66 Diseases of Poultry 



of blood. A true diarrhea is nearly always shown by the 

 soiling of the bird's feathers. 



Diarrhea may result simply from an upsetting of the 

 digestive organs due to improper feeding or it may be a 

 symptom of some more serious disease. Simple diarrhea 

 may arise from the presence of indigestible matter in the 

 alimentary canal, it may be due to exposure to heavy rains 

 or to drafts in the roosting house. In the latter cases a 

 cold develops which affects the bowels rather than the head 

 and lungs. Diarrhea from colds occurs much more fre- 

 quently than is generally supposed. This form of diarrhea 

 can often be recognized by the greater amount of frothy 

 mucus in the excrement. Young stock are much more sus- 

 ceptible to diarrhea from colds than are adult birds. 



Among other common causes of simple diarrhea may be 

 mentioned soured or decomposing food, too much green 

 food at irregular times, too free use of animal food, allowing 

 the birds access to water which has become soiled with ex- 

 crement and allowed to stand in the hot sun until about 

 putrid. Whatever may be the inducing factor the imme- 

 diate cause is excessive bacterial fermentation in the alimen- 

 tary canal. 



Treatment. — Simple diarrhea will usually require no 

 treatment other than removing the original cause. This 

 latter is by far the more important thing to be done. If 

 neglected, the condition may become chronic and may result 

 in more serious disturbances of the alimentary system. It 

 is often beneficial to replace part of the bran in the mash 

 with middlings or low grade flour. Where in addition medi- 

 cal treatment seems desirable the first thing to do is to 

 remove the fermenting material from the intestinal canal. 

 This can be done with Epsom salts, using a small half tea- 

 spoonful to each bird. This should be dissolved in water 

 and used to mix the mash. If more convenient, a teaspoon- 



