdominal cavity. The case always appear before the end of the third week as the growth and feed consumption increased and the bird need more oxygen,the case would be complicated with the co viral and bacterial infections. The first step in treatment is to adjust and correct ventilation and use of feed low in calories during treatment.
I agree with you Prof. Both we remember cases started as early as beginning of 2 Ned week of age. Such cases were then traced back to the high level of CO2 in hatchery.
When chicks are chilled even for few hours before or during transport,chicks become more susceptible to ascites, when brooding temperatures are low, oxygen requirement increases anywhere from 50 to 200%. Even 5% extra demand for oxygen increases ascites incidence from 3 to 30%
Thanks for all comments the ventilation problem starts at hatchery which will be reflected on the day old chicks . Investigation of the dead chicks on arrival to farm reflect what would be the future of the flock and you can decide which management and medical care programming would be followed.
In addition to what described by the previous comments, any viral or bacterial infecting the respiratory system leading to oxygen insufficiency such as : IB, H9N2, and CCRD may incriminating in the condition as it usually seen in the end of some courses of such infections.
i seen one case in our collage poultry farm, bird walking like duck and mortality will be there .. and some birds having pasty went it is one of the clinical symptoms of the ascities or not
