104 



" A good breast is the great thing in table birds, and unfortu- 

 nately this is where so many breeds are deficient nowaday?. The 

 Langshan is an exception, and the Plymouth Rock now and then shows 

 depth and width according to his nearness to his forebears, the Domi- 

 niques. When breeding for table, directly il is noticed that the birds 

 are running to too much rump, as it is called, new blood should be 

 introduced into the flock. The Brahma is very much inclined to this, 

 for which reason it makes a bad cross. Experience and experimenting 

 will very soon point out what combinations makes the best table birds. 



AILMENTS AND DISEASE* - . 



" Liver disease in some form or other is by far the most frequent 

 of all diseases in this climate. The symptoms are not always alike, 

 but as a rule there is discolouration of the comb and loss of weight ; 

 though the birds may eat well, the food does not remain in the crop, 

 but passes through in an undigested state. The trouble may be con- 

 stitutional, or brought on by damp or cold, or it may be the result of 

 over-feeding, the birds being allowed access to soft food at all times. 



" Chickens will often develop liver disease from being too freely 

 fed on sloppy rich food. To cure it in grown fowls give one grain 

 of calomel every second day for a week or ten days, also a pill made 

 up of cod-liver oil, oatmeal, and a little powered charcoal every night 

 and morning. Unless a bird is very valuable it is not worth while 

 bothering with, once the disease has got a strong hold. It is seldom 

 safe to breed from a bird that is inclined to liver disease, and cer- 

 tainly not before the season following recovery. 



" Crooked breasts are very common in this colony. They come 

 from constitutional weakness, in-breeding, and want of bone-making 

 material in the food. The disease or rather ailment, for it is hardly a 

 disease, corresponds to rickets in children. The only remedy is to 

 build up the constitution of the flock by supplying bone-dust, and 

 giving some preparation of iron in the food. 



" Scours, or dysentery, is a common complaint among chickens. 

 It may be the effect of bad feeding, overcrowding, too much of the 

 same food, or a dozen other things. The droppings are very watery, 

 and like curdled milk, or yellow, even orange-colour at times. Give 

 15-grain doses of Epsmi salts for three days. 



" To help the moult, give iron tonic and sulphur or a few handfuls 

 of sunflower-seed every day. 



"Hard Crop or Crop-bound. — For obstinate or very bad casts 

 the only thing is to open the crop, clean it out thoroughly, and sew it 

 up again. It may sound a very formidable operation, but it is not so 

 in reality. The crop should be opened al one side, pluck away some 

 of the feathers, and then with the scissors make the opening. Turn 

 the contents out, using something such as a tooth-brush handle to get 

 all the food out. Having done that, wash the crop out with a little 

 warm water ; then very carefully draw the inner skin together first, 

 and put three or four stitches in and tic them : then take np the other 

 skin and put the ties in between where the under ones are. JShut the 

 bird up for a day or so, and give no food lor twelve hours, then only a 

 little and dry, as sloppy food may cause the wound to fester. Some- 

 times the hard mass may be softened by pouring warm water down 



