Agro Tips with Kuda

Agro Tips with Kuda An agric fanatic who has had vast experience in both the animal health and the poultry industries.

CAUSES OF NERVOUS SIGNS IN CHICKENSThough not very common, I'm sure some of you have seen your birds presenting signs of...
10/12/2025

CAUSES OF NERVOUS SIGNS IN CHICKENS

Though not very common, I'm sure some of you have seen your birds presenting signs of neck twisting, star gazing, muscle tremors, leg splits, paralysis, head tilting, imbalance and generally uncoordinated movements at one point or another. All these fall under a category we call nervous or neurological signs and can be caused by any of the things we will be discussing below.
Depending on the cause, some signs may gradually disappear and lead to a full recovery. Others however may be a little more difficult and usually result in the bird dying not from the disease itself but from the side effects of the nervous signs e.g. inability to eat drink due to a twisted neck.

POSSIBLE CAUSES

1) VIRAL INFECTIONS
i. Marek's Disease- causes paralysis, unsteady gait, head tilt, or leg weakness, often without injury. Famous for the 180° leg splits.
ii. Newcastle (NCD)- it is usually associated with very high mortalities but in its weakened form (usually due to prior vaccination) causes tremors, twisting of the head/neck (wry neck) and paralysis
iii. Avian Encephalomyelitis (AE)- Affects young chicks, causing tremors, incoordination, paralysis.
iv. Reovirus- Certain strains cause head shaking and torticollis.

2) BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
(usually associated with poor sanitation, hygiene and biosecurity measures)
i. Fowl Cholera (Pasteurella)- Inner ear infections lead to head tilting, incoordination, and brain abscesses.
ii. E. coli(Colibacillosis)- Can cause secondary neurological issues or brain abscesses.

3) TOXINS
i. Botulism- often associated with feeding birds with feed contaminated with animal remains (usually rats) that died from the disease. Causes body paralysis.

4) ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
i. Salt poisoning- Excess salt from feed or water can cause tremors, paralysis, and seizures.
ii. Sever Stress- from heat, overcrowding, predators, or travel can manifest as neurological-like symptoms or worsen existing conditions.

5) NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES
i. Vitamin E deficiency- Causes incoordination, tremors, seizures, and paralysis.
ii. Vitamin D/Calcium- Can affect neurological function.



ACTION STEPS
1. Isolate- Immediately separate birds showing signs to prevent spread.
2. Contact Vet: A veterinarian is crucial for accurate diagnosis (e.g., histology, PCR) and treatment.
3. Check Environment: Review feed, water, coop cleanliness, and potential toxins.

All in a days work. Just making sure those piglets get their colostrum (First mothers milk.) LOL 👨‍🌾Did you know that c...
08/12/2025

All in a days work. Just making sure those piglets get their colostrum (First mothers milk.) LOL 👨‍🌾

Did you know that colostrum, (also known as foremilk or beestings) plays a crucial role in ensuring all baby mammals have a good start to life?
It isn't white like your regular milk, but is yellower, richer and thicker and contains a lot of antibodies that help the baby fight off disease and infections while it gradually develops its own immunity. It also contains growth factors as well as bioactives that promote earlier growth.
So if your piglet, calve, kid, lamb or even child for any reason fails to suckle the first milk, know that it will be very vulnerable to infection and diseases like scours since its own immunity is still weak and developing.
Be a hard working farmer, but be also a smart thinking one too.

🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖SCOURS/ DIARRHEA IN PIGLETSThis is a condition commonly prevalent in younger pigs due to their lower immunity and r...
07/12/2025

🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖
SCOURS/ DIARRHEA IN PIGLETS

This is a condition commonly prevalent in younger pigs due to their lower immunity and reduced tolerance to bacteria, as well their still developing digestive system, which cannot as yet fully process all foods.

CAUSES OF SCOURS RANGE FROM BEING
i. Pathogen caused: infection with E-coli, Salmonella, Coccidia or Rotavirus. This is usually associated to poor pig pen hygiene and biosecurity measures.
ii. Nutrition: gorging milk, sudden changes in feed or poor food quality which includes giving pigs rotting or mouldy foods.
iii. Failure to receive enough colostrum. (The Mother's first milk which is rich in antibodies that give the piglets their initial passive immunity against diseases)
iv. Stress: Chilling, overcrowding, sudden environmental changes, weaning and change in diet.

PREVENTION
Prevention measures include ensuring the piglets get enough colostrum when they are born and that pig stys are kept clean. Also ensure piglets are kept warm during cold days.

TREATMENT MEASURES
i. Immediate action in cases of extreme scouring should be prioritizing giving the piglet electrolytes to rehydrate it from the heavily lost fluids. Products like Electro-mix, electrovite Forte, and even sugar and salt solution given orally will help.
ii. If you suspect, the cause to be infection by E-coli, Salmonella or Coccodia, Sulphur based antibiotics like intertrim, advocin will help. Infectious diarrhea typically is more severe, has almost fully liquid diarrhea that ranges in colors that can be yellow, grey, tarry or even bloody and usually accompanied by depression and lack of appetite.
iii. Diet and stress caused diarrhea is usually temporary, less severe, linked to specific events like weaning, feed changes or environmental stressors. Diarrhea is less watery and has some form.
You can use vitamin supplements like introvit, vitol or multivit to help with the stress together with correction of the stress inducing factor like feed or warmth.

