SF 
 
 9^5 
 
 ^^ SIMPLE - 
 
 TOUlTRy RBIEWES 
 
 WEBB PUBLISHING Cas?PAUL,MINN. 
 
Class 
 
 Book. 
 
 Copyright 1^^ 
 
 8^ 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
Simple 
 Poultry Remedies 
 
 A Book Which Describes in Simple Language 
 
 the Symptoms of the Leading Diseases 
 
 of Poultry and Tells How They 
 
 May be Cured and Prevented 
 
 by Simple Methods. 
 
 By COMPETENT AUTHORITIES ^ 
 
 Price 25 Cents 
 
 Webb Publishing Company 
 St. Paul, Minnesota, 1909. 
 
^n^' 
 
 Copyright, 1909. 
 
 Webb Publishing Co. 
 
 St. Paul, Ml\n. 
 
 9^20 
 
 ■■^J 
 
Introduction 
 
 In considering any disease by which poultry is affected 
 it is well to remember that a cause exists and that the flock- 
 is not safe from further ravages unless that cause is removed. 
 To continuously doctor members of the flock, even though 
 the treatment seems effective, while the conditions which 
 brought on the disease remain, is neither reasonable nor prof- 
 itable. 
 
 The first thing to do, therefore, when any disease or ail- 
 ment is discovered in the flock, is to determine the cause and 
 remove it. For example, severe colds may be caused by ex- 
 posing the fowls to drafts while on the roost, or by too tight- 
 ly closed houses which afford an insufficient supply of life- 
 giving oxygen for the fowls to breathe. Any number of 
 remedies for colds could be applied, and for a time would 
 prove effective by destroying the cold germs in the systems 
 of the fowls, but if a continuance of the same methods of 
 housing prevails, more sickness is brought on as fast as cer- 
 tain specimens are helped and moreover the constant doc- 
 toring tends to weaken the flock and decreases its produc- 
 tiveness for some time to come. 
 
 Having removed the cause of the disease the next thing 
 is to kill or cure the ailing specimens. In severe cases 
 where diseases are contagious or infectious, the former meth- 
 od of disposing of them is advisable except, perhaps, in the 
 case of very valuable specimens. In effecting a cure, or at- 
 tempting to do so, the use of as simple remedies as possible 
 
4 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 is advised and in no case should harsh remedies, which are 
 needed only in very severe cases of certain diseases, be ap- 
 pHed to troubles of less importance and which may be allev- 
 ia.t'^A by medicines which are less drastic in their action. Al- 
 though the harsher remedies may cure the ailments, the effect 
 on the birds is never good. 
 
 What the poultryman needs to know is how to recog- 
 nize certain ailments or diseases by their symptoms, what 
 measures to apply to remove th^ cause and what medicines 
 to give to free the fowl's system from the trouble without 
 overtaxing that system in other directions. To provide this 
 information in the most available form is the object of this 
 book. We have endeavored to make each description plain 
 and simple and to advise the use of such remedies in each 
 case, so far as possible, as may be found in the average 
 household or secured easily at the nearest drug store. Every 
 word of advice that this book contains has been tried and 
 proved in actual experience and we unhesitatingly commend 
 it to the poultry keepers of America. 
 
 THE PUBLISHERS. 
 
FOOD AS A CAUSE OF DISEASE. 
 
 The One-Sided Ration not Alone Destroys the Profit, but 
 Undermines the Health of the Flock. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 What we feed, and how we feed, makes a difiference in 
 the health of our flock. A one-sided ration, irregular meals, 
 manner of supplying grain and mash, mar the best plans 
 made to maintain sturdy stock. 
 
 There is not as much disease today from improper feed- 
 ing as twenty years ago. The old plan was to give a hot, 
 wet mash of cornmeal in the early morning and a full feed 
 of corn just before roosting time. The every-day farmer of 
 fifteen years back paid no attention to the idea that such a 
 ration was "one-sided." He had corn in the barn and corn- 
 meal in the grain room, and little else. He did not spend 
 an hour every frosty morning cutting green bone into poultry 
 food. He thought money wasted if put into bags of meat 
 scraps. The result was very few eggs in the winter months, 
 over- fat hens, and lots of birds to bury in the late winter 
 and early spring months. The all-corn diet led to heavy 
 hens, baggy behind, with livers over-taxed and digestion up- 
 set. Eggs would come in moderate numbers in March, but 
 the yield would let up in April. 
 
 A Comparison of Methods. 
 
 I once had two neighbors who did not feed alike. One 
 fed the all-corn ration and the other practiced the best feed- 
 ing he could learn from the papers, and experiment station 
 reports. Under the old plan of feeding, practicallv no eggs 
 came between the last of October and the middle of February. 
 The other neighbor, who supplied the foods needed to main- 
 
6 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 tain life and also produce eggs, averaged an egg a day from 
 every two hens in his flock. The first was feeding at a con- 
 stant loss — the second saw his profits improving with the 
 coming of continued cold weather. Under the corn diet the 
 birds were out of condition most of the time and many of 
 them w^ere dead before the grass was three inches high. The 
 balanced ration supplied just the needs of body and eggs, did 
 not over-tax digestion, and was not a factor in producing dis- 
 ease. 
 
 There is danger also in stimulating fowls for winter egg 
 production. I have known poultrymen who seemed to rea- 
 son it out that if a little spice was good for the birds, more 
 was better. The result was irritation of egg organs, pos- 
 sibly an enlarged liver, and all the evils that follow trying to 
 get too much. It is well to keep in mind that poultry food 
 needs no more spice than the feed we use on our tables. 
 When you feed a moderate amount of food, well balanced, 
 little more is needed for winter eggs and health. 
 
 Results of an Unvaried Ration. 
 
 The leaving out of some needed food may lead to illness. 
 There is danger that in our use of the dry mash, hopper 
 method, we forget the requirements of our birds for green 
 roots and vegetables. Even the absence of "filling" may 
 prove the wrong doing of our hens. Except in the very 
 shortest days of winter the birds will eat too much grain 
 and mash if not allowed access to green food of some sori. 
 The old flock on the farm had a splendid chance to select 
 seed and leaf from barn floor and horse manger, scratch for 
 the waste of the mow, and work the dr\^ leaves that blew in 
 under the timbers of the old shed. Under modern plans we 
 house and vard the birds so closely that they get no more than 
 we give them from ctay to day. 
 
 Different Feed for Different Breeds. 
 
 All breeds cannot be fed the same, and have us sure 
 that results will be the same. The ration that suits the needs 
 
FILTH CAUSES DISEASE 7 
 
 of the Leghorn may lead tG disease in the Cochin. The free 
 range flock may stand the full hopper of meat scraps that 
 would prove the undoing of the shut-in flock of the modern 
 house. 
 
 Let us apply modern methods in a common sense way 
 that we may see large winter profits. We should not forget, 
 in so doing, that there are dangers from good foods and high 
 priced rations. A little thought, some observation of our 
 birds in their houses, and we may avoid a few of the illnesses 
 due to improper feeds and wrong methods. 
 
 FILTH CAUSES DISEASE. 
 
 Bad Air, Impure Food, Drink and Filthy Quarters Produce 
 Sickness and Death. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Causes of disease are more important than cures. A 
 knowledge of prevention is worth more than understanding 
 how to use drugs in the diseases of chicks and fowls. I like 
 the tendency of today to ask why birds are ill, rather than 
 what to do to cure them. 
 
 In the long list of causes of disease there is not one that 
 stands out as prominently as filth. It is not until we begin 
 to really dig into the subject that we appreciate this fact. 
 Every poultryman has seen so many successful poultry yard^ 
 that were far from perfect in health points that the matter of 
 filth has to be thought out in connection with outbreaks of 
 illness. Let me tell you some of the things that will follow 
 in the wake of "dirt" 
 
 Effect of Impure Air. 
 
 Filth may attack the fowl in the air they breathe. Cb'>'-<? 
 housed in brooders badly ventilated, or crowded into small 
 coops, fall victims to several forms of disease. Whole brood- 
 
8 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 er flocks have been lost because the owner sought to save oil 
 by giving Httle ventilation. Some brooders that suppl-- ' --- 
 ty of pure air in the cold days of March and April fail to do 
 so in the mild and warm weather of May and June. The 
 brooder that requires a full flame to warm it in March may 
 prove a death-trap in early summer. The one that is a 
 healthy home for fifty chicks in late winter may fail to d^ 
 good work in milder days. I know several breeders who can 
 raise the early chicks and fail in the lots that come off in 
 late May. The breathed, and re-breathed", air weakens the 
 chick to the point where disease germs breed easily. 
 
 Older stock may suffer from filthy air. The maturing 
 pullet in the crowded roosting coop, or the winter layer in 
 the closed roosting closet, is affected by the absence of pure 
 air. Anything that weakens vitality is a factor in disease 
 and nothing is more sure to bring trouble than the presence 
 of air loaded with filth elements. 
 
 Even incubators need to be supplied air that is pure. 
 Allow a leak in the lamp tube, or set the machine in a cellar 
 that is musty, and hatches are far from satisfactory. 
 
 Impure Food and Water. 
 
 The eating of filth in the food is not without danger. 
 Hens and chicks fed a partly fermented mash thrown on the 
 dirty ground often show indications of cholera or dysentery. 
 I do not wish to be understood that all birds that take animal 
 waste with their food become ill as the result of it. On the 
 contrary I wonder that hens keep well with the treatment 
 that so many of them get in this line. I simply wish to im- 
 press on you that there are many dangers to the flock that 
 live under conditions. far from perfect. 
 
 Decayed food is filth. ' How many cases of limb*erneck 
 we hear of in the summer days! The dead hen under the 
 barn, the strong smelling dead calf in the pasture and the. 
 spoiling woodchuck in the bush, supply filth that poisons 
 chick and hen alike. 
 
CAUSES OF SUDDEN DEATHS 9 
 
 Drinking water may have causes of illness in it. Be- 
 tween the heat of the hot weather and the droppings that 
 may get into it we must watch the water fountain lest we 
 supply right conditions for an outbreak of sickness. 
 
 Pure water is not hard to supply. Clean surroundings 
 are 'not out of the question. All out-doors is at hand to draw 
 on for a bountiful quantity of fresh air. Why not use a lit- 
 tle thought and time in giving our stock the conditions that 
 are needed to produce and keep sturdy hens and chicks? I 
 have worked out many of these problems on my own plant 
 and know the satisfaction that comes when you can show 
 chicks and hens both profitable and beautiful. Try this plan 
 of mine with your stock the coming twelve months. 
 
 CAUSES OF SUDDEN DEATHS. 
 
 Improperly Balanced Rations and Careless Feeding Result in 
 Deaths That are Without Apparent Cause. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Many inquiries come to me seeking light on causes of 
 death in birds that have no continued illness. A hen seems 
 to be well today, and tomorrow is found dead on the nest. A 
 cockerel eats his evening meal at five o'clock and is found 
 stiff on the ground an hour later. These are two illustra- 
 tions of the cases I desire to discuss. 
 
 It hardly seems possible, to one who is not acquainted 
 with poultry, that a hen can die with so short a notice of trou- 
 ble, but I have had cases in my own flock, as well as had my 
 attention called to many such cases in other yards. Let us 
 see if we can get an undertsanding of a few of the underly- 
 ing facts. 
 
 The man who owns a dozen hens, in his village yard, re- 
 ceives little impression if he has one hen die on the nest in 
 
10 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 the course of a year. Let the same percentage occur in the 
 one thousand hen plant, eighty hens in a single year, and the 
 owner is dismayed. As these sudden deaths in hens are 
 most common in early spring, the loss of eighty birds in a 
 few weeks startles the owner of the egg farm. The loss of 
 the hens is something but the cutting out of the egg product 
 is much more. What is the common cause of these sudden 
 deaths in laying hens? 
 
 A badly balanced ration has been the fault. The poul- 
 tryman of today is good to his fowls. He usually feeds them 
 too larg'e a ration and it is fat making rather than egg pro- 
 ducing. The healthy hen needs a growing ration rather than 
 a fattening one. The line of feed that we use to mature the 
 pullets in the fall is the one to feed for egg production in 
 the spring. It is the long continued fattening ration of win- 
 ter that sets in motion the process that ends in sudden death. 
 When a well matured pullet, or an inactive hen, in winter is 
 obliged to overeat in order to get protein food enough for her 
 daily needs she cannot escape deposits of fat within her body. 
 The average owner of a few hens feeds too much corn and 
 cornmeal, bread and pie-crust, flour and meal. He does not 
 supply the craving for meatscraps, green bone and milk. It 
 is the animal part of the ration that is forgotten The over- 
 fat hen becomes weak in muscle, fat taking the place of fiber, 
 and this is true of the fine muscles of artery and egg ductr 
 The eggs form, start to pass, and in the act of being ejected 
 burst the egg passage or become lodged in the canal. Im- 
 paction of egg, or rupture of egg duct, is the usual cause of 
 these dead hens on the nest. A small percentage of the 
 fatalities are due to rupture of a blood vessel during the 
 straining process of laying. 
 
 Sudden deaths in male birds is usually due to bolting 
 their food. The cock, or cockerel, is yarded, is hungry, and 
 receives his supper of cracked corn. He fills to the limit, 
 drinks from the water dish, and feels uncomfortable. He 
 
SUNSTROKE it 
 
 takes more water, the swelling of grain continues, and he 
 goes again and again to the water fountain. Acute indiges- 
 tion comes on, colic is quickly at work and in a short time 
 the male bird may be still and stitY. I have known a num- 
 ber of cases like this and a few that have followed the heavy 
 feeding of whole oats to a fasting male. A tightly filled 
 crop, a swelling mass of grain, and no wonder we lose now 
 and then a valuable bird. I had a dead cockerel sent to me 
 for examination and advice. I found his gizzard impacted 
 with w4iole oats, the passage between the gizzard and crop 
 swollen to bursting, and the crop itself full of tightly massed 
 oats. Certainly it w-as a case of "stoppage 1" 
 
 These few cases of disease point a lesson to us all. We 
 need to know more of feeds and ways of feeding, and use 
 cur knowledge to avoid illness in our flock. If we. would 
 give the time to learning the best methods of feeding and 
 care, that we do to doctoring ill birds, we would save money 
 and failure. 
 
 SUNSTROKE. 
 
 Overheating or sunstroke occurs but rarely and then 
 almost always in the case of very fat fowls. The birds 
 seem to be partly paralyzed, often lying on their sides for 
 considerable time. They eat well and retain a red color in 
 face and comb. If kept in a cool place and fed moderately, 
 with plain, but wholesome food, sometimes they will recover. 
 
 Young ducks are frequently affected by the heat and 
 will become almost perfectly rigid and apparently lifeless. 
 If placed in a cool, airy location and their heads bathed with 
 cool water, most of them can be saved if they are attended 
 to immediatelv. 
 
DISEASES TAKEN AT SHOWS. 
 
 The Dangers That Threaten The Exhibition Bird and How 
 They May Be Lessened or Prevented. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. ' 
 
 Exhibitors at the winter shows seldom pass a season 
 without more or less illness in their string of birds. Last 
 winter was the first time that I ever escaped some illness in 
 my show birds. The matter is one of importance to exhibitor 
 and show management and must be better understood by all. 
 
 There are the diseases incident to the trip from yard to 
 show. The man who takes his stock in his own wagon from 
 home to show, seldom has' serious trouble from the exposure 
 to cold, wet and wind. Especially does he escape the dan- 
 gers of having his birds smothered in the express car or in- 
 jured for life because of being tightly packed in the cars. I 
 know few breeders who have not either lost some stock, or 
 had some injured, from the close air of the car. Then there 
 is danger. of contracting catarrh, roup, bronchitis or pneu- 
 monia, from the drafts that the coops are subjected to on 
 trucks or i)latforms at junction points. Cocks are especially, 
 liable to nervous shock in the confusion of the trip, going 
 rapidly to the bad when back in the home plant. 
 
 In the show room the birds are often in dark corners, 
 the temperature is far higher than in the poultry house, they 
 are fed a new ration, and subject to the annoyances of many 
 passing visitors. 
 
 To take a show bird from near the steam pipe of the 
 express car, carry it a mile on an express wagon in zero 
 weather and coop it in a public hall under artificial condi- 
 tions, is trying to the best fowl that any of us own. No 
 
DISEASES TAKEN AT SHOWS 
 
 13 
 
 wonder that our ijest show bird sometimes dies before the 
 opening of spiing. 
 
