Surgical Management Techniques in Poultry Farming
Dr. Md. Moin Ansari
Professor –cum- Chief Scientist
Division of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology
Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Sciences
SKUAST-Kashmir, Srinagar-190006, J&K, India
Email:drmoin7862003@gmail.com; M: +91-9419400103
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Abstract:
The present manuscript details the most common surgical management techniques in poultry followed in practice are summarized hereunder and placed on record.
Key words: Surgical, Wound, Tumour, Cyst, bumble foot, Caponisation, debeaking, crop impaction, Celiotomy, Abdominal distension, Eye worm, Poultry Farming, Management technique.
Introduction
Avian surgery has made many advances in recent years as a special branch of treatment of lovebirds and endangered wild species (reared and bred in captivity) and management techniques that were once considered beyond the scope of general surgeons are now performed routinely. The many anatomic and physiologic differences between mammals and birds emphasize the need for experience and preoperative preparation. For surgical preparation of avian patients, the feathers are plucked rather than cut. Standard aseptic surgical preparation solutions are used in avian surgery; however, alcohol is avoided because of its cooling properties. Avian patients are susceptible to hypothermia and using alcohol for surgical preparation can potentiate this complication. Prior to performing surgery on an avian patient, it is important to establish a clinical data base and anamnesis is required. A complete history including diet, housing and furniture, and exposure to other birds should be taken. The physical examination should be complete and include auscultation and palpation. Radiographs are often very valuable for evaluating the surgical condition as well as screening for concomitant disease processes. A blood chemistry panel and a blood count should be performed if time permits. Contaminated or infected wounds should be cultured and appropriate antibiotic therapy initiated preoperatively. Amoxicillin at 50 mg/kg twice in a day and Gentamicin at the dose rate of 8 mg/kg twice in a day have been recommended. However, Enrofloxacin at 10-15 mg/kg twice in a day may provide a better spectrum of activity. With better control over diseases of all kinds, providing optimum bird comfort throughout the house has become a very important management factor in obtaining maximum performance. That is not achieved solely by windowless, insulated, light and temperature-controlled houses. Such factor as overcrowding, poor beak trimming, uneven temperatures and uncomfortable air currents on cage birds that cannot move to a more comfortable location adversely affect performance. The development of the poultry production programmes depends on improved health management systems, to achieve this effective diagnosis of the ailments, improved techniques and control measures should be provided.
- Caponisation: castration of male fowl is called caponisation.
Indication: Caponisation has been a common practice for fattening broiler cockerels and for improving/maintaining quality and quantity of meat. The main effects are related to fat deposition. Capons have more abdominal upto 6 times subcutaneous and intramuscular fat than cocks. Caponisation is also done to prevent indiscriminate breeding and to avoid fighting among cockerels.
Age for caponisation: The recommended age for caponisation is about six to eight weeks prior to slaughter for meat purpose.
Preparative consideration: no feed should be given 18 to 24 hours prior to the surgery. Better to withhold water also 12 hours before surgery because this minimizes bleeding. The feathers in the area are plucked.
Anesthesia and control: Local infiltration anesthesia. The legs are stretched and tied together in the extended position and secured to the upper portion of the sloping board and the wings together are secured in the opposite direction.
Site of surgery: The last intercostals space for either side, close to the anterior border of the last rib to avoid the major vessels along posterior border of the rib is selected for surgery.
Surgical techniques: The skin is incised half to one inch at the site and the thigh muscle (tensor facia lata ) is pushed backwards to make visible the intercostals muscles. Incise the intercostals muscles also; introduce a rib retractor anddilate the wound. The parietal peritoneum is seen which is torn with the peritoneum tearing hook. The testicle will be seen as a maggot-like body anterior to the kidney. In older birds the testis is much larger than the size of a maggot with very prominent vessels. Holds the testis with the jaws of a caponizing forceps, they are twisted and removed completely. The wound on the skin need not be sutured unless it is very big. The lower testicle should be removed first. If both, the testicles are to be removed through a single incision. The same procedure is repeated on the opposite side for removing the other testis.
Post operative consideration: Bird should be confined in a small enclosure in a quiet area at 27-30ْ C. postoperatively oral administration of antibiotics is more practical than injectable therapy and may be given for 5 to 7 days. Ointment/cream should not be applied to wound whether sutured or not because this type of medication causes the feather to be “glued-together” and therapy prevents the feathers from performing a major function of conserving body heat. Antibiotic powders designed for application to mammalian wounds are also contraindicated. Such topical medications are rarely necessary because the naturally high body temperature of birds deters postoperative infection.
