SF ■tit (hi c o r*i r*t o ivj Poultry BOYSandGIRLS POULTRY CLUB WORK UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 20 CONTRIBUTION FROM BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DIVISION WASHINGTON, D. C. r _ _ i^if. ! NOV 1 7 J933 ..■»»'8H)» Of ooc, lllr ^, / COMMON POULTRY DISEASES. DISEASE is one of the handicaps to successful poultry keeping and should be guarded against at all times. Unless kept in a healthy condition, chicks will not grow properly and mature fowls will lose their vigor and vitality and become unproductive and un- profitable. It is far better to prevent disease by proper care and attention than to attempt to cure a bird after it is sick. Therefore it is important that you watch your flock closely at all times for any signs of disease, so in case an outbreak occurs it may be checked at once. Prevention is always better than cure, and all boys and girls who wish to succeed in poultry-club work should try to give their birds such good care and keep their houses so well cleaned and disinfected that both fowls and chicks will keep hardy and vigorous and allow no opportunity for sickness to creep in. Some diseases may be treated successfully, while others of a more serious nature usually prove fatal. However, if only one or two birds of a flock become sick it is usually advisable to kill them immedi- ately (unless they are choice specimens) and burn or bury the carcasses. If the birds are kept and an attempt is made to doctor or cure them the disease may prove contagious and spread throughout the entire flock. COMMON POULTRY DISEASES AND TREATMENT. The more common poultry diseases and those which poultry-club members are likely to find most troublesome are gapes (in young chicks), roup, chicken pox, and scaly leg. GAPES. This disease, which is quickly noticed because of the sneezing and gaping of the chick, affects only young chicks and young turkeys and usually develops during the first few weeks of their lives. It is caused by a little worm which attaches itself to the inside of the windpipe, where after a few days it will increase in numbers to such an extent as to obstruct or stop up the windpipe, making it difficult for the chick to breathe, and unless the worms are removed at once, it will soon strangle, choke, and die. The female worm produces 3 4 Department Circular 20, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. large quantities of eggs while in the windpipe, and these are thrown out by the chick in sneezing or are swallowed, pass through the intes- tines, and are scattered with the droppings. After a few days young worms will hatch from these eggs and will live in the earth for a long time. If picked up and swallowed by young chicks they quickly find their way to the windpipe, develop, and cause the disease to appear. This explains how infection is carried over from one year to another, and why ground used year after year becomes so infested or filled with these worms that chicks can not be raised upon it. Treatment. — Take a long hair from a horse's tail and twist the two ends together so as to form a loop. Hold the chick's head firmly with one hand, with the neck out straight, forcing the beak open with the fingers. When the glottis, which is the little opening at the root of the tongue, is open for breathing, insert the loop end of the hair, pressing it down the chick's windpipe about one inch. Give it 2 or 3 turns and then withdraw it, which will usually bring out several of the worms. Make sure that the hair is run down the windpipe and not down the chick's throat. Each time the hair may be inserted a little deeper until it reaches nearly the full length of the neck, extreme care being taken not to choke or injure the chick. All worms taken out should be shaken off the hair and scalded or burned. Prevention. — The best preventative for gapes is to keep the chicks on fresh, clean soil at all times. If they become affected with the disease remove them at once to fresh ground where there is plenty of green grass. Ground occupied by chicks affected with gapes should be covered with a thick coating of lime and then spaded up thoroughly or plowed to destroy any worms that may possibly exist. Chicks should not be raised on the same ground again for at least two seasons. ROUP. Roup is a disease which affects the eyes, nose and throat. The first signs are watery eyes, swollen eyelids, loss of appetite, and a thin, watery discharge from the nostrils; after a few days the discharge becomes thick and interferes with the bird's breathing. In severe cases the side of the bird's head is hot and badly swollen and the eyelids stuck together with a yellowish, cheesy substance. Roup frequently develops from a hard cold, but more often is brought into the flock through other birds that have had the disease or have been exposed to it. It is very contagious. The saliva or discharge from the mouth and nostrils carries the germs, and if the sick birds are allowed to remain or eat and drink with the others the Common Poultry .Diseases. disease will spread very quickly through the entire flock. Birds that are out of condition or lacking in vitality are usually the first ones to become affected and the last ones to recover, and sometimes carry and spread the disease for several months after they appear to be cured. Treatment. — The sick birds should be removed at once from the rest of the flock and put into warm, dry, quarters where there is plenty of fresh air but no drafts. Take some warm water, add a little salt (about one teaspoonful to a quart of water), and carefully wash the eyes and mouth, using a soft cloth or a piece of absorbent cotton. It is also well to rub or massage about the nostrils and under the eyes to loosen any of the watery discharge or secretion that may have accumulated