03/12/2025

I saw this interesting plant that responds to touch today, and thank God for google, I found out a bit more about the plant.

It is called Mimosa pudica, or more commonly known as the sensitive plant. It is also referred to by other names such as the humble plant, touch-me-not, shame plant, action plant, or live-and-die.

Characteristics: This creeping annual or perennial flowering plant is well-known for its unique characteristic of rapidly folding its compound leaves inward and drooping when touched, shaken, or exposed to heat. This movement is driven by changes in turgor pressure within specific motor organs called pulvini.
It is native to the tropical Americas although it can now be found across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

PIGLET MORTALITY DUE TO SOW OVERLAYINGOverlaying mortality refers to the accidental death of piglets when the sow lies o...
17/09/2025

PIGLET MORTALITY DUE TO SOW OVERLAYING

Overlaying mortality refers to the accidental death of piglets when the sow lies or rolls over them, leading to crushing or suffocation.
It is a major cause of pre-weaning losses, contributing up to 30–50% of piglet deaths in farrowing units.
The risk is highest in the first 3–5 days after birth, when piglets are small, weak, and highly dependent on the sow for warmth and milk.

KEY CAUSES & RISK FACTORS

1. POOR HOSUING DESIGN– e.g. Farrowing crates or pens without safety rails.

2. COLD ENVIRONMENTS – Piglets huddle close to the sow for warmth.

3. PIGLET WEAKNESS– Low birth weight, chilling or disease are predisposing factors.

4. SOW BEHAVIOUR– Clumsy movements or poor maternal instincts (especially from first time mothers.)

5. OVERCROWDING– Too many piglets competing for teats at the same time.

PREVENTION & CONTROL MEASURES

1. FARROWING CRATE / PEN DESIGN
Install crush rails or bars to provide “safe zones” for piglets.
Allow sow movement without compromising piglet safety.

2. PROVIDE ADEQUATE PIGLET WARMTH
Create a creep area with heat lamps, mats, or pads.
Maintain sow area at 18–22 °C, while keeping piglet area at 30–34 °C.

3. GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Supervise farrowing to a dry and warm environment.
Ensure early colostrum intake (within 6–12 hours).
Relocate weak piglets to warm areas or foster them to other sows.

4. SOW SELECTION & CULLING
Prefer sows with good maternal instincts and careful lying behavior.
Cull sows that repeatedly cause overlaying losses.

5. REDUCE SOW STRESS & FATIGUE
Provide comfortable flooring, adequate feed, and water.
Avoid overcrowding in farrowing units.

26/08/2025

Interesting..

So one of the sows I was assisting unfortunately gave birth to 2 pigs that had already died in the womb. One of them loo...
14/07/2025

So one of the sows I was assisting unfortunately gave birth to 2 pigs that had already died in the womb. One of them looked dark, dry and shriveled. Almost like it had been mummified like those Egyptian mummies in the ancient pyramids we see in movies.
So I did a little research to find out more about the condition and its causes and here is what I found out.

FOETAL DEATH AND MUMMUFICATION IN PIGS
Mummification occurs when a fetus aged between 30 and 115 days dies in the womb but is not expelled and instead dehydrates and calcifies as it's skeletal system is already in its developmental stage.

CAUSES: It is often caused by viral infections like Porcine Parvovirus (PPV) or Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) during gestation or due to a very large litter size and insufficient space in the womb.
Mummifications due to infection are usually in larger numbers e.g. 6 born alive, 4 mummified and 2 dead. And those due to larger litter size are usually few. e.g. 14 born alive, 1 dead and 1 mummified.

PREVENTION: Best way is vaccinate all breeding stock before mating. Use vaccines like farrowsure, 2 weeks before mating for the sows and every 6 months for the boars to prevent infectious diseases like Porcine Parvovirus (PPV) and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) .

TREATMENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE SOW:
1. OBSTERTRICAL PROBLEMS: If the farrowing was prolonged or difficult due to the presence of mummified piglets, treatments to relieve blockages or address uterine inertia may be necessary. Products like oxytocin may help stimulate contractions.
2. INFECTION: Any damage to the birth tract during difficult farrowing can lead to infection (endometritis) which requires antimicrobial treatment. Antibiotics like Penstrep, oxytetracycline, amoxicillin, trimethoprime together with oxytocin (to expel infected material) and an Anti-inflammatory/pain-killer like ketoprofen may help.
3. UNDERLYING CAUSES: Mummified fetuses can be a symptom of issues like Porcine Parvovirus (PPV), which affects the uterus and unborn litter without necessarily causing systemic illness in the sow. In such cases, preventing future occurrences through vaccination or management practices is crucial. You can use vaccines like Farrowsure for PPV.
4. PAIN MANAGEMENT: Anti-inflammatory drugs like meloxicam or tolfenamic acid are commonly used to reduce pain and inflammation after farrowing, which can improve the sow's welfare and nursing behavior.
5. POST-FARROWING CARE: Ensure the sow has continuous access to water and gradually increase her feed intake after farrowing, including a laxative feed at the first post-farrowing meal

Address

Harare

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Agro Tips with Kuda posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share