SF 
 
 3635 
 1922 
 
MEMORIAL POULTRY LIBRARY 
 
 ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY 
 New York State Colleges 
 
 OF 
 
 Agriculture and Home Economics 
 
 AT 
 
 Cornell University 
 
_ Cornell University Library 
 SF 995.B635 1922 
 
 Poultry diseases and their remedies, 
 
 3 1924 003 261 769 
 
The original of tliis bool< is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003261769 
 
POULTRY 
 DISEASES 
 
 AND THEIR REMEDIES 
 
 The cause, symptoms 
 and treatment^ of all dis- 
 eases known to poultry 
 
 PRICE 75 CENTS 
 FhNR The Ubrary of 
 
 Dr. OIney Brown Kent 
 
 The A. D. Hosterman Co., Publishers, 
 SPRINGFIELD, OHIO 
 
COM 6 
 N05TPIL 
 BEAK 
 
 FACE 
 WATTLES 
 
 fBONT NECK 
 
 MAIN TAIL FEATHERS 
 5EC0MDAPIES 
 
 WINS BAY 
 
 Rl MARY COVERTS 
 PRIMARIES 
 
 TLISHTS 
 
 FLUFF 
 
 BODY FEATHERS 
 TH IQH 
 
 HOCK 
 
 SPUR 
 SCALE 
 
 This Illustration furnished by couttesy of the G. E. Conkey Company, 
 Cleveland, Ohio 
 
Poultry Diseases 
 
 And Their Remedies 
 
 By J. GAYLORD BLAIR 
 
 Re'vised hy D. D. CAVANAUGH 
 
 The Cause, Symptoms and Treatment 
 yi of All Diseases Known to Poultry 
 
 REVISED and ENLARGED EDITION 
 1922 
 
 THE A. D. HOSTERMAN CO.. Publishers 
 
 SPRINGFIELD, OHTO 
 
 Copyrighted 1922, by A. n. HoBterman Co. 
 
POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Poultry Diseases and their Remedies, by J. Gaylord Blair, 
 is the only real helpful work of this description that ever 
 came to my attention. I am very well acquainted with the 
 author and know the interest Mr. Blair took In helping poul- 
 try keepers fight poultry diseases in the south and his good 
 reputation as editor of the Question and Answer Departments 
 of several Poultry Journals. I find no reason to change ex- 
 .cept a few of his remedies given in thiff book, published for 
 the first time in 1910. Every poultry keeper can feel assured 
 that if Its a good remedy it will be found in this book. It 
 is well to write to your favorite Poultry Journal for advice 
 when in doubt about anything pertaining to poultry diseases 
 etc., because new diseases are being made every month. 
 Most all of the advertised poultry remedies give satisfac- 
 tion and its a good policy to keep a supply of these on hand. 
 Hypsulphite of Soda and Permangenete of Potash are two 
 disinfectants that can be taken internally and a supply on 
 hand to use when occasion calls may be the means of saving 
 whole fiocks from death. Tincture of Iodine Is another reme- 
 dy which has been discovered to act successfully on many 
 Ills of the chicken. Common fine table salt thoroughly 
 mixed in the poultry feed acts as a toner; one lb. to 100 
 pounds of dry mash is about right. 
 
 D. D. CAVANAUGH, Associate Editor, 
 Poultry Success, 
 Trout Brook Farm, North Windham, Conn. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 REQUIREMENTS OP HEALTH 
 
 How to keep your birds healthy — How to prevent 
 Disease From breaking out in a flock — With help- 
 ful suggestions — Selecting the breeding stock, 
 Peeding, Housing, Etc. 
 
 It is easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it, 
 therefore we should study the difEerent 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 
 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. 
 
4 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 today 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 bred 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. 
 
 Shun "Cured" Birds. 
 
 If you have birds that have ha:d 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 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 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 5 
 
 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 tlie Breeding Stocl<. 
 
 In the selection of breeding birds be sure that the 
 bird has size, vigor and 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 appetite, 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 thihg 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 if 
 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 
 stop this little fello* from growing but otherwise your 
 results will be very discouraging. 
 
 Do not think that if you have a good male bird in th« 
 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. 
 
6 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Inbreeding. 
 
 The mating of birds that are closely related is called 
 inbreedng. 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 the purposes, regardless of relationship. Un- 
 derstand your birds and know what you are doing and you 
 wiir find this will be best. Remember line breeding is not 
 inbreeding. 
 
 Some Common Causes of Diseases. 
 
 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 
 better in such houses. The egg yield will be larger, the 
 vitality of the birds will be higher, the eggs mor« 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 high 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 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 7 
 
 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. 
 
 Tiie "Dust" or Earth Bath. 
 
 The dust 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 just 
 the same as the other small points that help to make the 
 poultry business successful. The pest 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 
 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 vermine 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 
 
8 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 condenses on the celling 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 24 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 dininfectant 
 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 birds, 
 for in this way probably more diseases are spread and 
 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 by 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. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 
 
 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 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 com 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. 
 Peed 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 
 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 take exer- 
 cise as it is to take exercise ourselves. Of course we real- 
 ize what it would do for us of we did not take exercise 
 Our health would soon 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 
 
10 POULTRY DISEASE 
 
 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 scratching 
 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 develop into large robust fellows. 
 Just as soon as they get large enough to look after them- 
 selves it is better to make them roam out into the field 
 and you will find that they will grow faster and make 
 much better birds than they would if they were allowed to 
 stand around your door all day looking for you to throw 
 them something to eat. Birds that try to make their own 
 living and roam out into the fields are the ones that make 
 the winners and good breeders. Remember that sunshine, 
 exercise and fresh air are the best preventatives known for 
 diseases. 
 
 How to Handle Contagious Diseases. 
 
 Did you ever notice that the first birds to take some 
 contagious disease is always the weakest one in the fiock? 
 Birds; that are healthy and active are seldom stricken with 
 disease. To prevent a contagious disease from spreading 
 you should isolate the sick bird at once as soon as dis- 
 covered. Begin to clean up the house and remove all 
 littei, dust and clean thoroughly and disinfect with' a good 
 reliable disinfectant and continue this every day. Remove 
 the litter on the floor every week at least. In handling 
 diseased birds you should not go direct to the well ones for 
 this Is a good way to scatter the germs. Do not keep 
 the sick birds it the same room with the well ones. It is 
 a good idea to have a pest house and keep all sick birds in 
 it until they get entirely well. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 
 
 11 
 
 Avoid Tonics and IVIedicines. 
 A bird that you have to "doctor" up all the time with 
 tonics will be no value as a breeder and you should not 
 fool trying to get this bird in the right condition for breed- 
 ing purposes, for the chicks hatched from such birds will be 
 ■weak and will never amount to anything. Do not give tonics 
 and egg foods to healthy birds thinking that they will lay 
 more eggs for they are doing their best and it will only tend 
 to weaken the organs of the bird and the result will be a fall 
 off in the egg yield The less dosing you give your birds 
 the better oft they will be. If you keep grit, oyster shells 
 and charcoal before your birds at all times they will not need 
 much, if any, medicine. A good disinfectant is very bene- 
 ficial and should be used about the house and yards every 
 week at least but outside of this tonics and medicines are 
 not uecessary and if you have birds that have to be dosed 
 to be kept alive you .should get rid of them at once. 
 
 SECTIONS OF FOWL. 
 1-2, Comb. 3, Beak. 4, 
 Wattles. 5, Eye. 6, Bar. 7, 
 to. -.Ear Lobe. 8-9, Hackle. 10 
 and 16, Breast. 11, Wmg. 
 12, Wing bow. 13-14, Wing 
 primaries ancj secondaries. 
 15, Body. 17, PltifE. 18, 
 Back. 19 aiild 23« Saddle 
 feathers. 20-21, Sickle 
 feathers. 22, Tail coverts. 
 24, Leg. 25, Spur. 26-27, 
 Toes. This illustration fur- 
 nished by courtesy Pratt 
 Food Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
12 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE SKIN 
 
 CMcken Fox. 
 
 A disease that is not always fatal, but one that will 
 
 bring down the General Health of Fowls and opens 
 
 the Way for other diseases — ^two species of the 
 
 disease — Symptoms and Cure. 
 
 Thip disease that is known as sore head, warts, pigeon 
 pox, plan, etc., is in my opinion one of the worst diseases 
 that can affect poultry. Chicken pox is not necessarily fatal, 
 but it is a disease that will soon bring down the general 
 health of a bird, and therefore opens the way for other 
 diseases. Some years past when I was not as familiar with 
 it is as I am now, I thought cholera and roup were the worst 
 diseases that could affect poultry, but now I do not think it. 
 During these years pa.st I have had experiences with almost 
 evftry disease known to affect poultry,, and I must say that 
 chicken pox is one of the worst I had to deal with. Before 
 this 1 thought it was nothing more than a few little "Pim» 
 'pies" that would appear on the comb and wattles of birds 
 and hence I did not know how to take it, but since I have 
 found that these little pimples grow like weeds and w;ill soon 
 make large ones that will cover the whole face of the bird 
 m one night's time. Of course some cases will be milder 
 than others, and in such cases there will only be one or more 
 very small warts or pox sores. With cWcken pox you are 
 also liable to Idb annoyed by two other very bad diseases, 
 canker and roup. Whenever these warts or pox sores come 
 in the mouth of the bird you now have canker to contend 
 with and when the birds catch the least bit of cold, roup 
 is very likely to be your next enemy. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES la 
 
 What Causes This Growth? 
 
 There must be some moisture present to produce this 
 fungus growth, therefore, it is more likely to break out 
 among your birds in the late fall when there are weeks of 
 dark, damp weather. If it appears in the dead of winter 
 you are not likely to be annoyed very much. Houses that 
 are not kept clean, and are allowed to become damp and 
 wet, and especially when the accumulated droppings are 
 allowed to become damp, are most ideal places to grow 
 these germs. These germs are known as bacteria and 
 they are very small, living organisms, and can only be seen 
 by means of a miscroscope. Warmth and moisture favor 
 the development of these germs, and it is always of a 
 milder form in the North than in the South. When it 
 breakF out among a flock there is no use to isolate the af' 
 footed birds; most of the other birds have been exposed to 
 it, and the symptoms will begin to appear in a few days. 
 The best thing you can do to check it is to place a few drops 
 of creolin or permanganate of potash in their drinking 
 water, and allow no other drink for them. Begin at once 
 to clean things up and disinfect thoroughly with some 
 good reliable disinfectant. Let the house air and dry well. 
 Remove the old litter and replace with new, also clean the 
 old droppings away. If everything is watched up close 
 and kept clean you will be rewarded for it later, by 
 getting the trouble under headway. 
 
 Two Kinds of Chicl<en Pox, Moist and Dry. 
 There are two kinds of chicken pox, the moist and the 
 dry. I do not know which kind is the worst but I notice 
 the moist varieiy always appears in or about the eyes. The 
 bird will sometimes lose both its sight and its eyes. The 
 pox warts will appear on the sight and cause the bird great 
 pain and loss of the eye. In some cases the eye will go 
 out in one day's time then the glands in and about the 
 eye will become affected and the eye will run water for 
 some time, later turning to a cheesy matter. Now you 
 have canker to deal with. The dry variety I think is the 
 easiest to cure The moist variety will be a dark bluish 
 color and the sores or warts will be of a very oily appear- 
 ance. The dry Is a lighter color, and the surface very dry 
 and crusty'. 
 
14 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Symptoms 
 
 About twenty-four hours before the 
 warts appear the comb and wattles will have 
 small specks of dry blood on them, then the 
 warts will appear later. The bird will have 
 a very high fever, will be very thirsty, and 
 will stand around and sometimes sit on the 
 roost all day. The small round swellings 
 tened, but later, become elevated and are of 
 called nodules, now appear and are flat- 
 a yellowish or a red color. They are seen 
 CHICKEN POX in most capes first upon the featherless 
 pavts of the head. From the time they first appear until 
 about three days afterwards, they will appear very fast, 
 and will be in thick clusters, and in some cases this fungus 
 will grow or multiply until it covers the whole side of the 
 face or comb. In mild cases these warts will be scattered 
 over the face and comb and will not grow to be any size. 
 The condition of the bird when the disease breaks out, de- 
 termines the course or how bad it will end. If the system 
 of the bird is in good shape, the disease will be light, but 
 if in bad shape the disease will more than likely go very 
 hard with it. These warts may appear on any part of the 
 body, but they most generally appear on the face and combs, 
 and under the wings. They will vary in size very much, 
 some will be about the size of a pin head, while others may 
 be as large as a pea or bean or even larger than that. As 
 long as you can keep the nodules confined to the head and 
 face you are all righr, but just as soon as they appear in 
 the" mouth, throat, and nostrils your trouble begins. 
 
 Roup ajid Canker Now Appear 
 
 The Inside of the mouth will now become full of thick 
 saliva, sores will now appear on the tongue and on the 
 roof of the mouth, and sometimes down in the throat and 
 at the opening of the windpipe. The nostrils will have 
 a discharge running from them, the eyes will run a milky 
 looking watery fluid, which will later become thick and 
 purulent and cause the lids to stick together. Now as 
 this watery matter i-, full ol these germs (bacteria) it will 
 begin to get zhicker and thicker until it will be of a very 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES lo 
 
 hard cheesy matter. Now you are up against it. You 
 have canker and roup to contend with and the best thing 
 for you to do at this time is to kill and cremate all birds 
 that are affected. You wili always notice that birds that 
 get this far_ along and develop canker and roup are the 
 weakest in your flock and it always goes hardest with them. 
 If you will catch the bird you will soon discover that it 
 is very thin and seems to be a fit subject for the "ibone- 
 yard." It will stand around on one foot without any 
 energy, will refuse to drink or eat, and you will have to 
 feed it in order to prevent starvation. The feathers will 
 stand on their ends, and the bird is certainly a poor look- 
 ing prospect of eve- amounting to anything if it should 
 happen to pull through. In twenty-four to thirty-six hours 
 after chickenimx makes its appearance the bird will be 
 thin, where before it was • fat and in good shape. This 
 dreadful disease will certainly cause the bird to decrease 
 in strength and flesh. 
 
 Treatment 
 
 The first thing to do in treating the affected birds is 
 to place them in a light, dry, well ventilated coop bedded 
 with plenty of clean straw. Change this at least every 
 other day, and do not allow it to get the least bit damp or 
 wet, for you will have a place for germs to accumulate. I 
 believe I said above that it was no use to isolate birds after 
 they were exposed to it, but you will have a better chance 
 to treat them if you will place them in a coop away from 
 the rest of the flock. It will be only for treatment and not 
 for the protection of the well ones. 
 
 After you have removed the affected birds from the 
 well one, begin to clear out the houses and coops. Remove 
 the droppings from the roost or dropping boards, clean the 
 old litter from the floor, remove the nests, and in fact clean 
 the house of every thing that you can get out. Sweep it 
 and remove vM particles of dirt, dust, etc. Now get 
 several buckets of water and place three tablesponfuls of 
 carbolic acid in each bucket so as to make it real strong. 
 Take an old broom and begin to scour it from top to bot- 
 tom. Be sur.5 to begin it in time so it will be dry for the 
 fowls to roost in the following night. After you do this 
 
16 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 take a gallon of water and add to this enough of creoUn 
 to turn the water milky color and If you have a sprayer 
 take it and spray every crack, nest, etc., full of this solu- 
 tion. Then go out m the yards or runs and spray well. 
 Let the house air and dry well then place clean bright 
 straw on the floor and make new nests. Now -you have the 
 house perfectly clean and ready for the birds to roost in 
 again. Give the well birds a few drops of creolin in their 
 drinking water and if you only have a few birds to treat 
 you can prevent the well birds to some extent from taking 
 it by bathing their combs and face with a 50 per cent solu- 
 tion of creolin and water several times a day. 
 
 Treating the Sick Birds. 
 
 The wart or pox sores have appeared. You can now re- 
 move them with your finger nails. Upon doing this you 
 will discover the tissue underneath will be a bright red and 
 will bleed. This is all right. Never mind the bleeding, but 
 after you have rbmoved the warts apply pure peroxide of 
 hydrogen to the raw surface. This will foam up like soap suds 
 but this is the good of It. It is destroying the germs (bac- 
 teria) that are present. If no bacteria is present it will not 
 foam. After applying the above to them, now with a 
 feather apply pure creolin to these raw parts. In twenty- 
 four hours this will form a black scab over them which 
 will dry and fall off In three or four days leaving a new 
 skin underneath, but in the meantime you can still apply 
 peroxide of hydrogen to these black scabs for fear there 
 may be some more germs present. 
 
