THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



always dose our own selves at short intervals ; and 

 between morning and night the effect of a drug 

 has often quite ceased. There would often be 

 more success in treating disease, with more 

 frequent and proportionately smaller doses. (3) 

 Never give castor-oil. This drug is almost 

 poison to fowls, making them always wretchedly 

 ill ; and whenever a purge is needed, salts or 

 jalap or calomel should be preferred. 



Yet a few further remarks about symptoms. 

 To give medicine for one or two symptoms 

 only, is the mistake of quack-medicine vendors 

 and of some homcEopathists (not all). The same 

 symptom may denote very different diseases, of 

 which we will give two examples which cover, 

 perhaps, the widest ground. Take first lame- 

 ness. In a very young bird this denotes probably 

 cramp, gouty or rheumatic. (See p. 85.) In 

 older chickens and adults, after bad weather, and 

 with evident pain, it probably means rheumatism. 

 In cockerels almost grown, and apparently 

 healthy in all else, it is most likely leg-iveaktiess. 

 With heat, and swollen joints, and after high 

 feeding, it will md^z'aX^ gout. If an open wound 

 appear, it is joint disease (q.v.). And if more of 

 a dragging lameness, especially in right leg, with 

 evident ill-health, yellowish face, anxious eye, 

 and evident pain in body, it probably means con- 

 gestion or inflammation of the liver. This will 

 explain what we mean ; but we give one more 

 instance in cough. Coming on gradually, of a 

 chronic kind, with little discharge or none, poor 

 appetite, and perhaps emaciation, it stands for 

 consumption. With rather hurried breathing 

 and a little discharge from nostrils, and some 

 expectoration, it is probably bronchitis, especially 

 if there be rattling in the throat. With still 

 more short and evidently distressed breathing, 

 slimy matter in the mouth, obvious pain and 

 fever, and disposition to lie down, the case is 

 probably pneumonia. Finally, some cough is 

 often associated with gapes. It is in this kind of 

 comparative study, from the descriptions follow- 

 ing, that indications for treatment are to be 

 found. 



We have only further to add, before proceeding 

 to details, that any really serious case for ^post- 

 mortem should be sent to a qualified veterinary 

 surgeon. Reports rendered for a shilling or two, 

 which speak glibly of " germs " that can only be 

 made visible under first-class microscopes by 

 complicated staining processes, do not inspire 

 respect in those who know what a bacteriological 

 examination really means. The veterinarian, if 

 he deems such an examination desirable, will 

 say so and get it made, for an adequate fee, at 

 one of the establishments which do this kind of 

 work. It will not cost a great deal, and will be 



reliable, and where serious interests are at stake 

 is worth the money. 



Abortion of Eggs. — This is not to be con- 

 founded with the laj-ing of soft eggs. These 

 last are laid when mature, and usually by fat 

 birds : but when violently driven or startled, or 

 subject to violence of any kind, or even if sud- 

 denly and greatly terrified, immature yolks are 

 sometimes detached from the ovary and ex- 

 pelled. This is most likely to happen with 

 pullets not yet laying but about to lay, and 

 being a real miscarriage or abortion, may wreck 

 the constitution of a valuable bird unless 

 attended to. It is distinguished from the other 

 by not occurring as a rule in fat birds ; by the 

 immaturity and small size of the yolk or yolks ; 

 generally also by hsemorrhage ; and always by 

 signs of illness and shock afterwards. Any such 

 bird should be placed for a few days in a quiet 

 and comfortable but rather dark pen, with a 

 nest in case of need, and fed on a little bread 

 and milk. Quiet rest is the main thing, but 

 20 grains bromide of potassium may be dis- 

 solved in half a pint of drinking water. With 

 such care the event may be entirely recovered 

 from. 



Apoplexy. — The bird suddenly falls down 

 apparently dead or nearly so, sometimes quite 

 so. The usual cause is too high feeding of the 

 bird itself, but it may also occur upon some 

 accidental provocation, from past generations of 

 very high feeding predisposing to it. A cock 

 may thus be attacked owing to a sudden 

 quarrel, or a hen from the strain of laying. 

 Sometimes threatening symptoms of an attack 

 maybe seen in unsteady and bewildered gait: 

 any such bird, obviously In high condition, 

 should be at once placed in a dark pen, fasted 

 for some hours, and then fed several days on 

 low diet, and given 30 grains of Epsom salts 

 next day, and for a few days after 10 grains of 

 bromide of potassium morning and evening. 

 After actual attack, if not dead, lift the wing, 

 and plunge the point of a penknife or lancet 

 lengthwise into the large vein there seen, letting 

 it bleed freely. When consciousness returns, 

 which may perhaps be hastened if smelling salts 

 or ammonia be at hand, apply some styptic to 

 the wound, such as hazeline lotion, alum, carbolic 

 acid, or cold water. Then place the bird in a 

 pen, and treat as above ; and afterwards take 

 care to keep it in rather spare condition, and the 

 blood cool by occasionally putting a few grains 

 of Epsom salts or bicarbonate of potass in the 

 drinking water. 



Bronchitis. — The leading symptom of this is 

 cough and quickened breathing, with perhaps a 