 Diseases Caught at Shows. 
 
 Then in the show there is danger of disease being taken 
 frojii other ill birds. Show managers are lax in allowing 
 birds plainly ill to remain in the pens long after complaint 
 has been entered. More shows are coming to the practice of 
 excluding ill stock from the exhibition. 
 
 Roup, canker and chicken pox are the three diseases 
 /nost often spread through the shows. Roup and canker 
 are the winter diseases that are to be most feared. Chicken 
 pox is more often seen in the fall fairs or breaks out in 
 show stock a week after they return home. Chicken pox 
 was almost unknown in the Northern states ten years ago, 
 but is now being reported in nearly every state. 
 
 Long used exhibition coops may hold germs of roup and 
 catarrh over a whole year, passing on the disease to new 
 birds when the right conditions are supplied. Unwashed 
 water cups may be sources of disease as well as the wood and 
 metal of the coop. 
 
 Preventive Measures. 
 
 What can be done to prevent these illnesses? Better 
 shipping coops should be used. They ought to be made so 
 that it is impossible to fit them so closely together as to shut 
 off air from the stock inside. At the same time the birds 
 need protection from high winds and zero air. Too small, 
 or low, coops should be abandoned. Ill stock must be held 
 at home, even though they seem to be all right to ship. Bet- 
 ter have an empty coop at the show than infect another's 
 birds. 
 
 More attention is needed in the cleaning and disinfect- 
 ing of showroom property. Every feed and water dish should 
 be boiled and washed before storing away at the end of the 
 show. It should be someone's business to see that ill birds 
 
14 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 are removed from the coops when in the show, or detected 
 and returned to the owner. 
 
 The matter of disease in poultry is attracting attention 
 and anything we can do to prevent sickness will increase pub- 
 lic interest in well-bred fowls. If the winter show can re- 
 duce the number of case? of illness, that late seasons have 
 seen, more men will enter the race for honors in poultry 
 competitions. 
 
 SOME COMMON REMEDIES. 
 
 Simple, Effective Poultry Medicines and the Diseases Which 
 They are Used to Treat. 
 
 By Dr. N. W, Sanborn. 
 
 Every poultry keeper needs a few simple remedies and 
 to be ready to use them at the beginning of illness. To 
 combat disease without a stock of drugs is like doing carpen- 
 ter's work without tools. There are a half dozen simple 
 remedies that should be found at hand when disease is first 
 noticed. It will not do to wait until you need medicine and 
 then try to buy it, five miles or a hundred miles away. To 
 delay in the handling of sickness in our flock is to be beaten 
 at the very start. 
 
 Kerosene an Effective Remedy. 
 
 Kerosene oil has more uses in poultry disease work than 
 is realized by the average owner of hens. It is a germ kill- 
 er of merit, a stimulant, and makes housekeeping of the red- 
 mites a terror. Kerosene in small quantities is the best 
 treatment for catarrhs of nostrils and throat, as well as for 
 destroying contagion through the mucous discharges. Kero- 
 sene, will blister if used too long or too strong, taking off the 
 outer laver of skin and some of the feathers. I use kerosene 
 
SOME COMMON REMEDIES 15 
 
 on the drinking water, as a usual thing-, or in severe cases by 
 injection into the nostrils or throat. 
 
 One teaspoonful of common kerosene gently poured on 
 the top of a dish of water, eight inches across, is dose enough 
 for simple cases of fall colds or mild roup. Every -time the 
 bird drinks it gets a little oil into nostrils and throat and a 
 taste into the crop Avith the swallow of drink. It gets its 
 medicine every time it visits the water fountain. It is neces- 
 sary to have an open fountain so the hen is obliged to take 
 from the highest point. 
 
 Kerosene, in larger quantity, on the surface of a pail of 
 water, will be found useful in killing the scale insect that is 
 so common on the shanks of hens. Hold the hen by neck, 
 wings and legs, and drop through the layer of oil every part 
 of the infected shanks. A little oil will penetrate the scales, 
 while the water layer will stop the blistering, the action of 
 the oil. A -few treatments will kill off the last insect and 
 the shanks will regain part of their original good looks. 
 Kerosene used on roosts and dropping boards will disturb 
 the workings of the red mite. 
 
 Arsenite of Antimony. 
 
 Arsenite of antimony is a remedy too little known. It is 
 the best internal drug in the cure of bronchitis and catarrhs 
 of all natures. It is not to be found in many drug stores, as 
 it seems to be in no demand for any other purpose than the 
 one I mention. The dose is very small. One two-hun- 
 dredth of a grain, in solution, is enough for one dose for a 
 hen of five pounds Four such doses in a day is quantity suf- 
 ficient for treatment of bronchitis or colds of most natures. 
 One grain of the arsenite added to the day's drink of one 
 hundred and twenty-five fowls will do all that a larger dose 
 would do. 
 
 Peroxide of Hydrogen. 
 
 Hydrogen peroxide is our best outside medicine for pus 
 or matter. For the sores of chicken pox, bumble foot, boils 
 
10 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 and infected wounds, this peroxide destroys the germs that 
 are multiplying so rapidly. It has little action on sound tis- 
 sue and can be used without much danger of setting up ad- 
 ditional inflammation. If pus is present, there will be a foam- 
 ing of peroxide and matter. 
 
 Calcium Sulphide. 
 
 Calcium sulphide is worth using in cases of chicken pox, 
 "sore head," or vent gleet. It works through the blood and 
 stops germ growth wherever the blood flows. One grain of 
 the yellow, strong-smelling drug is mixed with the wet mash 
 for each ill bird for a single meal. Ordinary cases of illness 
 require three such doses a day. It is perfectly safe to use, 
 should be real strong smelling to be of use, and must be push- 
 ed for results. I believe it to be the only real serviceable 
 drug to use in the treatment of chicken pox. If given to 
 chicks of any age I would use a half grain two to three times 
 a day. 
 
 Zenoleum, napcreol, sulpho-napthol, or one of the many 
 tar preparations, added to water till it is milky in looks, 
 makes a splendid application to raw surfaces, for washing out 
 sores, for cleansing nostrils or eyelids. 
 
 DROPSY. 
 
 This disease usually manifests itself in the abdomeir, 
 where water collects between the tissues. It usually fol- 
 lows incorrect feeding or filthy surroundings. If much wa- 
 ter collects, it is well to puncture the skin with a disinfected 
 needle, being careful not to injure the intestines, and let the 
 fluid escape. Better feed and more healthful surroundings 
 and careful care preveht a recurrence of the trouble. A sim- 
 ple tonic, such as a teaspoonful of nux vomica to each two 
 quarts of drinking water, is useful. . Since birds that have 
 dropsy usually have some other disease, of which the dropsy 
 is a manifestation, it is not advisable to breed from them. 
 
DISEASES OF THE HEAD. 
 
 Some of the Ailments That are First Seen on the Head and 
 Its Adjuncts— The Symptoms and Treatment. 
 
 The head and its adjuncts, especially the comb, are the 
 places where many of the common diseases of poultry first 
 manifest themselves and although sometimes such diseases 
 have gained some headway before they become apparent, 
 usually if the condition of these parts is noted carefullv the 
 disease may be known in time to effect a cure. 
 Catarrhal Colds. 
 
 Catarrhal colds have similar symptoms to the ordinary 
 common colds but the addition of catarrhal affection makes 
 them chronic. There is continuous running at the nostrils 
 and sometimes an odor on the breath. Occasionally in .=;evere 
 cases there is a slight rattling in the throat through the 
 failure of the nostrils to discharge the matter, which then 
 runs into the throat. 
 
 One of the best remedies is plenty of fresh air at all 
 times, especially when they are on the roosts at night and es- 
 pecially if they are protected from drafts bv cloth or burlap 
 curtains. Half a teaspoonful of creolin mav be mixed in 
 half a pint of water and the bird's head thrust^into the liquid 
 three or four times with its beak held open with the finger 
 Usually the pure air treatment is sufficient, and in most 
 cases ack of pure air from roosting in close coops is re- 
 sponsible for the trouble. 
 
 Influenza. 
 
 This trouble has nnich the same svmptoms as a severe 
 cold. The nostrils discharge constantly and the birds breathe 
 .icavily. Often the heads swell somewhat but there is not 
 
i8 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 the offensive odor which accompanies roup, which has much 
 the same symptoms so far as the swelHng and heavy breath- 
 ing are concerned. In some cases the eyes are affected, the 
 hds being swollen until they appear to be almost out of place. 
 The fowls droop, often resting with the points of their beaks 
 on the ground. It is usually caused by exposure to sudden 
 changes of temperature or to inclement weather. 
 
 A good remedy is tincture of aconite, lo drops ; tincture 
 of bryonia, lo drops; tincture of spongia, "lo drops; alcohol, 
 about a fluid ounce. After mixing thoroughly, add half a 
 teaspoonful to each quart of drinking water, allowing the 
 birds no other drink. 
 
 Swollen Heads. 
 
 Sometimes that part of the face just back of the nostrils 
 will begin to swell and continue until it is so large that it al- 
 most, if not quite, closes the eyes, the swelling being of a 
 yellowish white color. This does not affect the general 
 health of the fowl apparently, but is unsightly and is liable to 
 cause further trouble unless removed. 
 
 The aft'ected birds should be confined by themselves in a 
 clean, dry place and fed a fair ration of wholesome food. 
 The face should be bathed twice daily with a weak solution 
 of hydrogen dioxide, composed of three per cent dioxide, one 
 part; water, two parts. After this has dried, apply a little 
 iodoform ointment under the lids of the eyes and in the nos- 
 trils. 
 
 White Comb. 
 
 This disease is usually caused by a dibilitated condition 
 of the fowls, arising from crowded, damp or badly-ventilated 
 houses, improper feeding, insufficient supply of grit, lack of 
 vegetable food, etc. The comb and head become white and 
 scales form. If these scales are pulled off the surface is like- 
 ly to bleed. It does not seem to affect the fowls otherwise. 
 
 The poultry house should be cleaned and whitewashed 
 and made free from dampness and well ventilated. Feed 
 
DISEASES OF THE HEAD 19 
 
 plenty of clean, wholesome food and give plenty of green 
 food. It is a good plan to work cocoanut oil into the comb 
 and head and to put a few drops of chloride of iron in the 
 drinking water. 
 
 Apoplexy. 
 
 Sometimes a fowl is found which loses control of its 
 muscles from no apparent cause. Its head and neck some- 
 times twist to one side or backward and sometimes it is un- 
 able to walk. Such cases are usually caused by the rupturing 
 of a blood vessel, the walls having been weakened by an over- 
 fat condition of the fowl. Sometimes this occurs when the 
 bird is not externally fat but when internal fat interferes 
 with the proper work of the nerves and circulation of the 
 blood. 
 
 Less food and more exercise will prevent other mem- 
 bers of the flock becoming affected. 
 
 Frozen Combs and Wattles. 
 
 If a bird is found with its comb or wattles, or either, 
 frozen, while the frost is still in, it should be removed by rub- 
 bing gently in snow or cold water. Carbolic vaseline or gly- 
 cerine may then be applied and the comb will be apparently 
 as good as ever in a few days but will be frozen much more 
 easily thereafter. If found after the frost has left the comb 
 or wattle, saving the member is a more difficult matter. The 
 best thing to do is to bathe the coml) with witch hazel to en- 
 courage circulation of the blood in it and then use carbolic 
 salve or vaseline twice a day, keeping the bird in a fairly 
 warm, dry place. If so severely frozen that the blood does 
 not circulate and the entire member turns dark, it is best to 
 cut it off entirelv in the manner that game cocks are "dub- 
 bed." 
 
 The Pip. 
 
 Pip is not a disease but is a condition brought about by 
 fever in the chick, which is in turn caused by bad digestion 
 or some disease which dries the throat and mouth, or bv ir- 
 
20 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 ritating dust. This causes the membrane on the tongue to 
 become hard, forming a shell over the end of the tongue. This 
 should not be removed for its object is to protect the tongue. 
 It may be moistened with glycerine frequently and if that does 
 not prove satisfactory a solution of boric acid, 15 grains, and 
 water an ounce, should be used to wash out the mouth and 
 allay the inflammation. 
 
 Inflammation of the Mouth. 
 
 This trouble is caused by irritation of the lining mem- 
 brane of the mouth either from the secretion of an irritating 
 fluid within, or dust or some poisonous substance from with- 
 out. The mouth usually contains much slimy matter and 
 sometimes a white membrane forms under and around the 
 tongue. 
 
 The poultry house should be cleaned and disinfected and 
 well ventilated always. A variety of food should be fed and 
 the affected fowls' mouths should be washed out twice daily 
 with equal parts of glycerine and water or some such mix- 
 ture. Freedom from dust is particularly desirable. 
 
 Eye Troubles. 
 
 Troubles with the eyes seldom exist by themselves but 
 are usually caused by diseases which affect the fowl else- 
 where. Inflammation of the throat and nostrils frequently 
 extends to the eyes and canker, roup and severe colds af- 
 fect them. The cure of the main trouble removes the dff- 
 ficulty from the eyes. ^Sometimes it is w^ell to bathe them 
 with a mixture of three parts water and one part witch hazel. 
 When this is dry mix one part of powdered iodoform with 
 twenty times its bulk of vaseline and apply the mixture under 
 the lids of the eyes. . 
 
 Black Comb. 
 
 Sometimes a bird's comb wall become dark, beginning 
 usually with the points and turning from a purple to blue and 
 then to black. As a usual thing this is the result of liver 
 
COMMON COLDS 21 
 
 trouble or some other internal disturbance and is caused in 
 the comb by the breaking down of the tissue, which cuts off 
 the circulation. 
 
 The proper treatment is to improve the general health 
 of the fowl and apply carbolic salve to the comb. Give- green 
 food in the form of cabbage or onions and add a teaspoonful 
 of muriate of ammonia to each quart of drinking water to 
 act upon the liver. 
 
 COMMON COLDS. 
 
 Symptoms, Causes, Preventives and Cures of One of the Most 
 Prevalent Ailments of Domestic Poultry. 
 
 By O. H. Olson, M. D. 
 
 Common cold or Coryza is a very prevalent disease dur- 
 ing fall and winter among poultry and consists of an acute 
 inflammation of the lining membrane of the nasal passages. 
 The membrane, as a result of the inflammatory changes, be- 
 comes red and thickened, and begins to exude a watery or 
 glairy discharge, which is the product of the inflammation. 
 On account of these changes that take place and the increased 
 secretion, the breathing through the nostrils becomes very 
 difficult, so that the fowl often gasps for breath. There is 
 frequent sneezing, the bird usually stands instead of sitting 
 on the perch. It becomes listless, seems to feel cold and is 
 all huddled up. The appetite becomes poor. The eyes are 
 watery and injected and there is a running from the nose. 
 
 Very frequent exciting causes of this ailment are ex- 
 posure to sudden changes of temperature, overcrowding in 
 warm, poorly ventilated quarters, also draughts that strike 
 the fowls while on their roosts, coming through cracks and 
 crevises and open windows in the hen house. The accumu- 
 
22 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 lation of filth and droppings may also act as an exciting cause 
 through irritation. Dampness may also be a cause. 
 How Colds May be Prevented. 
 This disease, as well as many other diseases of poultry, 
 mav be prevented by taking proper precautions. In the fall 
 of the year the poultry houses should be gone over and giv- 
 en a good cleaning. There should be a thorough fumiga- 
 tion with formaldehyde candles, now commonly used for this 
 purpose, and while this is done the doors and windows and 
 all openings and cracks should be closed. Then the walls 
 should be sprayed with coal oil and whitewashed, and in 
 the whitewash should be mixed some crude carbolic acid. All 
 cracks and crevices must be closed up so that no draughts can 
 strike the fowls. The houses should be properly ventilated 
 and in such a manner that there will be no draughts. All 
 filth around the poultry houses should be carted away. Dur- 
 ing the fall and winter in particular the houses must be clean- 
 ed often. The dropping boards should be cleaned every 
 day regularly and dusted with sand or earth. Give the fowls 
 plenty of room, for crowding is detrimental to their well- 
 being. Feed regularly and in the proper amount. 
 Some Simple Remedies. 
 In the treatment of this disease there is probably nothing 
 that acts so satisfactorily as giving a good physic, for which 
 give a small dose of common Epsom Salts or castor oil. Then 
 give aconite and belladonna, one teaspoonful of each in a 
 glass of water ; dose half a spoonful every two or three hours. 
 Also give quinine, one grain three times daily. Two or 
 three quarts of hot water is placed in a vessel and four or 
 five teaspoonfuls either of spirits of camphor or compound 
 tincture of benzoin is added. Place the vessel near the fowls 
 while they are on their roosts at night and let them inhale the 
 vapor. Menthol is very useful from its power to contract 
 the fine blood vessels and thus relieve the fullness in the 
 throat and enable the bird to breathe better. It is best used 
 
PREVENTION AND CURE OF ROUP 23 
 
 in combination with Eucalyptol, as follows : Menthol, grains 
 8, Eucalyptol, minims 6 to 8; Liquid Petrolatum, 2 ounces. 
 Apply this with a swab several times daily in the nasal 
 cavity. 
 