 If the eyes become affected and In most cases they do, 
 wash them out with a 50 per cent solution of peroxide of 
 hydrogen and water, and watch them and do not let any pus 
 form in them but clean them out twice a day at least. When 
 the eye goes completely out the only thing" that you can do is 
 to keep the cankerous growth from appearing, by applying 
 peroxide of hydrogen and creolin to the effected parts. If the 
 pox sores or warts appear near the mouth or inside treat as 
 above, but if canker sores come remove the yellow growth 
 and apply peroxide of hydrogen to the raw parts as long as it 
 foams then apply burnt alum and boric acid equal parts with 
 a straw or small powder gun. If the bird takes cold give 
 it a one grain tablet of quinine night and morning until it is 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 17 
 
 broken up. Give twenty drops of nox vomica in a quart of 
 drinking water to the sick bird as a tonic. 
 
 Feed on stimulating food so as to keep the birds in as 
 good shape as possible. If both eyes are effected you will 
 have to feed the ,bird from your hand to keep it from starv- 
 ing. A bird will eat soft food when sick before it will 
 hard so remember, always to feed a sick bird on soft 
 mashes. 
 
 Fish-skin. 
 
 This disease resembles scaly-leg very much as it 
 presents a very rough, dry, dirty appearance on the shanks 
 and toes as we find where scaly-leg is present. Although 
 fish-skin has no parasite life at work but it is the general 
 belief that it is caused from some very bad functional ac- 
 tion or disturbances of the bird. It is not contagious by 
 any means and can not be passed from bird to bird. Filth 
 may be one of the causes; for the legs certainly have a 
 bad appearance. The affected parts seem to cause the ,bird 
 much pain or annoyance by irritation which compels the 
 bird to scratch, thereby increasing it. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Local treatment is all that can be recommended for 
 fish-skin and rub well with carbolated vaseline, this will 
 soften the dry scales and remove the irritating annoyance 
 and greatly help the appearance of the shanks and toes. 
 Continue the treatment until the trouble is cured. 
 
 Eczema. 
 
 This is another disease that we do not know hardly 
 how to class. Some seem to think that eczema is the same 
 as white comb but I disagree with them there for it is no 
 doubt that they are two separate diseases . But both I be- 
 lieve come from about the same source, some constitution- 
 al cause. It is purely a blood disease caused from over 
 feeding of a highly nitrogenous ration which will cause ex- 
 cretion to be affected. Some of our best medical authori- 
 ties claim, eczema in the human race is a skin disease in- 
 stead of ,blood. And most of them give local treatment In- 
 stead of internal. If the blood Is right the skin is bound 
 to be so I stick to it that you should go to the bottom of 
 the trouble and get the blood in the proper condition. 
 
 It is not contagious and is never passed by contact 
 
18 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 from bird to bird. An improved diet is needed very badly; 
 more clover and green food should be fed 
 
 Symptoms. 
 White pimples will appear on the comb and wattles, 
 later increase in size and break and run together, dry on 
 the surface and become crusted and present a very bad ap- 
 pearance. They are very fine and white and somewhat 
 raised and seem to have just the thin skin over them. The 
 bird will have no energy, little appetite, listless and a very 
 tired appearance indeed. After a few days the bird will de- 
 crease in flesh very rapidly. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Isolate for treatmtnt, and begin feeding more green 
 food, cut clover, green vegetables, etc., and feed liberally. 
 A few drops of nux vomica in the drinking water will help 
 build up the bird's constitution. Change your method of 
 feeding at once and give free range to the rest of the flock 
 where they can have plenty of exercise and green grass 
 which will stimulate digestion and blood circulation. 
 
 To the affected birds anoint the parts with eloate of 
 zinc or iodine. And give two grains of calomel every other 
 day for four or five times. Also one grain pill of citrate of 
 iron and quinine every morning for one week. This will help 
 clear the system up and Increase the strength and health 
 of the bird. 
 
 Wind Puff. 
 
 The cause of this trouble is unknown. It appears in 
 both old and young birds but it appears mostly in chicks. 
 I have seen hens that were three years old have it and they 
 were puffed up until they were as large as two hens should 
 be. It is a gathering of wind under the skin, hence it is 
 where it took its name. 
 
 Treatment. 
 Puncture the skin with some Instrument and let the 
 air escape, a large needle will answer the purpose very 
 well. If after several treatments the wind still continues to 
 gather you can take a small pair of shears and clip out 
 some of the skin and apply some carbolated vaseline. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LEGS AND FEET 
 
 Bumble-foot. 
 This trouble will cause the bird much pain and worry 
 Ivcause 'this inflamed and tender condition is on the bot- 
 tom of the foot and of course the bird must use the af- 
 fected foot more or less which causes the inflamed parts to 
 become more irritated. The tissues underlying the skin 
 become irritated which usually developes pus or matter. As 
 the trouble develops, and the pressure increases, causing the 
 blood supply to be shut off, pus forms and increases very 
 rapidly which works out in other parts of the foot and leg. 
 If something is not done for the bird death is most sure tO' 
 follow. 
 
 Causes. 
 In most cases that I have seen, bumble foot seems tO' 
 come from a bruise or corn and it is the general belief of 
 poultrymen that it is caused by birds jumping from high 
 roosts down on the hard floor. It can be caused from some 
 foreign body getting in the foot and causing the irritation. 
 Splinters, bits of glass, thorns, etc. Or it could be caused 
 by germs (bacteria) getting into some puncture produced 
 by the above foreign bodies rather than jumping from high 
 roosts for I have known cases of it where there were no 
 roosts to jump from. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 The bird will limp slightly at first and as the disease 
 advances it will walk with great difficulty, and sometimes 
 sit down most of the time. You will notice the bird when 
 walking that it will hurry to get from the bad to the well 
 foot . Advanced stages show more or less swelling in the 
 foot and leg, especially in the ankle joint. 
 
20 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 When the case Is in its early stages it can usually be 
 cured by painting the affected parts with iodine every day 
 for one week. In real bad cases where there is a great 
 deal of swelling and pus, it will be necessary for you to op- 
 en the foot and let the pus out so you can reach the bed of 
 the trouble. With a sharp, clean, thin bladed knife lance 
 the foot, let the pus run out, now with a little luke warm 
 water wash the wound out thoroughly. Now apply peroxide 
 of hydrogen to the wound and when the liquid ceases to boll 
 in the wound, dry with a soft linen cloth or better still use 
 absorbent cotton. Now wash the wound out with a solution of 
 nitrate of silver, about twelve grains to one ounce of dis- 
 tilled water. Another very good remedy is to wash it out 
 with a solution of carbolic acid and water, about a one per 
 cent solution. And anoint daily with carbolated vaseline. 
 
 Keep the bird in a roomy coop well bedded with clean 
 straw and do not let it out on the ground until it is entirely 
 well of the trouble. It is of a very little use to treat the 
 bird then let it run out on the dirty, filthy yard. When 
 you see a bird tip toeing or limping you had better examine 
 it at once and the quicker you get the trouble checked the 
 better it will be. Some cases have run on until the best of 
 treatment will be of little use. If you will place a few 
 drops of nux vomica in the drinking water it will be a good 
 tonic for the bird while under treatment. 
 
 Leg-weakness. 
 
 Leg-weakness is seldom seen in light breeds such as 
 Leghorns etc., but is very often found in some of the larg- 
 er breeds of the Asiatic class also the English and American 
 classes. We seldom see it in old birds but chicks up to 
 six months old. Small chicks very often fall prey to it; 
 and we usually find back of this trouble some very bad 
 methods of feeding. When any one tries to increase the 
 weight or size of a bird at the expense of time, this trouble 
 will be sure to make its appearance in your fiock. The 
 weight of the body is larger than the legs can support, 
 hence this is where the disease first took its name. Often 
 you find it where condiments or "egg foods" have been fed 
 in very large quantities. Where fat producing foods have 
 been fed in large quantity and feeding too little bone and 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 21 
 
 muscle food, leg-weakness appears. Usually bad judgement 
 in feeding is the main cause. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 Be careful not to get leg weakness and rheumatism 
 confused for they work very much alike only in the form- 
 er, the joints do not swell but they do in rheumatism. In 
 leg-weakness the muscles will work to some disadvantage, 
 the gait will be unsteady, and the .bird will walk some few 
 steps and then sit down as if tired. The first symptom is 
 a very slight weakness in the legs and would hardly be 
 noticeable to a stranger but one accustomed to the flock 
 will notice it readily. As the case developes the bird will 
 be seen sitting down white eating. At this time the bird 
 seems to be in perfect health only the weakness of the legs 
 but in a few days the leathers will be standing on their 
 ends, it is picked at by the rest of the flock, will not eat 
 anything, and now it has a very bad looking appearance in- 
 deed and will cause the owner a lot of worry. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Cut out the fat producing foods such as corn, corn 
 meal etc., and place the bird in a coop away from the rest 
 of the flock so as to keep them from running over the sick 
 bird. Feed the rest of the flock only three times a day 
 and do not feed them every time you go about them. See 
 that they are not crowded on the roost. Feed cut clover and 
 green food and if possible give them free range on a grassy 
 and sunny range as nature intended them to do. Make them 
 work for what you give them; exercise is a good remedy 
 for leg-weakness for this will prevent them from getting so 
 fat. In place of water give milk and feed bran, wheat and 
 oatmeal. 
 
 For the birds that have leg-weakness use the follow- 
 ing: rub the legs with a tincture of arnica and place in the 
 bird's drinking water a few drops of tincture of nux vomi- 
 ca and place some meat meal in the morning mash. Do 
 not feed corn until they are well again and then give it to 
 them in small quantities with other grains. 
 
 Reipember that leg-weakness is brought on by over- 
 feeding and this can be helped or prevented by careful use 
 of fat producing foods. It not only weakens the bird but 
 will weaken the vitality in their off-spring. 
 
22 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Rheumatism. 
 This is a very annoying disease to the owner of lowis 
 as well as to the fowls themselves and should be guarded 
 against as much as possible. It will affect all parts of the 
 body but the legs are the' principle parts, in fact you no- 
 tice it here first. Exposure to cold, damp, chilling winds 
 aggravates this disorder. It may be produced by feeding 
 too much animal matter and the under feeding of vege- 
 table foods. Some say it is handed down from parent stock 
 which were affected with it. I think this is true as well in 
 fowls as in human beings. It is more likely to appear in 
 the damp chilly days of fall than at any other time of the 
 year in both young and adult birds. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 The first symptom you notice is the jerky gait' in 
 walking and the tendency to squat upon the floor. The 
 muscles will contract, joints will swell. The contracting of 
 the muscles will draw the legs out of the regular position 
 and in trying to straiighten them will cause the bird great 
 pain. It is the inilamation and pain in the muscles and 
 joints that cause the birds to want to sit all the time. 
 
 In some cases the bird will die very suddenly and 
 without any cause apparently. Upon examination of the 
 bird after death you will find a small sack covering the 
 heart to be filled with a watery fluid. This is what causes 
 the trouble, by disturbing greatly the action of the heart. 
 Rheumatic troubles can also be traced back to a congested 
 liver sometimes. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Bathe the swollen joints with weak alcohol twice a 
 day for a week or rub with extract of witch hazel. For in- 
 ternal treatment give fifteen grains of iodine of potassium 
 in a quart of water, for both chicks and adult fowls. Or 
 another good treatment is to give a dose of Epsom salts, 
 twenty grains, and follow the next day with fifteen grains 
 of bicarbonate of soda in each pint of their drinking wa- 
 ter. Keep the affected bird from becoming exposed to 
 cold, damp winds and do not let the houses and coops be- 
 come damp or filthy for under such conditions you need 
 not expect to keep the disease under control. 
 
 Feed an abundance of green food and do not forget to 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 23 
 
 feed cut clover in the mash. If the trouble appears in the 
 summer when there is plenty of green grass give them free 
 range in the orchard or pasture-jf possible. 
 
 If the brooder chicks falls its prey you should keep the 
 floor perfectly dry. Provide drinking fountains so they will 
 not turn it over on the floor, keep the heat uniform under 
 the hover and some facilities for scratching in order to 
 get plenty of exercise. Give one feed which contains let- 
 tuce, cabbage or some other green food and feed the other 
 feed in the litter so as to make them work and get the ex- 
 ercise they need to make them have the right health and 
 vigor. Prevention is always the best cure. 
 
 Broken Shanks. 
 I think most every one that have fowls have had some 
 experience with broken shanks. There is hardly a year 
 passes that we do not have some chickens that meet with 
 some accident and get some of their bones broken. They 
 very often get fastened in a wire or picket fence and in 
 trying to free themselves they break one or more bones. 
 Some of the stock on the place often step on them and a 
 break results. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Broken shanks are very easy to set and put together 
 again and the younger the bird' the quicker it will knit to- 
 gether just the same as the human family. If the thigh 
 or wing is broken there is no use to try to treat the bird 
 for such treatments are very unsatisfactory and the pot is 
 the best place for such cases. 
 
 Breaks will unite very quickly if they are placed to- 
 gether and kept there. The best splints for little chicks 
 are common toothpicks but you will have to make larger 
 and stronger one for grown birds. Set the broken bones 
 and place splints on them and wrap witjji cotton and tie 
 so it will not come oft. Place the birds in a coop away 
 cotton next to the bird's leg, then place the splints on, then 
 from the rest of the flock. Make three wraps with the 
 finish wrapping with the cotton and sew w'ell with needle 
 and thread. 
 
 This is all the treatment they will need and the band- 
 age can be taken off in about two weeks. 
 
24 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Scaly-Leg. 
 
 To a person who has never seen a case of 
 scaly-leg, the name Itself would give the 
 novice at once an idea as to what the di- 
 sease was, but I think most of us have seen 
 this disease and know just how to take it. 
 I believe most every one who has chickens 
 has had some experience with it. Scaly- 
 leg is no fatal disease by any means but it 
 is a worry to the owner as well as dis- 
 gusting. It is very annoying to have your 
 birds with such dirty, filthy looking legs 
 SCALY LEGS and the treatment and cure is so simple 
 you could not afford to have your birds disgraced by it. 
 
 Cause. 
 
 It is caused by a small parasite and it is very contag- 
 ious and after the first ease appears in your flock, if you 
 do not begin at once to get rid of it you will be bothered 
 with it very much and the first thing you know your whole 
 flock will have it. It is passed from one bird to the other 
 while they are on the roost or while the chicks are with the 
 mother hen. Or it might possibly come from an infected 
 house or brooder. Filth is a common cause, Where filth 
 accumulates for a while scaly-leg is almost sure to appear. 
 
 Symptoms, 
 
 The legs have a very bad scaly looking appearance, 
 they will be white looking and crusty and if you will re- 
 move the scales and place them under a microscope you will 
 readily s«e the parasites or living organisms. The para- 
 site irritates the leg causing the scales to be pushed apart 
 and dirt begins to accumulate which does not help the 
 irritation any, and the trouble gets worse day by day until 
 the legs will be 'as large as two in some cases. It is cer- 
 tainly a very bad looking object to look on a bird with 
 scaly leg. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 As soon as you discover the disease in your flock you 
 should begin on it at once. First get a bucket of warm 
 water, some soap and a sponge. Place the bird in the pail 
 and begin to soften the scales letting them soak in the 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 25 
 
 water; after they get pretty well soaked take the bird out 
 and with an old cloth wipe the legs dry. Now take about a 
 half a cup full of lard and melt it. To this add three tea- 
 spoonfuls of sulphur, six drops of creolin and mix thoro- 
 ughly and apply to the legs. Now bandage this on with 
 some cotton strips and strings so as to keep the ointment 
 to the affected parts and you will get a much quicker 
 cure. Let the bandages stay on the legs for about two 
 days and you can remove them and apply again and still 
 apply until you . get a cure. You will not have to apply so 
 often in mild cases. 
 
 Another good remedy is to dissolve napthalene flakes 
 in kerosene and apply to the legs. Use all the naphthalene 
 that the kerosene will dissolve. Be careful not to get the 
 fluid on the tender skin for it might blister if you do. Af- 
 ter dipping the bird's legs in the fluid place the bird in a 
 pen well flUed with straw so it can begin to exercise at 
 once or place in an out door run. It is best to treat the 
 bird in the morning then there is no danger of the fluid 
 getting on the feathers and soiling them when the bird 
 gets on the roost. Kerosene emulsion rubbed in well, and 
 liberally applied is also a good remedy. 
 
