r SF POULTRY DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDIES The cause, symptoms and treatment of all dis- eases known to poultry. Price SO Cents BY J. GAYLORD !R Class rSjfgfrT- Book_^ Copyright N°_ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/poultrydiseasest01blai Poultry Diseases And Their Remedies The cause, symptons, and treatment of all diseases known to Poultry . . BY J. GAYLORD BLAIR . Copyrighted 1910 By J. GAYLORD BLAIR C&U2?838. INTRODUCTION The pleasure of helping others is one of our greatest blessings. When we help others we help ourselves, and our joys increase. This book is intended to render assist- ance to all persons who keep fowls and who may some time need help while their birds are stricken with disease. The name of this little book describes its nature: "Poultry Diseases and their Remedies." This little book was not written in a day nor a month, but it has taken me years to get it ready to place before the public. During all the past years I have given this subject my earnest and care- ful study and I feel that I am in a position to give the poultry world something that they will appreciate. I have tried to avoid technical terms and any one capable of un- derstanding the simplest written language cannot fail to comprehend the full meaning of every subject treated. In sending out this little book into the world I feel that the benefits should be equal. The information contained in its pages has been sought from all quarters and from the most progressive and up-to-date thinkers on these subjects. From this store of information and my own practical ex- perience I have prepared this book, and dedicate it to the poultry raisers of the world. J. GAYLORD BLAIR, Author POULTRY DISEASES CHAPTER I. REQUIREMENTS OF HEALTH How to keep your birds healthy — How to prevent Disease From breaking out in a flock — With helpful sugges- tions — Selecting the breeding stock, Feeding, Housing, Etc. It is easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it, therefore we should study the different things that cause the diseases and try to prevent them. In most every case where diseases break out in a flock it can be traced back to filthy quarters, improper feeding, or neglect of care and attention on the owner's part. Remember that the owner or the person that cares for them has the entire control over them. We can kill any undesirable specimen at any time; if it is sick we can either kill or isolate it at once. This gives us power to prevent and stamp out the disease or trouble to some extent. If we will take every disease in time we can most always check it from spreading. Of course we can't prevent sudden climatic changes, accidents and certain insiduous contagious disorders which will oc- casionally break out on the best regulated plants, but in most every case disease can be prevented by good care and the proper management of the plant. As a general thing disease is not thought of until it is present, in this case the birds are not properly taken care of or they would not be apt to contract disease. Their food is not right, the water is impure, the attention of the owner is not what it should be and all of these things placed together will make something large. We think AND THEIR REMEDIES 5 that this little matter will not amount to much but if we neglect one thing we will another and before we realize what we are doing we have neglected other things. Small things placed together will make a large one. One penny might not buy what we want but if we placed more with it we can then make our desired purchase. Remember that if we will watch the small things the large ones will take care of themselves. Most beginners do not know how to treat their birds after they get sick, they cannot properly diagnose a case. There are many diseases that affect poultry to day that some people have never heard of, is it any wonder they can't prevent and cure disease? Most people think that all diarrhoea is "cholera" and that all birds that have a dis- charge from the eyes and nostrils have "roup" hence they treat for these diseases and their birds die or do not im- prove, otherwise if they could diagnose the case and give the bird the proper treatment and care they would be able to cure the bird. In order to cure and prevent disease you must know the nature of it and then you can care for them in an intelligent manner. I believe this little book will give you all the information you will ever want in regard to the different diseases known to affect poultry. Always Breed for Health . . . In selecting the breeding stock always select birds that are strong, well developed and breed from no bird that has ever had any disease for this bird is likely to have a weak constitution, and it will always show in their off- spring. A bird whose comb does not look bright should also be discarded and nothing should be used in the breed- ing pen that does not possess a bright, red comb; this is a good sign the bird is in a healthy condition. If we ex- pect to have healthy birds we must breed for this as well as standard points. If we have good points in other re- spects what good will the bird be to us if it is not healthy and robust? After we have a strong healthy flock of birds we can then have a good solid foundation to work from and begin building on. Remember the well known law of heredity, "like produces like" and if you have weakly birds in the breeding pen you can expect the off-spring to be weak also. 6 POUL TR Y DISEASES Shun "Cured" Birds If you have birds that have had a serious disease do not think of using them in the breeding pen for they will produce weak birds if you do. The bird might appear in the best of condition now, still the vitality of this specimen is weak, and it may possibly show in the off-spring of this certain bird. Especially if it had roup, canker, consump- tion etc. There is little use to waste time and money try- ing to cure a diseased bird unless it a very valuable show bird. If the sickness of the bird is of a serious nature it will never be the same any more. If you know how and will use the "axe" you will be better off than the other fellow that uses $3.00 worth of medicine to cure a $1.00 bird. Never breed from "cured" birds if you do it will cause you a great lot of trouble. Use Care in Selecting the Breeding Stock. In the selection of breeding birds be sure that the bird has size, vigor and a sound constitution. If possible it is best to know that they have come from strong healthy birds. Breed only from birds that are matured ones. Also see that the bird is in perfect health; if the comb is a bright red, the plumage soft and smooth, legs with good color, keen apetite, etc., you can rest assured the bird is in the right condition to place in the breeding pen. Every one should use great care in selecting the birds for the breeding pens; this is one of the most important things in breeding poultry. If you get wrong here every thing is wrong. If you mate wrong for standard points or health either. It is better to have birds with strong constitu- tions than good standard points. Birds without health are worthless even if they are up to the standard in other respects. If you have birds that are strong and robust you can breed and improve their standard qualities but ii you have them up to the standard with weak constitution you are certainly up against it. This very thing is what causes poor hatches and weak germs. How often do we hear people say that "my chickens are dying," "I can't raise my chickens, they are all dying," etc.? Low vitality in the breeding birds is the cause. They do not use enough care in selecting the breeding birds. If you hatch chicks from stock that is robust and healthy you can't hardly AND THEIR REMEDIES 7 stop this little fellow from growing but otherwise your results will be very discouraging. Do not think that if you have a good male bird in the breeding pen that you can mate him with any kind of females and get good results, for you will be disappointed" if you do. While the male bird is half of the breeding pen; still you must mate good healthy females with him if you expect good results from this mating. In selecting birds see that they have no deformities whatever and that they are perfect specimens in their classes, both from a physical and standard standpoint. Inbreeding The mating of birds that are closely related is called inbreeding. This has caused persons to fail in the poultry business. While mating two birds that are related might produce the desired results along standard lines still their off-spring would be weak and without vigor and low in vitality. In-breeding if practiced will soon bring disap- pointment to the breeder. Some breeders avoid mating brothers and sisters together; others breed together their best birds for their purposes, regardless of relationship. Un- derstand your birds and know what you are doing and you will find this will be best. Remember line breeding is not inbreeding. . Some Common Causes of Disease. There are many things that can cause disease to break out among your flock and if all these are traced back to the origin you will soon