Blindness was observed in 10 day-old Guinea fowl chicks. The incidence during the first week after its appearance ranged from 25 to 40 % in a population of 100,000 Guinea fowl raised on different farms. At the beginning of the syndrome the clinical signs of blindness in birds included aimless wandering and increased mortality rate due to starvation (2-3% over the average). The birds lacked pupillary reflexes to light and there were no gross lesions in the eyes. Histologically there was degeneration and disorganization of photoreceptors in the retina. The Guinea fowl chicks came from three different breeder sources but all the birds were given the same feed. The condition was not observed in the subsequent flocks that came from the same breeder sources but were given different feed. Based on these observations toxicity of feed is suspected as the cause of blindness in the Guinea fowl.
Blindness due to retinopathy in guinea fowl
CECCHINATO, MATTIA;
2007
Abstract
Blindness was observed in 10 day-old Guinea fowl chicks. The incidence during the first week after its appearance ranged from 25 to 40 % in a population of 100,000 Guinea fowl raised on different farms. At the beginning of the syndrome the clinical signs of blindness in birds included aimless wandering and increased mortality rate due to starvation (2-3% over the average). The birds lacked pupillary reflexes to light and there were no gross lesions in the eyes. Histologically there was degeneration and disorganization of photoreceptors in the retina. The Guinea fowl chicks came from three different breeder sources but all the birds were given the same feed. The condition was not observed in the subsequent flocks that came from the same breeder sources but were given different feed. Based on these observations toxicity of feed is suspected as the cause of blindness in the Guinea fowl.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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