 Use as many treatments as the disease requires; of 
 course some cases will require more than others only as to 
 the severity of the disease. Any of the above remedies will 
 effect a permanent cure and give good satisfaction. 
 
 Dropsy. 
 
 Dropsy of the feet is generally caused by improper 
 circulatdon of the blood. Either a congested liver or a 
 tumor tends to hold back the circulation of the blood or 
 effects it and when the least thing affects the circulation 
 it will cause the legs and toes to increase in size. 
 
 Treatment. 
 Give the affected bird a dose or two of castor oil; 
 this will generally help the trouble. Make the bird do 
 more working after the feed you give and this will stimu- 
 late the functions of the entire body. Brooder chicks that 
 have dropsy should be made to exercise after all the food 
 they get. Place chaff or cut straw on the brooder floor 
 and make them work for it. Overfeeding without any ex- 
 ercise is the main cause of dropsy in brooder chicks. 
 
26 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Cramps. 
 
 This disease is something on the order of Leg-Treak- 
 ness only cramps will affect small chicks while the former 
 will affect half grown chicks and fowls. The common 
 cause is over-crowding; but overheating, and not enough 
 exercise will cause it. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 The treatment is very simple. Have larger brooders 
 or cut down the size of the flock in proportion, make them 
 take more exercise, and keep the temperature at a uniform 
 heat so they will spread out on the floor and not pile up 
 together. Exercise will go a long ways towards prevent- 
 ing cramps. 
 
 SKELETON OP FOWLS 
 
 This illustration furnished by courtesy of The 
 
 Pratt Food Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
tlASALPASSAQE- 
 
 5R0MCHIAL TUBES 
 
 LIVER 
 SPLKri> 
 m. 6IA0DB?- 
 JTOMACH- 
 
 -LUNGS 
 
 ZARD- 
 
 mm 
 
 m^ 
 
 ■^: 
 
 -HEART 
 
 -LOCATION OF KIDHEVS 
 -OVARY 
 
 'lARGEWIfSTIHES 
 
 — OVIDUCT 
 
 mM 
 
 %^ 
 
 CAECA 
 ORBUMD 
 iriTfSTI«ES 
 
 W!l\ 
 
 AttUS 
 
 CLOACA 
 
 Anatomical Chart 
 
 Showing the Respirative, Digestive 
 and Reproductive Organs of a Fowl. 
 
 rifht 1914 by The G. E. Conkey Co. 
 
 hia Illustration furnished by courtesy of The G. E. Conkey Comhany, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
28 POULTRY DISEASE:': 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HEAD, THROAT AND NASAL PASSAGES 
 
 Roup. 
 
 Its Cause, Symptoms and Treatment — How to Prevent 
 It— With Remedies that Will Prove Effective. 
 
 This disease is one of the oldest diseases known to 
 affect poultry and it seems as though most everyone 
 should be very familiar with it, but I am sorry to say they 
 are not. Many people have the wrong idea of roup; they 
 think every bird that has "frothy eyes and a running dis- 
 charge from nostrils" has roup; in fact this name has been 
 given to all diseases that show the above symptoms. There 
 are many diseases that affect poultry that work very much 
 like roup but they are different diseases altogether. Roup 
 is very easily detected from colds, diptheria, grippe, etc., 
 for the simple reason the "roupy" smell is not present in 
 any of the above diseases. There is but one disease that 
 has a right to be called roup and after a little experience 
 you can easily detect it from the others. After you once 
 get the opportunity to handle the birds with roup you will 
 never forget the "roupy" smell that is present in all cases. 
 If you ever get the opportunity to have two birds together, 
 one with roup and the other with a common cold you 
 should examine them closely and you will find the differ- 
 ence between the two; and you will always know after this. 
 I wish every person who raises poultry could study the dif- 
 ferent diseases, I know they would soon learn to like it 
 and in a little while would know how to' treat them proper- 
 ly. This is one great trouble with most people they can 
 not diagnose a case. 
 
 Roup is probably one of the greatest hlnderances in 
 the poultry business; and if nothing is done to prevent and 
 cure it after it breaks out in a flock of birds there is cer- 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 29 
 
 tain to be a great loss from it. In some flocks it may not 
 kill but only a few birds while in another it will kill the 
 greater portion of it. The direct losses from the disease 
 will vary greatly in different epidemics, and the severity 
 of the disease depends on the condition the flock is in when 
 it first breaks out. 
 
 As I said above that all poultry ailments that are ac- 
 companied with "frothy eyes and a running discharge from 
 the nostrils" have been termed roup. All colds will have 
 these symptoms, also diptheria, grippe, etc., but remember 
 all colds are not roup by any means. Fowls are subject to 
 colds just the same as ourselves, and are not any more 
 dangerous if taken in time. Of course, colds may develop 
 into roup if they are allowed to run their course, but we 
 should begin treating them immediately as soon as we find 
 such cases in our flock. 
 
 A bird that has roup is very slow to recover and will 
 never be the same any more. For the bacteria that is al- 
 ways present in roup seems to be in the bird's system all 
 the time. They are unfit for fattening, breeding and egg 
 production. They remain thin although they will eat just 
 as much as any other member of the flock and are living 
 at the expense of their keeper. The disease is very con- 
 tagious but more so in some flocks than others, all cases 
 should be regarded dangerous whether they be mild or 
 serious for some of the worst cases that have come under 
 my observation in the past years originated from very mild 
 cases. In large flocks especially those on the farm the 
 death rate is not noticed so much as dn a small flock. Roup 
 if taken at once after it makes its appearance in your flock 
 will not amount to very much but if you let it run on you 
 are almost sure to have a great loss. 
 
 Roup Likely to Appear at Any Time. 
 
 Roup is in "season" twelve months in the year, it will 
 come in the warm summer days but you are more likely to 
 have it during the late fall months and winter than at any 
 other time. The frosty days of the early spring will also 
 help develop some cases. But most cases will make their 
 appearance during cold, damp, dark days of fall and winter. 
 
 Cases that .break out during warm weather come from 
 old germs that are present and the fowls get them either 
 from drinking vessels, an old coop, or house that was used 
 for sick birds and has not been disinfected or the germs 
 
30 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 killed.' But in winter or fall the first case develops from 
 a very bad cold or case of grippe or influenza. Remember 
 that roup Is in season at all seasons of the year and can 
 cause you quite a lot of trouble if steps are not taken to 
 check same before it gets any headway. 
 
 Cause. 
 
 Since the fresh-air poultry house has come into gen- 
 eral use all over the country I think this has made quite a 
 change in roup. There are not so many cases where these 
 houses are used as where the old style tight houses were 
 used before. Improper ventilation is a very common cause 
 of roup or colds; of course most cases of roup first come 
 from a bad cold; the glands of the head become affected 
 and run a watery fluid which later on as the disease de- 
 velops gets thick and purulent and full of bacteria or germs 
 and from this . it is scattered through the whole flock. 
 These germs seem to get into the air and as soon as you go 
 into the house where a bird is with roup you can sm'fell 
 the "roupy smell" for many feet off. Often roup is spread 
 by letting the bird with roup drink from the same vessel 
 the well ones do, roosting in the same house and on the 
 same roost and in fact it is very cantagious and all precau- 
 tions should be used to keep the disease from spreading. 
 
 Many people have their houses constructed on the 
 fresh-air plan and give their fowls the best of food and 
 care, still they are troubled with this disease and they are 
 unable to trace it as to where it comes from. It is one of 
 the most infectious diseases known and it can be traced 
 to many different origins. Sometimes when you purchase 
 new breeding stock you get it from other breeders' yards. 
 It is also contracted in the show room or from an infected 
 coop or other utensils. It is said that these germs can bo 
 carried by the wind for miles while it is in its dry stage and 
 you are unable to account for lit. Also many times fowls 
 will have roup without any indication of a cold, this is 
 more proof that it is a germ disease. These germs live on 
 and In the mucous membrane of the throat and of course 
 they are continually throwing these germs off and as they 
 dry they are carried by the wind and are breathed by well 
 birds and lodge in the throat, nostrils and eyes of well birds 
 and multiply rapidly and before you think what has hap- 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 
 
 31 
 
 pened your bird -will have a very bad case of roup and you 
 can't possibly account for it. 
 
 ROUP 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 At first the bird will seem to 
 have a slight cold, the eyes will 
 water, the nostrils will have a 
 watery discharge, the face will 
 be very hot and feverish but 
 the body will not show any 
 signs of fever and the tempera- 
 ture will be about normal. The 
 liquid that runs from the eyes 
 and nostrils will be thin and 
 watery, later truning to a grey color which turns a yellow- 
 ish color and gets hard. If this cheesy matter stays in the 
 eye it will sometimes cause the eye to go out or move from 
 its sockket. The bird seems to want to isolate itself fi-om 
 the rest of the flock and will be found over in the other 
 corner of the building by itself. Its gait will be very unsteady, 
 the feathers will be standing on their ends and ,tlie poor 
 bird is certainly a hard looking proposition. 
 
 The roof of the mouth or throat will become filled 
 with a hard cheesy matter which will be of a very offensive 
 smell. You can remove these cheesy growth every day and 
 they will be back again by the next day in most cases. Now 
 the bird will be very thin and will not eat anything at all. 
 When the bird first takes sick it will be healthy and in good 
 shape and in two or three days afterwards it will be noth- 
 ing but skin and bones. Roup will certainly make great ' 
 changes in a very short time. 
 
 When the bird seems to be breathing wi'h great dif- 
 ficulty if you will open the bird's throat and look in you 
 will see that the mouth and throat is nearly closed with 
 the hard cheesy growths and it is the air passing through 
 the throat that causes these loud noises. In some cases the 
 throat will close up from these growths and the bird will 
 then die from suffocation. 
 
 These growths will also extend into the nostrils and 
 eyes and cause the head and face to swell. In later stages 
 the comb will turn dark, and the bird will be so weak it 
 cannot stand alone. Now the birds will not last long un- 
 
32 POULTRY DISEASBb 
 
 less it is a chronic case, if it is it will live for some time. 
 In these advanced stages you cannot expect a bird to get 
 well at once for there never was a bird with a bad case of 
 roup that got well at all. Now if it is a mild case you can 
 possibly cure it so it will never show but where the case is 
 very bad you will never get the bird entirely well. Fowls 
 that seem apparently well at times will show it at other 
 times. They will never be permanently cured. If it takes 
 a least bit of cold roup will appear again. It will also show 
 in chicks that were hatched from "roupy" birds; it may 
 not show until they get about grown but it is nearly cer- 
 tain to then. It is not a good idea to breed from a bird 
 that has ever had roup or any other bad disease for it will 
 evidently show in their offspring. 
 
 Remember that all colds, grippe and diphtheria are 
 not roup: if the roup smell is not present it is not roup, 
 after you have a case or two to come under your observa- 
 tion you can detect it all right then. These germs seem 
 to poison the whole body of the bird and it will take at 
 least six months to get these germs or bacteria from the 
 system of the bird if you do then. Some claim that it can 
 be cured, but I have my first real bad case of roup yet to 
 see that was cured even after twelve months' time. Pre- 
 ventation is always the best cure and is the "cure" or treat- 
 ment we should use mostly. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Unless the bird is very valuable the best thing to do 
 is to kill it as soon as the disease is recognized; and burn 
 the body immediately. Then begin to clean up the prem- 
 ises thoroughly and try to locate the cause if possible. If 
 you wish to treat the affected birds you must isolate them. 
 It is b€st to have a pest house just as far away from the 
 rest of the flock as possible to have it. Use a good dis- 
 infectant about the house and yards, clean everything 
 thoroughly, remove the old droppings from the boards, 
 clean the old litter from the floor and replace with new, 
 make new nests, etc., in fact, clean everything that can be 
 cleaned, and do not leave anything undone. 
 
 Do not keep sick birds moping around to infect others. 
 You can not expect to get rid of the trouble unless you 
 work with it with determination. It is not a good policy 
 to waste three dollars worth of medicine on a dollar bird. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 33 
 
 Don't wait for the first case to appear but try to stamp it 
 out as soon as you notice the first symptom. In isolating 
 the sick birds it is better to remove the well birds to new 
 quarters than to remove the sick but leave the affected 
 bird in the old quarters. The quarters occupied by the well 
 fowls should be disinfected well with a good strong disin- 
 fectant and place a bucket of water before them to which 
 about one teaspoonful of creolin has been added and do not 
 let them have any other water to drink. Keep the house 
 and yards sanitary at all times and this will be half the 
 battle for if you have them filthy you will have a harder 
 fight to make. 
 
 In treating the affected birds you should place them 
 in a dry, well ventilated coop well filled with clean straw 
 and change the bedding every other day so as to keep the 
 coop from getting filthy. Remove the discharge from the 
 nostrils by pressing downward on them. This discharge 
 will become hard after two or three days if allowed to 
 stay there any length ol time. You can dry up this dis- 
 charge by using a 50 per cent solution of creolin and 
 water. Bathe the «yes and face with it twice a day until it 
 dries up. You can also cleanse the parts with peroxide of 
 hydrogen daily and this will help keep the trouble under 
 headway. Apply the peroxide of hydrogen until it ceases 
 to foam then apply creolin solution. While using these treat- 
 ments you must give the bird a one grain pill of quinine 
 every night and morning. 
 
 If these yellowish scabs appear in the mouth or throat 
 you can reimove them and apply peroxide of hydrogen to the 
 sores until it ceases to foam, then with a swab apply pure 
 creolin to them. Remove them as long as they appear and 
 treat as directed above. Place a few drops of nux vomica In 
 the bird's drinking water as a tonic for this will help strength- 
 en the bird. Be with the bird as much as possible for if 
 you give it good attention you will get a much better and 
 quicker recovery. 
 
 There are many good remedies on the market for roup 
 and I think any of them will give you good satisfaction but 
 I 'will give you some very common treatments below and I 
 think any of them will give good results. It seems as 
 though every person has his own treatment so below you 
 will find a number of good simple reliable remedies. 
 
 With a small blow gun or tube blow boracic acid in 
 
34 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 the throat and nostrils of the sick bird. Repeat this opera- 
 tion twice a day until the bird is well. This is said to be 
 a sure cure. 
 
 Take equal parts of sulphate of iron and Hyposulphite 
 of soda and give each bird affected four grains a day in 
 their drinking water. If the bird is too far gone to drink 
 or eat you will have to feed by hand. 
 
 Chlorate of potash 9 parts, permanganate of potas- 
 sium one part. Place a teaspoonful in a gallon of drinking 
 water for the sick bird. Highly recommended. 
 
 Dr. Wood's favorite roup tablet is Aconite, Bryonia 
 and Spongia Compound. 1-100 grain each. One tablet 
 three times a day. Or if given in drinking water give 
 twelve tablets in each pint of water. 
 
 In preventing or treating roup there is nothing bet- 
 ter than to take a bucket of water and pour about one- 
 half pint of kerosene in it and dip the heads under and 
 leave there long enough to count four then remove and 
 wipe dry with soft cloth. Repeat this every day until well 
 and do not let them have any water to drink only that 
 which has kerosene in it. 
 
 The diet in roup should be simple. Feed plenty of 
 green food and make the mash at least one-half clover. Do 
 not feed any grain but give mash or something that will 
 tempt their appetite for they need it. Peed some mineral 
 matter, a few pieces of meat will be good for them and 
 will tempt their appetites. Watch the bird close and if 
 you do not see any change in three days you should kill 
 and cremate, for it will never be any better. The houses 
 and coops should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected 
 every second day. Good sanitary quarters are the very 
 best preventatives for roup. See that your house has no 
 draughts in it. 
 
 Croup. 
 
 Croup may be classed with common colds and they 
 work very much alike. There is no germ present as in 
 roup. Croup is a catarrhal inflamation of the upper portion 
 of the windpipe. It may be caused from a common cold or 
 by inhaling irritating dust or vapor. Most of the diseases 
 that affect the head, throat and nasal passage originate 
 from filthy and dusty houses. Clean the houses often and 
 avoid this trouble. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 35 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 The symptoms of croup are about the same as those 
 with a cold, oaly ±he bird breathes with great difficulty; the 
 neck will be stretched far out from the body with mouth 
 open in effort to breathe. The comb, face and wattles will 
 be purplish which is a good sign the bird is breathing with 
 difficulty. If you will catch the bird and open its mouth 
 you will soon discover the mucous membrane of the throat 
 to be swolen near the upper ipart of the windpipe. In 
 most cases there will be a great rattling in the throat when 
 the bird is breathing. The symptoms most generally ap- 
 pear suddenly when the bird seems entirely well. The 
 mouth and throat of the bird will be inflamed quite a lot 
 during the attack. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Place the bird in a dry, well ventilated coop well bed- 
 ded with clean straw. If the bird is breathing with much 
 difficulty you can help it if you will take a woolen cloth 
 and wring it out of icy water and wrap about the throat. 
 After the bird seems to be better take an atomizer and 
 make a fifty per cent solution of peroxide of hydrogen and 
 water and blow into the throat and windpipe. Repeat this 
 several times during a day. A few drops of kerosene will 
 in most cases prove very effective. If after these treat- 
 ments the bird is no better and is still breathing hard you 
 can give a tablet of arsenite of antimony 1-1000 of a drug 
 strength each every night and morning until the bird is 
 entirely well. 
 