2.Pecking/ cannibalism- trimming or debeaking: Feather pecking a set of behaviors exhibited by laying hens can lead to tissue drainage and may escalate into cannibalism, whereby wounded birds can be pecked to death. Poultry can be very cannibalism under certain circumstances and beak trimming is commonly practiced in breeder flock as well production turkeys and cage layers.
Technique of debeaking/beak trimming: In this operation about one –third the length of the upper beak at its tip is cut and removed. A special instrument called “debeaking forceps” is used. Should hemorrhage occur it can be controlled with ferric shulphate solution or cauterizatrion.
3.Clocal/uterine/oviduct prolapse-cloacopexy: Cloacopexy is indicated for treatment of chronic cloacal prolapse. This appears to occur most commonly in Old World species of psittacines (primarily cockatoos) and is associated with reduced or lost tone of the cloacal sphincter. The cloaca should be cultured and the bird placed on appropriate antibiotic therapy prior to surgery. Several procedures have been recommended for the treatment of chronic cloacal prolapse. Recurrence is observed with most techniques. It is likely that permanent adhesions between the cloaca and the body wall are difficult to establish. With all techniques, it is important to excise the fat on the ventral surface of the cloaca which can act as a physical barrier to the formation of adhesions As a short term measure a purse string suture around the vent will suffice, but we have to be very careful to place it exactly at the mucocutaneous junction, otherwise the uterus may be trapped and /or the nerve supply permanently damaged. Alternatively, two mattress sutures on either side of the vent can be applied effectively.
4. Crop impaction, torn crop and fistula-ingluviotomy: Inglubviotomy or opening of the crop in severe impaction of the crop. The ingluvies (crop) is a storage organ of the avian digestive tract. Because it is often full and protruding, it is susceptible to trauma. It may also be the site where a foreign body has lodged. Hand fed baby birds may suffer from crop burns from overheated food. Fortunately, the crop has a good blood supply and heals well.
The patient should be anesthetized and intubated to prevent aspiration of crop contents. If possible, the head should be maintained slightly elevated to prevent liquid from being aspirated. Foreign bodies can often be retrieved using blunt, atraumatic forceps or by massaging the object, gently, from the crop. When ingluviotomy is necessary, the skin incision is made in the left lateral cervical region over the crop to minimize disruption of the vasculature and complications associated with tube feeding in the recovery period. Stay sutures are placed and the incision in the crop is made to a length approximately 1/2 the length of the skin incision. Closure is accomplished using a continuous appositional or inverting pattern using catgut (3/0 to 5/0). The skin is closed separately over the ingluviotomy incision using 4/0 chromic catgut sutures. Sutures are absorbed within 10- 14 days of operation.
5.Exploratory/curative celiotomy: Abdominal distension resulting from ascitis, retained egg, neoplasm and egg yolk peritonitis can be diagnosed by exploratory celiotomy. The approach for celiotomy offering a simple ventral midline celiotomy provides limited exposure to most abdominal organs in birds. It may be used for a liver biopsy or for surgery on the small intestine. A left lateral approach provides exposure to most organs. The bird is positioned in right lateral recumbency with the left leg retracted caudally. The skin incision is made from the proximal end of the pubis to the sixth rib dorsal to the uncinate process. A transverse approach offers good exposure to a large portion of the abdomen. With the bird in dorsal recumbency a transverse incision is made midway between the vent and the caudal extent of the sternum. The body wall is lifted and incised being careful to protect underlying structures. Using this approach, the ventriculus and small intestine are most accessible. These may be reflected to expose the middle and caudal lobes of the kidneys, the cranial cloaca, and the lower female reproductive tract. A flap approach is also made with the bird in dorsal recumbency. A ventral midline celiotomy incision is made and extended along one side of the caudal border of the sternum leaving 2-3 mm of muscle into which sutures may be placed. A Y shaped incision may be created by performing bilateral flaps. Further, more exposure may be gained by extending the caudal extent of the incision laterally along the pubis. This approach provides the best exposure to mid-abdominal masses, uterine masses, and generalized abdominal disease such as yolk peritonitis. Abdomen is closed with two suture lines. Polyglycolic acid or chromic catgut, 3/0 to 5/0 are used in simple continuous pattern to suture the peritoneum, muscles and skin.
