Poultry Health

Other Poultry Resources

Poultry Health

Welcome!

This page is made to help backyard poultry owners raise their birds in strong, healthy flocks. It will provide information on topics including poultry management and disease prevention.


Next program training:

Wednesday, February 9th at 6:30 p.m. (PST)

Join us to learn about gamefowl behavior and alternative treatments from our UC Davis poultry experts!

Click on this link at the date and time above to join: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/93316340773

Join us to learn about gamefowl behavior and alternative treatments from our UC Davis poultry experts!

Have a question or concern about your poultry? Contact one of our experts at poultry@ucdavis.edu!

Important information:

  • Vaccines do not make up for poor management and biosecurity.
  • Vaccines need to be properly handled to work effectively.
  • Use vaccines that have a U.S. Veterinary License Number on the label and follow the label instructions.
  • Vaccines may cause adverse reactions in your animal. Please contact your local veterinarian if this occurs.

Newcastle disease Vaccine Reconstitution and Application

 

 

Have a question or concern about your poultry? Contact one of our experts at poultry@ucdavis.edu!

Important information:

  • Vaccines do not make up for poor management and biosecurity.
  • Vaccines need to be properly handled to work effectively.
  • Use vaccines that have a U.S. Veterinary License Number on the label and follow the label instructions.
  • Vaccines may cause adverse reactions in your animal. Please contact your local veterinarian if this occurs.

 


UCD Gamefowl Program Flyer

New Gamefowl Wellness program for your birds!

  • A gamefowl wellness program will be designed to address education, outreach and surveillance in game bird flocks. Scientific terminology will be broken down in a practical message to keep owners educated and engaged.
  • By paying a small program fee, participants will be trained on educational topics including immune response basics, breeding, animal welfare, behavior, nutrition, disease detection and prevention, management practices, biosecurity, euthanasia and proper disposal, vaccination technique, egg incubation, and prevention of loose birds in neighborhoods.
  • Focus group meetings and training events will be hosted with experts from UC Davis and the CAHEN program from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
  • The program will provide training to breeders on proper administration and justification of Newcastle disease vaccine use.
  • All Personally Identifiable Information of participants will be maintained and administered by UC Davis.

Download Gamefowl Wellness Program (pdf)

 

To register for the Gamefowl Wellness Program, please input your information at this link 

Interstate Poultry Entry Requirements

Refer to this informational chart to learn the poultry import requirements for each state.

Download Interstate Import Requirements Chart (pdf)

For information on requirements for international travel, please visit https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel.
 


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 96 “Infectious Laryngotracheitis with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
May 4, 2021

“In this episode of Bred to Perfection, we are talking with Dr. Gallardo about Infectious Laryngotracheitis, otherwise known as ILT. This is an extremely contagious virus that affects chickens and other poultry. The virus attacks the cells of the trachea (windpipe), leading to bleeding and difficulty breathing, and ultimately death. This is maybe one of the Worst and most Devastating diseases known to backyard chickens. It can destroy your whole strain, in a matter of days, and the sad part is, most don’t take proper precautions. We are going to talk about the causes and symptoms of this disease, and how to prevent exposure.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academy: https://www.breedersacademy.com/ep96-infectious-laryngotracheitis-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 92 “Infectious Bronchitis with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
March 29, 2021

“In this episode of Bred to Perfection, we are talking with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo about Infectious bronchitis (IBV), which is an acute, highly contagious respiratory disease of chickens, caused by a type of coronavirus.

This is a disease that can be found on many yards and farms, without the breeders even knowing it. In most cases, they will confuse Bronchitis with other respiratory diseases, such as Coryza.

