MS315 – Backyard Poultry Mini-Series
£547.00 (+VAT)
12 months access to recordings and course materials is included. Please note that the recordings are released on the dates shown and are not live events. Full details on how to access the Mini Series will be emailed to you.
This Mini Series on the veterinary care of backyard poultry provides a practical introduction to the management of chickens and bantams presented to the small animal veterinary practice. It covers essential aspects of poultry biology, husbandry and clinical care, including examination, stabilisation, anaesthesia, surgery and the management of common medical conditions. The series also considers the practical and legal considerations of treating backyard poultry, including nutrition, biosecurity, parasites and prescribing for food-producing animals.
- Join John Chitty BVetMed CertZooMed MRCVS (Herpetology) RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Zoological Medicine for three 2-hour online sessions
- Comprehensive notes to download
- Self-assessment quizzes to ‘release’ your 8 hours CPD certification (don’t worry, you can take them more than once if you don’t quite hit the mark first time)
- A whole year’s access to recorded sessions for reviewing key points
- Superb value for money – learn without travelling
Programme
The Normal Bird- Husbandry, Handling and Infectious Disease Control
This session provides a practical introduction to the biology, husbandry and clinical management of backyard poultry, with a particular focus on chickens and bantams. It covers essential avian anatomy and physiology alongside practical aspects of flock management, nutrition, biosecurity and parasite control. The session also explores handling and stabilisation of birds, post-mortem examination, and the legal considerations surrounding prescribing medication for food-producing animals.
What you’ll learn:
- Avian anatomy and physiology, including the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems
- Poultry husbandry, nutrition, flock management and biosecurity
- Handling, capture, transport and stabilisation of sick or injured birds
- Egg fertility assessment and common reproductive considerations
- Internal and external parasites, including diagnosis and treatment
- Prescribing medication and withdrawal periods for eggs and meat
Examination, Basic Techniques, Emergency Care, Hospitalisation and Common Medical Conditions
This session focuses on the clinical approach to the backyard poultry patient, from initial triage and history taking through to physical examination, diagnostic investigation and stabilisation. As birds can mask signs of illness, the session highlights the importance of careful observation and a systematic approach to examination, while exploring common presentations and practical methods of supporting critically ill patients.
What you’ll learn:
- Triage and recognising emergency versus urgent presentations
- History taking and systematic physical examination
- Respiratory, abdominal, crop and neurological assessment
- Diagnostic techniques including radiography, ultrasound, CT and endoscopy
- Common conditions including Marek’s disease, respiratory disease and egg peritonitis
- Fluid therapy, nutritional support and medication administration
Anaesthesia, Surgery, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Prolapses, and Other Surgical Approaches
The final session provides a practical guide to anaesthesia, surgery and the management of common medical and surgical conditions encountered in backyard poultry. It covers anaesthetic techniques and monitoring alongside surgical approaches for respiratory, orthopaedic, crop and reproductive conditions, with particular emphasis on effective analgesia, local anaesthetic techniques and post-operative care.
What you’ll learn:
- Anaesthetic considerations, induction techniques and monitoring in poultry
- Management of respiratory disease, including mycoplasma
- Lameness, fractures, orthopaedic disease and gout
- Crop impaction and surgical management
- Reproductive conditions including egg peritonitis and salpingitis
- Analgesia, local anaesthetic blocks and post-operative care
The price includes all 3 sessions, notes and quiz – 8 hours of CPD
*No traffic jams, accommodation hassles, pet or childcare, rota clashes, locum fees ……….. just great CPD and a valuable ongoing resource.
Course Feedback:
“The breakdown into symptomatic approaches and the way it was practical advice rather than just a list of possible diseases”
“Most useful-Learning about common problems in backyard poultry and appropriate drug use. It has improved my basic knowledge for assessing and treating backyard poultry”
“The content of the Mini Series will help me very much in my work in practice. It will give me confidence to approach cases in a logical way and reach a working diagnosis and treatment plan, whilst recognising where specialist advice and referral is appropriate.”