 PREVENTION AND CURE OF ROUP. 
 
 How to Recognize, Ward -off and Cure This Destructive Disease 
 of Fowls. 
 
 By O. H. Olson, M. D. 
 
 Roup is a very common disease of poultry and usually 
 occurs in the fall and winter months. It is at times dis- 
 astrous, making- havoc in whole flocks of poultry in a short 
 time. Every year a large number of fowls die from this 
 much dreaded disease, and, therefore, we should do every- 
 thing possible to prevent its appearance among our birds. 
 We should always bear in mind that it is a great deal easier 
 to prevent a disease, than it is to cure it, and it is chiefly 
 through neglect and poor management that so many diseases 
 break out. 
 
 It should be the first aim to breed our birds in such a 
 manner that they will be full of life and vigor so that they 
 may be better able to resist disease, and in order to do this 
 we must breed from strong, healthy birds, and be careful not 
 to inbreed too closely, which will surely have a tendency to 
 produce a weakened progeny that will become a prey to dis- 
 ease. 
 
 Causes of the Disease. 
 
 Roup is caused usually by overcrowding, dampness and 
 a filthy condition of the houses, yards and run. The crowd- 
 ing together of many birds in small coops, where the drop- 
 pings are allowed to accumulate until the air becomes foul 
 is a very frequent cause of this disease. Fowls neglected* 
 and weakened by lice and mites causing a weak constitution 
 
24 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 are easy prey to this disease. Drafts in poorly constructed 
 houses, from broken windows, and drafts striking fowls 
 while on the roosts are other causes. 
 
 In order to prevent this disease the poultry houses 
 should be put in good condition before cold weather sets in. 
 Fumigate thoroughly, whitewash inside and keep houses, 
 yards and runs clean. Ventilate properly so as to prevent 
 dampness, and be careful that drafts don't strike the fowls. 
 Feed correctly and keep the birds busy. ' 
 The Symptoms of Roup. 
 
 The symptoms of roup are first those of a cold. There 
 is a watery discharge from the nostrils and eyes. This thick- 
 ens and fills up the nasal cavity and throat, causing difficult 
 breathing and a rattling in the throat. The head begins to 
 swell and the eyes close up and bulge out. There is a very 
 offensive odor from the roupy fowl which is very character- 
 istic of the disease. It is highly contagious, by contact with 
 the exudations of the sick birds and also by diffusion in the 
 air. 
 
 The Proper Treatment. 
 
 In the first stage give aconite and belladonna and qui- 
 nine same as given for cold in the head. Then use a pow- 
 der composed of equal parts of alum, magnesia and sulphur, 
 and give a pinch of the powder to each fowl ; repeat several 
 times if necessary. Give castor oil to the sick fowls^two 
 nights in succession. Feed soft foods or bran and corn 
 meal with a very little red pepper and charcoal Use ten 
 drops of the following prescription twice daily : Chlorate of 
 Potash I drachm. Chloride of Iron i drachm and Boric Acid 
 I drachm in six ounces of water. Swab the throat and. nasal 
 cavity occasionally with peroxide of hydrogen. Pour a gill 
 of turpentine and a gill of carbolic acid over a peck of lime 
 and after it has become slacked scatter it freely over the in- 
 side of the houses. All sick birds should be isolated and 
 kept warm and dry. Fumigate with formaldehyde or by 
 burning sulphur. 
 
PREVENTION OF COLDS AND ROUP. 
 
 Fresh Air Prevents These Diseases and Tightly Closed Quarters 
 Invite and Foster Them. 
 
 By Victor D. Caneday. 
 
 At one time we met a gentleman who had embarked in 
 the poultry business and upon inquiry how his fowls were 
 doing, he began saying some very hard things about the 
 White Plymouth Rocks, which he breeds. Among other 
 things, he said, "They haven't sense enough to go in when it 
 rains. Why, they have nearly all of them got colds and I 
 expect they will be down sick with roup before long." We 
 asked him if he w^as keeping his poultry house closed at 
 night, and he said, "Yes, the doors and windows are all 
 closed tight, and I have a nice, warm chicken house for them, 
 too." We told him at once, that that was exactly what had 
 caused the trouble, and that we had not at that time (Oct. 
 19th) put the windows in our poultry houses yet, and the 
 chickens were running out and in as they chose, rain or no 
 rain, and we had had no trouble whatever from colds. Tur- 
 keys are more susteptible to colds than chickens are, and yet 
 no turkey raiser but what knows that they will thrive and be 
 healthy roosting out in- all kinds of w^eather. Our friend 
 said : "I believe you are right for I have some common 
 chickens which are roosting out in the trees and they are all 
 doing well." 
 
 The above is a fair sample of the way thoroughbred 
 fowls are treated by the amateur, and the bad results are 
 very often claimed to be the fault of the breed rather than 
 the breeder. In housing stock of any kind we have learn- 
 ed that it is not the extreme cold which causes colds, roup, 
 etc., but rather the sudden changes and keeping stock too 
 
26 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 closely housed in mild weather. Anyone knows that if they 
 are accustomed to having a window open in their sleeping 
 apartment and then close the room up tight for one night, 
 that they will get up the next morning with a cold, or at 
 best, with a very disagreeable feeling about their heads. We 
 have often said and, we believe it to be a fact, that nine out 
 of ten cases of colds among people are contracted while the 
 individual is in a close, warm room. When the pores of the 
 body are open, then look out for a cold From our experi- 
 ence with chickens we consider it safe "to apply the same 
 reasoning to their care. 
 
 We make a practice of keeping the windows open in our 
 poultry houses until the temperature is low enough to en- 
 danger the combs, and we find we have healthier fowls and 
 obtain better results in winter egg production than by any 
 other method. One winter we left a pen, containing some of 
 our early pullets, wide open, as in summer time, until the 
 thermometer was below zero. Some of them froze their 
 combs, but none of them had a sign of a cold, and they con- 
 tinued to lay right along through the winter, even those with 
 frosted combs. Of course, they were fed heavy or could 
 not have stood it, but the experiment proved conclusively to 
 us two things — it is not a cold temperature that causes fowls 
 to contract colds, and a frozen comb is not sufficient of itself 
 to check the egg production. 
 
 In housing stock for the winter we like the males by 
 themselves and the females by themselves, thus enabling i5s 
 to give the laying stock abundance of fresh air, their combs 
 being smaller and less liable to injury by frost than the combs 
 of the males. We regularly open the windows of the lay- 
 ing pens during the -winter days as soon as the thermometer 
 registers as high as ten above zero, if it is clear and not very 
 windy. We hope no one will undertake to handle the large 
 combed varieties in this manner, as, of course, they wouH 
 not be expected to withstand the cold that the breeds would 
 which have smaller combs. 
 
ROUP— A FILTH DISEASE 27- 
 
 Dampness in poultry houses in winter is a fruitful 
 source of colds and roup and is largely caused by neglect- 
 ing to open up the houses and thoroughly air them out. 
 
 Avoid exposure to sudden changes of temperature and 
 always provide them with an abundance of pure, fresh air 
 and there need be little fear of roup getting a foothold among 
 the biddies this winter. 
 
 ROUP- A FILTH DISEASE. 
 
 Special Causes of this Disagreeable Disease— Effective Reme- 
 dies — Means for its Prevention. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Roup is a disease that is common in our flocks. It seems 
 to appear usually in the fall of the year, and among the ma- 
 turing cockerels and pullets. Seldom does the outbreak oc- 
 cur in summer and it is rare to meet roup before the middle 
 of October. 
 
 Catarrh — indicated by slight running at the nostrils — 
 may attack the birds at any age, but roup is seldom seen until 
 the wet days of autumn. I have seen outbreaks of roup that 
 would have remained cases of catarrh had it not been for 
 close air and damp coops. 
 
 Birds that roost in the trees through the summer and au- 
 tumn seldom show symptoms of catarrh and roup. It is 
 when they are closely housed, especially when obliged to 
 roost over un-removed droppings, that the usual outbreak 
 of the fall season comes to them. 
 
 The open front, cloth curtain, house has done much to 
 eliminate roup and kindred diseases. The giving up of the 
 old stuffy chicken coop and the use of the wire front roost- 
 ing coop has prevented much illness along this line. 
 
 Flocks housed in dry, well-aired, clean coops and build- 
 ings escape roup unless the disease is caught from other 
 
28 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 cases. Seldom do serious diseases originate under the con- 
 ditions I have outHned. 
 
 The Principal Symptoms. 
 
 Roup is well known by swelled heads, closed eyes, bad 
 smelling discharge from nostrils. If you have ever entered 
 a house that held through a night a dozen roupy birds you 
 will never forget the smell that makes a prominent symptom 
 of roup. 
 
 While all cases of running at the nostrils are not roup, 
 it is well to bear in mind the danger of such cases running 
 in themore severe disease. At the first sign of catarrh, sup- 
 ply health conditions that are right. Better still, understancf 
 and practice prevention of disease. 
 
 Suppose you have been having roup in your flock every 
 fall the past few years ! Unless you have cleaned up and 
 disinfected as never before you will not escape trouble this 
 fall, no matter how careful you may be in care and feeding. 
 The old infected earth of the house must be removed and 
 new filled in. The walls, roosts, droppings-boards, every- 
 thing that can have disease germs on it, need a thick coat 
 of carbolated whitewash. This is made by adding one ounce 
 of carbolic acid to every four gallons of the lime wash. The 
 wash should be applied to all wood work and the spatters on 
 the floor will not be wasted. 
 
 Effective Treatment. 
 
 Cases of roup generally improve with the cleaning up'of 
 the house, opening up of doors and windows, and less 
 crowding on floors and roosts. Cases may be hurried to- 
 ward recovery by the use of some antiseptic "dip," or a good 
 "cure" dissolved in the drinking water. Personally I have 
 depended for over fifteen years on kerosene oil. This is old 
 fashioned, simple, yet effective. If kerosene is used careless- 
 ly it may produce trouble but this is true of most of the 
 medicines and drugs in every day use. Every case of roup 
 should be housed apart from well fowls. Each sick bird 
 
CANKER 29 
 
 should Iiave two or three "dips," a day apart, in kerosene. 
 Add one tablespoonful kerosene oil to a pail nearh- full of 
 water. Hold the sick bird with both hands, slowly plung-e the 
 h.ead through the film of oil that rests on the water, taking 
 the time necessary to count one, two, three and then remove 
 to a dry house. Repeat this the next day. Place -a few 
 drops of the oil in every drinking fountain on the plant. Be- 
 tween the effect of the "dip" and that of the medicated drink- 
 ing water you should get results that will please you. Do 
 not neglect the better care— clean houses, dry, pure air in 
 abundance— in your treatment of roup. Medicine alone will 
 do little to cure disease if health requirements are forgotten. 
 
 CANKER. 
 
 One of the Most Frequent Diseases -Its Cause and Treat- 
 
 ment. 
 
 Canker is a disease of the mucous membrane usually 
 caused by mold spores. These spores attack the mucous 
 membrane causing yellowish ulcers or accumulations of hard 
 cheesy growths. It may be prevented by carefully inspect- 
 ing all birds before they are placed in the poultry house, 
 makmg sure to use none that are affected with canker. Use 
 only clean, sweet litter material and change it frequently 
 Never use moldy, musty litter or moldy and musty grain, and 
 never allow mold or mustiness to develop in the poultry 
 house during damp weather. Keep the litter material well 
 stirred up and if it shows any sign of being musty rake it all 
 out and burn it, then thoroughly clean up the poultry house 
 using a good disinfectant freely. One of the best disin- 
 fectants for this purpose is a mixture of one fluid ounce of 
 pure creolm in a gallon of water. There are a number of 
 these molds which seem to be of a parasetic nature, and some 
 
30 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 of them result in very serious, even fatal, disease, therefore, 
 you 'cannot be too careful. After thoroughly cleaning- up 
 the quarters, place the affected birds in a clean, dry coop and 
 apply a little full strength creolin to the canker spots with a 
 cotton swab made by twisting a bit of absorbent cotton about 
 a sharp stick and dipping it in the remedy. This should 
 be pressed firmly against the sore and slowly and gently 
 moved over it. Sometimes two or three applications a day 
 apart are necessary before healing begins to take place. If 
 the above remedy does not prove effective, use aromatic sul- 
 phuric acid in the same manner. This can be procured of 
 any -druggist, only be sure to ask for aromatic sulphuric 
 acid which is a special preparation. 
 
 If the bird is only slightly affected, makes a good re- 
 covery with no tendency to recurrence of the trouble, there 
 is no reason why it should not be bred from. Any birds 
 that have been seriously affected had best be marketed after 
 they are cured, as one serious attack is liable to be followed 
 by others. 
 
 THE "RATTLES." 
 
 Rattling in the Throat is Not a Disease, But a Symptom of 
 Disease. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 I do not like to head my article with this wording, but 
 do so to attract attention of poultrymen who use it in every 
 day life. I have -lately had several requests to be told what 
 "rattles" was, and what to do to cure it. The disease that 
 has rattling for the prominent symptom certainly needs 
 thoughtful consideration. 
 
 Rattling in breathing is not uncommon in chicks and old 
 fowl, in heat of summer and cold of winter. It is found in 
 
THE RATTLES 3^ 
 
 poultry yards in bleak old Xew England and sunny Florida 
 I have listened to ,t in Maryland, and have been told of its 
 ravages in California. 
 
 The Cause of "Rattles." 
 
 Rattling in breathing is due to too much mucus in the 
 hroat, wmdpjpe or bronchial tubes. Anything that irritates 
 the mmg of breathnig tubes increases the mucous flow and 
 produces an obstructed breath. Bronchitis, cancer, and 
 other acute diseases may have this very common symptom 
 hat we are considering. The use of airslaked lime in the 
 treatment of gapes may give a lot of cases of rattles The 
 constant breathing of dry dust, especially if it be gritty and 
 alkaline is responsible for some of the cases that have been 
 reported to me latelv. 
 
 .nH ^ -1^^ ^ -f ^^-t ^ ''"''"' ^^'^ °^ *^"^ ^o^t to investigate 
 
 was sTi bv' '" 'T'T '''' '''''''• ^ ^^^"^ble cockerel 
 was sent by express to a buyer two hundred miles away The 
 shipper did not for a moment think that the bird was'any- 
 thing but well. It arrived at its destination, and was very 
 Tooked t ,','" "rr"""- ^^ ''-'' "--^ -^^^^ hi-'"e 
 all alone. The cockerel was splendidlv healthy, active and 
 
 tl^^w." ^'''K^'^'^'^'Se normal. There were two things 
 
 IJZ " Hi ' '""^ '"' ''"'' ""^^^^"^ '^'^''Sht was brought 
 on because of them. First, there was dust stuck all round 
 the opening m the nostrils, and, second, there was a slight 
 
 practicV hi r? '"' r '""''''''''^ '' -"P- A^ -"tie 
 Snui lo 'in '''' ^?' ''""§^ ^^^ ^^'^ '^'^^^ ^"d' con- 
 
 tinuing ^v el, was mated to ten hens and pullets. Three 
 days later the bird showed signs of illness, and was rattlTng 
 food F^W 'r "f'' ''"' ^''^ ^^'^^"'t-^ '■" s^vallowing 
 in° of ;hT'" " ''^""'^ " '^'''^''' ^^'°^ t^ throat, a coat 
 ng of sticky mucus, and rattling in the windpipe. The 
 hroat was svvabbed out with a solution of sulphate of copper 
 and a slight film of kerosene oil added to the drinking 3 
 
32 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 The cockerel was given a pen to himself. In four days the 
 rattling- was gone, the bird ate well, and he seemed free from 
 the trouble. Remaining apparently well for a week, he was 
 returned to the pen of breeding birds. In four days time 
 he was decidedly ill, every symptom intensified, and died 
 two days later. 
 
