Vices in poultry

A vice is a bad behavior practiced by birds e.g. egg eating feather pecking, cannibalism.

Causes of Poultry vices

1. Heredity: some line of birds show more vices like cannibalism than others.
2. overcrowding is the poultry houses can cause vices like cannibalism as birds become more close to each other
3. Introduction of new birds in a flock with unique characters of the body and size may cause cannibalism and feather pecking.
4. Exposure of wounds and smell of blood can cause cannibalism
5. Lack of enough laying boxes which causes breakage of eggs and exposes eggs to the birds can easily result into egg eating.
6. Improper feeding of the birds that encourages mineral deficiency can lead to cannibalism
7. Bright light in the poultry house can stimulate feather and toe pecking.
8. Insufficient drinking and eating place may also lead to pecking as birds struggle to get near to feeds and water.
9. Irritation of the skin through direct sunlight and lice infection can result into cannibalism and pecking.
10. Diseases like gumboro can easily cause cloaca pecking since the droppings usually stick in that area.
11. Introduction of birds that are moulting (shedding feathers) in a flock can easily encourage cannibalism due to exposure of bare skin to other birds.

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Dr. Bbosa Science