there. After cleansing take two heaping teaspoon- Fig. 1. — (Left) Hen showing first stages of roup. The eye is swollen and watery and the eyelids closed. (Right) Hen showing advanced stages of roup. Eyes and head swollen, eyelids closed, and the bird weak and droopy from loss of appetite. fuls (one-half ounce) of boracic acid, or a small half teaspoonful (one dram) of permanganate of potash, which can be purchased at almost any drug store, to one pint of water and wash the eyes and mouth thoroughly; or dip the bird's head into a bowl of the solution, re- peating the treatment 2 or 3 times daily. A tablespoonful of peroxide of hydrogen mixed with two tablespoonfuls of water and injected into the bird's nostrils (see illustration on front cover) with a small oil can or medicine dropper is very beneficial. After the bird has been treated in this manner grease the head with camphorated oil or carbolated vaseline. It is also advisable to put a small quantity of permanganate of potash into the drinking water, as it helps to prevent the disease from spreading. In very severe cases it is best to kill the bird at once, as seldom, if ever, can it be fully and permanently cured. 6 Department Circular 20, U. S. Depi. of Agriculture. Prevention. — Keep the house clean, well ventilated, and disinfected. Be sure that the birds are not exposed to draughts so as to catch cold. Fowls or chicks purchased from other breeders should be put into a separate house, or, if this is not possible, watch each specimen closely for 2 or 3 weeks for any signs of the disease so, if it appears, the bird may be removed before the others are affected. CHICKEN POX. Chicken pox (sometimes called sore head) is another very contagious disease. It makes its appearance in the form of irregular, whitish patches or festers which later develop into brown spots or crusts (resembling a scab of a sore) on the comb, wattles, eyelids, and around the beak and nostrils. In severe cases these patches or sores increase in numbers to such an extent that the bird has difficulty in opening the eyes and beak, and if neglected will be fatal to many. Treatment. — Apply a liberal quantity of carbolated vaseline to all the affected parts. This treatment, after a short time, will cause the patches or crusts to soften and drop off, when the tissue or sore underneath should be painted with tincture of iodine or 5 per cent solution of carbolic acid. Five pounds of fine-powdered sulphur mixed with each 100 pounds of dry mash will also be found beneficial in effecting a cure. As soon as the disease makes its appearance spray the houses and coops thoroughly with some good disinfectant (preferably some wood preservative or coal-tar preparation), and scald the drinking fountains and feed dishes thoroughly with boiling water. Repeat every 2 or 3 days until after all the birds have fully recovered. Prevention. — Keep all roosting quarters clean, dry, and well disin- fected. During the summer, when the disease is most common, mix 3 pounds of powdered sulphur with each 100 pounds of dry mash, allowing the birds to eat all they want. Chicken pox usually attacks late-hatched chicks more often and more severely than early-hatched ones, which makes it advisable to hatch as early in the season as possible. SCALY LEG. Scaly leg is easily recognized by the enlarged, roughened appearance of the feet and legs. It is caused by a little mite which burrows beneath the scales and causes the formation of a yellowish, powdery substance which keeps raising up the scales until they present an unsightly appearance. In severe cases, where the birds are not cared for, the joints of the toes become inflamed and make the birds lame and sometimes unable to walk. The disease is contagious, although it spreads rather slowly. Common Poultry Diseases. Treatment. — Wash the bird's legs well with soap and warm water and remove all loose scales. Rub well with a half-and-half mixture of kerosene and linseed oil (melted lard or vaseline may be used in place of linseed oil) , or fill a can with the mixture, and after the birds have gone to roost at night dip each bird 's legs into it and allow them to soak for a minute. Then return the bird to the roost. Repeat the treatment every 3 or 4 days until the scales are removed. Oil of caraway used in the same manner is also very effective. Prevention. — Spray the roosts, dropping boards, and all cracks and crevices nearby thoroughly and often so as to keep them free from mites. Examine the bird's shanks occasionally and if any signs of scaly leg appear rub them well with oil, as described, to prevent the disease from developing. Fig. 2. — Legs of hen badly affected with "scaly leg." Note the rough, loose appearance of the scales, caused by the mites burrowing underneath. REMEMBER. Remember that it is much easier to keep birds healthy and well than to cure them after they are sick. Club members are therefore urged to guard against disease by giving their fowls and chicks proper care at all times. Keep in mind the following : Lice, mites, filth, poor feed, dirty water, damp houses, drafts, and lack of care and attention breed disease. Sunlight, fresh air, clean houses and runs, good feed, fresh water, and good care and attention mean health, vigor, and profits. For information regarding other poultry diseases write to United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, for Farmers' Bulletin 957, "Poultry Diseases," or ask your poultry-club leader to obtain a copy for you. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/commonpoultrydisOOunit UBRMW OF CONGRESS 002 858 509 3 * B=l° J9 1=- OREGON -=B l^^=- RULE iJmt |=- CO. -^1 J^i-'^H' ^af Bf^" u.s.a. -=^im} : fc 2 4M B 3^B Bis Bsfl JOREGON RULE CO. 1 USA. 2 3 • ■ . 6 7 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 8 9 10 11