discover it is your fault nine times out of ten. Vermin is a very common cause of disease; for birds that have vermin on them will take disease quicker, for they are in a condition that they can't throw off the germs. Impure water, dampness, crowding, improper food and care and want of exercise are all common causes of disease. Even a strong constitution is liable to break down under these conditions. How and Where to Locate the Buildings. All poultry buildings should face the south and should be built on well drained land. They should be dry, roomy and well ventilated. The most satisfactory plan for a poultry house is the fresh-air one. In such houses the air is always pure and you will find that birds will do much 8 POULTRY DISEASES better in such houses. The egg yield will be larger, the- vitality of the birds will be higher, the eggs more fertile and will hatch stronger and better chicks. You need not have high priced land for your plant; if it is dry well drained land it will be all right and will be just as good as higher priced land. If possible have it lay or slope to- ward the south, south-east or south-west. Do not have drafts over the birds or you will have trouble. Have three sides air tight and the front side •open for ventilation. And do not close unless it is very stormy. A bird can stand much more cold if it has an abundance of pure fresh air to breath than it can if it is ■closed up in a tight house without the pure fresh air. Low roofed houses are much warmer and also cheaper to build. Sunshine a Good Preventative for Disease In constructing the poultry house try to plan it so as to have the sun penetrate to all parts of it. Sun light is one of the very best preventatives for disease. If there was no sun light how long would the different animals and vegetables live in this world? No poultry house should be built so the sun could not shine in it most of the day. Sunshine and fresh air is a cheap and sure dis- infectant. Have both the brooder and breeding houses ar- ranged so that the sun can shine in at all times of the day. Many small chicks die annually from the lack of sunshine in the brooder and brooder house. The brooder should be sunned and aired daily if you expect to raise good healthy chicks. Have the house arranged so that the little fellows can have a sun bath daily. Also provide shade as well; and remember if you go to extremes with either you will not be successful with your attempt. Sunshine is very im- portant to health. The "Dust" or Earth Bath. The aust bath is the natural method of keeping body and feathers clean and also keeping them free from ver- min. It is very important and should be looked after jfast the same as the other small points that help to make the poultry business successful. The best place for the dust bath is to locate it in the corner of the breeding pen and use only fresh earth, for this is much better than dust and the birds would rather have it. By dusting in this earth AND THEIR REMEDIES 9 bath, the birds will keep their feathers and skin clean and in a healthy sanitary condition and by adding a little in- sect powder, they will also free themselves from all ver- min. This dust bath has been recommended for years as a sure remedy for vermin on poultry and if this is sup- plied the birds will do the rest. Always keep the earth a little moist. It should be changed at least every two weeks. How to Arrange the Roosts and Dropping Boards. Place the roosts about two feet from the floor and provide dropping boards under them. Do not place them high for this will cause the birds to injure themselves many times. If you place the roosts near the ceiling the breath from the fowls condences on the ceiling and walls in cold weather in the form of heavy frost and this makes the sleeping quarters damp and unsanitary. Do not use small narrow roosts for this will cause bumble foot, corns, etc. The best roost is made from a piece of timber 2 by 3 or 4 inches with the edges beveled or rounded. Have them arranged so as not to have any places for mites to harbor in. Have the dropping boards about four inches below the roosts and have them plenty wide to catch every thing; a board 2 4 inches wide is sufficient for a single roost. Clean the board every morning. It pays to keep the house clean and sanitary. Use a good disinfectant twice a week. Avoid "House Sweating." This can be avoided by proper ventilation and sun- ning. You never experience "house sweating" if you use the open front or fresh-air plan. Do not crowd too many birds in a coop or house for the result will be cold and roup. Do not under any circumstances allow more birds to occupy a coop or house than can really be cared for in such quarters for if you do it will cause you trouble. Dampness and house sweating will be the result. Airing and sunning the house will eliminate this trouble. Do not close your house tight under any circumstance whatever. Even if the temperature is very low do not think that by having the house air tight it will be warmer, for it won't. Drinking Water. Never allow impure water to be before your 1 birds, for in this way probably more diseases are spread "'a^n^ 10 POULTRY DISEASES caused than in any other way. If the water is not pure, disease is likely to creep out on us. Even as in human be- ings the water is the fruitful source of trouble. Do not waste time of placing pure water in dirty fountains but clean the founts every other day at least with scalding wa- ter. Do not give your birds any water to drink that you would not drink yourself and in this way you can know they get the best of water. All drinking vessels should be made so they can be cleaned easily. Foods. The rations should contain grains, mineral foods, green foods, together with grit, oyster shells and char- coal. These different varieties of food have an important influence on the health of the bird. The grain food may be wheat, oats, barley, rye, sunflower seed, millet, corn, etc. Most any of the commercial scratch foods are good and in these you get this variety of grains. The green food should consist of cabbage, lettuce, turnips, fresh growing grass or sprouted grains such as oats, wheat, etc. The former preferred. In winter alfalfa leaves will be found a good substitute for green food. Mineral foods should consist of fresh beef scraps, green cut bone, beef meal and blood meal. Mineral food is very important to the health of the fowl. The best and cheapest mineral food that can be found is fresh green bone. This can be secured very cheap if you get the bones from the butcher shop and cut them on a bone cutter. There is no better egg producer than this. You can also keep a dry mash before them at all times in hoppers and the birds go and eat as they wish. This mash should consist of one part wheat middlings, two parts bran and one part corn meal. To every peck of dry mash add a tablespoonful of fine table salt. There is no better food for fowls than butter milk, skim milk and clabber. These are also very good for moulting birds. Do not over feed your birds and get them too fat. Feed all grain in a deep litter and make them exercise af- ter all the grain food they get. If you get your birds too fat, you will be troubled with egg bound birds, leg weak- ness, apoplexy, congestion of the brain, etc. Feed only what they will clean up and no more. Use good judgment AND THEIR REMEDIES / / in feeding your birds if you see they are getting too fat you can cut the ration down. Exercise. It is just as important to have our fowls tak'e exer- cise as it is to take exercise ourselves. Of course we real- ize what it would do for us if we did not take exercise. Our health would scon break down if we did not take ex- ercise of some kind daily. If you will make your birds ex- ercise you will find they will be healthier, more robust, and will hatch stronger chicks from the eggs laid by them. This will also keep them from getting over fat. When you see a bird suffering from being over fat or having conges- tion of the brain and apoplexy you can say right then that these troubles were brought on by not making your fowls take the proper amount of exercise. When you feed dry mash from hoppers you should let the birds have free range as much as possible. In feeding grains you should feed it in the litter and make them work and exercise after the last grain of it. If you feed the grain in the morning this will keep them scratch- ing after it most all day. Birds will lay more eggs while they are confined in yards than when running on free range but as a general thing they do not hatch as well and what chicks that do hatch seem weak. This is caused by not enough exercise. Even small chicks need exercise and if you give them the right food in a litter they will begin to scratch for it when they are only a few days old and this is what makes them grow fast and develope into large robust fellows. Just as soon as they get large enough to look after them- selves it is better to make them not believe any case of consumption can be cured especially after it gets into the advanced stages. Bronchitis. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the bronchical tubes instead of the nostrils and head passages as some think. This disease can be of a light stage or very serious one. Some cases will not be any- thing more than a simple cold while still another one will be as severe as the worst attack of roup. Bronchitis is nothing more than catarrh only bronchitis affects the breathing tubes while catarrh is an inflammation of the nostrils and head. It is caused from exposing the bird to cold winds and storms, sudden changes in the temperature and damp quarters, etc., At certain times I have had good reason to believe that bronchitis can be caused from breathing foul and impure air. I have known cases where there were no other cause. Particles of lime or dust will also cause this JJND THEIR REMEDIES 61 trouble. Bronchitis will some times affect small chicks after they have been exposed to rains, or overheated brooders. Symptoms. Tnis disease is not noticed until it has a few days' start of you. If you are a close observer of your birds you may be able to notice it. At first the bird will be very thirsty and the body and legs will be very hot and with a high fever. The comb will be a bright red and quite warm. There will be a rattling sound in the throat or bronchical tubes caused from the mucous that is present in the bronchical tubes which affects the breathing. In early stages of the disease there is a wheezing sound, later there is a rattling as the mucous increases. Treatment. Remove the bird from its mates and place in a warm well ventilated coop bedded with good clean straw. Keep the coop clean and in a sanitary condition at all times. Give it 2 drops of tincture of Aconite in each quart of the drinking water and allow no other drink fGr a week or until the bird is nearly well. In very mild cases this will be the only treatment necessary. If the cough or rat- tling does not stop try the following: Get some tablets of Arsenite of Antimony 1-1000 of a drug strength each and give one three times a day to the sick bird until well. Other remedies for bronchitis are spirits of turpen- tine ten drops in a teaspoonful of castor oil every five hours until relieved. Flaxseed tea is also good and is nourishing. Feed the sick bird a warm crumbly mixture of beaten egg, bread crumbs and oatmeal, just what it will clean up and no more. Beef juice will also be found good if the bird is very weak. Keep charcoal and grit before it also. Try to prevent any more cases from appearing in your flock by going to the bottom of every thing and finding the cause. It is easier to prevent a poultry disease than it is to cure it. And in preventing them you do not take any chances of losing your best birds. In treating this dis- ease you will find it will respond very well to medical treatment, and is very easily handled. 62 POULTRY DISEASES Congestion of the Lungs. This trouble is caused by sudden chilling or most any kind of exposure to the fowls. The name describes their condition. We very often find a case of congested lungs late in the fall when the bird is slow to get through moult- ing. They haven't enough feathers on their bodies to pro- tect them from the sudden change of the weather. Symptoms. The bird will stand around on one foot and will have no energy to move about and will refuse to eat. The comb will turn black or dark and there will be a bloody dis- charge from the mouth which is of a mucous nature. If you make a post-mortem examination you will discover the lungs full of blood and will look very unnatural. Before you realize what has taken place the bird will be dead and there will be no warning unless you are a very close ob- server of your flock. Some cases you will notice some difficulty in breathing. Treatment. You should give all your thought in preventing any new cases for nothing can be dene for the sick birds as they are generally dead before you realize what has taken place. See that your birds have good, dry comfortable quarters especially those that are just moulting. Feed gcod pure food and give them plenty of animal food while the birds are going through their moult. If you will give the sick bird one drop of the tincture ^ ? the amorphous aconitine every two hours you may be able to save the bird, especially if taken in its early stages. Do not give large doses once or twice a day rather than small ones every two hours for you get better results from the latter. The best treatment for congestion of the lungs is preventation for no medical treatment will be found satisfactory. Remember to keep the bird in a room with an average temperature of 70 degrees. Pneumonia. Pneumonia is simply a second attack of congestion of the lungs. This is an inflammation of a catarrhal na- ture affecting the air cells of the lungs. This is generally a very quick death and they usually pass away in a day AND THEIR REMEDIES 63 or two after they reach this stage. Most cases of pneu- monia prove fatal. The symptoms are about the same as those of congestion of the lungs. If you place the ear to the chest you will readily hear the cracking sound as the bird breathes. The bird may even pant for breath as in the summer. The bird will often sit in a squauing posi- tion with the wings drooped, and no energy to move ab >vit. Treatment. As soon as you discover the trouble remove the bird at once to a room with a uniform temperature of about 70 degrees. Supply an abundance of pure fresh air to breathe, have the coop bedded with clean straw and keep it in a sanitary condition at all times. Use ten drops ea-:li of aconite and bryonia to each pint of drinking water and allow no other drink until the bird is pretty well recover- ed from the attack, or give one drop of tincture of amor- phous aconitine every two hours. Another good remedy is to make capsules containing one grain of sulphocarbolate of zinc and make the bird swallow one night and morning. In treating birds with pneumonia you have to be with them quite a lot so as to give them the medicine regular together with good attention. It must also be prompt t>nd active, as the disease is very rapid and will soon carry the bird away in some cases even if you do give the oird prompt treatment. Keep the strength of the bird up as much as possible by giving beef juice or eggs beaten up together with fresh sweet milk and bread added. Do not give too much but feed lightly for several days. Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is not a common disease among poultry of this country, but still we find some few cases o£ it among the different flocks. It is much more rapid than consumption and will soon cause the bird to wear away, or "going light" as some express it. As soon as we find a bird of this kind in our flock it is best to kill the diseased bird at once and cremate it for fear if it is buried it will be scratched up by some dog or cat and hence cause the rest of the flock to become exposed to it. Tuberculosis is a disease that we should do all in our 64 POULTRY DISEASES power to exterminate. We all know what it is doing for the human race and up to a few years ago they were not doing anything to check its spread but since they have made great strides to check and fight this dreaded dis- ease. We have known birds to catch it from tuberculosis cows and you should watch such in order to keep down its spread. There is a germ-bacillus present in all cases of tu- berculosis and from this is where the disease spreads. The. only symptom that is present in tuberculosis is the bird "going light" and some cases the bird will be so weak it can not walk more than half a dozen steps before it is com- pletely exhausted. There will also be a slight cough with it and a little difficulty in breathing. Treatment. It will not pay you to treat birds with tuberculosis, for even if you could "patch them up" so they looked good, you would not want to breed from such birds and have them passing these germs down to their offspring and in a few years have your whole flock a diseased one, would you? It is best by all means to kill the bird as soon as you discover it is going light and you suspect tuberculosis. Cremate it and you have it out of the way. Begin then to clean up everything about the yard and* houses. Dust the inside of the house thoroughly and get all cobwebs out of the corners and spray well with a strong solution of carbolic acid and water. If you have a spray pump you can get into every crack and crevice. Cul- tivate the yards and if possible remove the other (well) birds from the old quarters and give them new ones. If you wish to treat any of the sick birds you can place them in a coop far away from the rest of the flock and give them as a tonic arsenate of iron in pill form 1-5 grain each night and morning. Cod liver oil will also be found good to give in mash and will help nourish the bird. It is not at all a good idea to treat a bird with this dreaded disease for you are likely to have the other birds exposed to it while doing SO' and will endanger them. Kill all birds affected and be on the safe side. AND THEIR REMEDIES 65 CHAPTER VI. THE CROP AND INTESTINES. The Cause, Symptoms and Treatment of all Diseases Known to Affect the Crop and Intestines, I ncluding