 Now let me tell you the queer part of my story. The 
 original owner tells me that he had no case like it and the 
 cockerel seemed to be perfectly well when shipped. A bird 
 that he has since bought and penned in same run as the other 
 bird had, has become sick and died of "rattles." He says : 
 "I must have sold a dead bird, as no case of rattles ever 
 comes except as the last symptom of some other illness." I 
 agree with him, hold him up as the kind of breeder I respect, 
 and commend his statement that he wants "to do the right 
 thing every time." 
 
 What was this disease? It was chronic bronchitis. 
 The cockerel must have had something of the general roup 
 nature in the late fall, been apparently "cured," and the 
 sudden changes in temperature in mid-winter brought on 
 the winding up of the disease process. "Rattles" in birds, 
 old or young, is a serious symptom, and if the stock is weak 
 from any cause it is not likely to be cured by ordinary treat- 
 ment. Help must come through prevention. Pure air, 
 clean droppings boards and floors^ sweet food and water, 
 will do more to prevent "rattles" than all the drugs you can 
 name. 
 
 WIND PUFF. 
 
 An accumulation of air is sometimes fouiid under the 
 skin on growing 'chicks, making it puff out until sometimes 
 the chick looks more like a small balloon. This is usually 
 caused by imperfect nutrition and is more common in change- 
 able and damp weather. Usually better feeding and care 
 will remedy the trouble, though occasionally it is well to cut 
 a small, V-shaped opening in the skin to let the air escape. 
 
PNEUMONIA AND DIPHTHERIA. 
 
 How these Infectious Diseases May be Recognized — The Treat- 
 ment of Affected Fowls. 
 
 By O. H. Olson, M. D. 
 
 Pneumonia is an infectious disease characterized by in- 
 flammation of the hmgs and a toxemia of varying intensity. 
 It is one of the most fatal of acute diseases and in the fowl 
 pursues a very rapid course. 
 
 The causes of the disease are exposure to cold, causing 
 congestion of the lungs, resulting in inflammation ; impair- 
 ed activity of the general circulation ; inhalation of irritant 
 vapors ; and in other cases it is caused by bacteria and disease 
 germs. It is very common in young birds and fowls that 
 are molting on account of their being unable to withstand 
 sudden cold and exposure. Whenever birds are dying from 
 any cause a careful examination of the carcass should be 
 made and if the lungs are found very dark in color and dis- 
 tended with blood it tells the nature of the disease and pre- 
 ventive measures should then be adopted at once to prevent 
 or lessen further mortality. 
 
 Symptoms and Treatment for Pneumonia. 
 
 The symptoms of pneumonia are rapid breathing; the 
 bird breathes with great difficulty and the breathing is pain- 
 ful ; the bird is indisposed to move about, is sleepy, and does 
 not notice things around it ; the plumage of the bird stands 
 erect, the wings are drooped and the head is drawn in; 
 there is usually a discharge from the nostrils, or the mouth, 
 of a yellowish or greyish fluid tinged with blood; the ap- 
 petite is lost; there is great thirst, and the bird is usually 
 constipated. 
 
 The bird suffering from this disease should at once be 
 taken into a warm room. Give the fowl plenty of fresh air 
 
34 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 without lowering the temperature of the room too much. 
 Prepare a flax seed tea by pouring one pint of hot water on 
 one ounce of flax seed, strain and give to the bird warm, 
 to drink, every two hours. Give one drop of tincture of 
 DigitaHs in water every three or four hours to mature fowls 
 and younger ones in proportion. Keep the bowels a little 
 loose by giving a small dose of Epsom salts or castor oil. 
 When the bird begins to show signs of improvement give a 
 one grain quinine pill and ten drops of cod liver oil three 
 times a day for some time. 
 
 The Nature of Diphtheria. 
 
 Diphtheria is a specific, infectious disease characteriz- 
 ed by a local fibrous exudate, usually upon the mucous mem- 
 brane. It is recognized by whitish, greyish or yellowish 
 patches of false membrane upon the mucous membrane of the 
 mouth. The disease is highly contagious and is a very seri- 
 ous affection. The disease is not limited to the mucous 
 membrane of the mouth alone, but may appear in the throat, 
 nasal passages, the eyes and extend to the wind pipe and 
 bronchial tubes. The false membrane which forms upon 
 the surface of the parts mentioned becomes intimately at- 
 tached to the tissues, and when removed by force discloses 
 a raw, bleeding surface. 
 
 Symptoms of the Disease. 
 
 The bird becomes very listless and the feathers are 
 roughened. It lies with the back arched and the head drafvn 
 down to the body. It breathes very rapidly and there is 
 great difficulty in swallowing. The bird shakes its head 
 from side to side and has attacks of sneezing. There is 
 fever. The appetite is lost and usually there is diarrhoea. 
 The bird gradually grows weaker and weaker from 
 prostration. There is a discharge from the mouth which 
 is thick, grayish in color. The eyes are dilated, injected 
 and projected. The bird seems to have great difficulty in 
 walking. On examining the mouth it will be found covered 
 
PNEUiMOXIA AND DIPHTHERIA 35 
 
 with patches oi false membrane, or in the beginning simply 
 small spots which gradually enlarge. This false membrane 
 may sometimes cause complete obstruction to breathing so 
 that the bird is rapidly strangled. It is stated on good au- 
 thority that the diphtheria of fowls is not identical with 
 diphtheria in man. and is not communicable to him.' 
 Treatment for Diphtheria. 
 When the disease is first noticed to break out among the 
 birds, measures should at once be taken to prevent the 
 further spreading of the disease. The sick fowls should 
 immediately be isolated and kept in a good warm room that 
 is well ventilated and free from drafts. All birds that die 
 should be cremated or buried at once. The house, yards, 
 runs, drinking fountains and feed troughs should be thor- 
 oughly disinfected by a carbolic acid solution, made strong 
 enough to destroy all germs. Use carbolic acid three per cent 
 in thirty per cent alcoholic solution to apply to the patches 
 of false membrane in the mouth or throat. For internal use 
 give the following solution : potassium chlorate, one drachm ; 
 boric acid, one and one-half drachms ; chloride of iron, one- 
 half drachm; glycerine, one-half ounce and water, six 
 ounces. Give ten drops three times a day. All houses should 
 be thoroughly fumigated with formaldehyde or sulphur. 
 As birds begin to recover they should be given tonic treat- 
 ment and stimulating foods. Do not return the sick birds 
 tliat have recovered to the flock until ten days after thev 
 have fully recovered from the disease. 
 
BRONCHITIS AND PNEUMONIA. 
 
 Two Serious Diseases Common to the Winter Season — Their 
 Symptoms and The Most Effective Treatment. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Bronchitis is more common tlian pneumonia, is more 
 often- recognized, and is mitigated by the use of medicines. 
 Bronchitis, under bad sanitary conditions, may run into 
 uncontrollable pneumonia. 
 
 Bronchitis is a catarrhal disease of the larger bronchial 
 tubes. There is inflammation of the passages, swelling of 
 the lining membrane, and an out-pouring of mucous. This 
 discharge runs the course of catarrh in the nostrils ; first 
 thin, then sticky, lastly yellow and half-solid. With highly 
 acute attacks there is heat- of body, rapid breathing, and a 
 half opened mouth. Appetite is dull, bird is dumpish, and 
 thirst is evident. On examination, you find little trouble in 
 nostrils, mouth or bowels. In the beginning of the disease 
 there is a wheezing sound as the bird breathes. Later, in 
 poorly treated cases, there is a decided rattling in breathing, 
 especially when the bird is on the roost in the night. A 
 slight start will cause the rattling to be heard. 
 
 Bronchitis is caused by chilling, damp houses and 
 irritating substances. The every day cause of bronchitis is 
 chilling from high winds, cold air blowing on the bird 
 through a knot hole or crack. Dampness and dust increase 
 the severity of attacks. 
 
 Treatment of Bronchitis. 
 
 Acute cases of bronchitis are best treated with Epsom 
 salts. One teaspoonful of the salts to every quart of drink- 
 ing water will reduce the fever, empty the bowels, and 
 
BROiNCHITIS AND PNEUMONIA 27 
 
 diminish the secretion in tiie larger tubes. After three 
 days use of Epsom salts, change to arsenite of antimony. 
 This is the best drug to use in the second stage of acute 
 bronchitis as well as in the chronic form of this disease. 
 One one-thousandth of a grain, three or four times a day is 
 dose enough for a five to seven pound bird. This can besf 
 be given in the drinking water. Suit the dose to the size of 
 your hens or chicks. 
 
 Give the ailing birds a dry, sunny, house, free as pos- 
 sible from dust and breezes. The diet is that mixture of 
 grain and grit that will best supply the body heat. Better 
 drop out meats scraps or green cut bones for a few davs. 
 Pneumonia is Usually Fatal. 
 Pneumonia in fowls is generally fatal. By the time 
 you notice the illness the bird is struggling for breath. It 
 has always seemed to me that pneumonia in our flocks is 
 due to exposure. This is not accepted by all poultry d sease 
 investigators. A few are beginning to think that, like pneu- 
 rnonia in persons, there is some connection between this 
 disease and mice; no mice— no pneumonia. Whether this 
 is true, or not, time will prove. 
 
 Pneumonia will be known by the following symptoms : 
 high fever, very rapid breathing, wide-open mouth, total 
 loss of appetite. The bird stays where it is. It remains 
 on the roost, or in a corner of the house. I can offer a 
 little promise of cure. Drop doses (a drop each dose) of 
 tincture of aconite three times a day can be tried — with the 
 hope that it will limit the spread of the disease in the lungs. 
 The air cells are solid (some of them) with a semi-soTid 
 mucous exudation. If the hen has air space enough in her 
 lungs to get all the oxygen required to maintain life she 
 may live through the disease. If you see improvement 
 m five days, be satisfied with the treatment. I need not add 
 that the sick bird needs hand feeding with wet mash, medi- 
 cine given with a spoon, and warm and dry quarters away 
 from other birds. 
 
FOWL TUBERCULOSIS. 
 
 An Infectious Disease tliat is Practically Incurable — How to 
 Prevent Its Spread. 
 
 By Dr. O. H. Olson. 
 
 Tuberculosis is an infectious disease" caused by bacillus 
 tuberculosis, the lesions of which are characterized by nodu- 
 lar bodies called tubercles, or tuberculous tissue that- is dif- 
 fusively infiltrated, which undergoes' softening- and may at 
 last ulcerate. It is one of the most widespread of maladies. 
 It is rare in cold blooded animals, but is occasionally seen 
 among reptiles in confinement. It is an extremely common 
 disease in fowls, but there are dififerences in bird tuberculosis 
 sufficient to warrant its separation from tuberculosis in 
 man. 
 
 Poultry and pigeons, experimentally, are not easily in- 
 fected with the tuberculosis of people, cattle and other ani- 
 mals. There seems to be very little danger to birds from the 
 human virus, while the bird tuberculosis spreads very rap- 
 idly from bird to bird. The bacillus found in fowls suffering 
 from tuberculosis resembles that found in man, but is some 
 larger and appears in more irregular forms and produces 
 only local inflammatory processes in mammals. 
 Symptoms of Tuberculosis. 
 
 The symptoms are rapid and progressive emaciation, 
 shown by loss of weight, wasting of the muscles and prom- 
 inence of the bones. The comb becomes pale, the bird is 
 languid, dull and sleepy by degrees. In the latter stages 
 there is a persistent diarrhoea, which steadily increases in 
 intensiveness until finally causing death by exhaustion. The 
 disease may also affect the joints and bones, causing lame- 
 ness and swelling of the joints. Many of the symptoms of 
 
WORMS IN THE CROP 39 
 
 this disease are very similar to those occuring with other 
 diseases, thus making- it difficult to make a diagnosis. The 
 exact nature of the disease should be confirmed by an expert. 
 A microscopic analysis demonstrating the presence of the 
 bacillus is the best evidence. 
 
 The disease cannot be cured. All birds that are known 
 to be infected should be killed. Do not attempt to save 
 any bird from a flock that is infected. After the birds are 
 killed dispose of them by cremation or burying them deep in 
 the ground. The premises should receive the most careful 
 and painstaking disinfection. Clean everything thoroughly 
 and remove all droppings and manure and sprinkle over 
 them a five per cent solution of carbolic acid. Wash floors 
 and walls with five per cent solution of carbolic acid and 
 treat feeding troughs, drinking vessels and nests in like 
 manner. Then whitewash the whole interor of the poultry 
 house, adding sixteen ounces of crude carbolic acid to each 
 pail of whitewash. The yard and runs should also be 
 cleaned and disinfected. Keep the poultry house open to 
 sun and air for a period of three weeks before introducino- a 
 new flock. * 
 
 WORMS IN THE CROP. 
 
 _ A chicken or fowl which has worms in the crop never 
 IS m good condition and never is productive or profitable 
 These worms are frequently the cause of poor digestion of 
 food and of insufficient nutrition of the specimen. An ex- 
 ammation of the crop of an afifected bird will show these 
 worms near the outlet. For adult fowls give one teaspoon- 
 ful of oil of turpentine, mixed with the same quantity of 
 sweet oil, after the bird has been without food for twelve 
 hours. This should be repeated in two or three days The 
 bird should be placed in a small pen and the floor frequently 
 disinfected to kill any worms which may be forwarded. 
 
CHICKEN POX. 
 
 A Disease that is Spreading Rapidly — The Causes, Symptoms 
 and Remedy. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 1 can look back a few years and see no cases of this 
 disease in many a state. Until five years back it was almost 
 unknown north of Virginia and Kentucky. Lately it has 
 made its appearance in all states and has passed the line into 
 Canada. Chicken pox has been the dreaded disease in Cuba 
 and nearly half of the chicks hatched die of this ailment. 
 Under the name of "sore head" it has been the dread of 
 poultrymen in the southern states. Much has been written 
 of cholera, which by the way is usually indigestion, but 
 chicken pox is proving to be such an injury to hens and 
 chicks that it will soon be a favorite title to "Answers to 
 Questions" departments. 
 
 Chicken pox is a serious disease. You may have had 
 an outbreak in pleasant weather and lost few or no birds. 
 If so, you know little of the workings of the disease in cold 
 and wet w^eather. An August attack may not impress you 
 with its severity, but let the disease break out in the rainy 
 days of late October and you will look on with dismay a1 
 its rapid progress in your flock. Take warning from these 
 statements and keep this disease from getting any foothold 
 on your plant. 
 
 Chicken pox comes from a previous case. Without 
 special germs you will not see this ailment. If the disease 
 appears in your flock it will be because the trouble has been 
 introduced from some other case. A new bird, a hen expos- 
 ed at some county fair, a second hand brooder, may intro- 
 duce vou to this disease. 
 
CHICKEN POX 41 
 
 The First Symptoms. 
 
 The first symptom is the httle dark scabs on the comb 
 and wattles. Some cases present nothing in adcHtion. These 
 may look like the dried blood that settles after the picking 
 by another bird. I know a poultryman who received a 
 dozen old hens in a single coop. He noticed one bird with 
 a "blood spot" on its comb and thought nothing special. In 
 two days that bird had a hundred scabs, eyes closed, canker 
 in mouth. Ten days later seven of the other hens broke out 
 with the disease. It spread to other pens, twelve hens were 
 killed, eggs-for-hatching business spoiled for the season, 
 and three hundred dollars knocked out of his profits of the 
 year. The dead birds were buried in four feet of soil ; two 
 years later his hired man dug into this spot to get earth for 
 filling his hen house, leading to another outbreak of the 
 disease. 
 
 Chicken pox takes about eleven days to cover the time 
 between exposure and the appearance of the first symptoms. 
 The bird is feverish with the coming of the pox marks, 
 slightly red in comb and wattles, appetite varying according 
 to the severity of the individual case. If the days are wet 
 and cold the cases are likely to show severe canker in mouth 
 and throat, closed eyes and swelled head. 
 
 A Simple Remedy. 
 
 The simple treatment is to add just a film of kerosene 
 oil to every drinking dish. Every time the birds drink they 
 get a small dose of the medicine. Added to this is the giv- 
 ing of calcium sulphide. This is a bad smelling powder, 
 yellow in color, and costs about fifty cents for four ounces! 
 Add one heaping teaspoonful to the wet mash for twenty- 
 five hens and feed it all. Do this every morning for ten 
 days, or until every symptom has disappeared from the 
 flock of sick birds. I advise that the film of oil be added 
 to every drinking dish on the place as a stop to spreading 
 of the disease. 
 