 Another remedy is to take a gallon of water and add 
 a teaspoonful of creolin and bodl it and let the bird inhale 
 the steam from the kettle. Let the bird inhale this for ten 
 or fifteen minutes twice a day. 
 
 Common Colds. 
 Fowls that have the best of care are liable to contract 
 common colds during the winter season when the cold 
 blustry winds are present. These common catarrhal colds 
 will not amount to much if they are begun on in time and 
 not let run on until they develop into something of a more 
 serious nature. Roup, canker, etc. are liable to develop 
 from a simple cold if allowed to have its own course. Im- 
 proper ventilation is a common cause of colds and especi- 
 ally if fowls are allowed to crowd up and become over- 
 
36 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 heated and when they are let out In the morning they con- 
 tract a cold. If you ■will use the fresh air poultry house 
 you will not be troubled with cold so much for if fowls are 
 kept in houses that are well ventilated they will not take 
 cold so easy when let out in the morning. 
 
 In the fall when there is a cold rain with chilly wind 
 this will cause the birds to contract colds especially young 
 stock. Do not close the houses too tight early In the sea- 
 son but try to keep the birds used to cold weather. Avoid 
 draughts especially while the birds are on the roost; also 
 artificial heat in the poultry house for it is not practical. 
 Sudden atmospheric changes is also a common cause of 
 colds. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 Young stock are more apt to have colds during the 
 fall and winter than old birds. The first symptoms you 
 notice is a few bubbles in the eyes and a watery discharge 
 from the nostrils. The bird Tvill not .lose any flesh at all 
 and will eat and seem to be in a healthy condition only for 
 the discharge from the eyes and nostrils. If there is no 
 odor present it is not roup but if there is a ,bad odor then 
 it is roup instead of colds. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 In treating common colds the first thing to do Is to 
 try . to locate the cause and prevent any further spread of 
 it. Air the house well daily; if you have been in the habit 
 of closing it tight every night do not do it but open the 
 'windows and doors and let the birds have plenty of fresh 
 air to breathe. Avoid damp dropping boards by keeping 
 them cleaned every day. Do not allow a draught to pass 
 over the birds while they are on the roost. Keep them 
 housed close and do not let them out until they are entirely 
 well. 
 
 For individual treatment there is nothing better than 
 quinine. It will break up a very bad case of cold in from 
 two to four days. As soon as you notice the bird is sick re- 
 move it to a coop from the rest of the fiock and give it a 
 one grain pill of quinine every night and morning until the 
 bird is entirely well. If the watery discharge gets thick 
 and purulent cleanse it out with preoxide of hydrogen once 
 a day. Aconite bryonia and spongia mixture is another 
 good remedy. Give a teaspoonful of the following in a quart 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 37 
 
 of -water, ten drops of the tincture of each in an ounce of 
 alcohol : 
 
 Sulphate of iron and hyposulphite of soda equal parts. 
 To each sick bird give four grains a day in a quart of its 
 drinking water. Colds are very easy to handle if taken in 
 time. The best way to do is to remove the cause for there 
 is always something that is causing it. Study everything 
 well and try to locate it if possible. 
 
 Diptheria. 
 
 This is another very contagious disease and works very 
 much like roup; there is much difference in opinions as 
 to whether this disease is caused by roup germs or original 
 diphtheria germs. Both work very much and in fact are 
 about the same only in diphtheria the "roupy" smell is 
 not present as in roup. While there is always a bad odor 
 present in diphtheria still it is not like the "roupy" smell 
 and is very easily distinguished from the old "roupy" smell. 
 The two diseases may co-exist and it is very hard to deter- 
 mine just where one leaves off. We could enter upon a 
 very lengthy discussion of these two diseases and still I do 
 not think it would be of any practical value to the poultry- 
 man, so we will not take it up but try to give you informa- 
 tion that will help you distinguish the two after a little 
 practical experience. 
 
 In general appearance and effects it is about the same 
 as human diphtheria but I do not think it has the same 
 germ, although there are cases on record where fowls con- 
 tracted diphtheria from children and children from fowls 
 but still I do not think the germs are the same. It will 
 therefore, be understood that it is very contagious and 
 dangerous. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 Diphtheria will strike a bird suddenly, in the morning 
 the bird will seem perfectly well and in good health, at 
 night it will not eat and appear dumpish and will try to 
 Isolate itself from the rest of the flock and will be found 
 over in some dark corner by itself. The feathers will 
 look rough, the wings will be drooped and upon examining 
 the bird you will find a very high fever, the comb will be 
 a bright red and after a day or so it will be dark color. 
 You frequently find a bird with a piping cough or heavy 
 breathing; this is caused from the mucus that Is in the 
 
38 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 throat. Some cases the mucous will close the throat and 
 cause the bird to die from sufflocation. If you will examine 
 the throat you will find it red and very much inflamed, 
 later small white specks will appear, on the inside of throat 
 and on the tongue or near the cleft of the palate. These 
 small specks or patches grow very fast and will run to- 
 gether and seem to cover the whole mouth or throat. If 
 you make any attempt to remove these patches you will 
 cause much bleeding and will leave a raw surface. These 
 patches can extend down into the windpipe and cause the 
 bird to die from suffocation. They will also get into the 
 eyes and nasal passages and cause swollen face and eyes. 
 
 If you remove these patches and they come away 
 without any bleeding and does not leave a raw surface your 
 bird hasn't diphtheria. This is another way to tell it from 
 roup. When diphtheria once gets into you flock it ia 
 very hard to break up or overcome. The early symptoms 
 are about the same as those of roup. It will attack turkeys, 
 ducks and pigeons as well as chickens. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Remove the bird at once from the rest of the flock. 
 Disinfect well the house, yards, etc., with a good reliable 
 dininfectant, (any of the coal tar products are good) and 
 begin individual treatment, for this is the only satisfactory 
 way to handle this trouble. With a small blow gun or glass 
 tube blow some powdered sulphur in the bird's throat. 
 Open the mouth so you can see where the inflamation is 
 and get the sulphur right on the raw surfaces. Repeat 
 this twice a day, night and morning. If the membrane is 
 yellow and tough it is a good idea to make a swab with a 
 piece of cotton and apply pure creolin to them. 
 
 Peroxide of hydrogen will also be found very good when 
 applied to the membranes. Apply twice a day and as long 
 as it continues to foam. Mix thoroughly a grain of perman- 
 ganate of potassium with an ounce of fine powdered sugar 
 and blow this into the bird's throat three times a day. Con- 
 tinue same until the bird is entirely well. I think this will 
 be found a good remedy. It is well to give the bird a good 
 tonic while sick about ten drops of nux vomica in a quart 
 of water will be found good. Peed good wholesome food and 
 some that will be easily digested. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 39 
 
 Canker. 
 This is a disease that will appear in all seasons of 
 the year but is found more during the fall, winter and 
 early spring than at any other time. It usually fastens on 
 the strongest and most vigorous birds in the flock and this 
 is one thing that makes it seem so strange. It is slightly 
 contagious, some epidemics more so than others. It is well 
 to isolate all birds affected for you have much better 
 chance to treat them. Canker sores or patches will ap- 
 pear on any part of the mucous membrane of the mouth 
 and will some times appear in the eyes which causes the 
 bird to lose its sight. 
 
 Cause 
 There has been much discussion as to what causes 
 this disease; it is my opinion that it is some germ which 
 belongs to this certain disease. It is also claimed by good 
 authorities that dusty, mouldy grains and food will cause 
 it. The musty food gets the digestive organs out of con- 
 dition and the trouble breaks out in the mouth and throat; 
 we know when our stomach get wrong, sores will come in 
 our throat and mouth, so this is very good reasoning I 
 think. After two male birds have been fighting, canker will 
 appear, in early stages it is nothing more than pus but it 
 later developes into a cheesy growth. It may come from 
 an old attack of roup 
 
 Symptoms. 
 The first symptom you notice is the small patches that 
 appear in the mouth and throat, and you do not notice this 
 as a general thing until the bird shows much difficulty in 
 eating. The neck in some cases especially where the attack 
 is a bad one, will be stiff. These cheesy growths will ap- 
 pear on any portion of the mucous 
 membrane and sometimes will be on 
 the opening of the windpipe and then 
 there will be much difficulty in 
 breathing. These growths are very 
 tough but can be easily removed 
 with some instrument without much 
 bleeding. 
 
 Treatment. 
 Equal parts of burnt alum and 
 boracic acid applied to canker sores 
 CANKER ^''^ prove affective in most cases. 
 
40 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Apply it several times a day; place the bird in a good 
 dry coop away from the other birds and feed on soft food for 
 a few days, change the water twice a day. If a few drops of 
 nux vomica or tincture chloride of iron five drops to each 
 pint of water, is added, it will be a good tonic. Peroxide 
 of hydrogen applied to the sores will destroy the germs or 
 bacteria that are present. 
 
 Treating them with the creolin solution will also be 
 found satisfactory. Take a piece of cotton and twist on a 
 small stick and dip in a 50 per cent solution of creolin and 
 water and apply to the canker sores three times a day. 
 While giving these local treatments it will be well to give 
 each bird affected one tablet three times a day until the 
 bird is well, containing I-IOOO of a grain of mercury proti- 
 odide. If the bird gets very thin and weak It will be a 
 good idea to kill it for it will not amount to much as a 
 breeder or egg producer any more, even if it gets well for 
 its vitality will be somewhat weakened. 
 
 Put crush permanganate of potash, dry, on the canker. 
 Iodine is also a remedy applied to canker. 
 
 Pip. 
 
 Pip is a disease that works on the mucous membrane 
 of the mouth. It is the hardening of the tip of the tongue. 
 The tip will get real hard and scaly. There is some other 
 trouble back of this, for pip is no disease itself but only a 
 symptom of another disease. The general belief is that it 
 is caused by rapid breathing through the mouth instead of 
 the nostrils. The tongue is in a dry state and if you would 
 remove the tip on it you would find it would bleed. Do 
 not remove it but try to soften it and get it back to normal 
 conditions if possible. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 In treating this trouble you should study the conditions 
 of the bird and try to locate the trouble that is back of It. 
 Do not remove the dry tip of the tongue for you will not 
 accomplish any good results if you do. It will harm the 
 bird more than it will do good. If you will paint the 
 tongue with glycerine three times a day it will help the 
 diseased organ to recover its normal conditions. If you 
 notice a bird in your flock pick up a grain of corn and then 
 throw it down again you should make investigation im- 
 mediately, this is a symptom of pip. To treat a whole 
 flock you can give a tablespoonful of Epsom salts in a quart 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 4] 
 
 of water and this will straighten them out alright. Feed 
 the birds on mashes to which some cut clover has been ad- 
 ded. A few drops of nux vomica will also be very helpful 
 in restoring the bird to its normal condition again. 
 
 Influenza or "Grip." 
 
 This disease will appear in any season of the year and 
 in any climate, it resembles roup very much and may ap- 
 pear with it. It is a very contagious disease and you 
 should use great effort in trying to keep it from spreading 
 as much as possible. Grippe will appear in many forms 
 and one particular one is a roupy cold without the roup 
 odor or smell. 
 
 Cause. 
 
 This trouble generally appears in winter or fall and 
 it is believed that bad hygiene with unsanitary surround- 
 ings, cold winds and anything that will tend to weaken 
 the bird will cause it. It is no doubt caused by a germ 
 which makes it so contagious. When "grippe" breaks out 
 in our families you always notice it will generally go 
 through the entire family before it checks. No doubt it is 
 very contagious. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 The bird generally begins to shiver or tremble first 
 and will sneeze a great deal, as if taking a sudden cold. 
 The eyes will run a watery discharge. There will be a thin 
 greenish diarrohea, the eyes will swell, the comb and legs 
 will be very hot, the throat will be red and inflamed but 
 there will be no patches present. The bird will be very 
 thirsty and the breath may be of a very bad odor but there 
 is no roupy smell present. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Place the bird in a coop away from the other birds 
 and begin to give it a pill of quinine containing one grain, 
 every night and morning until the bird begins to improve 
 then give only one pill a day. While using quinine it will 
 be well to cleanse the throat, nostrils, etc. out with per- 
 oxide of hydrogen at least twice a day. A creolin solution 
 will also prove very effective in most cases; about a tea- 
 spoonful of creolin in a pint of water. Keep the bird in a 
 well ventilated coop that is free from draughts, have good 
 dry litter and clean every day, do not let it become damp. 
 
42 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Feed the bird on good wholesome food and do not let the 
 bird contract another cold for the second attack will appear. 
 
 Conjunctivitis or Eye Troubles. 
 Conjunctivitis is a disease that effects the mucous 
 membrane of the eyes and it is very contagious and is 
 accompanied by the rapid development of cheesy growths 
 which will cause much pain to the bird. It is caused from 
 a germ which originates from musty or mouldy food and 
 litter, exposure to cold winds and rains. Some years ago 
 I was using some chaff from the stable loft as litter in one 
 of my brooders, it was very dusty and perhaps mouldy, 
 before I realized what had taken place the whole bunch of 
 chickens had a very bad case of eye trouble, the eyes were 
 watery which would later get purulent and the lids would 
 adhere to each other. This trouble no doubt was caused 
 by using this dusty litter in the brooder. This trouble can 
 also be caused from some foreign body getting into the 
 eye which causes inflamation to set in. Mild cases will 
 need no medical treatment but will get well spontaneously 
 after the disease has run for several days. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 The first symptom that is noticed is the fowl keeping 
 the eye closed most of the time. It seems as though the 
 light is very painful to the bird. The lids will adhere to 
 each other, the growths will appear beneath the eye. You 
 will often see the bird picking or scratching the eye with 
 its toes. On the wings near the shoulder you will find 
 crusts of this yellowish matter from where the bird has 
 been rubbing. The bird will have no appetite in real bad 
 cases and will be thin and dumpish. 
 
 Treatment. 
 Clean the houses and coops thoroughly and keep the 
 affected birds in clean well aired quarters. Bathe the eyes 
 in 25 per cent solution of boracic acid and wa,ter, three 
 times a day. If there are any yellowish growths below the 
 eye remove them by gentle pressure; usually after they are 
 removed once they will never appear any more. If this 
 growth is allowed to remain it will likely cause the eyes 
 to go out. After removing this growth you should anoint 
 the eyes with the following: A two per cent creolin oint- 
 ment made with vaseline. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 43 
 
 Another good remedy is to bathe the eyes with a 50 
 per cent solution of preoxide of hydrogen and water twice 
 a day; preoxide of hydrogen will destroy all germs that are 
 present. Feed the bird well while convalescent and re- 
 member it is much easier to prevent a disease than to cure 
 It. Try to locate the trouble that causes this conjunctivitis 
 or eye trouble. 
 
 GAPES 
 
 A Disease that Kills Thousands of Small Chicks An- 
 nually and One That Has Been Prevalent Among 
 Poultry For More than 100 Years. Its Cause, 
 Symptoms and Treatmient and How to 
 Prevent It. 
 
 Gapes is one of the oldest diseases known to effect 
 poultry and has been prevalent among fowls for more than 
 100 years. Perhaps there is no other poultry disease that 
 has caused so much trouble or excited as much interest as 
 gapes. Back in the early part of the eighteenth century 
 there was much discussion as to what caused gapes and it 
 was quite a while before they decided it was due to a small 
 gape worm that takes up its abode in the windpipe of the 
 fowl. Gapes most frequently makes it appearance among 
 little chicks but old fowls have been known to have these 
 worms also and they are not exempt from them by any 
 means. 
 