Diarrhoeas and Cholera, with Reliable Remedies. Enteritis. Enteritis is caused by bacteria which get into the in- testines and causes great inflammation. This is a very common disease among poultry and it is often mistaken fcr cholera. Enteritis will also follow neglected cases of diarrhoea. Foul drinking water, uncleanliness, filthy and rotton food will also cause this trouble. As the disease develops the excrement will be a greenish color and there is always more or less looseness of the bowels. In the early stages the comb will only be a little pale, later turning purple and very dark. Where the different va- rieties of bacteria are present in large numbers there will he some blood in the excrement. The bird has very little energy to move from place to place and will appear to be in a sleepy condition at all times. The bird will not eat and the crop will be full of food and water. In some cases if you hold the bird by the feet head down the water will run out of the crop. If you make a post-morten ex- amination you will find the intestines full of mucous and ic liver enlarged. Treatment. Isolate all sick birds at once and try to prevent any more cases by giving pure food and water. Enteritis is very contagious and should be handled very carefully at all times. Wash out all drinking fountains with scalding water and begin at once to clean the house and give it 66 POUL TR Y DISEASES a good disinfecting. Give the sick birds a teaspoonful of olive oil three times a day until you see a change in them then give only once a day. Feed the bird on bread soaked in milk and give sv/eet milk to drink. If you will give the sick bird one-tenth of a grain tablet of calomel three times a day this will also be found very good and will help to effect a speedy cure. Give only pure fresh water and food at all times. Common Diarrhoea. Common diarrhoea may be caused from many causes but the most common of these are: Feeding too much loosening foods such as bran, green bone, etc., too much food or drink after fasting, long journey, want of shaae in hot weather, vermin and over crowding. This is also often mistaken for cholera by many. Excrement may be of a whittish, greenish or yellowish color and from investigations there is no bacteria present in the excre- ment. Therefore it is not contagious. The birds are of- ten very weak. Treatment. All the treatment that is needed in these cases is to correct the diet, give only pure food and water in clean drinking and food dishes that have been scalded out. If you will give the bird a teaspoonful of castor oil this will help clean the digestive organs out. Keep charcoal before the sick bird at all times and try to locate the cause and remove it and you will have no further trouble. Sweet milk will be found very good for mixing the mash with. Feed very light for a few days and then do not feed grains that have coarse hulls on them. Diarrhoea Caused from Poisons. Diarrhoea will often result from birds eating paint, skins, salty meat, unslacked lime, white lead, lye, and rough-on-rats. Poisons from paint are very common 'especially where the painter has been and has left some paint buckets out and let it rain in them; the birds drink this water that has stood in these buckets and poison fol- lowed by diarrhoea is the result. Paris Green and other spray mixtures will cause it also. The symptoms of this trouble are as follows: Convulsions, diarrhoea with AND THEIR REMEDIES 67 streaks of blood, watery discharge from mouth and nos- trils, weakness with a great desire to sleep. Treatment. As soon as you discover that your birds have eaten this poison you should begin at once to pour eggs down them or give flax seed tea in large quantities. Later give ■sweet milk all they will drink. You seldom notice this trouble until it is too late to administer any thing. Pre- vent it by keeping all poisons out of their reach. Gastritis. This disease is often met in connection with inflam- mation of the crop. It is the enlargement of the food pas- sage just before it reaches the gizzard. Eating mouldy or poisonous foods, too much forcing for egg production together with condiments is the principal cause of Gas- tritis. The mucous lining is very much inflamed and red and the blood vessels enlarged. The bird will have no ap- petite, the temperature will be high together with gen- eral weakness and diarrhoea one day and constipation the next. Treatment. Give boiled rice water to drink, and do not let the ir- ritating cause continue its work, but check it at once. Give caster oil until the bowels operate freely and then use bicarbonate of soda, twenty-five grains in a quart of water. Feed very light on soft mashes, mixing same with water which has been poured over cut clover the night be- fore and feed some meat food. Dysentery. Dysentery is a neglected case of diarrhoea, (or a chronic case as you may call it) running into deep in- flammation. Some cases it is a disease by itself originat- ing from a filthy condition of the house and yard. Filthi- xiess in food and water will bring en looseness of the bow- els and this if not checked will develop into dysentery. Filthy water, improper ventilation, bad food are all com- mon causes of dysentery. The symptoms are as follows: 'The bird shows great weakness, and at times can hardly 68 POULTRY DISEASES stand alone and will still continue to grow weaker until they fall off their feet. There is always a looseness of the bowels, the discharge will be thin and watery and if inflammation is very great there will be streaks of blood in the excrement. Treatment. Place one ounce of sulpho-carbolate <. f zinc in a half gallon of water for the sick fowls to drink. Do not allow them any other drink for five or six days at least. And remember that the diet of all birds must be nonirritating. Feed very lightly for a few days on course food: wheat middlings rather than bran. Epsom salts if placed in the drinking water will also be found good in affecting a speedy cure. Mould. Mould is a trouble something like "going light." Some people think that any kind of food is good enough for their birds and they buy musty burned wheat, etc., for them and the result, is after feeding this kind of food a while, will be mould. Mould v/ill also be caused by inhal- ing dust from mouldy straw, hay, etc. The symptoms of mould are indicated by lack of ambition, the bird will separate itself from the rest of the flock, will have no ap- petite and there is always a catarrhal discharge from the nostrils, with a rattling in the throat and great difficulty in breathing. It will be nothing but skin and bones. Treatment. As soon as you discover a case of mould in your flock: you should kill the bird at once and cremate it. Practical- ly nothing can be done. The only thing that can be done is to cut out all mouldy food and give nothing but good sound food with pure fresh water. Preventalion is the best remedy. If you wish to treat the bird give one grain tablet of quinine three times a day. Cholera. One of the Oldest Diseases Known to Affect Poultry and One that most Every Person is Familiar with. Its Cause, Symptoms and Reliable Remedies. This is one of the oldest diseases known to affect poultry, and it is very common in all sections of the coun- AND THEIR REMEDIES 69 try to misname all bad cases of bowel trouble, indigestion, diarrhoeas, etc., cholera; more especially those in which the excrement is of a greenish color. This is a reason many think cholera is a very common disease. Cholera is not a very common occurrence, and seldom attacks domes- tic fowls if they are kept under reasonably sanitary con- ditions. Cholera usually runs a very rapid course, the bird being apparently well in the morning, sick at night and dead in a day or two. It attacks all varieties of do- mestic fowls. And has been known to affect wild birds that were inhabiting an infected district. When cholera makes it appearance in flocks that have free range, it is almost impossible to control it; but where fowls are kept in close confinement the trouble can be readily stamped •out if prompt measures are taken as soon as it is first noticed. Just as soon as you find you have a case of chol- era in your flock you should begin at once to prevent any further spread of it. Cause. The infection is nearly always introduced with food or water, which has come in contact at some time with some of the excrement of a diseased bird. The blood and raw flesh of diseased birds if eaten by well ones will transmit the disease to the well birds. If well birds come in contact with diseased birds they will also have it. It seems the air gets full of the cholera bacteria and it will light down on your flock and you can not account for it. Still your neighbors' birds have cholera several miles away. In the first place I think the real cause of cholera is caus- ed from filthy quarters, improper ventilation during warm weather and drinking stagnant water. Often cholera is introduced into your flock by the purchase of an infected bird. Symptoms. The first symptoms of cholera is usually a light di- arrhoea; the bird shows a lack of life and spirit, moping around half asleep and with