FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. 741 



spots. Some recommend an ointment of calomel 1 part, vaseline S parts; 

 others prefer a mixture of soft soap 20 parts, carbolic acid 1 part, to be 

 well mixed and applied daily. An ointment of red oxide of mercury 1 part, 

 vaseline 8 parts, is also used, as well as olive oil containing 1 per cent 

 of carbolic or cresylic acid. 



It is essential that the affected bird should be separated from the 

 flock, put in a dry, clean place, and given good nourishing food. If the 

 feathered parts of the body are affected, it is better to kill the bird, as 

 the treatment would be long and expensive and there would be danger 

 of the disease spreading. 



The disease should be prevented by excluding all affected birds, by 

 burning the bodies of those which die or are killed, and by disinfecting 

 the houses where diseased birds have been. 



"GOING LIGHT" (LOSS OF WEIGHT). 



"Going light" is a term applied to fowls which persistently lose weight, 

 become emaciated, anemic, weak, and unproductive. Sometimes it is 

 only one or two birds that are so affected, but frequently it is a large 

 part of the flock. Fowls "go light" from different causes; sometimes 

 it is the result of being severely infested with lice and mites; at other 

 times it is due to intestinal worms; and at still other times to chronic 

 forms of infection with aspergillosis, coccidiosis, tuberculosis, or cholera. 

 When, therefore, the fowls are not thriving, and when lifted appear to 

 weigh little mora than should the feathers with which they are cov- 

 ered, an investigation should be made to determine the cause. This 

 should begin with the food supply and it should be ascertained whether 

 the birds have been receiving a sufficient quantity of sound and nutri- 

 tious food. Then the birds and the houses should be carefully examined 

 for lice and mites. Separate the feathers under the wings, about the 

 vent, and over the rump, and look carefully for these parasites. Then 

 examine the houses, take out the roosts and examine them carefully, es- 

 pecially on the under sides and at the ends; also the woodwork on which 

 the roosts are supported. If no defect is found in the rations, and the 

 birds and houses are free from lice and mites, kill one of the lightest 

 birds and carefully open the intestines for their entire length to learn 

 if the birds are harboring a sufficient number of intestinal worms to 

 account for their condition. A few worms would not have such a per- 

 nicious effect; but if there are many they would certainly be partly, 

 and probably would be entirely, responsible for the emaciation. If the 

 fowl is found to have few, if any, parasitic worms, the cause of the 

 trouble is probably a chronic infection with one of the microbes men- 

 tioned above. 



The treatment of this condition will obviously depend upon its 

 cause. If it is found to be due to insufficient food or food of bad quality, 

 a proper ration must be provided. If it is due to lice and mites or to 

 intestinal worms, these parasites must be combated by the measures 

 elsewhere enumerated. If it results from chronic microbian infection, 

 ■ an effort should be made to overcome this by thorough cleaning and dis- 

 infection of the houses, by feeding sour milk or buttermilk with the 