 Gapes is stricly a parasitic disease and is caused by a 
 small gape worm which is called Synganus Trachealls. 
 These worms attach themselves to the linings of the wind- 
 pipe and the severity of the disease is governed by the num- 
 ber of worms that are present. When gapes appear In a 
 fiock you will always- notice It is in the early spring and in 
 damp weather. A real young chick can not stand the at- 
 tack as well as other birds. When they are present in large 
 numbers they'll suck the blood from the tissues and cause 
 much inflamation of the mucous membrane. These para- 
 sites vary in size from one-eighth to one-half inch long and 
 the circumferance of their body will be about the size of 
 a very fine needle. In early stages their bodies are of a 
 very light color but later when they are full of blood they 
 
44 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 are of a bright red, in fact their color is determined by the 
 amount of blood they have taken from the fowl. 
 
 When they increase in number they will obstruct the 
 opening of the windpipe and cause the fowl to "gape" for 
 breath and this is where the disease first took its name. 
 In real bad cases the irritation and larger number of worms 
 that are in the throat causes the bird to strangle to death, 
 especially in very young chicks. The worms have very lit- 
 tle effect on the older chick or adult bird but they will 
 prove a source of infection for the rest of the flock if al- 
 lowed to go unmolested. 
 
 The worst time for these parasites to appear in a 
 flock of chicks is when they are from one to four weeks 
 old; they are too young then to stand the loss of blood due 
 to these worms. If you open a chick's windpipe after it has 
 died from gapes a number of queer little worms will be 
 found; they seem to have two heads and are shaped very 
 much like the letter Y. This is two worms though, the 
 male and female worm and they are closely united for 
 breeding. While they are in this position the female de- 
 velopes her eggs and the male fertilizes them. 
 
 Where Do These Worms Originate? 
 
 It is claimed by good authorities that these gape 
 worms originate from the common earth worms and garden 
 slugs; they are eaten by fowls and then while swallowing, 
 some of the eggs or embryo gape worms lodge in the throat 
 and windpipe and the disease starts in this manner. Then 
 of course some are passed from the fowl in the droppings 
 and the ground will become contaminated in this manner. 
 After the earth once gets full of them it is a hard matter 
 to get them out any more and the only thing to do is to 
 cultivate the ground and do not let the birds have it for 
 their run for at least two years afterwards. 
 
 The female worm does not lay the eggs singly as it 
 would be supposed but will not lay them at all, she will 
 hold them until there are perhaps several thousand then 
 they are passed from the female worm through some 
 puncture of her body. It is in this manner they are de- 
 posited in the dringing vessel and passed from the birds 
 in the droppings to well birds and this is the way the 
 disease spreads. Birds often cough up these eggs and 
 worms for you know a cough is always present with gapes 
 
TV 
 
 Trache i fjnside) 
 
 » ^^'CA'' %=&^^'' 
 
 This illustration, furnished by courtesy of Drs. Hess and Clark, Ash- 
 land, Ohio, shows gape worms in the trachea or wind pipe. 
 
46 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 so you see how easy it is to scatter this disease over a lot 
 of ground and hence to healthy chicks. 
 
 Many of the embryo worms and eggs are eaten but very 
 few of them will find their way into the windpipe and of 
 course they are passed out with the droppings and prove 
 another source of infection, for the well birds, often one 
 single worm will cause you a whole lot of trouble and 
 cause the entire flock to become infested with gapes. 
 Gapes will appear among wild birds as well as domestic and 
 it is thought that while they are flying over your poultry 
 yard they will expell their droppings and in this manner 
 your entire flock will become infested with this deadly dis- 
 ease. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 You rarely ever know your chicks have gapes until 
 you notice some of them gaping, and sometimes a slight 
 cough will be present in the early stages of the attack. 
 There is great difficulty in swallowing, breathing, etc. 
 The bird will be weak and will not be able to follow the 
 rest of the flock; the wings will be drooped and a slight 
 discharge of mucous and worms in some of the worst 
 cases. The symptoms of gapes is very much like bronchitis 
 and pneumonia and to make sure you are right before you 
 begin treating the birds it is well to make a post-mortem 
 examination by cutting the windpipe lengthwise and ex- 
 amining the linings of the windpipe thoroughly and il 
 there are worms present they will be seen easily with a 
 magnifying glass. In gapes there Is not lever but in the 
 above disease there is always a fever present. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 When gapes first makes its appearance in a flock the 
 best thing to do is to remove all birds affected from the 
 other birds and place them in coops by themselves. Take 
 a gallon of water and add one teaspoonful of creolin and 
 this will be a good preventative and will cure some of the 
 worst cases. A bad case of gapes came under my observa- 
 tion a few years ago and as an experiment I gave it some 
 water to which a few drops of creolin had been added and 
 in a few days the chick was well and free from gapes. And 
 this proved to me that creolin was one of the best drugs 
 to use in treating and preventing gapes. A strong creolin 
 solution will also make a good disinfectant to use in the 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 47 
 
 yards where they have' been running. Spray the entire 
 surface of the yard with it and then scatter some air slack- 
 ed lime over it. If you have no sprayer take a good 
 sprinkler and use instead. Still better if you can do it, is 
 to move every bird old and young from the old run and 
 have a new one ready for them and plow the old run up 
 and plant in something so you can cultivate it for about 
 two years. This is the only safe way to get the gape worms 
 or germs out of the ground. They will stay in the ground 
 for years if nothing is done to exterminate them. 
 
 Air the brooders and coops daily and do not let them 
 roost on the ground or anywhere, where it is damp. Wash 
 all drinking vessels out daily with scalding water and place 
 a few drops of carbolic acid in them. Burn all birds that 
 die and all worms that have been extracted from their 
 windpipes. Spray the yard at least twice a week with the 
 two per cent creolin solution and use all effort to try to 
 keep the trouble under headway. If you remove the birds 
 to new runs and place a few drops of creolin in their drink- 
 ing water I think you will be able to handle the disease 
 all right. A small piece of copperas in the drinking water 
 is said to be a good preventative by good authorities. 
 
 Some Simple Means of Removing the Worms. 
 
 There are many simple ways to get the worms out of 
 the bird's windpipe and we all know we must get them 
 away in order to affect a cure. Lime dust is a very simple 
 and sure remedy and no doubt one of the most satisfactory, 
 Make a box as large as you want to and place your chicks 
 in it and place a piece of burlap over it and sift air slacked 
 lime over the chicks and this will make them cough up the 
 worms. The" lime irritates " the linings of the windpipe 
 and also some of the finer tubes of the chest and its use 
 is followed by much coughing and sneezing which dislocates 
 the worms and cause them to be coughed up. Do not let 
 the chicks stay in the box long enough to kill them, you 
 can regulate the time by your own judgment. Plenty of 
 fresh air must be supplied while they are undergoing the 
 treatment or else you will kill them or cause a serious in- 
 flamation of the mucous membrane of the throat and wind- 
 pipe. 
 
 Another good way to extract the gape worms from the 
 windpipe is by using a horse hair wire gape worm extract- 
 
48 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 er or a feather. This is done by placing them in the wind- 
 pipe and with a little twisting turn draw it out. The ob- 
 ject being is to detach the worms and draw them out. It 
 is well to dip the extractor into creolin solution before and 
 after it has been used. In treating birds in this manner the 
 operator should sit in a comfortable position where he has 
 a good light and everything he needs in reach of him. Have 
 one' box for the chickens that have never been treated and 
 one for the ones that he has treated. Be steady and keep 
 your head, you may kill several at first but you will soon 
 get onto it and be able to treat them with ease and surety. 
 
 By having a split bottom basket and placing the chicks 
 In it, and swinging it through sulphur fumes several 
 times you can kill the gape worms in this manner, but be 
 careful and do not over do it. 
 
 The camphor remedy is also good. Catch each bird 
 affected and place a piece of camphor down its throat 
 about the size of a grain of wheat and you will have no 
 more gape worms, it is certainly a good satisfactory cure. 
 
 Scatter plenty of air slacked lime over your runs and 
 you will find this a good preventative for this dreaded dis- 
 ease. If you will keep the chicks in disinfected runs until 
 they get three months old you can let them have more liberty 
 for the most of the danger is over then. Keep the coops 
 dry and sanitary and do not let them get filthy; keep your 
 chicks roosting on boards. This will also help prevent the 
 trouble. Every little thing you can do will help keep this 
 dread disease under headway. Remember it is always much 
 easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it. 
 
 Apoplexy. 
 As a general thing this disease appears in pullets that 
 are too fat, although it will affect old hens and male birds 
 to some extent but nothing like the former. Apoplexy is 
 the result of a ruptured blood vessel of the brain and the 
 pressure of blood which escapes from same. , The main 
 cause of the trouble is caused from feeding stimulating 
 foods in too large quantities and the result is over fat 
 birds. Pullets in laying their first eggs will some times 
 strain and in doing this they will rupture a blood vessel 
 of the brain and the result is you find them on the nest 
 dead. They are too fat to stand any strain for this fatty 
 degeneration weakens the walls of the arteries which can 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 49 
 
 not resist the pressure. Birds will sometimes die while 
 on the roost, or they will drop dead while in the yard but 
 as a general thing there must be some over exertion to 
 cause the rupture of the blood vessel. Fowls that have been 
 chased around the yard will sometimes fall its prey; 
 the increased action of the heart causes the blood to flow 
 to the brain and the rupture is the result. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 The bird is generally dead before you suspect any- 
 thing wrong with it. But cases have come under my obsei^ 
 vation of late where a pullet or hen would go on the nest 
 to lay and while straining trying to expel the egg their 
 comb gets dark or purple while before it was a bright 
 red. This^ is a good symptom of apoplexy and you should 
 begin to work on them. Also after running a bird if the 
 comb gets dark or purple you should make invesitigation 
 immediately. If the bird seems to be in an over fat condi- 
 tion and stands around with the wings drooped you should 
 begin at once to locate the trouble. 
 
 Treatment, 
 
 Very little can be done for birds with this trouble; the 
 best treatment is prevention. Do not let your birds get 
 into this overfat condition, feed foods that have not such 
 stimulating qualities and make your birds exercise after all 
 the food they get. Do not feed corn or cornmeal in large 
 quantities if you do an overfat condition is sure to appear 
 and apoplexy will result. 
 
 If you wish to treat the birds the best thing that can 
 be done is to apply ice to the headj or cold water, for it is 
 very important to keep it cool. A laxative such as castor 
 oil or olive oil should be given the bird if it can be made 
 to swallow it. Bleeding the bird will help it in some cases. 
 This can be done with a sharp knife by opening the blood 
 vessel on the under side of the wing. Let two to two and 
 one-half teaspoonfuls of blood flow before allowing it to 
 clot. This will reduce the pressure of the vessels. Pro- 
 vide some protection for the bird from the heat and keep 
 in a cool coop until entirely well; and remember apoplexy 
 is much easier prevented than it is cured. There are not 
 many cases where they were entirely cured. 
 
50 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Congestion of the Brain. 
 Congestion of the brain is not a common disease by 
 any means but still there are a lot of poultrymen that are 
 troubled with it. It is generally found where birds are 
 in an over fat condition just like apoplexy. In the summer 
 while the rays of the sun is, at its best you will also find It 
 occasionally. Congestion of the brain and fits work very 
 much alike and worms may be another common cause. By 
 post-mortem examination you can detect the intestinal 
 worms if they are present. When you find a bird with this 
 trouble you usually find convulsions, giddiness, and un- 
 certainty in walking. The bird will throw its head back 
 or forwards and this symptom is very much like limber- 
 neck. Nothing can be done for such cases only lireventa- 
 tion. If you wish to treat the bird use cold application to 
 the head and keep it in as cool a place as possible where 
 the heat can not effect it. 
 
 LIMBERNECK. 
 
 A Disease that is not Contagious as Most People Think 
 — It is Simply a Symptom of Another Disease — Its 
 Cause, Symptoms and Treatment. 
 
 Most people who have had any experience with limber- 
 neck think that it is very contagious after it once breaks 
 out in a flock. They have the wrong idea of it and it is 
 not contagious at all. It is no disease only a symptom of 
 some other disease or trouble. Limberneck is caused by 
 the birds eating some decayed body or flesh. It is ptomaine 
 poisoning. We have always noticed that limberneck will 
 break out during the hot summer months; while the weeds 
 are high and thick one of the hens happen to die and there 
 she lies until she is eaten up by other members of the fiook. 
 She is full of maggots in a few days and the birds eat 
 them and the result is ptomaine poisoning. Some good 
 authorities claim that any kind of maggots will cause 
 limberneck and it looks like they would but I cannot think 
 it for all maggots are not full of poison and it is the poison 
 and not the maggots that cause the trouble. 
 
 It is a hard matter to locate the dead carcass where 
 the flock has free range and especisilly farm flocks. You 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 51 
 
 might find one or two and still there would be another in 
 some secluded place where you would not dream of look- 
 ing and still you would lose a lot of your birds by them 
 eating it. When the trouble breaks out the best thing to 
 do is to place the entire flock in yards and keep them there 
 until you know the dead carcasses have had time to decay 
 and leave. 
 
 Limberneck is common to all parts of the country and 
 the name certainly does describe the condition they are 
 in for their necks, are limber sure; and it is very easily rec- 
 ognized by the muscles of the neck being partially paralyz- 
 ed. And this no doubt is where the trouble first took 
 its name. Feeding meats that are full of maggots, and 
 other poisonous foods that are indigestible have been 
 known to cause bad cases of limberneck. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 The bird will stand in a stupid position and will have 
 no energy to move about and follow the rest of the flock 
 but will try to isolate itself in some dark comer and hold 
 its neck in an arched position with the crown of its head 
 resting on the ground between its feet. They will also 
 have convulsions and twist their neck in many different 
 positions and the neck is surely limber as the name implies. 
 In some cases instead of the neck hanging down between the 
 feet it will throw it back and the bird's head will rest nearly 
 on its back and twists nearly around; this is known as 
 "wry-neck." 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 As soon as you find the diseased bird give any medi- 
 cine you have or anything else that will counteract the 
 poison. Give a small dose of oil of terpentine and sweet 
 oil equal parts will be found very good in throwing off the 
 poison; in about thirty or forty minutes after you give the 
 turpentine and oil give the bird all the sweet milk it will 
 drink, a little ginger added to the milk will be good also. 
 Keep the bird in a warm dry coop and in from twelve to 
 twenty-four hours the bird will show much improvement 
 and will be ready to be turned out and given the same 
 rations as before, feed plenty of green food and ten drops 
 of nux vomica in a quart of drinking water will be found 
 helpful as a tonic after a few days. Hyposulphite of soda 
 one ounce to each gallon of drinking water will be good for 
 
52 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 the flock or some cases that are not of a serious nature; 
 allow no other drink until the trouble is gone. 
 
 Search the premises thoroughly for any dead and de- 
 cayed bodies that are full of maggots. If your flock has 
 free range it would be well to keep them confined in small 
 yards for a week or ten days so that the decayed flesh can 
 disappear. Cut all weeds about the place and see if the 
 cause can be found. Limberneck will never amount to 
 much if it is taken into hands at once after the first case 
 appears. 
 
 Another remedy for this trouble is to take equal parts 
 of pure lard, mustard, cayenne pepper and ginger and mix 
 thoroughly and make out into slugs about the size of a 
 bean and give one for a dose and repeat in three hours if 
 necessary . This is an old remedy and is a sure remedy to 
 counteract the poison. Also if pure lard is melted up and a 
 tablespoonful is poured down the bird it will in most cases 
 effect a cure. Remember that limberneck is not contagious 
 by any means and can be stamped out readily if taken in 
 hands at once and the cause removed. 
 
 Treatment of Limberneck. 
 Give each fowl a piece of gum camphor the size of a 
 grain of wheat and wash it down with a spoonful of kero- 
 sene oil; repeat in 10 or 12 hours if necessary. If throat 
 if filled with maggots clean these out by filling the crop 
 with warm water, medicated with disinfectant and hold- 
 ing the mOuth open and head down squeeze the crop rub- 
 ber ball fashion several times, then apply the treatment. 
 
 THE COMB. 
 
 Its Diseases and Injuries — With Cause, Symptoms and 
 Treatment. 
 
 The comb of a bird is very helpful to the poultry keep- 
 er in determining the condition it is in for just as soon as 
 the bird gets the least bit out of condition the comb will 
 show it immediately. This is about the only way we have 
 to determine the bird's condition, and it is about the same 
 in the human patient the physician has the tongue instead. 
 There are no diseases of the comb and they are only symp- 
 toms of some other disease that the bird has. Always re- 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 53 
 
 member that -when the comb of a bird gets pale or purple 
 there is always some other disturbance in the body that is 
 causing it. We very often notice the tips of the comb get- 
 ting purple, in this case the disturbance is only slight but 
 when the comb and wattles get dark, the trouble is very 
 serious and something should be done immediately for the 
 trouble will no doubt be fatal if nothing is done. 
 