ruffled feathers. The bird will lose all appetite and will have great thirst which is a good sign of high fever: it will drink eagerly until it can no longer retain the water in the crop and spills it when 70 POULTRY DISEASES the head is lowered. The legs will be very hot and dry, comb will be pale and sometimes dry with a rough sur- face and later turning purple and sometimes nearly black. The first discharge from the bowels is very thick, and later gets less solid and quite watery. As the inflammation of the linings of the bowels increases the discharge shows slight bloody streaks and will sometimes increase until the excrement is nearly pure blood. The crop is frequent- ly found distended with a rank foul smelling liquid. Birds affected with cholera lose flesh very rapidly and in a short time they will have no strength and will die from ex- haustion. The diarrhoea which is nearly always present is one of the chief symptoms. It will soil the feathers about the vent and will often cake on them giving a very unsightly appearance which is of a greenish color. The chief symp- toms to be depended on in diagnosing a case are as fol- lows: pale face, comb and wattles, yellowish or greenish diarrhoea, frequent discharge of excrement, lack of life and moping around half asleep. Treatment. The treatment of cholera is very unsatisfactory and if you wish to try to treat the sick birds you should begin at once and do not wait until the bird is ready to die be- fore you begin. If you do the bird will be so weak that medical treatment will be of little use. I would not advise anyone to try to treat fowels with cholera unless they are very valuable ones Kill all diseased specimens at once; disinfect all houses and runs and continue to do so as long as the disease lasts. Remove the sick birds from the well ones as soon as possible and place them clear out of reach of the well ones; wash all drinking vessels out daily with scalding water. All sick birds should be fed highly concentrated food, such as bread soaked in beef juice, or feed beef juice from a spoon. This kind of food is very nourishing and strengthening to the sick bird. When the trouble is first noticed, give the bird a table spoonful of castor oil and follow this in thirty minutes with a tablet containing 1-2 00 of a grain of arsenite of copper every three or four hours AND THEIR REMEDIES 71 or give 1-1000 of a grain tablet of carrosive sublimate (mercury bichloride) every three hours. The following prescription is also an effective rem- edy: Sulphur 8 ounces, pulverized charcoal 4 ounces, pul- verized capsicum 2 ounces, pulverized rhubarb 3 ounces, carbonate of iron 8 ounces, pulverized opium 1-2 ounce, and pulverized gold seal 2 ounces. Mix thoroughly and keep in an air tight bottle or box to preserve strength. Make a pill about the size of a small pea and make the sick bird swallow one three times a day. Give both the sick and well birds a few drops of creo- lin in their drinking water. Cremate all birds that die. The bird has no use of the neck muscles at all and in some Remember that cholera is a germ disease and very highly contagious and prompt treatment and thorough disinfec- tion are the only means of stamping it out. WHITE DIARRHOEA OR BOWEL TROUBLE IN SMALL CHICKS, A Disease that Kills More Small Chicks than all Other Dis- eases Combined — What the Disease is — Its Cause, Symptoms and Treatment. This one disease kills more small chicks than all other diseases combined. Nearly everyone who has raised chicks in their time has had more or less experience with this dreaded disease. This disease may go under many different names but it is all the same disease and comes from the same cause. It is known as white diarrhoea, bowel trouble, pasting up, etc. It is a very common thing to hear people say that their chicks are dying from bowel trouble, sleeping themselves away etc., and I believe we hear it more now than we did a few years back and this is good proof that it is growing rapidly and there must be something done to prevent its spread. You can prevent it if you take it in time and I believe stamp it out of your flock altogether. At least I have been successful with it during the last few years. How discouraging it is to have a nice lot of chicks come off and in a few days they will '72 "POULTRY DISEASES begin to die off and before you know it you have lost the whole bunch. The trouble is weak germs and you cannot do anything for them only let them die. You have to work on the breeding stock before you can expect any re- sults. Cause. The principal cause of this dreaded disease is a para- site called Coccidium tenellium. It can also be caused by over feeding, over heating, etc. In fact most any thing that happens to the little fellows in the early stages of their lives will cause indigestion to appear and of course diarrhoea will now play its important part. This small parasite will cause weak germs: eggs that would have iatched strong healthy chicks under other conditions would not where these parasites or germs are present. This germ or parasite will get into the intestines and egg organs of the breeding stock and every egg that is laid by a hen or pullet with these parasites present will hatch a chick that will be weak and will die from white diarrhoea. The yolk of the egg will be contaminated with these parasites which will get there while the egg is form- ing. Of course the chick has to live on the yolk of the egg for a few days after it is hatched for nature provides food for it in this manner and this is one reason we should not feed our chicks for at least forty-eight hours, and is it any wonder the chick will never amount to much and die during the first week of its life, with such food as this which is full of these deadly parasites? We very often hear poultry people make the remark that "my chickens die in the shell and arr* not able to get out," and that "my eggs do not hatch well and what chicks I do get are not growing any and seem to have no cuers;- to hustle for a living but prefer to stay under the hover and sleep themselves to death." These are very common among poultry raisers today and these parasites are the cause of the whole trouble. I will stick to it that this one trouble will kill more small chicks than all other diseases combined, and I think most everyone will agree with me. HO\v the First Symptoms Appear. You can tell a weak germed chick as soon as it is AND THEIR REMEDIES 73 hatched; they are not as plump and thrifty as the strong germed fellow. Weak germs will show up very readily. If you notice a chick hanging around under the hover pretty close you might just as well count him out for it will not be long before he passes away. They refuse to eat with the rest of the flock, have no energy to follow the rest and will sit and sleep themselves to death; and you can often find them where they were sitting in the sun and dropped over dead. In about three or four days after they come off the symptoms will appear, and they will later begin to show up more plainly. The diarrhoeal dis- charge will now appear and they will paste up. The excre- ment will be a whittish looking substance and this is where it took its name "white diarrhoea." If you will open a chick that has just died from this trouble you will find the liver to be enlarged and of a pale color, the gizzard will be filled with undigested food; in some cases where the chick dies in a day or two after hatched you will find the yolk of the egg undigested. The crop will be full of wind and some cases you will find it full of liquid which has a very bad odor, the chick will be thin and will be nothing but skin and bones. Just nothing more than a shadow. Some cases the chick will last for a week or two but in most cases it will die in from two to four days after it has been hatched. Of course this is governed by the number of parasites present and the severity of the attack. Treatment. Preventation is the best treatment you can find; in fact there is no use to try to treat the small chicks for they have no constitution and can not stand treatment. You must study the situation carefully and find out the cause. If it is from overheating, overfeeding or chilling remove the cause at once; but if you are losing them when you know the above causes do not exist you can almost be sure that the trouble is caused by parasites (Coccidium tenellium) and you must get them out of the systems of the breeding stock for this is the seat of the whole trouble. The best remedy I have found in my investigations is to place some epsom salts in the drinking water of the breeding birds. Place it in there every week or two and 74 "POULTRY DISEASES continue through the entire breeding season and this will rid their systems of these parasites. A few drops of cren- lin is also said to be good and will give good results if placed in the water every week. You must use every ef- fort to prevent the spread of this trouble. Before using- the incubator after the hatch you should wash it out thor- oughly with a good disinfectant or a strong solution of creolin and water (about one part of creolin to twenty-five- parts of water.) Air