Pullorum diseased chicks
Salmonella Pullorum, Pullorum Disease, ‘Bacillary White Diarrhea
Caused by Salmonella bacteria, it will cause death in birds up to 3 weeks of age, rarely in adult birds. Turkeys can get it, guineas, sparrows, doves, and peafowl. Mortality can vary wildly from ten to eighty percent in stressed birds. The bacteria can come from the egg or from ingestion of the bacteria or from pecking or being pecked by infected birds. The bacteria can survive for months but can be destroyed by disinfectants.
. Treatment by Amoxycillin, poteniated sulponamide, tetracylines, and fluoroquinolones.
Surviving birds are carriers of the bacteria and should not be used for breeding stock. The birds will be immune from future infections but will pass the disease down through their eggs and contaminate other birds. Vaccines are not recommended as the carriers should be put down to stop the spread of the disease.