42 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 Extreme care is needed to prevent the passing of the 
 trouble to other pens. A few of the dried scabs in a run, 
 or pen, with a Httle moisture added, is all that is needed 
 to pass on the disease, or start a new outbreak another 
 year. Clean out, clean up and keep clean. Take out the old 
 soil — ^.heel in new. Take the infected earth beyond the 
 reach of ranging hens and chicks. Strive to prevent the 
 first appearance of chicken pox. If it comes, you have 
 trouble enough to keep you busy. 
 
 GAPE WORMS. 
 
 Where They Come From — How Maintained and Spread — and 
 How Prevented. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Along about the middle of May I begin to be asked 
 what to do for gapes. These inquiries keep up until the 
 middle of August, when they stop for nine months. The 
 time to study this disease is before it appears. It is so 
 preventable that no poultryman needs despair of getting rid 
 of it. 
 
 Gapes is a disease afflicting young chicks. It seldom 
 is seen in very small chicks or in mature birds. It appears 
 a week or two after the chickens begin to rane'e out in 
 search of seed and bug. The prominent symptom is the 
 "gapping" that gives the name to the trouble. The chick 
 raises his head, opens his mouth widely, and yawns as 
 though he was both, short of wind and full in throat. The 
 chick loses flesh, his feathers become ruffled, and quite 
 often there is a diarrhoea. 
 
 Catching one of these sick chicks, you kill it. Witfi a 
 thin bladed kn'fe, sharp, you cut open the skin along the 
 Avindpipe. Then split open the windpipe itself, and look 
 
GAPE WORMS 43 
 
 for the gape worms. These are fine, hair-Hke, half-an-inch- 
 long worms, attached to the Hning of the windpipe. Usual- 
 ly you will see two worms, close together, attached to a 
 single point of membrane. The worms mate in two's, live 
 on blood they suck from the chick, and irritate the growing 
 bird. The gape worms, if present in numbers, weaken the 
 chick from the blood loss, as well as disturb the nervous 
 system from local irritation. 
 
 The Usual Treatment. 
 
 The usual treatment of gapes has been the trying to 
 get the worms up out of the windpipe. A horsehair is 
 twisted into loops and inserted in the end of a smooth 
 wire. This is introduced into the throat and windpipe of 
 the chick and efforts made to entangle the worms in it. It 
 is withdrawn and worms shaken off, and then returned for 
 more. This all looks simple but it is not without its 
 dangers. Frequently the worms are dislodged — only to fall 
 into the bronchial tubes. Another line of cure has been the 
 inhaling of irritating dust. The chicks are put into a bur- 
 lap-covered box and airslaked lime dusted into the box. 
 This starts coughing and sometimes the worms are coughed 
 out. The dust irritates the tubes and lungs and may do 
 more harm than good. 
 
 Gapes and Earth Worms. 
 
 Tlie study of gapes leads me to believe that the com- 
 mon earth worm plays a part in the trouble. Given a case 
 of gapes and the soil, as well as the earth worm, becomes 
 infected. The chicks seek the worms, eat them, and in turn 
 become the host of the gape worm. Many poultrymen 
 write me that they feed earth worms to their chicks and 
 never have gapes. So do I, and I have never had a case 
 of gapes on my place. Let me buy a few chicks with gapes, 
 give them the run of my yards, and I could then feed worms 
 at great risk. You must have both the gape worm and the 
 earth worm in order to get this disease into your plant. 
 
44 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 Soil infested with gapes should be abandoned for 
 two years, and cultivated to growing crops. New ground 
 should be used for growing chicks and the old yards well 
 fenced against the chicks. Better give up the keeping of 
 chicks for two years rather than lose two-thirds of your 
 chicks by gapes. Possibly the holding over the laying stock 
 two seasons — hatching no chicks — would clear up the danger 
 from this disease. 
 
 Having some idea of the cause of gapes, knowing the 
 general line of prevention, I think it is up to every pro- 
 gressive poultryman to stamp it out. There is no satisfac- 
 tion in treating chicks with gapes. You may pull part of 
 the flock through, but it will he after wasted time and a 
 few "bad words." Get to studying the cause and prevention 
 of the diseases of the chicken yard and take pleasure in own- 
 ins: healthv hens and chicks. 
 
 RHEUMATISM. 
 
 Rheumatism in fowls is usually apparent by weakness 
 of the legs. The fowls walk with halting, jerky steps, in 
 many cases lifting their feet high in front like a horse with 
 string halt. As the disease progresses the victims often hob- 
 ble on their hock joints and their feet draw up and become 
 apparently useless. Their appetites usually remain good. 
 
 It is caused sometimes by overfeeding with meat and 
 insufficient green food and sometimes by damp quarters. If 
 the ration contains a great deal of meat the amount should 
 be decreased and the amount of green food increased. The 
 quarters should be made dry and well-ventilated. For the 
 whole flock add three grains of salicylic acid to each quart ot 
 water. For individual treatment, place the bird in a warm, 
 dry coop, thickly bedded with straw or leaves. Give plenty 
 of milk and grain but no meat. A ' tablet containing one- 
 quarter to one-fifth of a grain of salicylic acid may be given 
 morning and night.- 
 
LIMBERNECK. 
 
 A Disease Caused By Ptomaine Poisoning —Where the Poison 
 Comes From— How to Effect a Cure. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 There have been reported to me the past year more 
 than the usual r.umber of cases of Hmberneck. Either 
 poultrymen are {jetting more interested in diseases of theii 
 birds or else the cases of this kind are more frequent. 
 Liniberneck is named from a single, prominent, symptom^ 
 the weak condition of the muscles of the neck. The hen, 
 or half-grown chick, is noticed to be unsteady on its legs 
 with head low down. When resting on the floor the head 
 is lowered until its weight is all on the ground. 
 
 Limberneck is caused by ptomaine poisoning. This 
 poison is formed within the body of the bird, usually from 
 meat that has been eaten from some dead animal or bird. 
 Generally the flesh is badly decayed when taken, as shown 
 by the presence of maggots in and around the dead carcass. 
 The maggots are not the cause of limberneck. You may 
 feed them freely and get no harmful results. I have seen 
 cases of limberneck that came from feeding spoiled green 
 cut-bone in warm weather. Occasionally I have met cases 
 that seemed to come from meat that was perfectly fresh 
 when given — but that soon rotted in the bowels of the fowl. 
 
 The common sources of spoiled meat are the dead fowl 
 under the out-building, the dead calf over the pasture wall, 
 or the W'oodchuck thrown into the neighboring thicket. 
 Long kept cut-bone and fermenting mash that is rich in 
 animal material, are other sources that need inquiring into. 
 Meatscraps, or meatmeal, that has heated and formed lumps 
 produces diarrhoea, but is not retained in the bowels long' 
 
46 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 enough to allow absorption and poisoning, as is the case 
 with decaying flesh. It takes very little "yeast" in the in- 
 testines to change normal digestion of meat into decay. It 
 is the product thrown off by the bacteria that is absorbed 
 and poisons the nerve centers. 
 
 A Successful Treatment. 
 
 The treatment is indicated by the cause. At once 
 sweep out the spoiling contents of bowels; get rid of the 
 decaying substance that is causing mischief; stop the 
 supply of irritation and then turn your mind to 
 clearing out that which has already been absorbed. Epsom 
 salts or castor oil work well with hens and chicks. A five 
 pound pullet will need a half-teaspoonful of Epsom salts 
 in six of water, feeding it to her until it has all gone into 
 her crop. Castor oil is used more often, is nearly as good 
 in its results, and should be given in teaspoonful doses, 
 every three hours, until the bowel discharge is full and free. 
 One thorough cleaning out of the intestines is sufificient. 
 Then add five grains sulpho-c'arbolate of zinc to four ounce's 
 cold water and set before the ailing bird for common drink- 
 ing. Use the zinc salt mentioned for three days. Where 
 several birds are diseased they can be put into the same small 
 pen and treated in common. 
 
 When you have a plain case of limberneck be on the 
 watch for the very beginning of it in other fowls. On the 
 first suspicion of trouble in a new case, clear out the con- 
 tents of the bowels with either the oil or salts. You will 
 save time, labor and birds if you follow this suggestion. 
 
 Get out of the habit of leaving dead birds under the 
 roost, in the yards, on the nest, waiting for the convenient 
 moment that is lone in coming:- 
 
CROP-BOUND. 
 
 The Cause of This Troublesome Ailment and The Remedy- 
 How the Crop is Opened. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Crop-bound hens are not unusual in the springtime and 
 crop-bound chicks are not rare. We all know the looks of 
 a crop-bound bird. The breast is bulging out, the bird 
 unbalanced, the hen or chick awkward in its every motion. 
 The bird is often at the feed dish but eats little, makes 
 many trips to the water fountain but drinks little. The 
 common cause of the filling of the crop is the obstruction of 
 the outlet by long pieces of hay or straw. I have had more 
 cases in fowls in the month of March when they were first 
 let out on the range after being shut in all winter than at 
 any other time. They seem to hunger for the long, dead 
 grass, and eat it to excess. 
 
 I do not get so many cases now as before I adopted 
 the use of lots of cut clover for food, as well as deep litter 
 in the laying pens for exercise. The shut-in, small flock of 
 the village yard is most in danger from crop-bound. This 
 home bunch of birds gets, in most instances, plentv of grain 
 and meat, but little in the line of 'Tiller." The hen. to 
 maintain health, needs something for filling, as well as does 
 the cow. The laying hen should be supplied cut hay or 
 clover, or grass range in warm weather, in addition to the 
 best ration that you can find. 
 
 Successful Treatment. 
 
 Having a hen with the full crop what shall we do 
 about it? The "first aid" in such cases is to put half a 
 teaspoonful of cooking soda into a cup of water and feed 
 all you can to the hen. Then holding her head downwards 
 
48 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 you work gently the contents of the crop and try to get 
 it into the mouth. If the contents of the crop is soft and 
 the grass not long you may succeed in either starting the 
 material onwards or in emptying it out of the mouth. .Fail- 
 ing to succeed you must then either kill and eat the hen, 
 or proceed to open and take out what is filling the crop. 
 The crop-bound hen should not be in bad condition to 
 make a "pot-pie" if you notice her condition early,_ as the 
 watchful poultrynian docs. " . 
 
 Opening the Crop. 
 
 To- open tlie crop successfully calls for clean hands and 
 careful work. The feathers are first picked clean from a 
 spot as large as a half dollar, right over the center of the 
 swollen crop. With a sharp knife you cut through the skin 
 only, making a cut an inch long. Spread this line of cut 
 till it is almost oval in shape. Then pulling the skin slightly 
 sidewise, so the cut through the crop is not just under the 
 first line you made through the skin, run the knife into the 
 crop until the opening is about three quarters of an inch 
 long. 
 
 With toothpicks, pieces of wood, a small spoon, take 
 time to pull out the contents of the crop. When this is 
 done run your finger into the crop and see whether something 
 is left filling the outlet. There may be a piece of wood or 
 bone filling the outlet. If so, remove it. Fill the crop with 
 water and then empty. The line of cut in the crop wifi 
 need three or four stitches to close and that in the skin as 
 many more. Make the sewing in two lots. You want the 
 line of the crop cut to heal out of the direct line of that 
 in the skin. Make -each stitch by itself. Put the needle 
 through, and tie and cut the white silk that you use for this 
 purpose. 
 
 Wlien through Avith the operation coop the bird where 
 it has not access to long grass or straw for a week. Feed 
 a balanced wet mash for a few days and then return the 
 bird to her old pen. If you will go about the matter of 
 
INDIGESTION 49 
 
 vou 
 
 curing these cases with simple and careful methods vul. 
 should seldom lose a bird from the operation. On the other 
 hand I doubt the judgment of a man who will go through 
 all this on a hen that is worth a single half-dollar. The 
 valuable breeder, and the fine show hen or cock, is entitled 
 to our time and patience in anything we mav think best 
 to do. 
 
 Some of the old cases of enlarged crop can be improved 
 ni looks by cutting out some of the skin and crop and sew- 
 ing up as outlined. The cut is made longer than for crop- 
 bound but the same plan followed, and with scissors you 
 remove sufficient skin and crop to make an opening like 
 that made by spreading the cut as described before. \hen 
 sew closely and let the fowl run with the flock after per- 
 haps a week of seclusion. 
 
 INDIGESTION. 
 
 Imperfect Digestion Opens the Way for Many Diseases— Some 
 
 of the Principal Causes of Indigestion and How 
 
 They May be Avoided. 
 
 The digestive apparatus of the fowl must be kept in 
 good working order or the entire system from the heart 
 to the minutest blood vessel suffers. Imperfect digestion 
 of food means a dibilitated body and an impoverished blood. 
 Some of the principal causes of impaired digestion, which 
 means a weakened digestive system, are overfeeding, lack 
 of exercise and unvaried or poorly balanced rations. 
 
 Overfeeding overtaxes the organs, which strive beyond 
 their strength to take care of the immense amount of food 
 forced upon them. In doing this they become weakened 
 and in time not able to preform their duties properly, even 
 though the amount of food is reduced to the proper 'point. 
 
50 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 Lack of exercise in fowls, as in man, causes digestive 
 trouble. The body requires exercise in order to properly 
 assimilate the food taken into the crop and the fowl that 
 spends most of its time idling, lays on a quantity of fat 
 and appears bright and healthy, with a red comb and face, 
 but is nevertheless getting its digestion out of order and 
 presently will be attacked by some disease or perhaps drop 
 dead from fatty degeneration of the heart. 
 
 The poorly balanced ration, or the unvaried diet, prob- 
 al)ly causes more trouble than tlie other two mistakes. 
 Many- flocks are fed largely on one,, or at the most two or 
 three, varieties of grain. On many farms corn or wheat 
 are most readily obtained and on those grains, and perhaps 
 only one of them, the farm flock is made to subsist. If it 
 happens that the flock has the range of the barns and barn- 
 yards in winter and the freedom of the farm in summer, 
 the fowls can sometimes find sufflcient other food to partly 
 balance the ration and in that way war^ off severe trouble. 
 In any event, it should be remembered that the system of a 
 fowl requires a certain amount of many dififerent food ele- 
 ments and that these food elements do not exist in sufficient 
 quantity in any one kind of food. Corn, for example, con- 
 tains much fattening and heating material but very little in 
 the way of flesh, muscle, bone and blood-making elements. 
 Therefore, if the ration is principally corn, the digestive 
 system has to work overtime trying to digest a sufficient 
 quantity to obtain a fair amount of the elements in whicli 
 corn is very weak. The same is true of all other single 
 grains, only with different grains the amount of each ele- 
 ment varies. 
 
 Lack of sufficient animal food which is rich in protein 
 compels the digestive apparatus to handle an extra amount 
 of other food in which protein is weak in order to supply 
 the system. 
 
 ■ The cure for indigestion is the removal of the causes 
 and the correction of the methods of feeding, etc. Vigor- 
 
DISEASES OF THE LIVER 51 
 
 ous fowls which have good air to breathe, a reasonable 
 amount of exercise and a sufficient quantity of properly bal- 
 anced food, are never troubled with indigestion nor any of 
 the various diseases which follow it. 
 
 DISEASES OF THE LIVER. 
 
 Causes, Symptoms And Means to Prevent a Frequent And 
 Troublesome Ailment of Fowls. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 The liver is a much abused organ. No part of the 
 fowl will stand such treatment and yet pull itself out of 
 difficult places. The conmion diseases of the liver are con- 
 nected with digestive disorders. Seldom is the liver upset 
 except in cases where the whole digestive tract is involved. 
 The Fatty or Enlarged Liver. 
 
 An enlarged liver is largcl}- added fat. This increases 
 size and weight, disturbs the circulation of. blood and pre- 
 vents the formation and passage of bile. Other functions 
 of the liver are disturbed but those mentioned are the ones 
 that most concern poultrymen. 
 