the egg tray well and if possible let the sun get to all parts of the incubator chamber so as to dry it thoroughly. The floor of the nursery should be removable so that you can substitute fresh material for a floor. If you are hatching with a hen you should treat the hen for these parasites and disinfect the nest well be- fore setting. Dip all eggs in a weak solution of creolin and water and dry well before setting either in incubator or under hens. Do not let the drooping accumulate for this will tend to spread the disease and make it much harder to work against. Burn or bury all chicks that die from this trouble and try to prevent any further spread. Do not let them get chilled, overheated or overfed. While these things will cause bowel trouble still I think that the small para- site will be found the worst to work against, and unless you start at once to stop the trouble you will find out that your profits will be mighty short during the year. THE DISEASES OF THE LIVER. Blackhead — Congestion — -Inflammation — Hyperthrophy or- Over Fat Liver — "IVitii the Cause, Symptoms and Treatment. Blackhead. This is a very contagious disease and is confined prin- cipally to turkeys. It generally runs through the whole flock before you have any chance to check it. Young birds fall its prey more so than adult birds. The cause of this disease is a small parasite that works on the liver of the bird and it is very hard to control and after it has be- AND THEIR REMEDIES 75 come established, heroic measures must be taKen at once. The symptoms of blackhead are as follows: general weak- ness with very little appetite; the bird will be weak from the start and will have no energy at all to move about. There is always a constant diarrhoea. In a day or so tue head will turn dark, later black and this is where the dis- ease first took its name. Treatment. As soon as you notice a case in your flock you should begin at once to stamp it out and it will take heroic meas- ures to do so. Isolate all birds affected and do not allow the well birds to run with the sick ones if you do you can not expect to get satisfactory treatment or results. The best treatment is preventation in fact this is best with all diseases. It will be better to kill all affected birds vnd cremate them and then begin to disinfect the houses and yards thoroughly with a good reliable disinfectant. The germs of this disease are thrown off from the bowels and as the diarrhoea is severe hence the danger of infection is very great; and always keep the birds isolated in dry, well ventilated coops. If you wish to treat the sick birds you can give the following three times a day. Hyposulphite of soda 2 grains, sulphate of cinchonidia 1 grain, sulphur 10 grains, and sulphate of iron 1 grain. Mix thoroughly and give a teaspoonful in soft food for each bird. Place a teaspoonful of hyposulphite of soda in a gallon of drinking water; this will also be found effective. Congestion of the Liver. This is another disease that you do not realiza yoi have until the bird is in a very bad shape. You very sel- dom notice the early symptoms of this disease. About the only symptom you notice is the comb getting a little dark. After the bird reaches this stage there will be a slight diarrhoea which will be a watery color at first later chang- ing to a yellowish color. The bird has no appetite find will move from place to place without any ambition to eat or take any exercise. Congestion of the liver is caused from improper feeding and if you take a case in rime you will be able to bring the bird back, to its normal hea'.th again. 76 POULTRY DISEASES Treatment. Cut out the corn and corn meal and make ie mash at least one-half cut clover or just as much as the bird will eat; also feed fresh cut green bone. If it is in the winter months give them a good clean deep litter to work in ana if during the summer months give them fire? range on nice grassy runs. Place the sick bird in a dry, well lighted coop and the first thing you must do is to give it a tea- spoonful of castor oil. After you get results from this ycu can then refrain from all medical attention and then de- pend upon proper food and care to bring the bird back to normal health. Make the bird take plenty of exercise and feed only a plain diet. Inflammation of the Liver. It is very hard to diagnose a case of liver trouble for the symptoms appear very slow and you have to wait until the disease is at its worst before you can detenuir.3 just what it is. Inflammation of the liver works very much like a congested liver and the symptoms are much alike. The bird will have no energy to move about, the breathing will be sluggish, the abdomen will in some cas?s be swol- len, the skin will show a yellowish hue and th3 °.omb will, be very pale and later turning dark. The bird nil not eat much and after several days pass it will be nothing more than skin and bones. Treatment. Give the bird a teaspoonful of castor oil and clean the bowels out; then begin to get the bird to take light diet for a few days. A little bread soaked in sweet milk will be good for it; or be~f juice fed to the sick bird will help to strengthen it. In the drinking water place ten drops of nux vomica in a pint and allow no other drink for a week at least. The bird must be kept in a quiet plac° until it is entirely well and feed very sparingly what you do feed. Hypertrophy of the Liver. The name of this trouble will readily tell you how it affects birds. An over large liver is found mostly in the early spring after the birds have been closed up all winter and have been fed on food that tends to produce fat and J1ND THEIR REMEDIES 77 enlarges the liver. This generally appears in hens after they are over two years old. This is caused from con- stant over feeding of heat producing foods without any vegetable foods. Overfeeding without exercise is bound to cause you some trouble sooner or later. When you see a hen staying on the roost late and returning early in the afternoon it is time to begin to get busy. At this time the comb of the bird will be very bright and she seems to be in perfect health; after a few days she will become weak and her walk will be very unsteady and she will stand in one position for hours. When you pick the bird up you will readily see that she is over fat. Treatment. Change your method of feeding. Make them exercise after "all grain food you give them in a deep straw litter. Cut out all fat forming or producing foods and make the mash at least one-half cut clover. If it is during the summer months give them free range on a grassy orchard or field where there is plenty of shade. For the sick bird give a teaspoonful of powder- ed muriate of ammonia in a quart of water and allow no other drink for a week, giving fresh supply twice a day. Give fresh cut green bone to the sick bird but only in very small quantities. Avoid stimulating foods. Feed very sparingly after this so as to not get your birds over fat. If you will make them exercise after most, of their food this will be found a good preventative. INTERNAL DISEASES Two Varieties, the Round Worm "and Tape Worm. The Round Worm is the More Common of the Two. There are two kinds of worms that are common and are found in most birds. They are the round worm and the tape worm. If you have dressed many birds you no doubt have noticed them more or less in the digestive canals of the birds. The round worm is more common than the tape worm and is not very troublesome unless they are present in large numbers. If there are only a 78 POULTRY DISEASES few present in the digestive canals of birds there will he little trouble from them and they are unnoticed but other- wise they will play a great part and affect digestion quite a lot. They will cause diarrhoea when present in large numbers and also great irritation. They are seldom passed with the excrement but when they are they are soon eaten by other birds hence this is the way they are spread. The color of the round worm is white and they vary in size from one-third to four or five inches in length. Their head is very sharp while their tail is very blunt. The symptoms are about the same as those of diarrhoea and the comb will be pale and the bird will be thin and have little energy to move about. In real bad cases there will be a slight diarrhoea. Treatment. As soon as you suspect worms begin at once and try to remove them. Mix four (4) ounces of turpentine and four (4) ounces of sweet oil and give one teaspoonful to adult fowls. Follow this with some good laxative. Castor oil will be good. Give a teaspoonful to each bird. Two grains of santonin to each bird will also be found tO' give satisfactory results. Watch for results from these treat- ments and be sure to gather all droppings so as to keep out of reach of well birds. Tape Worm. This variety of worm is net at all common among fowls and you often run across a person who never saw a tape worm and he has kept birds nest all his life. The name of this worm derived from the great length and thinness of it which very much resembles a piece of tape. The symptoms are about the same as those of the round worm. Their food seems to do them