What they don’t realize is that Infectious Bronchitis has a huge effect on our brood fowl and their offspring, and can affect the future of our strains. Listen in and learn what you can do to treat and control this disease, and hopefully prevent it. There’s a lot of great nuggets of information that I know you will not want to miss.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academy: https://www.breedersacademy.com/ep92-infectious-bronchitis-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 88 “Marek’s Disease with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
February 15, 2021

“Today, we are talking with Dr. Gallardo about Marek’s Disease. This is a Pathogenic Virus, also known as Fowl Paralysis or Range Paralysis. Marek's Disease is by far one of the most common illnesses for backyard breeders and small flocks. Yet, it’s one of the most preventable illnesses out there. It can take on many forms, from no signs to paralysis, to blindness, to sudden death. There has been quite a bit of misinformation about Marek's Disease. So, today we are going to address the topic of Marek’s and clear up some of those misconceptions, and give our listeners a better understanding. There’s a lot of great nuggets of information that I know you will not want to miss.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academy: https://www.breedersacademy.com/ep88-mareks-disease-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 84 “Coccidiosis with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
January 18, 2021

“Today, we are talking with Poultry Veterinarian, Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo about Coccidiosis, also known as Coxy. For good reason too, Coccidiosis is one of the most common diseases, and can have a huge effect on your strain. For example, coccidiosis affects all backyard breeders. It affects how your offspring grow and develop. And, it can have an effect on your overall strain.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academy: https://www.breedersacademy.com/ep84-coccidiosis-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 81 “Infectious Coryza with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
December 14, 2020

“In this episode, we talk with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo, a Poultry Veterinarian from UC Davis, about Infectious Coryza. Unfortunately, this is a disease found in many backyard flocks, and one that is highly misunderstood. Dr. Gallardo will talk with us about how the disease is transmitted, and how to prevent exposure. We will also discuss whether or not it’s good practice to vaccinate for coryza, and which medications are most effective to treat the disease. This episode is packed with great information, and one you do not want to miss.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academyhttps://www.breedersacademy.com/ep81-infectious-coryza-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 78 “Fowl Pox with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
November 16, 2020

“In this episode, we will talk about Fowl Pox, what causes the disease, how to prevent infection, and what to do if your birds get infected.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academy Website: https://www.breedersacademy.com/ep78-fowl-pox-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 76 “Biosecurity Basics with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
October 19, 2020

“In this episode, we are talking with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo about the practice and importance of biosecurity. Most Breeders don’t understand biosecurity, and the importance of keeping your bird safe from the exposure of disease. Some of us have strains that we’ve been keeping for over 30 years. Losing our birds to disease would be a travesty. What we are going to talk about today, if you follow it, will save your flock, and protect those valuable and irreplaceable strains. There’s a lot of good information packed into this episode that I know you do not want to miss.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academy Website: https://www.breedersacademy.com/ep76-biosecurity-basics-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Kenny Troiano’s Breeders Academy – Episode 73 “The Gamefowl Wellness Program with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo”
September 28, 2020

“In this episode, we are talking with Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo from UC Davis about their new Gamefowl Wellness Program, which is designed to help backyard breeder, specially, breeders of American Games, to raise and breed healthier birds, and to protect their birds from future outbreaks of Newcastle’s Disease. There’s a lot of good information packed into this episode that I know you will not want to miss.”

Listen to this episode at the Breeders Academy Website: https://www.breedersacademy.com/ep73-the-gamefowl-wellness-program-with-dr-rodrigo-gallardo/


Common Backyard Poultry Diseases

Videos

Closed Captioning in any language

To translate our videos into any language for closed captioning please do the following:

  • When viewing the video select the CC (closed captions).
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  • There is now an extra option called Auto Translate.
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Blood Collection from Poultry- Method 1 (Spanish: Recolección de Sangre de Aves de Corral - Método 1)

Blood Collection from Poultry- Method 2 (Spanish: Recolección de Sangre de Aves de Corral - Método 2)



 


How to Protect Birds and Prevent Virulent Newcastle Disease (pdf)

New cases of Virulent Newcastle disease in backyard chickens


Newcastle is an exotic disease to the United State, so when there is an outbreak, it is usually from imported birds. This was the case in 1950, and from 1971 to 1973 when 11.9 million birds had to be slaughtered, according to a UC Davis report. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) Ocular Live Vaccination Instructions (pdf)

Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) Ocular Live Vaccination Instructions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Cleaning and Disinfection for virulent Newcastle Disease virus (pdf) 

Cleaning and Disinfection for virulent Newcastle Disease virus