 We all realize what color combs our birds should 
 possess and to get this bright red color we must give them 
 the best of attention, food, etc., or else these symptoms 
 may appear. We can prevent most any poultry diseases if 
 we have a mind to do so; proper care, food, and housing 
 are all that is needed to keep the oirds in a healthy condi- 
 tion. Remember that the comb is always the first place to 
 show any disturbances of the organs of the bird's body. 
 
 Black Rot. 
 
 The name of this disease itself really tells the whole 
 story. The comb turns black and the tissues seem to be 
 dead and the diseased parts will rot off or become separat- 
 ed in time from the rest of the comb and leaves a very un- 
 sightly stump as when the comb has been frosted. Black 
 rot is found only in high combed breeds, only rare cases 
 of black rot in birds that have low combs. The cause of 
 this trouble is due from improper circulation of blood 
 through the comb which causes the tissues to become dead. 
 Most every case of black rot will be caused from some kind 
 of liver trouble. Every time the liver gets out of order 
 the comb will show it and tells the whole story. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 In the early stages of black rot the comb will be just 
 a little dark; generally the points become pale or purplish, 
 and in a few days the whole comb will become dark. Cases 
 where the bird is in a healthy condition and with strong 
 vitality the diseased portion of the comb will separate from 
 the other and fall off leaving a stump. The color changes 
 from a purple to a blue and then to black. The bird will 
 not have much appetite and will stand around in a stupid 
 position and will have very little energy. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Just as soon as you notice a bird of your flock with 
 a dark comb you should catch it at once and place in a 
 
54 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 coop and begin immediate treatment for in advance stages 
 of black rot treatment is of little value then and nothing 
 can be done. Feed plenty of green food and do not give 
 stimulants; see that the bird has plenty of sunlight and 
 fresh air. Paint the comb three times a day with the fol- 
 lowing lotion: Water one ounce, glycerine three-fourths 
 of an ounce, and carbolic acid crystals one grain. Now 
 add one teaspoonful of muriate of ammonia to each pint of 
 the drinking water, this will help the liver perform its 
 duties more easily. 
 
 Prosphate of soda is also said to be good; give the sick 
 bird one-half teaspoonful daily. Now the treatment of 
 black rot will be of little value as I said above but the 
 proper way to begin treatment is to locate the cause under- 
 lying the trouble and try to prevent any more oases from 
 appearing and deal with the old cases the best way you 
 can. Mild cases can be cured if taken in time but advanc- 
 ed cases treatment will not do much good. 
 
 Favus (White Comb). 
 We hardly ever meet this disease in the poultry yard 
 although it is very contagious and as soon as it makes its 
 appearance in a flock it should be stamped out immediately 
 by all means. Pavus (white comb) is a skin disease of 
 germ origin. Birds that have free range rarely have this 
 trouble unless they have been exposed to it by coming in 
 contact with other birds that had it. The cause of favus 
 is lack of green food, sunshine and exercise. Keep your 
 houses closed up tight during the winter months when 
 the fowl are compelled to stay in and you will have favus. 
 Close air is the main cause. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 The first symptom is the coming of little white or 
 reddish pimples on the face and comb; they are nearly al- 
 ways of a whitish color when first noticed but later turn 
 reddish. When first noticed they are under the skin and 
 are higher at the circumferance than at the center. They 
 will vary in size from a pin head to one-half inch in diam- 
 eter. These pimples will appear on the comb, wattles, ear 
 lobes and on the crest of the head, then after several days' 
 time they will cover the entire body of the bird, but only 
 in very severe cases. These pimples will break and the 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 55 
 
 watery fluid will run over the surface and drys which gives 
 the skin a white appearance, as the bird moves around this 
 will break it and it will fall oft and look like wheat bran. 
 In bad cases the feathers will fall out and this gives the 
 bird a very bad appearance Indeed. 
 
 Treatment. 
 Rub the affected- parts with carbolated vaseline and 
 give the bird a few drops of nux vomica or tincture chlo- 
 ride of iron 20 to 30 drops in a gallon of drinking water. 
 If possible give the bird free range where it can get plenty 
 of green food and exercise. Do not keep the birds under 
 such unhygenic conditions. Disinfect and ventilate the 
 houses well and do not crowd them in small tight houses 
 for you cannot expect to keep them healthy if kept in such 
 traps. The cause of this trouble should suggest a cure. 
 
 Fungoid. 
 
 While fungoid is not a very common disease still it 
 is one of the worst diseases to handle after it once gets 
 started in a flock of birds. It is very contagious and can 
 be passed from bird to bird. If no means are taken to 
 prevent its spread it will soon run through your whole 
 flock and will cause great loss. It usually breaks out 
 in flocks that have been feed on food that is rich in starch 
 elements and especially flocks that are low in vitality. 
 Fimgoid will not go through a flock of "run down" birds 
 that are low in vitality as fast as one that is healthy and vig- 
 orous. It is a local rather than a general disease, and the 
 whole force of the disease seems to show itself in the 
 comb and wattles but in bad cases the disease will spread 
 over the whole body; but in most oases the comb and 
 wattles are the only places it is noticed. 
 
 The first you notice of the disease is the appearance 
 of the small shot like substance under the skin and they 
 feel hard like shot at first and you could hardly distin- 
 guish them. Later as the disease advances these small sub- 
 stances will flatten and burst through the skin and a dis- 
 charge will flow through the punctures of a straw color. 
 In about three days after this crop comes and goes there 
 will be another one come and crop after crop of these 
 pimples will appear. This discharge will dry on the surface 
 of the skin and cause the bird much pain from irritation 
 
56 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 and it will be found trying to scratch its comb and face 
 ■with Its claws. Bleeding will follow this if something is 
 not done to prevent it. The bird is now a bad looking 
 prospect indeed and no lover of poultry would care to 
 look at the poor unfortunate bird. 
 
 Treatment. 
 Do not let the well birds run with those affected but 
 isolate them at once. Place the sick bird in a light coop 
 well bedded with clean straw and change every other day. 
 Wash the comb and wattles with a 50 per cent solution of 
 peroxide of hydrogen and water night and morning and then 
 apply a solution of carbolic acid crystals and water, five 
 grains to a pint of water. If after a weeks' treatment the 
 bird does not show any improvment it is well to kill it and 
 bury it for it will never amount to very much even if it 
 should be well in a year, for it will always be weak and have 
 low vitality and unfit for breeding purposes. To keep the bird 
 from scratching the comb and affected parts tie the legs 
 together with a string just lose enough to' allow it to walk 
 and stand but not so it can scratch itself. 
 
 Feed the bird on good stimulating food and some- 
 thing that will tempt its appetite for the bird will be weak 
 and thin and will not have very much appetite. A little 
 nux vomica in the bird's drinking water, say about ten drops 
 in a quart of water will be a good tonic for the sick bird. 
 
 Frost-bite. 
 
 I think most every poultryman has had more or less ex- 
 perience with this trouble and I think very little need be 
 said about it only prevent it by keeping your birds in 
 warm, well ventilated houses. Some think that if they 
 make the house air tight it' will be warmer but this is all 
 a mistake for if the fowls have no fresh air to breath they 
 can not possibly stand the cold. Low vitality in birds and 
 not enough food will cause frost-bite more and in a worse 
 form. A bird that is in a good healthy condition and has 
 enough food in its crop to do until morning will stand a 
 great deal more cold than a bird with low vitality and no 
 food can. 
 
 Of course the taller and thinner the comb is the more 
 easily it will freeze when exposed to cold weather. When 
 the temperature drops thirty to forty degrees in a single 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 57 
 
 night we can not well prevent this from happening but if 
 we provide warm houses and plenty of good food for the 
 birds frost bites will not bother us very mucTi. The best 
 house and the best care will not prevent this some times. 
 
 Treatment. 
 In treating a frost-bite do not try to thaw it out all at 
 once for you are doing the wrong thing when you do. If 
 you can get snow at the time you can apply this to the 
 frosted parts and draw out the frost; this can not be done 
 in a few minutes either but it will take hours of work to 
 bring the frost out. Nothing can be done to save a right 
 bad frozen comb, for after it has become black or purple 
 you can do nothing, but you might try and may be able to 
 lose only the points. Do not take the bird in a warm room 
 or in the sunlight but let the birdj stay where it will warm 
 up gradually. If the comb is swollen and there are water 
 blisters on it open them with a fine needle and allow the 
 water to run out; and apply witchhazel salve to it. Apply 
 tincture of benzoin locally twice a day will be found good. 
 One oimce of vaseline, one-half ounce of quinine and two 
 ounces of kerosene well mixed and rubbed on the comb 
 and wattles will be found satisfactory if applied as soon 
 as found. The point is not to let the frosted parts run 
 for a day or two and then begin treatment but begin as 
 soon as found, and you will likely save most of the comb. 
 
 Injuries. 
 
 The comb may be injured in many ways, fighting, or 
 from getting caught in the wire fence or lath partition 
 dividing the house and yards, all are common causes. As 
 soon as you notice the bird's comb injured remove it from 
 the rest of the flock for they have a tendency to pick at 
 the blood and this may grow into a very bad habit. If 
 you will take a fine needle and white silk thread or cat 
 gut you can stitch up the wound and with a little pains it 
 will grow back and will be hardly noticable. 
 
 Keep the bird in a coop by itself until the parts are 
 thoroughly healed and you will prevent the birds from 
 picking at it and causing it to heal slowly. If the comb is 
 slow in healing apply vaseline to the parts. 
 
58 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE LUNGS. 
 
 The Diseases of the Lungs — With Their Causes, Sjrmp- 
 toms and Treatment. 
 
 There are five diseases that affect the lungs, con- 
 sumption, bronchitis, pneumonia,- tuberculosis and conges- 
 tion of the lungs. The latter disease is simply the early 
 stages of pnemuonia and if allowed to run on without 
 prompt treatment the result will be a very bad attack of 
 pneumonia. These different diseases are not passed from 
 one bird to another but it is best to isolate all birds so as 
 to give better attention. It is well to separate all- sick 
 birds from well ones even if they have no contagious dis- 
 ease. 
 
 Consumption. 
 
 Consumption in most cases is simply an aftermath of 
 roup. It is contagious but appears in individual cases 
 as in the human family. This disease rarely ever ap- 
 pears in strong healthy birds hut flocks that are low in 
 vitality and from weak ancestors often fall the prey of 
 consumption. The nature of this dreaded disease is well 
 known. We know it is the wasting away of the lung tis- 
 sues, and the general health of the whole bird, just as in 
 the human family. It Is a disease that should be shun- 
 ned as much as possible . If your birds seem weak and 
 with little vitality it is best to dispose of them and replace 
 with others for fear this trouble might break out in your 
 flock. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 In the early stages of the disease the only symptom 
 you notice is simply weakness without any cause •whatever. 
 In the course of a week or ten days you will notice some 
 difficulty in breathing especially if the bird is chased over 
 the yard a few times. There will be a rattling sound as 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 59 
 
 in bronchitis. While on the roost there will also be some 
 roughness of respiration. At this time the bird may be 
 laying and seem in very good health only a slight weakness 
 but after a month or so the bird will be very thin and 
 "wasting away." The comb will be pale, and there will be 
 a slight diarrhoea and the food will not be digested prop- 
 erly and will pass from the bird in about the same state 
 as it was when eaten. The rattling in the throat will be 
 somewhat louder and if you go into your house at night 
 after the birds are on the roost you will wonder what is 
 in the bird's throat to affect the respiration in that way. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 The best and safest treatment is to use the "hatchet" 
 and cremate the birds killed. In this way you might pre- 
 vent any other spread of the disease and otherwise you 
 would cause your whole flock to become contaminated 
 with this dreadful disease. If many cases break out in 
 your flock it will be well to dispose of all birds on the 
 place and get a new start for they are veiy low In vitality 
 and will never be found successful as breeders. I do not 
 believe any case of consumption can be cured especially 
 after it gets into the advanced stages. 
 
 Bronchitis. 
 
 Bronchitis is an Inflamation of the membranes of 
 the bronchial 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 inflamation 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 
 trouble. Bronchitis will some times affect small chicks 
 after they have been exposed to rains, or overheated 
 brooders. 
 
60 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 This disease is not noticed until it lias 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 bronchial 
 tubes caused from the mucous that is present in them 
 which effects 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 20 drops of tincture of Aconite in each quart of 
 the drinking water and allow no other drink for 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 turpentine 
 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. 
 
 Congestion of the Lungs. 
 
 This trouble is caused by sudden chilling or most any 
 kind of exposure of 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. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 61 
 
 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- 
 sei-ver 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 done 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 
 good 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 tincture 
 of 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 inflamation 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 
 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 m-ay even pant for breath as in 
 the summer. The bird will often sit in a squatting posi- 
 tion with the wings drooped, and no energy to move about. 
 
62 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 each 
 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 aconite 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 and 
 active, as the disease is very rapid and will soon carry the 
 bird away in some cases even if you do give the bird 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 of 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 
 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 symptoms that is present in tuberculosis is the bird 
 "going light" and some cases the bird will be so weak it 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 
 
 63 
 
 The liver and spleen on the risht are from a tubercular fowl. The 
 presence of nodules or tubercles is evidence of tuberculosis. The light 
 spots on the liver and spleen on the left are due to light reflection, they 
 are not tubercles. This illustration furnished by courtesy of the Agricul- 
 tural Extension Service, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 
 
 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, 
 tor 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- 
 
64 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 tivate the yards and If possible remove the other (well) 
 birds from the old quarters and give them new ones. 
 
 If you v?ish 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 1-50 
 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 
 ajl birds affected and be on the safe side. 
 
 Just out — now for a good start in life. 
 The suggestions in this book will mean maximum de- 
 velopment, health and profit for the poultry man. 
 
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, Includ- 
 
 ingf Diarrhoeas and Cholera, with Reliable 
 
 Remedies. 
 
 Enteritis. 
 
 Enteritis is caused by bacteria which get into the in- 
 testines and cause great inflamatlan. This is a very 
 common disease among poultry and it is often mistaken 
 for cholera. Enteritis will also follow neglected cases of 
 diarrhoea. Foul drinking water, uncleanliness, filthy and 
 rotten food will also cause this trouble. As the disease 
 develops the excrement will be x 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 turn- 
 ing purple and very dark. Where the different varieties 
 of bacteria are present in large numbers there will be 
 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-mortem examin- 
 ation you will find the intestines full of mucous and the 
 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 
 a good disinfecting. Give the sick birds a teaspoonful of 
 
66 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 olive oil three times a day until you see a chang'e In them 
 then give only once a day. Peed the bird on bread soaked 
 in milk and give sweet 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 shade 
 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 nc further trouble. Sweet 
 milk will be found very good for mixing the mash with. 
 Peed 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 espec- 
 ially 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 aid poison followed 
 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 streaks of blood, 
 watery discharge from mouth and nostrils, weakness with a 
 great desire to sleep. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 67 
 
 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- 
 ation 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 ol 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 castor 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- 
 before and feed some meat food. i 
 
 Dysentery. , > 
 
 Dysentery is a neglected case of diarrhoea, (or a 
 chronic case as you may call it)' running into deep in- 
 flamation. Some cases it is a disease by Itself originat- 
 ing from a filthy condition of the house and yard. Pilthi- 
 noss in food and water will bring on 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 
 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 
 infiamation is very great there will be streaks of blood 
 in the excrement.. 
 
68 POULTRY DISEASE 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Place one ounce of sulpho-carbolate of 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 
 rememher that the diet of all birds must be nonirritating. 
 Feed very lightly for a few days on coarse 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 will 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. Prevention 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 rffect 
 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, In- 
 digestion, diarrhoeas, etc., 
 cholera; more especially 
 those in which the excre- 
 ment is of a greenish color. 
 This is a reason many 
 think cholera is a very 
 common disease. Cholera 
 is not a very common oc- 
 curence, and seldom at- 
 tacks domestic fowls if 
 
 P^"-^ 
 ■^^ 
 
 V 
 
 CHOLEHA 
 
 they are kept under reasonably sanitary conditions. 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 domestic fowls. And it 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 cholera 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- 
 
70 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 eargerly until it can 
 no longer retain the water in the crop and spills it when 
 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 inflamation 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 fowls 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 strength- 
 ening to the sick bird. When the trouble is first noticed. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 71 
 
 give the bird a tablespoonful of castor oil and follow 
 this in thirty minutes with a tablet containing 1-200 of 
 a grain of arsenite of copper every three or four hours 
 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 acts queer. 
 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. 
 Tpeatmetit for ChoI.era. 
 
