726 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



droop, the appetite is diminished, and the thirst increased; the comb 

 and wattles may be a dark bluish red from engorgement with poorly 

 oxygenated blood, or they may be pale and bloodless on account of 

 the congestion of the internal organs, especially the liver. 



The affected birds soon become very weak, drowsy, and often sleep 

 so soundly during the last day or two of their lives that it is diflficult to 

 arouse them. If made to move they stagger forward for a few steps only 

 in an uncertain manner and with dragging wings. The crop is generally 

 distended with food and apparently paralyzed, and the feathers about 

 the vent are soiled and sometimes pasted together with excrement. 



As death approaches, the weight and the strength of the bird rapidly 

 diminish, it breathes with difficulty, sits with the beak open, and the 

 breathing may be heard at some distance. Finally the weakness is 

 such that the beak is rested on the ground, and a little later the bird 

 falls over on one side, makes a few convulsive movements, and dies. 



In the very acute cases no symptoms are seen; the birds may be 

 found dead under the roosts, or they may fall at the feed trough and 

 die in a few minutes. 



The cholera-like diseases often occur In a chronic form, which may 

 follow an acute attack of the disease or may be chronic from the first. 

 This form is characterized by a continually increasing weakness, loss 

 of weight, bloodlessness, and, finally, an exhaustive diarrhea. Some- 

 times one or more joints of the wings or feet swell, the birds become 

 very lame, and later the swellings break and discharge a creamy or 

 cheesy mass which contains large numbers of the germs. 



These diseases may destroy the greater part of a flock in a week and 

 then disappear, or they may linger for months, only occasionally killing 

 a bird. The time between exposure to the contagion and the appear- 

 ance of symptons is from 2 to 5 days, and the duration of the disease 

 is from 24 hours to 10 days. 



The most characteristic changes seen after death are red spots on the 

 surface of the heart, which give it the appearance of having been 

 sprinkled with blood, congestion and enlargement of the liver, and swell- 

 ing of the spleen. 



Treatment. — The best method of treatment is to kill the sick fowls in 

 such a way as not to spread the infection with their blood, burn or deeply 

 bury their bodies, separate the remaining birds into small lots of 3 to 

 5 each, so that when a bird is attacked there will not be more than this 

 number exposed to it; then watch each lot so as to remove any sick 

 bird as soon as symptoms appear. Disinfectants should be used in the 

 houses and yards where the disease first appeared, and also in the small 

 pens in which the» separated birds are kept. 



If it is deemed advisable to treat the sick birds, they may be given 2 

 to 4 teaspoonfuls of a one-half per cent carbolic solution twice a day. 

 This is generally made by adding 1 part of the 5 per cent solution to 9 

 parts of water. They should also be given buttermilk to drink. 



Generally the best results are obtained by killing the sick birds and 

 separating the well ones into small pens and giving to each one 2 doses 

 of the carbolic acid solution daily for three or four days. The houses 



