10 



the results appeared to point to a weakness in chicks so hatched. I was 

 never satisfied with these tests, and this year having- machines from which 

 the lamp fumes could be piped direct from the lamp of one machine to the 

 intake of any other, we thought it wise to try and see what the result 

 would be. We possibly lost a portion of the fumes and no doubt intro- 

 duced some air from the room, but we did succeed in introducing- sufficient 

 lamp smoke to turn white eggs about the color of smoked ham, and the 

 machine had a strong odor of lamp smoke. Needless for me to say that 

 the results so far are a surprise. 



General Symptoms of What is Commonly Called White Diarrhcla 



in Young Chicks. 



When chicks are about twenty-four to ninety-six hours old, they 

 resemble one another very much in appearance, with the exception that 

 we have noticed that hen-hatched chickens and chickens hatched in moist 

 incubators were longer in the down or looked larger and fluffier. The 

 trouble generally begins about the fifth day. Some of the chicks will have 

 a thin, white discharge from the vent ; the chick is not active, it has a 

 sleepy look, and the head appears to settle back towards the body. One 

 would think the chick was cold or in great pain. Some of the chickens 

 get in the warmest spot under the hover ; others have intense thirst. The 

 white discharge from the vent is not always present. The chicks may 

 die in large numbers between the fifth and tenth days, or there may be a 

 gradual dropping off each day until they are perhaps six weeks of age. The 

 disease kills some quickly ; others linger for a week or more. A few 

 chicks appear to recover, but seldom, if ever, make good birds ; they are 

 small, unthrifty, and are good subjects for roup or any other epidemic to 

 which chickens are subject. 



To the ordinary observer a post-mortem examination will reveal the 

 following conditions : The lungs will usually show white spots on them ; 

 these are generally seen on the side of the lungs next to the ribs. The 

 white spots are generally quite hard and cheesy. These spots are not 

 always present, but from our examinations I would judge they are in fifty 

 per cent, of the cases. I have seen these in chicks on every poultry farm 

 that use incubators where I have been this year. Some lungs have no 

 white spots, but are red, sometimes fleshy. These, in our experience, are 

 not very common unless the chickens get chilled. 



The yolk is often hard and cheesy. It varies greatly ; some yolks are 

 of a gelatinous nature or almost like the white of the eggs ; others are 

 hard and cheesy and very yellow in color, and sometimes are greatly 

 inflamed ; other yolks appear like a custard that has curdled, and these 

 have usually a very offensive odor. The caeca, or blind intestine, is fre- 

 quently filled with a cheesy substance. 



We have written notes on 463 post-mortems held between April and 

 August, 1907. It may be interesting to know what are the general con- 



