2$ ] onnial of Agriculture. [lo Jax., 191c. 



Diphtheric Roup. 



This must not be confounded with roup. The bird suffering fiom this 

 trouble makes a peculiar noise like a cough, and as it does this the head is 

 thrown forward, with the mouth open, and it looks as if it were going to 

 choke. There is no bad smell arising from the throat, and the bird ap- 

 pears to be fairly well, except for the terrible attacks of choking. When 

 these paroxysms occur the comb suddenly darkens. 



The treatment recommended is as follows : — Open the mouth, place 

 your finger under throat, and raise up the windpipe. Should there be n 

 cheesv growth around windpipe, make a V-shaped funnel, and place a 

 very little quantity of lime in this, and blow down. Failing lime, use 

 sulphur. I have had very good results by using a paste consisting of a 

 little sulphur, vaseline and one drop of carbolic acid, thoroughly mixed 

 and applied to the parts with the aid of a piece of thin wood, to which a 

 piece of clean soft rag, like a mop, is attached. Feed on the best and 

 most easily swallowed food, i.e., raw egg, and some oatmeal given soft. It 

 may seem strange to advise eggs for fowls, but I know of nothing that has 

 assisted me more, in cases of extreme weakness amongst valuable, stud 

 birds, than the fowl's own gift, the egg. I usually add a little spirit. 



Heat Apoplexy. 



Every summer, many fowls succumb to heat apoplexy, especiallv where 

 insufficient shade has been provided. Many people think that any place 

 will do for a fowl run. This is not so. Shelter trees or hedges are as 

 •essential as cleanliness and proper food to birds. They cannot live without 

 shade. The symptoms show themselves b\' a sudden fit of running round 

 and round, as if the head were trying to take hold of the tail. Imme- 

 diately this is noticed, catch the bird, and if a heavy-combed variety, bleed 

 the head at the base of comb, after which hold the head under the tap, 

 <ind place the bird in a dark basket in a cool place. 



i\o food is required by the bird for two days, but a little milk may be 

 given twice a day. On no account allow other fowls to worrv the sick 

 •one, and, in most cases, a cure will be generally effected. When the fowl 

 is recovering, feed on soft but not heating food. Avoid maize meal and 

 animal food for a time. 



Gapes. 



This is a disease caused bv the presence in the windpipe of a small 

 thin red \vorm, usually described as gape-worm. The symptoms are 

 constant gaping or yawning. It is seldom found in adult birds, and more 

 frequently attacks chicks four to five months old. Place some air-slacked 

 lime in a barrel, and put the affected bird into it, covering the top over 

 for a minute or two with a piece of hessian, and allow the bird to flap her 

 wings, making a dust, which will find its wav down the windpipe. This 

 will prove verv effective in removing this trouble. 



Scaly Leg. 



This trouble is caused by a small mite which gets under the scales on 

 the legs, and especiallv the tee joints. The mites stay there and lay 

 innumerable eggs, until the legs become covered. 



Scrub the legs and feet with a hard nail brush and warm water and soft 

 soap, until the scale becomes soft. Then hold the legs in kerosene 

 occasionally. This will destroy the insects, and graduallv the legs will 

 improve. A little sulphur and sweet oil rubbed in will also assist in bring- 

 ing this improvement about quickly. 