6.Bumble foot: this is an abscess in the foot pad. Bumble foot leads to massive swelling of the foot and lameness. The abscess may be filled with caseous or serosanguinous pus containing a variety of micro-organism viz. staphylococcus aureus, E.coli and proteus species.
Etiology: traumatic injuries like contusion or small wounds with secondary infection and deficiency of vitamin A (nutritional bumble foot).
Treatment: the operation consists of opening of the abscess and carefully removing all caseous and necrotic material. Whole area should be vigorously irrigated, preferably with chymotrypsin solution. A tourniquet (released periodically) should be applied below hock joint to control haemorrhage. After thorough curettage the skin is accurately sutured with mattress sutures using non-absorbable suture materials preferably palced across the line of flexion of the skin. The foot is bandaged for 2 to 3 weeks. Repeat cleaning and dressing at interval of 2 to 3 days.
7.Wounds: lacerated wound can be treated on a routine basis and usually heals by first intention provided the wound is fresh and controlled bleeding. If skin has been lost and wound started granulating, debridement followed by application of a dressing is needed. Subcutaneuous sutures are not needed. A simple continuous pattern using a fine, taper point with swaged on 4/0 chromic gut sutures is used to close the skin.
8.Tumor and cysts: Subcutaneous tumor and cysts are not usually invasive but can become ulcerated and are dissected free of surrounding tissue by using a closed pair of mosquito haemostat.
8.Vent Gleet: vent gleet is an inflammatory condition of the cloaca and is also therefore known as “Vent Gleet” generally affects laying hens and sometimes males and is associated with a sharp, characteristics unpleasant smell. Treatment is usually not necessary, but the application of antiseptic or antibiotic ointment may be helpful
9.Amputation of comb (Dubbing) and amputation of the wattles (Cropping): Indication:1. Abnormally large size of the comb/wattles inferring with feeding.2.oedema of the wattles injury and necrosis etc.
10.Eye worms: Oxyspirum mansoni found under the nictitating membrane of the fowl eye; causing scrating with resulting inflammation and swelling of the eye.
Technique: after lifting the third eyelid with fingers or a blunt instrument instill one or two drops of 5% solution of creolin on the worm and immediately thereafter irrigate the eye with clean water. The worms are killed in this manner and can then be removed with a forceps.
11.Trimming of the spurs: indication: the male birds are de-spurred to prevent injury to the female.
Technique: using a sharp knife of rasp, the spur is trimmed or rasped to a smooth, blunt end. This is better done when the bird is about 10 to 12 weeks olds or when the spur cap is not more than about one-fourth inch.
12.Fracture: Fracture is the break in the continuity of the bone or cartilage. Adhesive tape crimped together with an artery forceps, cardboard and PVC splints are generally applied for immobilization. Stainless steel orthopedic wire along with a plastic rod introduced into the medullary cavity has also been used effectively. In properly immobilized fractures, true bony union takes 22 days and complete remodeling 6 weeks. Fibrous followed by cartilaginous callus develops from both the periosteal and endosteal membrane. It is most rapid in the smaller birds and one can detect sign of healing on X-ray plates within 8 days.
Postoperative Recovery: The postoperative period can be critical for a successful surgical outcome. The patient’s metabolic status must be maintained. Body temperature, nutrition, hydration and blood volume must be carefully monitored and supported as needed. The postoperative patient should be maintained in a warm, humid, dark, quiet environment. Fluid therapy may be administered using an IV catheter in the cutaneous ulnar vein or the medial metatarsal vein. In birds with veins too small for IV catheter placement, intraosseous fluid support can be administered using either the ulna or the tibiotarsus. The patient’s PCV should be monitored and transfusions given as necessary to maintain the PCV above 30%. Tube feeding or force feeding may be indicated to provide nutritional support. Human total parenteral nutrition solutions may be useful to provide amino acids, lipids , and dextrose (50% solution) either orally or using a peripheral or central access catheter.
Providing pain relief to the avian patient may be of critical importance. Butorphanol at the dose rate of 2-4 mg/kg two times a day through intramuscular route appears to provide a significant degree of pain relief. Flunixin meglumine at the dose rate of 1-10 mg/kg single in a day through intramuscular route has also been recommended.
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