NINB'TEBNTH ANNUAL, YEAR BOOK— PART IX 491 



Upon post mortem examination the small intestine is mucli inflamed 

 and may be filled with mucus in which clots of blood are found, or the 

 contents may be frothy and of a brownish color. Small hemorrhagic areas 

 or enlarged blood capillaries may be found on the heart or spleen. The 

 liver is congested and frequently shows whitish spots or irregular areas of 

 degeneration. The kidneys often show inflammation and the lungs may 

 be partly fllled with a grayish brown exudate. Due to the paralysis of the 

 digestive tract, the bird usually dies with a full crop and gizzard. If it 

 has been sick for several days this food material may be partly decom- 

 posed and have a very offensive od'or. This condition is quite character- 

 istic of cholera. 



Method of Spread. — Cholera spreads through the droppings of infected 

 birds. These contain large numbers of the organism and if allowed to 

 contaminate the food and water supply will infect well birds. The blood 

 also carries the germ and it may be contracted by eating the dead bodies 

 of the infected birds or by picking up dried blood where sick birds have 

 been killed. 



Control. — Treatment for sick birds is not advisable. Kill them at once 

 by dislocating the neck and burn their bodies with those that have died 

 from the disease. Institute control measures to prevent further spread- 

 ing. Scatter the flock as widely as possible in small units. Close the 

 house in which they have been until it can be thoroughly cleaned up and 

 disinfected. Control the food and water supply, feeding in such a way 

 that there is little chance for contamination by the droppings. Put the 

 drinking water in clean wooden or earthen jars and in each gallon dissolve 

 one 7.3 grain bichloride of mercury tablet. Prevent contact among . the 

 different groups of birds as far as possible. Be constantly on the lookout 

 for sick birds and destroy at once any showing synjptoms of disease. Clean 

 up the house and yards thoroughly, burning all refuse, and disinfect it sev- 

 eral times, allowing access to plenty of air and sunlight. It is better not to 

 return the birds to the house for several weeks. Several months 

 should elapse before any new stock is brought onto the place. 



If prompt measures are taken when the disease first appears, it may 

 be controlled and the loss kept at a minimum. Carelessness, however, will 

 result in a heavy loss and the flock may be entirely wiped out. 



LIVER TKOUBLE. 



Non-contagious liver diseases usually appear in the late winter and 

 early spring. They are generally brought on by conditions of manage- 

 ment during the winter months. Old birds are most subject to these 

 troubles, and in most flocks a few are lost every year. 



. Symptoms and Post Portem Examination. — The diseased condition may 

 manifest itself in several ways. In some cases the birds die suddenly and 

 it is usually the heaviest hens that succumb. 'They may, however, become 

 sluggish and the comb and face appear yellowish or purple in color. 

 Diarrhoea may be present and the bird refuse to eat. In some cases par- 

 tial recovery may take place and the bird appear brighter, occasionally, or 

 it may recover entirely. On post mortem examination the liver may be 

 greatly enlarged and the body fllled with fatty tissue, or in some cases the 

 liver shrunken and discolored. Other diseases, especially tuberculosis, 