 Fatty or enlarged liver comes as the result of too 
 much food, or too little exercise. Just so long as corn and 
 cornmeal is the one prominent ingredient of the day's 
 ration w^e shall have many cases of liver trouble. The flock 
 that gets a breakfast of cornmeal, with dinner and supper 
 of whole corn, is likely to show some cases of liver disease 
 before the end of the breeding season. Too many farmers, 
 with full corn cribs, make corn the staple feed of tlieir hens 
 and chicks. The hens that are made to exercise for hours 
 in getting the feeds of corn are less likely to develop liver 
 ailments. The man who carries the feed pail can so handle 
 the exercise problem as to diminish the danger from large 
 
52 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 amounts of corn. I have seen many flocks on the farms, 
 closely housed in winter, with no litter, fed heavily on corn 
 and cornmeal with some bran, that did not produce eggs 
 enough to pay their bran bill, that supplied many cases of 
 liver disease before five months had passed. 
 
 With the fatty liver comes the baggy condition of the 
 abdomen. This can be seen in some cases — felt in all. 
 Many poultrymen do not realize the ailroent until the latter 
 symptoms, such as loss of weight and chronic diarrohea, 
 appear. These are the final steps in the movement of the 
 disease of the liver. 
 
 What is true of the feeding of hens in winter is^ true 
 of fattening cockerels. Tf you run the time of fattening 
 too long you will get enlarged and diseased liver. It is 
 necessary to feed corn products to round out the rooster 
 but it must be done quickly. Just before the time when 
 digestion fails and the liver begins to cease its work the 
 cockerels should be killed and marketed. 
 
 Purple Comb a Symptom. 
 
 The one prominent symptom of liver disease is a con- 
 stantly purple comb. The comb that gets purple, or nearly 
 black, on violent running of the fowl is usually due to heart 
 weakness. These cases will show normal color of comb 
 most of the time. In liver disease the comb remains dark 
 all the time. The purple may show only in the back of the 
 comb or it may cover the whole surface. 
 
 Why does corn injure the liver? The simple story is 
 this : fowls need certain different elements to nourish them. 
 Corn is not a complete food. It is too rich in fat-building 
 matter. If fowls cannot -get what they need in variety — and 
 corn is abundant— ^too much is eaten in the endeavor to 
 get the other elements required. The unneeded part of the 
 corn is deposited in various parts of the body and the liver 
 is the most often to be used. Hampered, upset, out-of-con- 
 dition, the liver stops its work, little by little, and you have 
 a bird that is sluggish, thin and worthless. 
 
THE EGG PASSAGE 5^ 
 
 ■fnc'^-T °f ^''''' "^'"'^'^ ^^^* ^^^ ^^^^h^d the diarrhoea 
 ^ e r.^t >r f ' '° 'T^'- '^^' ^^^^>^ ^^^^^ti^ l^^"dli„^ Of 
 o all fir r ^^"^^-^ '^^''"'" ^^ ^^P^^"^- The prevention 
 of all l.ver diseases by proper care and feeding of the flock 
 >s possible to you who will handle your stock along well- 
 known hnes of feeding. The balance ration has sometimes 
 l)een made fun of but ,t is the proper method of feeding. 
 
 THE EGG PASSAGE. 
 
 Causes of Retained Eggs and the Proper Treatment. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Diseases of the egg passage are not infrequent. They 
 end nX '\"PP^"^" "^ >-^""S^ P""ets that are nearing the 
 end of^lJieir first year, and in hens that are about two and 
 
 firsran?" "' f' ^""TT"'' ' ^""^^ -^" -^^""e her 
 hrst and second egg and then fail with the third. Much 
 depends on the size of the eggs of the first litter. If Ly 
 ncrease m size gradually there is little danger of trouble 
 but let an extra large egg come along audit may faH in 
 being passed. And it may become lodged in the passa-e 
 n-ntating it and the pullet, and then become a source'of dat 
 ger. It may rupture the egg duct, may get broken throuc^^^i 
 tlie attentions of the male, or in time mike its ^^y out ^ 
 
 of tlfeTenT'^r^' '" "'" ^?""^ '' ^" ^^'^-^^^ ^-^ition 
 ot the hens, fhe unnatural condition works two ways 
 
 a^e of^H." "' '"' YTi'''' '^^ °^---^ hinder the X' 
 age of the egg, and the fine deposits of fat in the small 
 
 rne strength of the propelling parts. 
 
 Too Much Fat is Dangerous. 
 
 that flTilT^'^'T] ''" "' '^''' '^'y ^^"t their hens fat, 
 that the fat hen is the business hen, and a bird has to have fa^ 
 
54 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 deposits before it can do its best. While there is a grain 
 of truth in this, it is far from being safe to follow. The 
 hen that has these heavy layers of fat has been badly fed, 
 is laboring with a clogged liver, and often breaks down with 
 indigestion and diarrhoea in the late winter months. She 
 has been pushed so hard that she gives out when you need 
 her eggs for breeding. 
 
 A line of feeding that presents a ration so balanced 
 as to provide for the bodily needs seldom makes all the 
 hens of the flock too fat. Now and then a single hen 
 out of the flock will become over-fat on the ration that is 
 right for the other birds. You cannot supply a ration that 
 will fill the needs of every hen in a large flock, but you 
 certainly can so feed as to keep the most of the pen in 
 a good condition that is favorable to health. 
 
 The hen or pullet with a retained egg shows her condi- 
 tion by making many trips to the nest, remaining on it 
 for hours, and trying to .pass the egg. You will quickly 
 catch on to the trouble if you watch your birds with any 
 care. If the egg is broken there will be a discharge with 
 every attempt to strain. When an egg has broken through 
 into the abdominal cavity the hen will show it by her half 
 lifeless state. She has a diarrhoea, no appetite, is warmer 
 than normal, and later on will show signs of pain. 
 Treatment For Retained Eggs. 
 The retained egg can sometimes be helped out by a 
 simple oiling, of the passage with castor oil. If it is ab- 
 normally large in size it should be broken and removed in 
 a crushed condition. Then the next egg may come all 
 right. 
 
 When an egg 'has broken through the passage the hen 
 generally dies in a few days. There is nothing that you can 
 do for this trouble unless you promptly kill and eat the hen 
 before she gets feverish. 
 
 Vent gleet quite often extends into the egg passage. 
 This gives a dry state to the passage, tender and hot, and 
 
BREAK DOWN 55 
 
 pain prevents the hen using much strength to pass her 
 eggs. Gleet should always receive proper treatment lest 
 it get into the Qgg organs. Sulpho-napthol can be added to 
 water until the mixture is milky, and then a bunch of cotton 
 wet in this should be inserted into the end of the bowels. 
 Get rid of all catarrhal troubles of the vent as quickly as 
 treatment will do it. 
 
 The egg passage, as well as the ovaries higher up, are 
 sometimes irritated by too high spicing of the winter 
 food. While this method of getting winter eggs may succeed 
 for a few weeks, it is not safe to use. Condiments should 
 not be used any stronger than you would in your food on 
 the home table. To go beyond this is to take chances of 
 stirring up trouble in the egg producing organs. 
 
 BREAK DOWN. 
 
 A Common Trouble in Fowls at this Season — The Causes 
 and How to Prevent — No Cure. 
 
 By Dr. N. W, Sanborn. 
 
 In the late winter months, and through April and 
 May, you will have cases of so-called "break-down." The 
 hens will appear droopy, dull in color of comb and wattles, 
 and will stop laying. There are two classes of hens that 
 are likely to get in this condition. First those that have 
 been great eaters, regular gluttons, that have been over-fat 
 for months. Second, those that have been pushed for eggs 
 by the use of stimulating spices and drugs and that have 
 gone to pieces because they had reached the limit of en- 
 durance. 
 
 In our rush for egg records and winter egg profits we 
 may have been thoughtless of the future work and health of 
 our hens and pullets. If we divided our winter egg layers 
 from future breeders and handled and fed the two lots ac- 
 cording to their needs, the loss of a few record lavers will be 
 
56 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 more than offset by the creamy prices of midwinter. In a 
 business flock, fed for winter eggs, you may expect a few 
 cases of breakdown. You must feed a ration right for the 
 average hen in the flock. While most of them will keep in 
 good health there will be a few that become thin and some 
 that will fat up, have liver disease and die in the late winter. 
 It is when we get ten per cent or more of these cases that 
 we begin to ask causes and demand prevention. The man 
 who is having many cases of the disease I am considering 
 must get on to a better ration and supply conditions that 
 make" for better health. 
 
 Proper Care is Prevention. 
 
 The prevention of break-down is the story of how to 
 feed and care for hens and chicks. It is giving a well-balanc- 
 ed ration, not forgetting vegetable and animal food, and 
 seeing that sunshine gets a chance at every part of the 
 floor of the hen house. It means that mould is not let form 
 on the litter of the floor and that air is let into the 
 houses so constantly that the hens need never re-breathe 
 the air they need for life and health. Too many poultry- 
 men feed a ration that is lacking in animal food, causing 
 the stock to overeat in their craving for protein. Better 
 a moderate amount of a balanced ration than the larger 
 weight of the wide ration that is the usual one of the farm. 
 
 There is danger in feeding large quantities of sgice 
 or condiments. To overdo the matter is to stimulate the 
 digestive, as well as the reproductive, organs, and cut short 
 the egg work as well as in many cases the life of the hen. 
 She will lay extra well for a while and then, when the 
 mischief is done, become stolid, sluggish and present the 
 symptoms of the condition I am warning you against. 
 Separate Hens and Pullets. 
 
 Knowing the causes we can plan better for next win- 
 ter's work with our hens and pullets. We can pen hens 
 and pullets in different yards so as to better feed them 
 according to age. The young stock will stand corn products 
 
■GOING LIGHT." 57 
 
 better than the old hens. They will respond to stimulation 
 with more safety than yearling hens. The older the layer 
 the more it needs exercise. Then hens that are laying cau 
 be fed higher than those that are resting. I suppose there 
 may be a single good ration that will suit all conditions but I 
 have never found it. 
 
 No Practical Remedy. 
 What can be done for the cases of "break-down" now 
 on hand ? Very little. You may get them back to laying for 
 awhile but they soon get ofif condition and are a lot of 
 trouble until dead and buried. I can only suggest more 
 green food such as lettuce and cabbage, mangles and tur- 
 nips, cut clover and hay. Each case should scratch for its 
 whole grain. No scratch, no food. The hopper method is 
 bad for these half sick hens. Take out a window in each pen 
 and cover with wire netting, letting air and sunshine in free- 
 ly. One teaspoonful Epsom salts and twenty grains sulpho- 
 carbolate of zinc to every quart of drinking water will be 
 dose, enough and do something to help the hens out of the 
 torpid condition; Never use eggs for hatching from any one 
 of these cases of break-down. 
 
 **GOING LIGHT." 
 
 Now and then a poultry keeper reports that certain of 
 his fowls lose weight rapidly and finally waste away and 
 die. This is what is called "going light" and is said to be 
 caused by a certain germ for which no positive remedy has 
 been discovered. 
 
 The best treatment that can be given is plenty of whole- 
 some food, and free range in the summer time or plenty of 
 green food and stulicient exercise in winter. A few drops 
 of tincture of chloride of iron in the drinking water is recom- 
 mended. This does not refer, of course, to cases when 
 the bird becomes thin from other diseases, like digestive 
 troubles, in which case the disease may be cured and the bird 
 will take on flesh again. 
 
COMMON BOWEL TROUBLE. 
 
 Most Cases of This Trouble are Due to Simple Causes Which 
 
 May Easily be Removed — Some of the Cures 
 
 and Preventives. 
 
 As a rule bowel trouble is traceable to careless feeding, 
 improper sanitation, moldy food or litter, access to decayed 
 vegetables or decayed meat. A badly balanced ration causes 
 trouble by overtaxing the digestive organs and heavy feed- 
 ing has the same effect. Poor sanitation, which permits 
 dirty, filthy quarters, improper drainage, insufficient ventil- 
 ation, etc., are often responsible for the trouble. Feeding 
 spoiled or moldy grains, or the use of moldy scratching ma- 
 terial or the accumulation of mold through dampness in the 
 poultry house is likely to affect these organs through the 
 spores developed by the mold and further developed in the 
 system of the fowl. The feeding of too much beef scrap or 
 meat meal, which is simply the overloading of the system 
 with protein, causes the same result. If the fowls are fed or 
 have access to decayed fruit, vegetables, or meat or bone, 
 the digestive organs are affected and bowel trouble is the 
 most prominent symptom. 
 
 These causes show how easy it is to create trouble of 
 this kind and at the same time prove that it is possible to 
 prevent similar trouble. Occasionally severe cases are mis- 
 taken for cholera and treated with the harsh remedies that 
 are prescribed in some cases for that more serious disease. 
 In such instances the trouble is often increased rather than 
 cured. On that account, it is well to try simple remedies 
 at first and to resort to harsh ones only after the simple ones 
 have failed to prove effective. 
 
COMMON BOWEL TROUBLE 59 
 
 Some Simple Remedies. 
 
 Often times bowel trouble can be cured by withholding 
 all food for a couple of days and then feeding very lightly 
 for a week. This enables the digestive apparatus to clear 
 itself of the poisonous matter that may have been deposited 
 there and to secure a needed rest. At all times it rs wise 
 to disinfect thoroughly the feed and drink dishes, the roost 
 and roost platforms and the floor of the poultry house. This 
 will kill the germs of disease and prevent spread of the 
 trouble by means of the germs. In cases wdiere the trouble 
 has got considerable start, one dose of Epsom salts in pro- 
 portion of a heaping tablespoonful in a pint of water put 
 before the flock after it has been without water for twelve 
 hours and kept there until the flock has consumed consider- 
 able of it, will assist in ridding the system of any poison that 
 may have accumulated. Sometimes withholding water and 
 giving scalded milk with grated nutmeg will effect a cure and 
 if that does not prove effective, boiled white flour may be 
 added until it is of the consistency of thick cream. In cer- 
 tain cases which do not yield to the simpler treatments, give 
 each fowl morning and night a tablet of mercury bichloride, 
 i-iooo of a grain drug strength. 
 
 One of the best preventives is common wood charcoal 
 which, is sold by poultry supply dealers or which may be 
 sifted from the ashes when the poultry keeper burns wood. 
 If this is before the fowls at all times much loss from bowel 
 trouble and the diseases that follow it will be avoided and 
 the fowls wall be in better health and more productive. 
 Bowel Trouble in Chicks. 
 
 Many correspondents speak of losing many chicks from 
 bowel trouble. The bowels become loose, the vent clogged, 
 and the chicks grow smaller instead of larger, and eventual- 
 ly die. We have experienced just such trouble, but have 
 learned how best to control or obviate difficulties. Chicks 
 in a brooder that are not kept warm enough, and busy 
 enough, are subjects to this looseness or weakness of the 
 
6o SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 bowels. Chicks that are crowded in the brooder are often 
 affected in the same way. Chicks running with a hen, and 
 the hen having too many to cover comfortably, are similarly 
 affected. Young chicks must be kept warm and dry, and 
 must be allowed scratching ground where they can exercise 
 and busy themselves. Too little exercise is a fruitful source 
 of trouble. 
 
 Chicks fed upon dry feed in sufficient variety, given 
 plenty of grit and a place to scratch in, or a yard to run 
 in at pleasure, will be invariably strong and happy. Ex- 
 ercise is one of the essentials. Chicks running at large 
 with- a hen have exercise, while brooder chicks have not, 
 unless the scratch yard is prepared for them. If the weath- 
 er be chilly, the chicks will run from the brooder to yard, 
 and back again to their warm home when tired and chilly, 
 just as they cuddle under a hen in like circumstances. When 
 the weather is warm the day through, they will seldom go 
 near the brooder from early morning until nearly night. 
 They love to scratch and run and they must be given every 
 opportunity to do so. Bowel trouble will not be found 
 among them. 
 
 Doctoring little chicks for this trouble is not satisfac- 
 tory and the only safe way is to prevent it. Frequently 
 disinfection of brooder or coops is necessary. 
 
 GASTRITIS. 
 
 Gastritis is the name given to the swelling of the food 
 passage near the gizzard. It is seldom met with except in 
 connection with crop troubles and is brought about by the 
 same causes, including overfeeding and the use of too much 
 spice or the eating of something poisonous. 
 
 The symptoms are lack of appetite, bowel trouble, some 
 fever and a general inactivity. The proper treatment is to 
 remove the irritation. If the drinking water is boiled .with 
 a little rice in it, it will allav the irritation. 
 
FOWL CHOLERA. 
 
 Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of the Most Dreadful 
 Disease of Poultry. 
 
 By Dr. O. H. Olson. 
 
