Hexamita

[cocknee]

I got Hexamita for the first time in one of my pens last year, luckily I spotted the symptoms early enough and only lost about 50 poults. Does anyone know if I am more likely to get it again in that pen and if so is there any I can do to help prevent it before the poults arrive.

[MattSoanes]

From what I understand the hexamita is carried in the bird itself not in the pen or surroundings, I could be wrong though.

[Ferretboy111]

You could get it again as it stays around in nature via crows etc. However aslong as you give the birds plenty of room in the pens, plenty of food and do your upmost not to stress them you should be fine.

 

I had it a couple of years ago and now give all my birds a small dose of aurofac in the feed for the first week of release just to help prevent it!

[cosmos05]

Also brought on by stress ie from travelling or arriving at new environment. Best thing is keep the vets number handy and don't be afraid to ring then. Paying for medication is a lot better than loosening a number of poults.

Edited March 7, 2013 by cosmos05

[Alycidon]

Disinfect around pens and feeders that have had infected birds in them. We have not had Hexi for several years then picked up a cock on helpers day with it. It may have come in from another shoot a mile away as we have not seen it before.

 

Shoot any infected birds on site and dispose of the carcase carefully.

 

A

[Paul223]

From what I understand the hexamita is carried in the bird itself not in the pen or surroundings, I could be wrong though.

indeed that is correct, problems arise when other birds ingest droppings. Hexi will not survive out side of the body for a long period of time.

 

 

So the bug is there in the gut naturally, normally controlled by other gut flora and the birds immune system, droppings from all the birds will contain a certain amount of the bug, so the problem arises when the birds peck and ingest droppings (usually out of boredom, looking for grit or through over stocking) and the number of bugs in the digestive system gets out of control, this in turn (iirc) causes the gut lining to swell or become inflamed which reduces it's ability to transmit the nutrients from the feed and the bird starves despite eating feed, hence the reason when you pick the dead birds they are thin as you like with a prominent breast bone.

 

these bugs will not survive out side of the bird for extended periods of time (a week at best) so anything in the pen from last year is well dead by now

 

wet weather will promote the bugs, so slabs under feeders which can be brushed off and sprayed with a very weak mix of DHC daily will minimise the birds picking the bugs up with feed, plenty of grit ( i mix mine in with the feed so there is always clean grit around) so the birds are able to grind the feed well in the gizzard so it's better able to be digested and made use of, cabbages here and there hung up will help with boredom. Pick poults up regularly to check there body to make sure they are not wasting away and as always keep an eye out on the pen floor for dropping which are not solid.

 

If really wet weather is predicted then may be consider having meds mixed in the feed rather than in water.

Edited March 8, 2013 by Paul223

[Gamefarm]

We have not had Hexi for several years then picked up a cock on helpers day with it. I

 

 

Very unlikely to be hexamita in a mature bird - more likely a bird that has taken a pellet or two and wasted. As Paul223 says, Hexamita is a product of numbers of birds crowded in a pen and stressed. Since we lost Emtrly, there is nothing that will touch a full blown outbreak, despite all the waffle from producers of quack remedies. At best, Aurafac and various antibiotics will help the bird fight secondary infections, and rapid release of poults from confinement is the only way to cut losses from the disease, but runs the risk of high losses from predation or starvation etc outside the release pen and will not save birds already infected.

 

Veterinary confirmation via Post Mortem is the only way to be sure of the cause, and needs to be done on very freshly dead birds as the Hexamitae die rapidly following the host death and are very difficult to spot. Almost always, where there is Hexamita, there will be Coccidiosis also (in Pheasants) as the two run hand in hand and result from the same causes.

 

Occasionally we have customers tell us that they have a pen where hexamita strikes every year ' because it carries over'. Without fail, when I look at the pen, it will be too small, too dark, too wet/muddy etc...... all ideal Hexamita breeding conditions for new poults under stress from moving off a rearing field.

 

Always visit your supplier and see the poults before delivery, ask questions, find out what if any treatments poults have had, use a reputable supplier with a known track record for not hiding from problems - we ALL have them occasionally- , be registered with a vet WHO IS GAMEBIRD SAVVY, and use him! These measures may mean poults will be 10p dearer than mr cheap can supply them, and may mean the odd £40 bill for a PM or a medication bill, but cheaper than a heap of dead birds.

Apologies for long winded post!!!

Edited March 9, 2013 by Gamefarm

[cocknee]

Thank you for your replies I have as usual cleaned and disinfected all drinkers and feeders. Putting paving slabs under the feeders I will definitely do what a good idea thank's Paul. The pens are pretty good plenty of light and big enough so hopefully it was a one off I have been a part time keeper for around 35 years and this is the first and hopefuly the last outbreak it was also the wettest season I can remember and as you said in your replies that certainly won't have helped thanks again.