DISEASES OF POULTRY. 



605 



bay-leaf shape should be cut out entirely. When 

 this is stitched up properly, the slack is taken 

 out, and a great deformity and source of danger 

 removed. This operation is as easy as the 

 other ; but owing to the lower position of the 

 wound, and its transverse character, the bird 

 must be very carefully fed for a longer period 

 before being left to itself 



Crop, Soft or Sivcllcd. — In this complaint the 

 crop is also large and full, but the contents are 

 fluid, generally very much like foul or dirty water, 

 which is easily expelled if the fowl be held with 

 the head downward, and the crop squeezed a 

 little. From many cases we have investigated, 

 the causes appear to be two. One is a continu- 

 ance of the relaxed pendulous condition referred 

 to above, the sour and foul food left in the bottom 

 of the bag gradually bringing the lining mem- 

 brane into an unhealthy catarrhal condition. 

 This admits of remedy by emptying the foul 

 contents thrice a day, and only feeding sparingly 

 two hours after with a little scalded Spratt, in 

 which some wheat grains are interspersed, with 

 a little grit ; after each feed let the bird have 

 a little chopped onion, and drink a little only of 

 rather strong brandy and water, in which i grain 

 of perchloride of iron is dissolved. The food 

 itself may be also seasoned a little with the No. i 

 mixture on page 199. If with this treatment 

 and care the foul secretion ceases, the operation 

 described above should be carried out ; but it is 

 useless otherwise, as the wound would probably 

 not heal while the organ was in an unhealthy 

 state. Other cases, apparently very similar, 

 appear to be a sort of dropsy, caused by defective 

 nutrition or circulation in the system at large. 

 Even such cases may often be alleviated by 

 occasional doses of jalap or salts, with iron in 

 the water and 2 grains iodide of potassium 

 twice a day ; but such a state denotes wreck of 

 the entire system, and the bird is totally unfit 

 for any real purpose, and should be killed. 

 These latter cases sometimes follow excessive 

 over-showing. 



Debility. — Fowls, when first kept by inex- 

 perienced persons, in small runs, often appear 

 weak and anaemic generally, without any very 

 definite symptoms. Usually the great want is 

 light and air, which above all must be supplied, 

 and all birds which are too many for the space 

 cleared out. The necessities of green food and 

 cleanliness should next receive attention, and 

 possibly animal food also may be needed, which 

 can be judged from what has been said in our 

 early chapters. These matters being put right, 

 and exercise in various ways encouraged, some 

 cod-liver oil should be given if the birds are 

 thin, and in any case iron tonic or Parrish's 



Chemical Food in the drinking water, or 2 grains 

 carbonate of iron may be given to each daily 

 in a pill for a time. This simple treatment 

 usually causes rapid improvement. Condiments 

 should be carefully avoided in such circum- 

 stances, doing more harm than good. 



Diarrlicea and Dysentery. — Diarrhcea may 

 occur at any time without anything very serious 

 being the matter, from change in food, or even 

 sudden cold or wet, which often causes a sort of 

 catarrh of the bowels. Slight cases may often be 

 met by giving first of all 20 grains of Epsom 

 salts, afterwards mixing the food rather dry, with 

 a portion of rice in it boiled firm in whole grains, 

 sprinkling the whole with chalk; or, if apparently 

 the weather has been the cause, season the mash 

 (still mixed rather dry) with No. i mixture on 

 page 199, and on a small bolus of food give about 

 six drops essence of camphor. If more than this 

 seems needed, an excellent prescription is that 

 given by Mr. Tegetmeier, many years ago, of: — 



Rhubarb ... ... ... 5 grains 



Chalk 5 



Cayenne ... ... ... 3 „ 



To be given as a pill morning and night. 

 If still obstinate, or very severe, add | grain of 

 opium to three or four doses of above, or try 

 instead (not in addition) 3 to 10 drops of chloro- 

 dyne every three hours. Very severe cases, in 

 which the evacuations are tinged or mixed with 

 blood, have really become dysentery, and are 

 often fatal ; but are sometimes saved by 5 to 10 

 drops of chlorodyne given as described. The 

 best treatment, however, which has been suc- 

 cessful in some instances that looked almost 

 desperate, has been the administration of 

 5 grains sulphur and I grain Dover's powder 

 every four hours for a day or two. A very 

 favourite remedy for, and preventive of simple 

 diarrhoea, in America, is Venetian Red (red 

 oxide of iron) in the water. 



Diphtlieria. — This dreaded contagious malady 

 was unknown in England till about 1876, when 

 it suddenly broke out and spread to such an 

 extent as to be written about for months under 

 the name of " the new disease," being chiefly 

 spread by birds which were purchased, or had 

 returned from shows. The marked symptom is 

 the appearance of diseased growth in the throat 

 and inside of the mouth, resembling raised 

 patches of whitish or pale yellowish skin, which 

 may invade the entire throat and mouth, often 

 also appearing like ulcers or sores on the face, 

 comb, and about the eyes. It was first treated 

 by caustics, with practically no success : we were 

 the first to detect the true diphtheritic nature of 

 the malady and to prescribe for it as such, and 

 since then it has been found curable to a consider- 