 This disease is very common and all varieties of do- 
 mestic poultry are subject to it. It is characterized by a 
 persistent diarrhoea, rapid emaciation and great prostra- 
 tion. It IS a disease justly dreaded by all poultry raisers 
 owing to Its dangerous character. It is of a highly con- 
 tagious nature and spreads rapidly in a flock of fowls, often 
 destroying a large number in a few days. In other cases 
 the disease assumes a more chronic form prevailing several 
 weeks or months. j, ^vcidi 
 
 In order to prevent this destructive disease from making 
 IS appearance among our poultry, it becomes necessary to use 
 the s rictest sanitary precautions, bearing in mind that it is 
 a highly contagious disease caused by germs, which in some 
 manner may be brought upon the premises from some ot" 
 p ace where the disease exists. It may be brought by pur- 
 chased birds, by eggs or by other animals. It fs necessarv 
 o be constantly on guard against the introduction of con- 
 agion_ All purchased birds should be isolated and quaran- 
 
 TtJir'T'r'^' '^'"^^ ''''y ''' ^"--^ to mingle 
 in the flock. In hatching eggs from other vards, keep the 
 ch.cks separate and watch them for a time to make sure 
 hat they are healthy. Dogs and other animals carry con- 
 tagion and should be kept out of the poultry yard. "^Birds 
 exhibited at shows should be quarantined for 'a period o 
 ten days after their return. 
 
 Cause of Cholera. 
 
 on h^? f •''''? ^'i'''"T'' ^^' ^"'^'"^ ^"^J '^ "^"^"y brought 
 on hv taking food and drink that is contaminated bv the 
 
62 SBtPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 excrements of sick birds. The infection may occur through 
 worms, abrasions of the skin or by the inhalation of germs. 
 It may also be caused b}- the birds eating particles of flesh 
 and blood from the carcasses of affected birds that have died 
 from the disease. It is often introduced with new birds that 
 are purchased for improving the stock or with eggs for 
 hatching. 
 
 Symptoms of the Disease. 
 
 The symptoms are high fever, great thirst, great weak- 
 ness and prostration. The digestion is arrested, the crop 
 remains full, the bird drinks but refuses food and appears 
 to be in distress. The comb of the affected bird, becomes 
 purple in color. The discharge, called the urates, which in 
 health usually is white in color, becomes yellowish, deep yel- 
 low, or in the final stages a greenish yellow or deep 
 green. As the disease progresses the diarrhoea becomes 
 severe, although it is a very prominent symptom through- 
 out the whole course. The bird separates itself from the 
 rest of the flock, the feathers are roughened, the wings 
 droop, the head is drawn toward the body giving the bird 
 a rounded appearance, the bird grows extremely weak and 
 drowsiness sets in, or a stupor from which it may be dif- 
 ficult to arouse it. 
 
 The Proper Treatment. 
 
 In the first stages give tincture capsicum, tincture 
 opium and tincture camphor, each two drachms ; tincture 
 ipecac and spirits chloroform, each one drachm. Alix and 
 give to each mature bird five drops three times a day; or, 
 a little copperas, alum and resin may be given, mixed to- 
 gether. Put one drachm of carbolic acid in one pint of 
 water and give one-half a teaspoonful several times daily. 
 Isolate all sick -birds .immediately and keep them in com- 
 fortable quarters. Everything about the poultry house 
 should be disinfected by spraying with a solution of carbolic 
 acid, one pound of carbolic acid to ten quarts of hot water. 
 Remove and disinfect the droppings every day. Fumigate 
 
INTESTINAL WORMS 63 
 
 ihoroughly and whitewash the inside of the poultry house 
 adding^ some crude carbolic acid to the whitewash, one pound 
 to each pail of whitewash. Everythino^ about the poultry 
 quarters must be kept as clean and sanitary as possible. 
 
 INTESTINAL WORMS. 
 
 Round Worms and Tape Worms — How They are Transferred — 
 Remedies and Preventives. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Chicks and hens, of all ages, are more or less troubled 
 with worms. The}- may be so few in numbers as to make 
 no impression on the birds, or large collections of worms 
 may caus*e decided losses of birds or profits. There are 
 flocks that, from year to year, seem to escape from worms 
 of any sort and I know poultry yards where you cannot dress 
 a chick or fowl without finding the bowel discharge loaded 
 with thread-like worms. 
 
 The care given to keeping yards and houses clean de- 
 termines partly wdiether worms will increase or not. Filthy 
 premises are good breeding grounds for w^orms. Unremov- 
 cd droppings from the roosts, or floor litter that is damp 
 and dirty, help spread the crop of worms that we are con- 
 sidering in this article. 
 
 Gapes and gape-worms I fully covered in a previous 
 article, and this time 1 desire to tell you of the worms 
 that are found in the intestines of our hens and chicks. 
 Seldom is any attention paid to worms until a bird dies or 
 is dressed for market. Few poultrymen study the con- 
 tents of the bowel discharge in the illness of their stock. 
 I am confident that w^e have had whole flocks of w^ell-breci 
 hens and pullets that were far below what thev should 
 
64 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 be from the irritation and drain that comes with the presence 
 of large numbers of worms, or from a few tape worms. 
 
 Round Worms. 
 
 These are found in most hens and in some chicks. They 
 hve in the semi-liquid matter that fills the bowels. They 
 seldom get into the lower end of the intestines, but pass 
 their life in the small sized bowel that extends from gizzard 
 to rectum. It is only when there is a diarrhoea from any 
 cause that we see many worms expelled with the bowel con- 
 tents. The round worm is commonly not large or long. It 
 js wire shape, from a third of an inch to three inches long, 
 with a pencil pointed head and a blunt pointed tail. The tail 
 end is much the shape of the finger end. 
 
 Hens with chicks are likely to infect their flocks with 
 worms. While you will see no worms in the droppings of 
 the hen as she leads her little ones there are enough passed 
 to get mixed with the food that the chickens eat. When 
 a hen or chick gets its start with the round worm it seldom 
 frees itself of them. • If they increase in any considerable 
 numbers the birds have the appearance of indigestion. There 
 is light comb, sluggish activity, few eggs, and in bad cases 
 a slight diarrhoea. The best treatment to follow is that 
 which will throw out the full supply of worms. A watery 
 diarrhoea, induced in any manner, will do the business. 
 One-half teaspoonful Epsom salts, dissolved in a tablespoon- 
 ful or two of warm water, and poured down th^ throat, 
 will work well in an hour. Or, you may add a tablespoon- 
 ful of the salts to a quart of water and let it be the only 
 drink for the day. Clean up all droppings, following the 
 use of a laxative, as you wish to keep the hens from eating 
 again the very worms that have troubled them. 
 The Tape Worm. 
 
 This worm is not common, as is the round worm, but 
 is seen often enough to make it worth our while not to omit 
 it from this series of disease articles. The tape worm mani- 
 
FITS 65 
 
 fests itself in few ways except in general thinness of tlie 
 bird. The appetite may be good, sometimes extraordinary, 
 and yet the hen is mnch less in weight than you expect. A 
 bird that is thin and pale, with splendid appetite and on the 
 constant search for food, should have the bowel discharoe 
 watched for the narrow, tape like, pieces that break off 
 from the worm. Having found this, or even suspecting 
 tape worm, try to expel the worm or worms. Nothing is 
 better for this than a single dose of male-fern. Six drops 
 of the oil of male fern is mixed with one teaspoonful castor 
 oil and given to the fowl in the early morning when its 
 crop is empty. No food is given the night before, or during 
 the day of treatment. Two hours after giving the male 
 fern, set before the bird a water dish containing one table- 
 spoonful Epsom salts to a pint of cold water and let this 
 be their only drink for the day. Take a look at the bird 
 several times during the day, watching out for the worm. 
 You will not mistake it for anything else. Burn all dis- 
 charges of the day as fast as you are able to get thei^i. 
 
 FITS. 
 
 Fowls and chicks seldom have fits but occasionally one? 
 \^■lll appear to become suddenly blind, twist the head back- 
 Avard and to one side and sometimes turn completely over 
 occasionally becoming apparently unconscious for a very 
 short tmie. They recover almost immediately and appear 
 to be as well as ever until the next attack, which may be 
 very soon or not for some time. Sometimes this is caused 
 by careless mbreeding of the stock or irritation of the in- 
 lestnies by worms, parasites, or indigestion from eating some 
 n-ntatmg substance. It is not advisable to breed from" a bird 
 so affected. More careful feeding and the addition of a little 
 crushed garhc bulb to the food each dav may effect a cure 
 As a rule such birds had best be disposed of. 
 
WHITE DIARRHOEA IN CHICKS. 
 
 The Symptoms and Principal Causes of This Troublesome 
 Ailment — Means to Prevent. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Spring is the season of the year when chick losses from 
 disease become common. Among the various illnesses 
 that afHict chickens is that known to poultrymen as "white 
 diarrhoea." Much has been written and told of this ailment 
 and authorities do not seem to agree as to causes and 
 treatment. If the white discharge from the bowels was 
 considered as a single symptom in the sickness of the chick, 
 and not the disease, the matter would not present so many 
 different points-of-view. 
 
 The white discharge that has made so much talk, that 
 has caused many persons to go out of the chicken business, 
 is largely due to increased urinary secretion. If other func- 
 tions did better work, the kidneys would not be called on to 
 do extra labor. 
 
 Apparent Symptoms. 
 
 The first indication that the chick is ill is usually seen 
 with coming of the pasty discharge that causes the chick to 
 "paste up" behind. Then the chick is noticed to eat less and 
 less, is thirsty, and soon shows signs of general weakness. 
 It may crowd up near the source of heat in the brooder, 
 get into a corner of the house it lives in with the mother 
 hen, or stand in the sunny spot in the sunshine. The symp- 
 toms increase in severity, the chick presents every indication 
 of severe illness,' and is likely to be found dead under the 
 hover of the brooder or under the feet of the brooding hen 
 when the coop is opened in the early morning. 
 
 There are various causes for this serious illness. I 
 think the most common one is wrong feeding. Either the 
 
WHITE DIARRHOEA IN CHICKS 67 
 
 chick is fed while yet too young-, or the food given is rough 
 and hard to digest, or fermented or spoiled food is given 
 it to eat. Many cases of so-called white diarrhoea are 
 simply cases of indigestion. 
 
 Direct Causes. 
 
 The next cause, in importance, is chilling of the newly 
 hatched chick. This is seen in hen-hatched as well as in 
 incubator chicks. Whether the hen, who has been inactive 
 for three weeks, takes time to dust, or whether the chick 
 that has just come out of the egg, tumbles over the tray into 
 the cooler chamber below, makes no difference in results. 
 -Let a damp chick stay in a cool place for half an hour and 
 the chilling that follows ends up in many cases of the 
 character we are considering. 
 
 Low vitality in the breeding stock is to blame for some 
 of the sick chicks of the class covered in this article. Chicks 
 that are lacking in sturdy qualities fail to resist food and 
 conditions that well-bred birds thrive on. A sturdy, well- 
 hatched chick starts in life with the battle nearly won. 
 Even the neglect of the hen, or the chill of the lower cham- 
 ber of the hatching machine, makes no impression on its 
 strength. 
 
 It takes a few days for the chill, wrong ration, or 
 spoiled food to influence the health of the chick. Several 
 days pass before you notice anything out of the usual. The 
 chilled chick of the machine usually lives from five to four- 
 teen days — yet the mischief was done in its first day. 
 How to Prevent. 
 
 Many cases of the form of bowel trouble that heads 
 this article can be avoided by knowing causes and handling 
 the chicks accordingly. In my own work with chicks, I 
 keep them on the tray of the machine until twenty-four 
 hours old. Then the tray is removed and the chicks have 
 the run of the bottom of the incubator. When two days 
 old, the chicks are removed to a well warmed brooder that 
 has plenty of space heated up to ninety-five degrees. No 
 
68 ' SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 food is" given till the chicks are four days old, except what 
 they find in the warm waste that is used to cover the floor 
 of the brooder. At four days they are given cracked wheat, 
 at seven days some good meat scrap is put before them, 
 and at fourteen days cracked corn is added to the ration. I 
 omit all wet mashes and early feeding, and believe that 
 my plan has saved me thousands of chicks. While wet 
 mashes, bread and milk, and other foods of like character, 
 are good in many cases, there is too much risk to the average 
 owner of chicks. Study the causes that produce illness in 
 your flock and be ready to use your knowledge in the pre- 
 vention of a large per cent of the common diseases of hens 
 and chicks. 
 
 CANNIBALISM IN FOWLS AND CHICKS. 
 
 Many poultrymen have lost whole flocks of chicks and 
 had combs and wattles of mature fowls spoiled by cannibal 
 habits of the flock. The habit is particularly prevalent in 
 young chicks which eat 'each others toes oft, destroy parts 
 of their wings and often nearly, if not quite, disembowel 
 each other. 
 
 As a rule this habit is taken up in winter or early spring- 
 when the little fellows lack exercise and green food. Some- 
 times lack of sufficient meat in the ration forms the basis of 
 the habit. It is almost impossible to prevent the practice 
 once it gets a fair start. The best that can be done Is to 
 separate the chicks in small flocks, say twenty in each flock, 
 and keep them busy hunting for fine grain in the litter. Also 
 furnish plenty of green food and if the weather is warm, get 
 them outdoors as. much as possible. To satisfy the craving 
 for blood, hang up a piece of fresh beef flank where they can 
 ]jick at it during the day. 
 
 In the case of foAvls which get the habit of picking at 
 each other's combs and wattles, it is best to remove those 
 whicli are being attacked until the raw places heal. 
 
INTESTINAL CATARRH AND TOXIC, 
 GASTRO ENTERITIS. 
 
 Two Diseases Which are Often Misunderstood -Their Symp- 
 toms and the Proper Treatment. 
 
 By O. H. Olson, M. D. 
 
 Gastro intestinal catarrh is a disease affecting- the 
 whole intestinal tract and is due to an inflammation of the 
 lining- membrane. It is a disease met with quite frequently 
 among fowls. It has a strong resemblance to cholera and 
 has often been mistaken for that disease, and the wrong 
 remedy applied. 
 
 It may be caused by feeding rations that are too stim- 
 ulating; the frequent use of pepper and ginger; overload- 
 ing- the stomach ; eating- partially decomposed food and 
 food that has become sour and mouldy ; exposure to drafts, 
 rains, damp houses ; overcrowding and sudden changes of 
 temperature. 
 
 The symptoms are loss of appetite ; great thirst and 
 elevation of temperature ; roughness of plumage ; disinclin- 
 ation to move and distention of the crop, which empties 
 itself very slowly owing to a partially paralyzed condition 
 of its folds. There is at the beginning a slight diarrhoea, 
 the droppings are soft and of a yellowish or greenish color 
 and adhere to the feathers. The diarrhoea increases until 
 it becomes very severe, and there may then be hemorrhages 
 from the intestines. 
 
 The causes of the disease should be ascertained and 
 removed. Place the bird in comfortable surroundings that 
 are free from drafts and dampness. Give to the bird only 
 the purest of water to drink and in small amounts at a 
 
70 SI-MPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 time. Give easily digested food, such as boiled rice, a little 
 stale bread moistened with milk and a little oatmeal 
 that is boiled. Give three or four grains of sub- 
 nitrate of bismuth and one grain of dover powder and one 
 grain of bicarbonate of soda three times a day. If diarrhoea 
 is persistent after several days time give five drops of the 
 deoderized tincture of opium twice daily, and continue 
 giving the subnitrate of bismuth only. 
 
 Toxic Gastro Enteritis. 
 
 Toxic gastro enteritis is an acute inflammation of the 
 mucotis membrane of the bowels caused by poison or by 
 the fowl eating irritating matter that acts as such. The 
 symptoms are loss of appetite, convulsions, trembling of 
 the muscles, vertigo drowsiness and diarrhoea. The bird 
 seeks quiet and may be found in some unfrequented place 
 with the head drawn close to the body and in a condition 
 of coma. 
 
 The poison operating is usually not discovered until 
 it is too late to treat successfully. If poison is known the 
 proper antidote should be administered as quickly as possible. 
 Make an infusion of flaxseed tea and give to the bird, also 
 some strong coflfee or brandy to act as a stimulant. For 
 diarrhoea the treatment should be the same as. for simple 
 gastro enteritis. 
 
VENT GLEET. 
 