 Peed plenty of clabbered sour milk and medicate all 
 drinking water with 1 tablespoonful of hyposulphate of soda 
 to each quart, then dissolve as much permanganate of 
 potash one can hold on a silver dime in a gallon of water; 
 add this to the hypo water, one pint of each. Take all other 
 drink except the milk from the fowls. Feed no select feed. 
 Wood ashes and charcoal should be handy for the fowlsT 
 
 WHITE DIAREHOEA OR BOWEL TROUBLE IN 
 SMALL CHICKS. 
 
 A Disease that Kills More Small- Chicks than all Other 
 
 Diseases 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, 
 
72 POULTRY DISEASE 
 
 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 
 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 
 hatched 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 
 
 TYPICAL CASES OF WHITE DIARRHEA 
 This illustration furnished by coui-besy of The Pratt Food Company 
 Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 73 
 
 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 para- 
 sites which will get there while the egg is forming. 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 won- 
 der 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 are not able to get 
 out," and that "my eggs do not natch well and what chicks 
 I do get are not growing any and seem to have no energy 
 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. 
 
 How the First Symptoms Appear. 
 You can tell a weak germed chick as soon as it is 
 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 
 WHITE DIAKRHEA flock, and 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 be- 
 gin to show up more plainly. The diarrhoeal discharge will 
 now appear and they will paste up. The excrement will be 
 a whittlsh looking substance and this is where it took Its 
 name "white diarrhoea." 
 
 If you will open a chick that has just died from this 
 
74 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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. 
 
 Prevention 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 thei 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 
 continue through the entire breeding season and this will 
 rid their systems of these parasites. A few drops of creo- 
 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 ti-ouble. 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 quart 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 fioor 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. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 75 
 
 Do not let the dropping accumulate for this will tend 
 to spread the disease and make it much harder to work 
 against. Bum 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 OvBr Pat Liver — ^With 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- 
 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 the 
 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 m^eas- 
 ures to do so. Isolate all birds affected and do not allow 
 the well birds to run with the sick one if you do you can 
 not expect to get satisfactory treatment or results. The 
 best treatment Is preiventation, in fact this is the best with all 
 diseases. It wjU be better to kill all affected birds and 
 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 
 
76 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 realize you 
 have until the bird is in a very bad shlape. 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 change 
 ing to a yellowish color. The bird has no appetite and 
 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 time you 
 will be able to bring the bird back to its normal health 
 again. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Cut out the corn and corn meal and make the 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 and 
 if during the summer months give them free 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 you 
 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. 
 
 Inflamation of the Liver. 
 It is very hard to diagnose a case of liver trouble for 
 the symptoms appear very slow and you ha^ve to wait until 
 the disease is at its worst before you can determine just 
 what it is. Inflamatlon of the liver works very much 
 like a congested liver and the symptoms are much alike. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 77 
 
 The bird will have no energy to move about, the breathing 
 will be sluggish, the a,bdomen will in some cases be swol- 
 len, the skin will show a yellowish hue and the comb will 
 be very pale and later turning dark. The bird will 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 beef juice fed to the sick bird will help 
 to strengthen. 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 place 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 
 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 in a grassy orchard or field where there is plenty 
 of shade. For the sick bird give a teaspoonful of nowdei^ 
 ed muriate of ammonia in a quart of water and allow no 
 
78 POCLTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 VaTieties, 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 
 few present in the digestive canals of birds there will be 
 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 tnese treat- 
 ments and be sure to gather all droppings so as to keep 
 out of reach of well birds. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 79 
 
 Tape Worm. 
 
 This variety of worm is not at all common among 
 fo^wls and you often run across a person who never saw 
 a tape worm and he has kept birds most 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. 
 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 oil 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 Treat- 
 ment, 
 
 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 fadlt 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 two much grain, especially com will cause it. The 
 
80 
 
 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 bird -will eat until it can't hold any more in its crop then 
 go 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 
 be very long; this will gather into a ball m the crop and 
 can't possibly get out of the crop. Such cases as this are 
 always troublesome 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 cases 
 will usually correct themselves for anything a bird can swal- 
 low will pass through the digestive organs. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 The bird seems dull 
 and slow to move about 
 especially if it has been 
 in this condition for 
 some time. There will 
 be loss of appetiite and 
 the bird will be very 
 sleepy. The liquid 
 that gathers in the 
 crop will be very of- 
 fensive and will run 
 from the mouth. Di- 
 arrhoea 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 ot 
 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 
 
 A, 
 
 Esophagus. 
 
 B, 
 
 Crop. 
 
 C, 
 
 Gizzard. 
 
 D, 
 
 Duodenum. 
 
 E, 
 
 Small intestine. 
 
 F. 
 
 Caeca. 
 
 G, 
 
 Eectum. 
 
 H, 
 
 Cloaca. 
 
 J, 
 
 Liver. 
 
 K, 
 
 Gall. 
 
 L, 
 
 Lungs. 
 
 M, 
 
 Pancreas. 
 
 0, 
 
 Ovary. 
 
 DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF A FOWL 
 
 This illustration furnished by courtesy of 
 Pratt Food Company, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 81 
 
 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 iui^nes 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 make 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 only in small bunches. After you get it 
 empty you can 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 nux 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 
 
82 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 ue handled carefully. 
 
 Inflamation of the Crop. 
 Inflamation 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 inflamation is caused from lime give 
 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 or 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 unslacked lime is an 
 irritant poison and . either will cause inflamation 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 
 aje allowed to correct themselves. This trouble is not at 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 
 
 83 
 
 all pleasing to look at for there is always rood 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 
 feather from over 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 membrano 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. 
 
 MALE HEADS SHOWING DEFECTIVE COMBS 
 
 Defects of these kinds should be guarded against in selecting breeders. 1. Thumb mark. 
 2 Blade of comb following neck too closely and points showing tendency to lop. 3. Kose 
 comb showing hollow center. 4. Side sprig. 6. Uneven serrations and double point. 
 6. Twisted comb. 
 
POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 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 inflamation 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 peroxide hydrogen and water before re- 
 placing them. Give the bird very little food for a few days and 
 let that be a mash. Keep the bowels clean by giving Ep- 
 som salts In the drinking water. 
 
 Breakdown. 
 This Is another trouble that is confined mostly to old 
 hens after they get three years old or older. It is very 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 85 
 
 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. Inflamation will then set up in 
 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 
 
86 
 
 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 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 ia. 
 Watch the movements 
 of the vent and you 
 will see the muscles 
 move as if she was try- 
 ing to lay the egg. The 
 bird will go on the nest 
 and strain trying to lay, 
 
 The reproductive or- 
 g'ans of a female bird 
 con.sist of the ovary (1); 
 the oviduct (2); and the 
 cloaca (3). The t-mall 
 esg' modules form clus- 
 teis (A) called vitellus 
 or yolk. Before each 
 nodule escapes from the 
 ovary it is covered by a 
 thin membrane called 
 the calyx. The yolk 
 jja.^ses into the oviduct 
 en) and then on into 
 (C) where the albumen 
 is secreted and the white 
 of the egg is. formed 
 The egg- then passes on 
 down into (D) the 
 uterus, where the shell 
 forming- substance is se- 
 creted. This illustra- 
 ton furnshed by court- 
 esy of Dr. Hess and 
 Clark. Ashland, Oho. 
 
 but without any results, she will come off, later going on 
 again with failure to accomplish anything as before. The 
 comb will turn pale after the case runs awhile. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 87 
 
 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, you 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. 
 
 Dropsy. 
 
 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 be seen in 
 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 t reat 
 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 tTrenty 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 recovery. 
 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 oulphate of mag- 
 
88 POULTRY DISEASE 
 
 nesia in a pint of the drinking water. Peed sparingly lor 
 ten days. 
 
 Soft Shelled Eggs. 
 This trouble is usually accounted for by lack of shell 
 making material. In one sense it is a diseased condition 
 and should be looked after promptly. As a general thing 
 it is caused by the bird being in an over fat condition at 
 the time the egg is developing, or forming. Cases have 
 been traced to the inflamation 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, lor 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 solt 
 shelled eggs during the late winter months than at 
 any other time of the year. Give five drops ol fluid ex- 
 tract ol ergot in a pint ol water lor the affected bird to 
 drink every other day and allow no other drink for a week 
 at least. 
 
 Inflamation 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. Inflamation of the oviduct general- 
 ly appears in connection with an egg bound condition, or 
 cases have been known to start from the over feeding ol 
 condiments or "egg foods" which are too irritating to use. 
 It is easy to discover the bird with this trouble lor 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 il the bird Is 
 trying to expel an egg and il 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 lever will decrease 
 and the bird ynll 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 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 89 
 
 wings dragging the ground. The .bird now is certainly dis- 
 gusting 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 peroxide of hydrogen 
 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. 
 
 Peritonitis. 
 
 The delicate lining of the abdomen becomes suddenly 
 inflamed, this originates from some other inflamed organ 
 of the abdomen and :peritonItis must come from some other 
 trouble of the abdomen. The breaking of a small blood 
 vessel will also cause inflamation to set up and the en- 
 tire delicate lining of the abdomen is inflamed before you 
 realize what has eaken place. There will be a high fever 
 and the temperature of the bird will run as high as 105 
 to 110 degrees. As the inflamation Increases the' bird 
 will become weak and finally falling on its side and being 
 unable to walk will lie and die. There is no appetite and 
 breathing is very heavy especially during the last few 
 hours of the bird's life. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Place the bird in a coop away from the other birds 
 and nothing can be done only let the bird die or better 
 still kill it and get it out of its misery. This trouble is in- 
 curable and the only thing that can be done is to prevent 
 any more cases from appearing. While the bird is sick 
 give beef juice and fresh sweet milk as nourishment, only 
 a few teaspoonfuls three or four times- a day will be 
 sufficient. 
 
90 
 
 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Vent-Gleet. 
 
 This disease is very contagious and if not attended 
 to at once as it makes its appearance in your flock you 
 ■will likely be bothered with it quite a lot. As soon as the 
 male bird becomes affected the rest of the hens will have 
 it as it is propagated by copulation. It is an Inflamation 
 that attacks the cloaca and you first notice it by a frequent 
 attempt of the bird to pass excrement, but still nothing Is 
 passed-. "The membranes of the vent are swollen and the 
 parts are red and inflamed. There will be a milky dis- 
 charge which forms a crust on and near tne vent. This is 
 very offensive. When you discover a hen with vent-gleet 
 you should isolate her at once so as to prevent any new 
 cases from appearing. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Bathe the inflamed parts in warm water as hot as can 
 be borne to your wrist, and allow the bird to sit over a 
 steaming kettle, either will be satisfactory. Add two tea- 
 
 OlgcBtlve and Reproductive Organs 
 
 After the food has heen 
 moistened it is forced down- 
 ward by the contraction of 
 the muscles of the crop (A) 
 to another dilated portion, 
 the proventriculus (B) where 
 a true digestive fluid is sup- 
 plied and certain kinds of 
 food digested. 
 
 From the proventriculus 
 the food passes to the grizzard 
 (C) for trituration. This is a 
 large ovoid body, flat on the 
 sides, and provided with pow- 
 erful muscles to compress the 
 food swallowed against small 
 stones or other sharp cutting 
 substances that instinct has 
 taught the bird to pick up. 
 This grinding process soon 
 reduces the hardest grain 
 to pulp. 
 
 The intestine (D) of the or- 
 dinary fowl is between six 
 and seven feet in length. The 
 liver (H) is an accessory or- 
 gan of digestion. The caeca 
 (E), the rectum is (F) and 
 the cloaca (G) is the last 
 portion of the bowel. This 
 illustration furnished by 
 courtesy of Dr. Hess and 
 Clark, Ashland, Ohio. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 
 
 91 
 
 spoonfuls of ci-eolin to a gallon of the water. If there are 
 any crusts or scabs present remove them. After bathing 
 in this warm water you can now cleanse the inflamed parts 
 
 THE PHYSIOLOGY OP EGG PRODUCTION. 
 Oviduct of laying hen: 1, Ovary witli minute ovule.s; 
 2-3, yolk sacs; 4. suture line; 5, empty yollt sac; 7. funnel 
 opening- into oviduct; 8, yollf in oviduct; 9, albumen secreting 
 region; 10, albumen being secreted; 11, yolk passing through 
 oviduct; 1^. germinal disk: 13, isthmus; 14. uterus; 1.5, large 
 intestine; 17, cloaca. On the right from the top downward 
 are shown; (Complete ^gg; yolk of egg incubated Ifi hours; 
 completed egg in uteru.s — (1) isthmus, (2) glands of uterus, 
 (3) egg, M) vagina, (5) cloaca. 
 
92 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 with peroxide of hydrogen. If the discharge still appears 
 you can take a piece of cotton and soak it in the following 
 solution and insert into the vent three times a day, One 
 ounce of distilled water (or rain water either) sugar of lead 
 three grains and sulphate of zinc three grains. Always 
 shake the mixture thoroughly before using. This will dry up 
 the discharge. If your sick bird is not well in two weeks 
 it will be well to kill and cremate. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 PARASITES 
 
 Three Different Varieties — Lice, Mites and Fleas — 
 
 Formulas for Making Lice Powder and Liquid Lice 
 
 Killer — How to Fight Them. 
 
 When your birds appear to be sick and out of con- 
 dition you had better examine them closely and see if 
 their bodies are not afflicted with some parasite. There 
 are three kinds of parasites that affect poultry; lice, mites 
 and fleas. Which is the worst, it is hard to determine if 
 you let either of them alone unmolested. I think lice are 
 noticed more, in fact they are found in larger numbers 
 than the other two. Some of our best poultrymen will 
 tell you today that lice will cause them more trouble than 
 anything else. Lice may be classed as the magic word 
 that means more disease, poor egg yield and a great loss 
 to poultrymen in general. In the winter while the birds 
 are housed up in close houses most of the time, they are 
 almost certain to be full of lice for do not think lice will 
 not breed on birds in the winter time for this is the time 
 they breed and get their work in on them. Lice are in 
 season twelve months in the year, ifl- winter and summer 
 just the same. When fowls are enjoying outdoor liberty 
 they are not as bad as when they are closed up in houses 
 all winter. 
 
 As I have said above if the birds are not doing right 
 and seem to be out of condition, or if your egg yield is 
 falling off the first thing for you to do is to examine the 
 birds closely for lice. If you ask a person if their fowls 
 are lousy they will answer • most every time that they are 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 93 
 
 not; when nine times out of ten they are, but they hate to 
 own up to it. When a person feels sure that his fowls are 
 free from lice it is a very good time to begin work against 
 them for if they have a louse or two on them now they 
 will be lined with them in a month or so. They will breed 
 very fast and soon eat the birds up. While experimenting 
 a few years ago with a hen that was full of these pests 
 she went to setting and hatched a very nice flock of chicks 
 but it was under great difficulties. Of course the little 
 chicks were full of them as soon as they were hatched. 
 They began to die oH until only two were left at the end 
 of two weeks, then they would not grow any and there 
 were no feathers on them which of course was caused by 
 depluming mites. They were the worst looking sights you 
 ever saw and soon died from weakness. In the meantime 
 the hen was nothing but skin and bones, the feathers were 
 eaten up all but the quill, the skin was scaly and she fin- 
 ally died from a bad case of diarrhoea in just seven weeks 
 from the time I set her. This was only an experiment for I 
 wanted to see how long a hen could live under such con- 
 ditions. 
 
 There are many different varieties of lice, fleas and 
 mites but it is not necessary to describe all of them in 
 order to combat them successfully. 
 
 Lice. 
 
 A louse possesses six legs and on each leg there are 
 a pair of sharp claws. They live on the body and among 
 the feathers of the birds; their bodies are of an oblong 
 shape, and they vary in color according to the variety and 
 age of them. They do not suck or drink blood from the bird 
 but live on and among the feathers . They might suck or 
 drink blood that might come from the abrasions of the 
 skin but they have no sucking organs. They are a source 
 of great irritation to the bird and if the bird has tender 
 skin it might cause some bad skin disease. When lice are 
 present they fret and worry the bird so it can not sleep or 
 get any rest at all, but must fight the pests from sun up to 
 sun down and all night. And of course such conditions tend 
 to weaken the bird's constitution and if on little chicks 
 they will be dumpish and have no energy to move around 
 and follow the rest of the brood. 
 
