THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



each other's plumage, plucking out the feathers 

 even till blood flows. Some of the varieties 

 appear more subject to it than others. Causes 

 and remedies are various. There is no doubt 

 that insect vermin are often the cause, the birds 

 plucking their own feathers from irritation, or 

 seeing them crawl on others, and pecking at 

 them, and some writers state that this is always 

 the cause. That is not so ; as we have re- 

 peatedly been consulted where the conditions 

 were of the best and the strictest scrutiny could 

 find nothing of the kind ; in these cases there 

 is obviously an appetite that craves for some- 

 thing not found in the dietary. Moreover, we 

 must place in the same category the habit of 

 pecking at the comb and face, in which case 

 almost invariably the hens alone are guilty, 

 and the cock remains unmoved, almost as if 

 he liked it, though his comb and wattles are 

 being torn to pieces. But when unchecked for 

 a time the habit becomes an inveterate vice, 

 very hard to cure. Naturally various remedies 

 are occasionally effectual. Where animal food 

 has not been given, meat or cut bone has 

 stopped it sometimes ; in other cases plenty 

 of greens, especially lettuces, have succeeded. 

 The administration daily of lO grains sulphur 

 and 5 grains of chlorate of potash has in many 

 instances worked wonders ; and so has one- 

 eighth grain daily of acetate of morphia, with 

 bi-carbonate of potash in the water. It is worth 

 remarking that a bad case broke out in a 

 breeding-pen at the great New York show of 

 1902, and that the owner was assured by a 

 Canadian breeder it could be cured by salt 

 properly given. He accordingly purchased a 

 Bologna sausage, cut it up, salted it somewhat 

 further, and fed it to the birds. It is stated 

 positively that they ceased at once, and the 

 occurrence seems worth recording, though we 

 have never known any particular treatment 

 always successful. Another treatment is the 

 administration of sulphuret of lime, which has 

 been repeatedly stated in Poultry to be very 

 successful. It is prepared as follows : Put three 

 or four lumps of fresh burnt lime, the size of 

 eggs, into an iron pot, slack the lime with 

 boiling water, then stir into the lime about 

 6 ozs. of flowers of sulphur, add gradually two 

 quarts of boiling water, stirring all the time ; 

 then boil gently for an hour or so, pour off" 

 the clear liquid (which will be the colour of 

 dark brandy), bottle and cork well. A second 

 boiling may be made with fresh water, but the 

 liquid will not be so strong. . A tablespoonful of 

 this liquid to every six hens, put into the water 

 used for mixing the meal, is the best way to 

 give it. Given daily, or twice a week, it is 



stated that this preparation wil! keep the fowls' 

 plumage in good condition, and soon put a 

 stop to feather-eating. The mixture should be 

 kept away from the dwelling-house, otherwise 

 every time the cork is removed from the bottle 

 the whole house will be filled with the sulphuric 

 vapour given off from the liquid. Full bottles 

 not in present use should be well corked and 

 sealed, and kept in a cool place. If vermin 

 are found, that of course must have attention. 

 Other measures should be taken of a more 

 general character. Any bird specially attacked 

 must be secluded ; and so also any special 

 culprit, before she has finally corrupted all the 

 rest. The numbers must be reduced in proper 

 proportion to the space ; and when this is con- 

 fined, care must be taken to provide occupation, 

 as suggested in earlier chapters, for it is largely 

 idleness in confinement that has to be com- 

 batted. The birds should further be made 

 nauseous to each other, by drenching their 

 plumage with either Jeyes' Fluid, or Wright's 

 Liquor Carbonis diluted with two parts water, 

 or a strong solution of quassia in water, 

 and applying carbolated vaseline freely to the 

 bare places, which will also promote re-growth. 

 Also the edges of both mandibles should be 

 filed away at the tips, so that for an eighth 

 of an inch back they do not quite close : the 

 quick need not and should not be touched, or 

 the bird could not peck, but when properly 

 done it can pick up corn, while unable to get 

 hold of a feather. Some hens appear quite 

 incurable, being then utterly useless except 

 for exhibition ; but intelligent use of one or 

 the other of these methods will in most cases 

 be successful. 



Fi-actures. — A fracture of the shank can 

 generally be treated quite satisfactorily, placing 

 the bones in position, and applying a splint 

 by wrapping around some soft brown paper 

 saturated with white of egg, which stiffens as 

 the albumen dries. A broken wing is not so 

 easy to manage, and little can be done beyond 

 getting the bones in proper position as nearly 

 as possible, and then tying the quill feathers 

 together to prevent movement as far as 

 possible. The result is very seldom perfect 

 in the case of a wing, but a valuable bird may 

 in this way be often preserved for breeding. 



Frost-bite. — This is not very uncommon, 

 especially in the north. The comb really turns 

 pale first, but is seldom noticed till the edges 

 become dusky or livid, or finally black, and as 

 a rule the health seems little affected, though 

 part or the whole of comb and wattles may 

 drop off". If the first stages were noticed the 

 best treatment would be, as usual with our- 