but little good and they will have a fine appetite and still be very thin and seem nothing but skin and bones. There will be a slight diarrhoea. Some times you will notice small pieces of the worm pass with the excrement. It is now time to be- gin your work. Treatment. Just as soon as you know or in fact suspect a tape worm is present you should begin at once to destroy same. AND THEIR REMEDIES 79 When treating the bird it will be well to do so when the •crop is empty in the early morning. Give it six drops of •oil male fern in one teaspoonful of castor oil. About three hours after you give the above treatment give a light mash to which a teaspoonful of castor or sweet cil has "been added. Feed on light diet for a week before return- ing to ordinary food. All droppings should be burned and the premises should be well disinfected with a good strong disinfectant. Try to keep both the round and tape worms from spread- ing through the excrements. THE CROP. Its Three Diseases With Their Symptoms and Treatment. This is one trouble that I think most every person who raises fowls have had more or less experience with. If they haven't their time will come. Even if you give your birds good attention and the proper food it is liable to affect your birds. Most cases come from improper feeding but still some cases will appear when you are not in fault at all. The bird will sometimes eat old dead grass and chaff this will gather in the crop and form a ball then it is impossible for it to pass from the crop. Overfeeding of too much grain, especially corn will cause it. The "bird will eat until it can't hold any more in its crop then SO' to the drinking vessel and drink which will cause the contents to swell and ferment; now you have a bad case of crop bound to deal with. When birds are kept housed all winter and are turned out in the early spring they will be eager to eat grass hence they will eat quite a lot of dead grass which may he very long; this will gather into a ball in the crop and can't possibly get out of the crop. Such cases as this are always troublesone to handle. , Often we run upon a case where there is some foreign body closes the outlet of the crop; this might be wood, bone, etc., with a sharp point sticking into the side of the crop which prevents it from passing on through. Such 80 POULTRY DISEASES cases will usually correct themselves for any thing a bird can swallow will pass through the digestive canals. Symptoms. The bird seems dull and slow to move about especial- ly if it has been in this condition for some time. There will be loss of appetite and the bird will be very sleepy. The liquid that gathers in the crop will be very offensive and will run from the mouth. Diarrhoea will usually ap- pear after a few days or a week, and the feathers will be looking very rough and will be standing on their ends. The general appearance of the bird is one of dejection. Treatment. In treating crop bound birds the first thing you must do is to empty the contents of it. First give the bird a small quantity of castor or sweet oil and then try to empty it by manipulation. Hold the head of the bird down and with gentle pressure and working try to get the con- tents out through the mouth of the bird. Have patience and do your work with great care. You cannot expect to get it out in a few minutes for this would be impossible. After working for a little while you see you will not be able to get satisfactory results you will have to try some other means. You will now have to OPEN THE CROP AND REMOVE THE FOOD or contents in this manner. It is best to have an assistant to help you, so you will have both hands free. First re- move the feathers from over the crop or where you want to make the incision so as to leave a bare place about three-fourths of an inch wide by two inches long. Now have a sharp clean thin bladed knife cut through the skin (not into the crop) and allow the blood to flow freely. Let this opening be about two inches long. After it ceases to bleed then take the incision in the crop about one inch long or not so much if you think you can empty the con- tents through a small opening. Now you can begin to empty the crop; if its contents is of long grass and chaff you will have to use some instrument like a shoe buttoner to get it out. Use great care and do not try to remove it all at once but enly in small bunches. After you get it AND THEIR REMEDIES 81 empty you oan then wash it out thoroughly and examine the outlet to see if there is any obstruction in it, if not you can then begin to sew it up. This can be done with white silk thread or regular cat gut and a small fine needle. Sew the crop and skin separate. Take three stitches in the crop and tie separate leaving the ends long. Now take about four stitches in the outer skin and leave long ends here. After about ten days you can cut the ends off. After the operation you can give the bird a lit- tle beef juice this will strengthen it. Do not feed solid food until the bird is entirely well, then give it in very small quantities. Let all food be sparingly for ten days. Avoid too much food in the crop which might break the stitches. If you will give the bird ten drops of mix vomica in a quart of drinking water this will be a splendid tonic and will strengthen the weak bird more than any thing else until it is able to take food. If you have waited for quite a while before emptying the crop the bird will be mighty weak and scarcely able to stand upon its feet. Such cases should be and must be handled carefully. Inflammation of the Crop. Inflammation of the crop is caused from the bird eat- ing something irritating; such as rough on rats, paint skins and pieces of unslacked lime. The mucous lining of the crop becomes inflamed and causes the bird lots of pain. I have known cases of this trouble where red pep- per has been fed to produce more eggs. Many people try to force their birds for eggs, this is wrong and should not be done for it will lead to trouble nearly every time. A bird that has this trouble is very restless and will move from place to place without any aim. It will also be notic- ed that the bird will try to swallow still it has not taken any food for hours The crop is very tender and painful. It causes the poor bird much pain. Treatment. If the crop is full of food try to empty it at once. Af- ter you succeed in getting it emptied give the bird flax seed tea and give very simple diet for several days. If you discover this inflammation is caused from lime give 82 POULTRY DISEASES weak vinegar water; if rough on rats give magnesia. An- other good remedy is as follows: Give milk, barley water or some other albuminous fluids after first evacuating the crop. If the trouble is from lead or paint skins which is very often the case where painters have been working; you should administer without delay half a teaspoonful of sulphate of magnesia and five grains of sulphuric acid, mixed thoroughly in one-half pint of water. After two hours give a teaspoonful of castor oil in a grain of opium. Remember that paint, crude or ounslacked lime is an irritant poison and either will cause inflammation of the crop, gizzard and intestines and great care should be taken to take it out of the reach of the fowls. Remember that unless you administer something at once that will stop the irritation it will be hard to affect a cure. Enlarged Crop. This trouble will annoy the owner more than it does the fowl. It is brought about by a continual stretching of the crop from overfeeding or impaction of the crop, which are allowed to correct themselves. This trouble is not at all pleasing to look at for there is always food in the crop which the weakened muscles can not push on to the giz- zard to be ground or digested. This food has a tendency to pull downward and in this way the crop will still get larger. Treatment. The only way to treat such cases is to pluck the feathers from ever the crop and make an incision as for crop bound only make it longer. With a pair of small scissors cut out quite a lot of the membrane and sew up as directed in crop bound and be sure that you sew the crop and skin separately. Do not feed hard food for ten days at least and feed very light then. At the end of six days remove any threads that may be showing. Cut with scissors close to skin. Try to prevent any further cases by the proper feeding. AND THEIR REMEDIES 83 CHAPTER A II. THE ABDOMEN AND EGG ORGANS The Cause, Symptoms and Treatment of All Diseases Known to Affect the Abdomen and Egg Organs. Prolapsus of .the oviduct is a disease that is confined mostly to old hens. It is not at all a common disease among them but we very often run across a case of it in the late winter when our birds have been housed up all winter and have been fed on over stimulating food. Pul- lets are not at all exempt from it. The cause can be trac- ed back to hens that have been laying extra large eggs and have been overfed. Constipation will also cause it if allowed to run on for a while. It has also been noticed after a severe case of inflammation of the oviduct. Symptoms. There is a protrusion from the vent which may be of a dark red to a greenish hue in color. It seems to be very highly inflamed and if something is not done it will like- ly develop into gangrene. The bird will sit and strain as if trying to expel an egg and will very often go in a nest. The comb will be pale. Treatment. Place the bird in a coop away from the rest of the flock so as to keep her quiet. Grease the parts well with carbolated vaseline and replace gently with your greased fingers. It will also be well to bathe the parts with a 50 per cent solution of dioxygen and water before replacing them. Give the bird very little food for a few days and let that be a mash. Keep the bowels clean by giving Ep- scm salts in the drinking water. 