94 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 In looking for these pests examine the feathers careful- 
 ly on the back, then under the wings and on the legs, now 
 examine the cushion on the neck then look h;tween the 
 legs and near the vent. I expect you will find the most 
 around the vent for this is the favorite place for them. If 
 you do not find more than one or two you can use a good 
 lice powder and kill them but if they are very thick you 
 will have to use a more vigorous treatment, and use it 
 about four times at intervals of about ten days. 
 
 It is estimated by good authorities that in eight weeks 
 time one louse can produce from itself and its offspring 
 about one hundred and twenty-five thousand lice; so you 
 see what a few will do for you if you do not work against 
 them from the start. Some think that one to two or a half 
 dozen will, not hurt any thing much but right here is where 
 you make the mistake. 
 
 Lice seem to thrive on birds that are listless or 
 droopy, stunted growth and rough feathered. In adult 
 birds that are affected with these pests the combs and 
 wattles will be pale, there will sometimes be a diarroheal 
 discharge. 
 
 Lice rarely ever breed on chicks but are ipassed from 
 some adult bird to them. They breed on the fowl among 
 the feathers and the warmth of the bird's body hatches 
 the eggs. These eggs are either laid in clusters or singly 
 among the soft fluffy feathers near the vent. 
 
 Mites. • 
 
 .Mites are just as bad pests as lice, they 
 will stay on the roosts, nests, sides of the 
 building and in cracks during the day and go 
 onto the fowls at night. The most common is 
 the red or gray mite which breeds in the 
 cracks, etc., or in fact most any place filth ia 
 RED MITE allow to accumulate. If the roost comes in 
 contact with the wall of the building this is a satisfactory 
 place for them to hide and breed. Mites are unlike lice; 
 they will go onto the bird at night and bite and bore 
 through the skin and suck the blood from it, therefore de- 
 priving the bird from its rest and saping up the best of its 
 vitality; this is the time the bird needs rest and must 
 have it in order to build up the broken down tissues. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 95 
 
 A mite that is fuU o£ blood is a redish color but 
 otherwise they are a grey or whitish color. They are 
 about one-fourth of an inch in length which makes them 
 very hard to see -with the eye. They often cluster in col- 
 onies and congregate for a considerable length of time and 
 in these places they look nothing more than uust and webs. 
 
 In sultry summer weather they breed very fast, by 
 the millions and will often attack the birds in the day time 
 if they sit upon the roosts or prefer to stay in the house. 
 They will make the setting hen leave the nest and if she 
 stays at her post she will soon die from exhaustion and 
 loss of blood which the pests suck from her. 
 
 They will also attack horses, cows, etc., and cause 
 great irritation and skin diseases. Mites do not breathe 
 through the pores of their skin like lice, hence dusting 
 them has very little effect on them. 
 
 Kerosene Emulsion — Dissolve a bar of common laundry 
 soap or whale oil soap in a gallon of boiling water; take 
 from the stove and add a little at a time, two gallons of 
 kerosene oil, churning the emulsion all the time; the emul- 
 sion when well churned should be of the thickness Of heavy 
 cream. One part of the emulsion to 6 to 10 parts of water 
 makes a spray for ridding the poultry house of mites. 
 
 Remedy for Mites — Spray the house thoroughly, reach- 
 ing every point with kerosene emulsion, 1 part of emulsion 
 to 7 of water. 
 
 New Lice Exterminatep — Sodium Fluoride is a fine white 
 powder that does not lose its strength by being exposed 
 to the air. One application will kill any lice or eggs on 
 the fowl or in the poultry house. It may be used either dis- 
 solved in water as a dip or applied on the, fowls In powder 
 form. A pinch of powder applied to the head, under the 
 wings and above the vent or fluff will do the trick. 
 
 Treatment for Head Lice on chicks — Annoint the head 
 under the wings and about the vent with tincture of larks- 
 pur; use the ball of the finger in applying this ipoison. 
 
 Depluming Mites. 
 
 These pests live on the fowls at the base of the feath- 
 ers and by the operation of these mites will cause the 
 feathers to become diseased and irritated and will fall 
 out leaving the skin smooth and with a pinkish tint and 
 
96 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 sometimes very red. They generally work on the neck 
 and head. Remove the feathers from the affected parts 
 and with the aid of a magnifying glass you can see the 
 depluming mites at the base of the feathers. 
 
 For treating these cases there is nothing better than 
 carbolated vaseline; apply every day for about ten days. 
 If you do not begin with the first case that makes its ap- 
 pearance and treat it at once you are liable to be bothered 
 with it quite a lot for the rest of the flock will have them. 
 Keep the coops and brooders clean and use a good disin- 
 fectant. 
 
 Fleas. 
 We rarely ever see any of these pes'.s on fowls, In 
 some sections they are worse than others. They will 
 tear and bite the skin of birds and cause great pain; they 
 are also blood suckers. The females will bury themselves 
 in the skin and cause a watery growth and after it heals 
 up it will leave a scar that has the appearance of a bum. 
 When the bird is attacked by a gi'eat number of these 
 fleas at once it will die if something Is not done immediately. 
 
 To Eradicate Vermin. 
 
 In fighting vermin you must remember the little 
 things and look after them carefully. No doubt you have 
 often heard the old maxim which was something like this: 
 "take care of the nickles and dimes and the dollars will 
 take care of themselves." This is pretty true nevertheless, 
 in both cases. Remember that in fighting lice, they are 
 deep into the feathers and for the treatment to be suc- 
 cessful it must reach them. Any of the commercial lice 
 powders advertised today are good but if you can get them 
 that contain tobacco dust they will give you better satis- 
 faction for tobacco dust Is very poisonous to lice. In 
 dusting lousy birds take them by the legs, head downward 
 and dust the powder well into the feathei-s and work it 
 down next to the skin so it will reach the lice, especially 
 among the fluff of the feathers and near the vent where 
 lice are found in large numbers. Treat' them every ten 
 days ai least for if there are any nits on the feathers af- 
 ter the lice are killed they will hatch out again and soon 
 have the birds covered with the pests again. 
 
 A good lice powder can be made at home very cheap- 
 ly and it will be found satisfactory in every way. Take 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 97 
 
 three pounds of tobacco dust, one-half pound of pyrethum, 
 one ounce of carbolic acid and one pound of air slacked 
 lime. Mix thoroughly and have them well dried and ap- 
 ply as directed above and you will find it will do the work 
 satisfactory. 
 
 If you will dust fowls in this manner it will keep the 
 lice down and the fowls will be practically free of them. 
 
 You can also free your fowls from lice by using a 
 good liquid lice killer; most that are advertised on the 
 market will do the work all right and in a satisfactory man- 
 ner but some times you need it when you have not got it and 
 if you should have to order it it would be late and perhaps 
 the lice would eat the birds up before you could geit it. A 
 good liquid lice killer can be made at home and very cheap. 
 
 It can be made by dissolving napthaline flakes in 
 kerosene all it will take up then to this add one ounce of 
 creolin. This is also good to apply to roosts and nests to 
 kill mites. In using this to destroy lice on fowls you will 
 have to have a box large enough for about ten birds; paint 
 the sides and bottom of it with the solution and place the 
 birds in it and cover with a piece of burlap and place some 
 on the burlap. Let the birds stay in the box about thirty 
 to forty-five minutes and if you will remove them you will 
 find the lice on the bottom of the box dead or dying. 
 Pour treatments one week apart will be sufficient to kill 
 every louse on them. Have the burlap heavy enough to 
 give the fowls plenty of fresh air for if you do not you 
 might smother them to death. 
 
 If you will spray the nests, roosts, dropping boards 
 with a strong solution of creolin and kerosene you will 
 kill every mite present. It is better to use a good spray 
 for in this manner you can get it in every crack and crev- 
 ice right where they stay and breed. Do not let dust ac- 
 cumulate for these places make good dens for them to 
 breed in. It is a good idea to spray your house every 
 time you clean it out and especially in warm sultry weath- 
 er when they are at their worst. 
 
 In killing head lice on small chicks a little lard with 
 a few drops of creolin added makes a splendid remedy. 
 And a little will go a long way. Carbolated vaseline with 
 the creolin added will be as good. Grease them about 
 twice and that will be sufficient to kill all lice on them. 
 
98 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 For fleas, sunlight and whitewash is all that is need- 
 ed. In dark places where dust has accumulated and un- 
 der trees and bushes soapy water with a little kerosene ad- 
 ded will exterminate them. 
 
 Dipping Fowls to Kill Vermin. 
 
 Fowls can be dipped and every louse or parasite on 
 them will be killed and it is very simple to do. On some 
 warm clear day you can get a large pail for dipping them 
 in and you can dip a very large flock in a short time. 
 Most any of the dips advertised now will be all right but 
 if you wish you can make one that will give as good sat- 
 isfaction. Take ten quarts of water heated to about 100 
 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit and to this add six ounces of 
 creolin and you have a good dip. Let it dissolve well be- 
 fore using. Now you can begin dipping them by holding 
 the bird by the wings and immerse all except the head, 
 work the bird up and down in the dip for about one min- 
 ute then remove it and hold on the dripping board which 
 will run it back into the bucket. In this way you save 
 most of your dip. You can also rub the bird and get more 
 of it out and it will make the bird dry quicker. You can 
 let the bird go and dry gradually in the sun or In a heated 
 room. This may be some little bother but you know it 
 is thorough. 
 
 There are too many good reliable remedies for kill- 
 ing lice on fowls for a person to let these pests gradually 
 suck the life out of your birds. Birds can not possibly 
 thrive and do well with them on them. They will not lay 
 any eggs, they are certainly a bad looking object for the 
 owner to look upon, they are liable to have all diseases 
 if you do not get them off immediately and in fact I could 
 give you many reasons why you should not let them be 
 bothered with these pests. But I know most everyone is 
 aware of what they will do and cause. And most of the 
 intelligent and up-to-date poultrymen will not stand for such. 
 
AND THEIR REMEDIES 99 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 HABITS 
 
 Egg and Feather Eating. 
 
 Egg eating is a very bad habit and is extremely an- 
 noying to the owner. It is usually caused by over crowd- 
 ing, lack of exercise and the use of nests that are too low 
 on the ground and are too light. Nests should be made 
 as dark as possible so that they cannot see the eggs after 
 they are laid. A desire for meat food will often cause 
 the hen to eat her eggs after she has once gotten the taste 
 of one. The first taste of an egg that they generally get 
 is one that is layed on the roost and broken or is soft 
 shelled. The habit rarely ever makes its appearance in 
 a flock on a free range and one that is fed on a balanced 
 ration. 
 
 It is hard to cure a hen of this habit after she has once 
 gotten the taste of the eggs. And it is best to dispose of 
 all hen that have it. They should be eaten or sent to 
 market. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Make your nests darker, give free range and make 
 them work and exercise after all the food tney get. Bury 
 it in the deep litter or spade up the earth and bury it 
 Provide plenty of meat or animal matter. If possible 
 elevate the nests about two feet above the floor; construct 
 the nests so they will not permit the eggs to be scratched 
 out onto the floor and broken; this will often start the 
 habit. 
 
 Feed cabbage to them in heads and swing them up so 
 they can pick at it at will and this will keep them busy. 
 Often it can be cured by scattering china nest eggs over 
 the ground and in the houses and nests and after they 
 find out they can not eat them they will not try to eat any 
 more eggs. 
 
100 POULTRY DISEASES 
 
 Feather Eating. 
 
 This habit is generally caused by insufficient ex- 
 ercise and over crowding. I have noticed cases with all 
 of the feathers eaten off of the neck leaving the neck en- 
 tirley bare and of course these cases are very annoying and 
 disgusting to the owner. It is usually caused by one cer- 
 tain bird in the flock. When birds are housed up in the 
 winter for weeks at a time they generally get the habit 
 then. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 Make close investigation for the hen that is causing 
 the trouble and remove her at once. And it is best to sell 
 her for she will never stop the habit and will be of no use 
 as a breeder. If you will place the birds on free range 
 and make them take more exercise this will often help the 
 matter along quite a lot. 
 
 As a treatment apply an ointment of some bitter sub- 
 stance and this will often cause them to stop their habit. 
 Quinine or aloes mixed with vaseline or lard will make 
 a very good remedy or tobacco boiled in water will be 
 found very satisfactory. 
 
 Rub the feathers with either of these remedies and 
 after they have taken one or two of these bitter doses 
 they will not be so keen to eat them any more. There 
 are "poultry bits" being advertised now to keep birds from 
 eating feathers and I have found these very satisfactory 
 and you can get them from any poultry oupply house. It 
 is a small piece of leather that fits in the mouth to pre- 
 vent the bird from closing its mouth or beak on the feather, 
 but in no way -will it prevent the bird from eating; they 
 are held in place by a fine wire brought through the nostril. 
 
 The best cure for feather eating is to give the birds 
 the right kind of food and make them exercise after all 
 the food you give them and as long as a bird Is at work 
 it will not get into any trouble. 
 
TABLE ON CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 Chapter I — Requirements of Health 3 
 
 Chapter II— The Skin 12 
 
 Chapter III — Legs and Feet 19 
 
 Chapter IV — Head, Throat and Nasal Passages 28 
 
 Chapter V — The • Lungs 58 
 
 Chapter VI — The Crop and Intestines 65 
 
 Chapter VII — The Abdomen and Egg Organs 84 
 
 Chapter VIII — Parasites 92 
 
 Page 
 
 Abdomen and 
 
 Egg Organs 84- 
 
 Apoplexy 48-50 
 
 Black Head 75-76 
 
 Black Rot 53-54 
 
 Bowel Trouble or 
 
 White Diarrhoea . . . 71-75 
 
 Breakdown 84-85 
 
 Broken Shanks 23- 
 
 Bronchitis 59-60 
 
 Bumble-Foot 19-20 
 
 Canker 39-40 
 
 Chicken Pox ; 12-17 
 
 Cholera 68-71 
 
 Congestion of the Liver 75-76 
 Conaiestion of the Lungs 62- 
 Conjunctivitis or Bye. . 
 
 Troubles 42-43 
 
 Consumption 59-60 
 
 Common Colds 35-36 
 
 Common Diarrhoea .... 66- 
 
 Cramps 26- 
 
 Crop Bound 79-82 
 
 Crop of Intestines . . . 79-82 
 
 Croup 34-35 
 
 Depluming Mites 95- 
 
 Diarrhoea from Poison 66-67 
 
 Diarrhoea White 71-74 
 
 Diphtheria 37-38 
 
 Dropsy 25-26 
 
 Dysentery 67-68 
 
 Eczema 17-18 
 
 Rs;g Bound 85-86 
 
 Egg Eating 99- 
 
 Enlareed Crop 82-83 
 
 Enteritis 65-66 
 
 Pish Skin 17- 
 
 Favus or White Comb 54-55 
 
 Feather Bating 99-100 
 
 Fleas 96- 
 
 Frost Bite 
 
 Fungoid 
 
 Gapes 
 
 Gastritis 
 
 Habits 
 
 Head, Throat and .... 
 
 Nasel Passages .... 
 Health, Require- 
 
 ments of 
 
 Hypertrophy of the . . . 
 
 Liver 
 
 Inflamation of the Crop 
 Inflamation of the.... 
 
 Liver 
 
 Inflamation of Oviduct 
 Influenza or "Grippe". 
 Injuries of the Comb . . 
 
 Leg Weakness 
 
 Lice 
 
 Limberneck 
 
 The Lungs 
 
 l*f ites 
 
 Parasites 
 
 P°ritonitis 
 
 Pip 
 
 Pneumonia 
 
 Prolansus of the 
 
 Oviduct 
 
 Rheumatism 
 
 Round Worms 
 
 Roup 
 
 Pcaly Leg 
 
 Skin, The 
 
 Soft Shelled Eggs . . . 
 
 Tub<^rculosls 
 
 Vent Gleet 
 
 V^hlte Comb or Favus 
 
 Wild Puff 
 
 Worms, Round 
 
 Worms, Tape 
 
 Page 
 
 56-57 
 
 55-56 
 
 43-47 
 
 67- 
 
 98-99 
 
 29-59 
 
 3-20 
 
 77-78 
 82-83 
 
 76- 
 
 88-89 
 
 41-42 
 
 57- 
 
 20-21 
 
 93-94 
 
 50-52 
 
 58-59 
 
 94-95 
 
 92-98 
 
 89- 
 
 40-41 
 
 61-62 
 
 83- 
 
 22-23 
 
 77-78 
 
 28-34 
 
 24-25 
 
 12-19 
 
 88- 
 
 62-63 
 
 90-91 
 
 54-55 
 
 18- 
 
 77-78 
 
 78-79