3Iay 2, 1908.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 395 



Diseases of Fowls. 



[Coiitinucd from page 222.] 



G. BRADfSHAW. 



Chapter VI IT. 



Rheumatic Troubles. 

 This general description includes the several forms (jf limb trouble to which 

 fowls are subject, because at first sight they are not easil}' distinguishable 

 from one another, but, as a rule, the treatment is the same. The different 

 ailments are rheumatism, leg-weakness, and cramp. 



Rheumatism may be said to arise from blood ioipurities, which, if not 

 removed, form deposits in the limbs, and these deposits constitute what is 

 know as gout. Poultry which are reared in confined places, where the amount 

 of exercise is limited, or where kept in damp places, or roost in damp houses, 

 are mo5t likely to suffer from the complaint. The treatment which is 

 effective for rheumatism and gout consists in giving some saline aperient, 

 such as Epsom salts, to clear the system, using a little stimulating liniaient, 

 in order to revive the muscular action, and chssipate any deposit that may- 

 have a tendency to form. 



The legs should be first well bathed with warm water, and then rubbed 

 briskly with a mixture of turpentine and salad oil. The fowls should have 

 good and nutritious feeding during the time of treatment. 



Leg-weakness is of several kinds, and before deiling with the usual forms 

 of it, it may be well to mention that sometimes young hens lose the power of 

 their legs after laying, and this must be carefully distinguishe 1 from the 

 ordinary leg-weakness, and usually occurs more suddenly. 



A young hen may have laid, or want to lay, and she may quite unexpectedly 

 lose all power from her legs, and remain squatted down, unable to move. This 

 indicates muscular trouble in the egg organs, to overstraining in laying a 

 double-yolked egg, inflammation, or other causes. 



Leg-weakness proper affects young poultry for the most part, and is due to 

 constitutional weakness, improper feeding, etc., and appears in cockerels more 

 often than in pullets, and usually in those of between 3 and -5 months of age. 

 It is particularly prevalent with the heavier breeds, and those of the long- 

 legged varieties which require a considerable amount of bone in their long 

 limbs to support the weight of their bodies. The bird is more or less 

 incapable of holding itself up, and frequently sinks to the ground, and often 

 is unable to stand. The weakness is frequently due to a forcing diet. To 

 obtain this bone-forming substance it is necessary that the birds should be 

 specially fed on suitable nourishing foods — barley, ground raw bones, and 

 meat, with plenty of fresh green food. 



The best treatment is to administer pills composed of phosphate of lime, 

 5 grains ; sulphate of iron, 1 grain ; sulphate of quinine, ^ grain ; strychnine. 