84 POULTRY DISEASES Breakdown. r This is another trouble that is confined, mostly to old hens after they get three years old or older. It is very easily recognized for the name of the trouble certainly describes their condition. We have very often noticed old hens with this "baggy condition" dragging the ground nearly. It is seldom seen in the pullets and never in the male birds. The cause of breakdown is by feeding too much corn or corn diet altogether. This trouble is very common in farmers' flocks where the birds get nothing but corn the year around. The corn produces large quantities of fat in the abdomen and the result is this "baggy con- dition" which is very annoying to the owner. The best thing to do for such cases is to dispose of them at once for market purposes as they will never amount to much any more either for breeding purposes or egg production. The only thing to do is to cut out all corn in the future and try to prevent any more cases. Corn is a splendid food for poultry if you do not go to extremes, with it and feed nothing but corn. Dispose of the affected birds and prevent future cases from appearing. Egg Bound. This trouble generally appears in the late winter and more deaths result at this time of the year than all other times. It is due to the over fat condition of the bird. It is also more common to larger breeds such as Asiatic classes, etc., than the Leghorns. It is seldom we find a pullet with this trouble but in most cases it is old hens that are in an over fat condition at the time she lays her first egg in the winter. This over fat condition may pre- vent the egg from being laid in different ways. The fat may be present in such large quantities that it might col- lect at the lower end of the abdominal cavity and prevent the egg from being passed. Other cases have been found where the fat was present in such large quantities that it- weakened the walls of the muscles of the egg passages to such an extent that it caused them to give away and al- lowing the egg or its contents to pass into the abdomen. The egg passage gives away while the bird is straining try- ing to expel the egg. Inflammation will then set up in AND THEIR REMEDIES 85 the abdominal cavity and the bird will not live very long if allowed to run on without any treatment. A bird in this egg bound condition often dies from heart failure while straining on the nest trying to expel the egg. This is caused by the over fat condition of the "bird's system which weakens the muscles of the heart and the over exertion is too much for the weak heart and the result is, we find the bird dead on the nest. Symptoms. The bird will move about with little energy with the wings drooped and touching the ground. It will not eat, the tail feathers are lowered and the appearance of the bird in general is certainly a bad one. If you will catch the bird you may be able to see at once what the trouble is. Watch the movements of the vent and you will see the muscles move as if she was trying to lay the egg. The bird will go on the nest and strain trying to lay, but without any results, she will come off, later going on again with failure to accomplish anything as be- fore. The comb will turn pale after the case runs awhile. Treatment. In mild cases if you will inject into the vent a small quantity of sweet oil it will be found helpful in assisting the bird to pass the egg. Also give the bird a small dose of castor oil by the mouth. If after a few hours the egg is not passed you should fill a jug with boiling water and hold the bird over it for at least thirty minutes allowing only the vent to be steamed. This will relax the muscles causing the egg to be expelled. If the egg or its contents are now in the abdominal cavity caused from the egg passage giving away, yon need not do anything for the bird but kill it and get it out of its misery. Death is sure to follow in such cases. Feed only on light food for several days and do not feed fat forming food. Biopsy. Dropsy will affect both old and young birds. It is a disease of the abdomen. Water collects between the tis- sues. This trouble is caused by unsanitary surroundings and bad methods of feeding. It may also be a symptom of some other disease of the body. The bird will seem in 86 POULTRY DISEASES perfect health only it may be a little sluggish in its move- ments caused from the water collected in the abdomen. Tumors will also present themselves in connection with dropsy. Treatment. Fowls that have had dropsy and have been cured of it will be of little use as breeders and it is well to dispose of all such birds for market purposes. You can treat birds by giving tonics such as nux vomica or tincture chlo- ride of iron. About ten drops of nux vomica can be given the bird in a quart of water. And twenty to thirty of the chloride of iron in a gallon of water. Allow no other water for a week or until the bird is on the road to re- covery. With the help of tonics, good pure food and water you can expect some change in the birds with dropsy. If the water has collected in large quantity it will be a good idea to puncture the cavity with a fine needle and allow most of the fluid to run out. Boil the needle for an hour in boiling water before using it. Provide sunny house or coop for the sick bird. After removing the water from the bird you can then give it a teaspoonful of sulphate of magnesia in a pint of the drinking water. Feed sparing- ly for ten days. Soft Shelled Eggs. This trouble is usually accounted for by lack of shell making material. In one sense it is a diseased condi- tion and should be looked after promptly. As a general thing it is caused by the bird being in an over fat condi- tion at the time the egg is developing, or forming. Cases have been traced to the inflammation of that part of the oviduct where the shell is formed. When a bird is laying soft shelled eggs it will lead to some other bad trouble and it should be corrected at once. Treatment. The only treatment for soft shelled eggs is to sup- ply an abundance of oyster shells, grit, charcoal, for that is free from fat producing qualities, and make the birds exercise after all grain you give them, in a deep litter. Do not forget the green food and supply cabbage, cut clover, etc., at all times. It will be . noticed that birds lay more AND THEIR REMEDIES 87 soft shelled eggs during the late winter months than at any other time of the year. Give five drops of fluid ex- tract of ergot in a pint of water for the affected bird to drink every other day and allow no other drink for a week at least. Inflammation of the Oviduct. This disease is very serious indeed and needs careful attention at all times. It causes the bird a great deal of suffering and pain. Inflammation of the oviduct general- ly appears in connection with an egg bound condition, or cases have been known to start from the over feeding of condiments or "egg foods" which are too irritating to use. It is easy to discover the bird with this trouble for the bird seems to be out of shape and all to pieces as soon as you find it. There is a desire to strain as if the bird is trying to expel an egg and if it does lay there will be blood on it. When the bird is straining in this manner it will sometimes cause a blood vessel to become ruptured and death is certain. The bird will have a high fever at first but as the disease develops the fever will decrease and the bird will loose strength and will die from exhaus- tion. While this is taking place the bird will stand around drooped and the feathers will stand on their ends with wings dragging the ground. The bird now is certainly disgusting to its owner. Treatment. Separate the sick bird from the flock and give it a quiet place. The diet should be your next consideration. Do not feed condiments or stimulating foods but feed more cut clover. If you think there is a broken egg in the ovi- duct remove it at once for there is no use to try to treat the case if you do not remove the cause. Grease the finger with vaseline and inject into the vent; if you dis- cover an egg broken remove it if possible with great care. If the egg is too far away then you will have to inject the sweet oil into the vent. After the egg is removed the passage should be washed with a weak solution of car- bolic acid to a 50 per cent solution of dioxygen and water. Two grains of bicarbonate of soda with 20 grains of Epsom salts will be found helpful if given in the drinking water. Keep the bird quiet for several days. «S