Learn About Ostrich Diseases & Keep Them Healthy

Ostrich diseases obstacles the successful ostrich farming. Ostriches are the fastest and strongest bird in the world. They can tolerate almost all types of climates and weather condition and adjust easily.

In very hot condition they open and move their wings to produce fresh air for themselves. The even can walk through the hot sand, cold snow and live in the snow covered area. In a word they are very strong bird and very resistant to diseases.

However, when the care, management, living and feeding get disarranged heavily then the ostriches can caught by epidemic diseases.

The baby ostrich become very sensitive to disease and they get infected by various diseases within their three months of age. The mortality rate of this baby is very high.

Different Types of Ostrich Diseases

Ostrich can get infected by many diseases and parasites, which are described below.

Parasites

There are many parasites which are very harmful for ostrich. This parasites are of two types.

External Parasites

This types of parasites lives outside of the body of ostrich. They live and take food from ostrich body. Some external parasites are listed below.

Ticks

Ticks are very harmful for ostrich. Because they transmit various types of diseases. Congo fever is a very harmful disease of ostrich which also affect humans is caused by ticks.

They do extensive damage to the skin of ostrich. It make hole in their skin. Tick is a great threat in ostrich farming. Pyrethroid containing medicine like ‘Bayticol’ is the treatment for ticks.

Lice

Lice is harmful for feather. Feather of ostrich is very precious. But if the lice damage it then the farmer loss economically. Use ‘Bayticol’ for preventing lice.

ostrich diseases

Internal Parasites

Internal parasites lives inside the body of ostrich. They also very harmful for the bird. They live inside and eat food from there. Some harmful internal parasites are listed below.

Tapeworm

Tapeworms are long, flat and length about 50 to 100 cm. It live in the small intestine of ostrich and eat feed. It take all nutrients form the bird. As a result the ostrich suffers by emaciation. Use ‘lintex combats’ after every three months to prevent your birds from tapeworms.

Wire Worm

Wire worms become very small sized. It lengths about 3 mm and live in the stomach wall of ostrich. Wire worm is invisible to the naked eye. They do a lot of damage of stomach wall. They suck blood. As a result ostriches die suddenly due to this parasites. ‘Pavacur’ is very effective to prevent this parasites.

Infectious Diseases

As a poultry bird the ostriches also suffers by various infectious diseases. Most common diseases of ostrich are described below.

Hemorrhagic Enteritis

This is the most feared ostrich diseases. Baby ostrich aged between one to three months get affected by this disease very much. This disease is caused by a germ and causes rapid death to the ostrich. Hemorrhagic enteritis vaccine is very effective for preventing this ostrich disease.

Influenza

Avian influenza is very deadly disease of all poultry birds. Mortality rate in this disease is very high to the younger ostrich aged bellow six months. It is a viral disease and has no treatment. The main symptoms of infected bird is green urine. If this disease affect your birds then meet veterinarian as soon as possible.

Pox

Avian pox is very harmful to the ostrich. This disease can hampers much to the farmer if not stopped in proper time. Warty, brown, swollen nodes around the eyes and especially around the corners of mouth and beak are the main symptoms of pox disease.

Biting insects carry and spread the germ of this disease. Pox spreads much in wet condition and during summer season. By mixing inoculation with pox vaccine can prevent this ostrich disease.

Newcastle

Newcastle is one of the most feared ostrich diseases. The younger ostriches are extremely prone to this disease.

The main symptoms of this disease are giddines, loss of balance, swinging sideways, staggering backwards, taking a three-legged position with the head on the ground etc.

There is no proper treatment of this disease. Preventive methods and steps can stop this ostrich disease.

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