Lack of vitamins A and B1 in the body of chickens leads to a significant loss of plumage, sometimes even complete. This disease is called alopecia. The feather after the fall is no longer restored. Alopecia can also occur due to a lack of sulfur-containing protein in the poultry diet or when keeping feathered pets in dampness.
To avoid baldness in chickens, it is necessary to start treatment at the first sign of alopecia. Otherwise, laying hens stop laying, they develop various diseases, including infectious ones.
There may be several causative agents of the disease. The first and most important reason for its appearance is, of course, a lack of vitamins and an insufficiently balanced diet. The second reason is poor conditions for keeping feathered pets: dirt, improper temperature, excessive humidity, lack of light, dryness in the room, and others. Alopecia can also appear as a result of parasitism on the body of feather-eating hens or due to insufficient feeding of the bird.
In the household, any of these causes can affect feather loss and disease development in birds. To avoid this, poultry farmers must follow the rules for feeding and keeping their pets.
Alopecia is characterized by the loss of feathers, first in the tail and on the back. Then the chest, neck and head become bald. In the end, the chickens remain practically naked, having lost up to 90% of their plumage. In addition to the loss of feathers, the bird has skin lesions on the neck, back and near the tail.
Treatment of feathered pets begins with proper, balanced and complete feeding, rich in vitamins and minerals, especially sulfur. The most effective will be cabbage leaves, meat and bone meal and others. You can add potassium iodide or manganese sulphate to the feed. Of great importance is the walking and the presence of chickens under the sun, which nourishes the birds with vitamin D. In the cold season, the sun’s rays can be replaced by ultraviolet lamps installed in chicken coops.