 Symptoms and Treatment of One of the Most Disagreeable 
 of Poultry Diseases. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Vent gleet is a disagreeable, contagious disease of the 
 mucous parts of the part of the bowel known as the vent. 
 It may extend to the egg passage in the heji. The origin 
 of this trouble is in doubt but as to its dangers there is no 
 question that it is the beginning of trials unnumbered. 
 Given a single case in a flock and the male is apt to 
 pass it to other members of the pen. It is seldom that you 
 meet with a jingle case. When the matter attracts your 
 attention the whole flock is infected. 
 
 Vent gleet is more common in the smaller and more 
 active breeds. Seldom do you find it in the quiet Brahma 
 or sedate Cochin. Many breeders tell me they never had a 
 case in their experience in keeping poultry. Other men 
 have written me a tale of woe and asked for immediate 
 advice by mail because their birds were going to the bad. 
 I have never had a case in my twenty years breeding of 
 Wyandottes. 
 
 The Symptom. 
 
 Vent gleet seldom attracts attention until it reaches the 
 second stage of the disease. If you have a few cases in 
 the flock and are on the watch for new cases you will learn 
 to know its beginnings. There is at first a simple redness 
 of the end of the bowel, or it sometimes appears just inside 
 the passage with a slight swelling of the outer membrane. 
 There is redness, puffiness with dryness. This is the story 
 of the first stage of the illness. In a day or two a slight 
 discharge appears. This is watery, light straw color and 
 
72 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 irritates any part it runs over. It causes swelling and 
 redness of the skin if it oozes out on the surface of the 
 abdomen of the hen. The exudation of the parts collects in 
 scales, crusts, or dirty masses, wherever it dries off, or 
 mixes with foreign substances. It usually shows in a ring 
 of crust around the vent and matted into the feathers that 
 surround the parts. 
 
 Vent gleet is a catarrh of the vent that is intense in its 
 action and containing germs that are 'hard to kill. No 
 ordinary treatment avails in the curing of this ailment. You 
 need to recognize the disease, know its progress, under- 
 stand the use of remedies, and apply all three to the cure 
 of the sick birds. More than this — you must prevent new 
 cases from appearing in your pens. 
 
 The Treatment Advised. 
 
 The first cases you see will demand prompt and strong 
 treatment. Permanganate of potash is probably our best 
 ■single drug in this disease. Add five grains of the drug to 
 ■one ounce water and bottle.' Apply this full strength to the 
 inflamed parts, using a swab of cloth or cotton on a small 
 vvooden stick. You need to be careful to avoid getting any 
 ■of the discharge into your eyes or nose in the caring for the 
 birds. If you can succeed in leaving a small bunch of the 
 Avet cotton just inside the vent, even for a few minutes, you 
 Vv'ill hurry the cure. Several applications a day may be nec- 
 essary but give one thorough washing a day. Get every case 
 of this disease out of the flock until cured. 
 
 Those in the flock that have been exposed should have 
 an application of peroxide of hydrogen, full strength, to the 
 parts, or a five per. cent solution of sulpho-carbolate of zinc 
 in water. It is often necessary to pluck some of the feathers 
 around the vent in "order to better use the remedies I have 
 advised. Do not be in too great a rush to get the ill birds 
 back into the flock. This trouble is hard to cure, and many 
 cases will relapse at once when returned to the flock. In 
 other words the -disease may be lurking higher up in the 
 
LEG WEAKNESS 7i 
 
 bowel or ^gg passage, needino: only the extra excitement to 
 start all over again. 
 
 Wash your hands as soon as through treating these 
 birds, before attending to anything else, if you would avoid 
 trouble. Burn all swabs and applicators you may use in the 
 treatment. 
 
 LEG WEAKNESS. 
 
 Why Fowls Sometimes Wholly or Partly Lose the Use of 
 Their Limbs. 
 
 Many ask what to do for fowls that are troubled with 
 weakness of the legs. To answer such a question it would 
 be necessary to know the cause of the weakness. It may be 
 caused by the fowl being in an overfat condition, causing 
 an unhealthy state of the system, resulting in weakness of 
 the legs. Fowls confined in limited quarters during the 
 winter season, with but little exercise and an owner too gen- 
 erous in his feeding, very often show this trouble, and the 
 remedy is light feed and all the exercise possible. 
 
 An overfat fowl is of little practical use, the eggs of 
 hens in such a condition not hatching well, or if they do, the 
 chicks are deficient in vigor and health. Male birds that 
 are overfat do not fertilize the eggs, or if fertilized such 
 eggs do not produce strong chicks. Leg weakness in the 
 majority of cases will be found to be caused by the birds 
 lieing loaded down with fat, in which condition they cannot 
 be in good health. 
 
 Leg weakness in females is sometimes caused by the 
 attentions of too heavy a male bird, and in such cases can 
 only be remedied by removing the female from where she can 
 receive attention from such a male. In cases where the 
 weakness is of a rheumatic nature, the bird should be placed 
 in dry comfortable quarters and fed good nutritious food, 
 
74 SIMELE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 with a little tincture of iron in the drinking water. The legs 
 should be bathed with some well known remedy for lame- 
 ness and rlieumatism. We would not care to breed from 
 any fowl that showed a tendency to rheumatism, or in fact 
 from any bird that was not in possession of strong legs, set 
 well apart and free from any knock-kneed tendency. A 
 bird set upon strong, well-shaped legs is generally of a vigor- 
 ous constitution and we must look well to such points in 
 selecting our breeders. 
 
 DISEASES OF THE SHANKS. 
 
 How to Prevent the Unsightly Troubles that Affect the Scales. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 Diseases of the shanks are in plain sight. They attract 
 attention at first notice. The hen in the breeding yard, the 
 cock in the show pen, with scaly legs does not please the 
 visitor. Poultrymen cannot afford to allow their birds to be- 
 come infected with any serious disease of the legs. There 
 are several diseased conditions of the shanks but of them 
 all we select ''scaly legs" as the one most important to our 
 discussion. 
 
 Cause of the Trouble. 
 
 The rough, loose, dirty appearance of the shank is caus- 
 ed by the actions of a minute insect. This mite lives in the 
 space between the scales that cover the shank, working its 
 way about, irritating the parts, raising the scales, and mak- 
 ing ugly the appearance of the parts. When once seen, scaly 
 legs should never be neglected. Except in extreme cases 
 'this condition of the legs is not a serious matter to the life 
 of the hen. I have no doubt it does affect the comfort of the 
 bird, I know it makes a decided difference in the looks of the 
 fowl in the show, and it detracts from the looks of the 
 dressed carcass in the meat market. 
 
DISEASES OF THE SHANKS 75 
 
 The scale insect passes from bird to bird. The usual 
 way is the brooding hen passing it to the chicks that nestle 
 under her. Another way is crowding close on the roost in 
 the winter house. A hen infested with the scale mite will 
 pass it to her whole brood. 
 
 The disease is all too common. It is the rule in some 
 breeders' yards to see most of the birds with it. I have 
 seen at the Boston and New York shows, winning birds 
 that had rough shanks because of the scale. A shank that 
 has been once affected can never be made smooth as it should 
 be. The insects may be destroyed, the surface of the leg 
 made smooth, but there will remain a deformity that is no- 
 ticeable. 
 
 How to Prevent it. 
 
 What can be done to prevent? Get rid of infected 
 stock ! Cure every valuable breeder you retain ! Add no 
 new bird until it has been treated for scale ! Good birds that 
 you need keep for breeders can be well treated for the dis- 
 ease and then used for producing eggs only. Incubate and 
 brood the chicks wath clean shanked hens or use incubators 
 and brooders. Allow the chicks no access to infected stock. 
 
 There are several applications that will kill the mite as 
 it burrows in the scales of the shank. Lard and sulphur 
 well rubbed into the parts will destroy the insect. Kerosene 
 and lard is a common remedy for this disease. Even pure 
 kerosene oil has been applied with decidedly good results. 
 There is anger in using the pure oil as it is likely to irritate 
 and swell the parts that it soaks into. When applied to the 
 skin and feathers the feathers usually drop off. 
 
 A Simple Remedy. 
 
 I like a mixture made as follows : To a cup of lard add 
 one heaping tablespoonful fine ground sulphur, and stir 
 well. When thoroughly incorporated add one tablespoonful 
 kerosene oil and work until you have an ointment of uniform 
 consistency. Rub this into all parts of the leg and toes that 
 are covered with scales. Be sure you get up the shank to 
 
76 SIMPLE FOULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 the line of feathers of the leg-. A single application seldom 
 reaches every insect, so it needs to be repeated every few 
 days, until every mite is dead. The roosts should be wet 
 with some insect killer, such as napcreol or sulpho-napthol, 
 to destroy stray insects. 
 
 Once free of the disease, it is clear sailing to keep from 
 more of it. Neglect your fowls in this matter and you will 
 soon have an ugly looking flock. Clear up the trouble and 
 prevent new cases and you will make easy work of main- 
 taining a flock of birds that are clean and attractive. 
 Bumble Foot. 
 
 "Bumble Foot," or abscess of the foot, as it is correct- 
 ly called, is caused usually by injury to the member caused 
 by jumping from high roosts or on some hard substance. 
 Pus usually forms and the center of the swollen part usually 
 becomes a hardened and horny substance. The horny part 
 should be removed, the puss extracted and the wound thor- 
 oughly washed out with peroxide of hydrogen. After this 
 it may be treated with an application of one part iodoform 
 and twenty parts vaseline, held in place by soft gauze, protect- 
 ed by bandages. The specimen should be kept in a very 
 clean, dry coop and not allowed to exercise much until the 
 wound heals. The wound should be dressed and a fresh 
 supply of iodoform and' vaseline applied daily. 
 
BROKEN BONES AND INJURIES. 
 
 How to Set and Care for Broken Wings and Legs and Heal 
 Cuts and Tears. 
 
 By Dr. N. W. Sanborn. 
 
 There come times when a httle knowledge of surgery is 
 helpful to the owner of poultry. The "fifty cent hen" may 
 not be worth the time and trouble to doctor but finds her 
 place in the pot preparing to appear on the table. But the 
 valuab e show bird, or a fine breeder, may be made usable 
 again by the help of a splint for a broken bone, or a few 
 stitches m the torn comb or wattles. 
 Broken Bones. 
 Grown poultry seldom haye broken bones outside the 
 wing and legs. Where you meet one case of broken win- 
 you see ten of broken legs. In case of broken wing bones 
 >ou can do little except to bandage the wing to the body for 
 a Aveek or two and be willing to take a little deformity in 
 the healing, In case of breaks in the leg aboye the shank 
 . lUK h depends on the size and fatness of the leg. If the bird 
 IS 'iioderately thin you can apply small splints of pine to the 
 cT nV'7?if !'^T^'^ " ''^'" '^^"^^^^' th^» a half doz- 
 Get the broken bone in proper relation and by means of the 
 home made splints and bandage hold the leg in shape till the 
 b.eak becomes strong enough to bear the weight of the bird 
 I haye seen most broken bones in fowl in the shank Such 
 
 llTwrV^'T' ''^ ^"^ '^ ''''''' ^'''^ pleasure ::^ 
 profit. Wrap a layer of cotton batting around the shank 
 
 U rn's 'of the'", ^^f ^^^l^^^ ^ '^ -ver The break, and a f^w 
 
 motion o the tf "'''' ''"" '" P^^P^^ P'^^^ t- -"t-I 
 
 not t.^ll/ r '^"''"'^ °^ ^^"^- ^^^^^^ that the leg 
 
 IS not twisted, after setting, as it would bother the hen if her 
 
78 SIMPLE POULTRY REMEDIES 
 
 toes were turned round and she scratched the wrong wa) 
 when she got the use of her game leg. 
 
 Little chicks occasionally get a broken shank, from be- 
 ing caught in the wire fence or being stepped on, and thes( 
 breaks heal with rapidity if attended e^rly. It may be tha 
 winding the shank with surgeons' plaster will give sufficien 
 support, or the slender splints of pine may be required tc 
 cure. You will be surprised, and pleased, to see the amoun 
 of travel these birds with splints will take in the course of i 
 day. 
 
 Cuts and Tears. 
 
 Accidents will happen to our poultry and it is often th( 
 best in the flock that are afflicted. There are dangers in tht 
 •barb of the wire fence, in the broken bottle behind the barn 
 the tools of the place, and also in the fighting blood of som( 
 of our show males. Seldom a season passes without a badl} 
 torn comb or wattle, or a deep cut in the flesh of one of m] 
 breeders. Taken early you can repair damages so as to hav( 
 left a fairly presentable bird. 
 
 Cuts and tears need to be cleaned with a milky mix- 
 ture of warm water and sulpho-napthol or one of the prep 
 arations of the same sort. Clean out dirt and kill gern 
 life. With white, fine silk and fine needle, sew the parts to 
 gether. Make each stitch by itself. Do not try to run th( 
 silk from stitch to stitch, but make one complete stitch — cu' 
 your silk — and make another. When the parts are brough 
 together by the needle and silk, and blood has stopped run 
 ning, cover the line of the cut with "new skin" or collodion 
 You will find your first attempt to use the needle and sill- 
 somewhat a queer proceeding, as it is no easy thing to ti( 
 the knot that will hold and yet not be too tight. Work witl 
 clean hands; new silk and a needle that has been just held ii 
 the flame of a match. Common cotton thread will answei 
 but is not so harmless to the tissues you sew. 
 
 If along the line of the cut pus begins to form bathe 
 with full strength hydrogen peroxide. This will foam, wil 
 
HEART TROUBLE 79 
 
 penetrate the cut, and destroy much of the germ Hfe in the 
 wound. Whenever the line of the cut seems to be healed you 
 should cut with a fine pointed scissors each stitch and pull out 
 of the flesh. A little knowledge of these matters is needed 
 by owners of valuable fowl. 
 
 HEART TROUBLE. 
 
 Occasionally a fowl, usually one more than a year old, 
 appears to have sudden attacks of weakness. Perhaps the 
 bird will be crowing or cackling vigorously when sud- 
 denly it will gasp for breath and will stand motionless, ap- 
 parently not able to move, and then it will seem to recover 
 its vigor. Sometimes a fowl that is apparently healthy will 
 die suddenly after being frightened, perhaps when caught 
 by the owner. Sometimes a fowl drops dead from the roost 
 or in front of .the feed pan. In such cases, heart trouble is 
 almost always the cause of death. Nothing can be done to 
 prevent such loss except by keeping the general hej^lth of 
 the flock as near perfect as possible for heart trouble is 
 usually caused by severe strain or by the ravages of some 
 other disease. 
 
OCT 15 1909 
 
 Index. 
 
 Page 
 
 BOWEI^ TROUBLE 5& 
 
 BREAK DOWN „ 55 
 
 BROKEN BONES AND INJl^RIES 77 
 
 BRONCHITIS 36 
 
 BUMBLE FOOT 76 
 
 CANKER 29 
 
 CANNIBALISM PS- 
 CATARRH, INTESTINAL 69 
 
 CHICKEN POX ". 40 
 
 CHOLERA 61 
 
 COLDS 21, 2S 
 
 COMMON REMEDIES, for some, diseases 14 
 
 CROP BOUND 47 
 
 DIPHTHERIA Si 
 
 DISEASES OF THE HEAD — catarrhal colds, influenza, swollen 
 heads, white comb, a.iJoplexy, frozen combs, pip, inflamma- 
 tion of mouth, eye troubles, black comb 17 
 
 DISEASES, taken at shows 12 
 
 DROPSY 16 
 
 EGG PASSAGE, troubles of 5a 
 
 ENTERITIS, toxic, gastro 69 
 
 FILTH, as a cause of disease 7 
 
 FITS 65 
 
 FOOD, as a cause of disease 5 
 
 GAPE WORMS 42 
 
 GASTRITIS 60 
 
 "GOING LIGHT" 57 
 
 HEART TROUBLE 79' 
 
 INDIGESTION 49 
 
 LEG WEAKNESS 73 
 
 LIMBERNECK 45 
 
 LIVER DISEASES - 51 
 
 PNEUMONIA .33, 3ft 
 
 RATTLES 30 
 
 RHEUMATISM 44 
 
 ROUP 23, 25, 27 
 
 SHANKS, diseases of 74 
 
 SUDDEN DEATHS, causes of 9 
 
 SUNSTROKE ; 11 
 
 TUBERCULOSIS 38 
 
 VENT GLEET 71 
 
 WHITE DIARRHOEA 6©- 
 
 WIND PUFF • 32 
 
 AVORMS IN THE CROP 39 
 
 WORMS. INTESTINAL 63 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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