Diseases of the Alimentary Tract 69 



twice a day mixed with food or made into pills with flour 

 and water. 



Subnitrate of bismuth, 3 grains; bicarbonate of soda, 1 

 grain ; powdered cinchona bark, 2 grains ; mix and give 3 

 times a day in a paste made with wheat flour. When di- 

 arrhea is arrested, bismuth and soda are no longer needed. 



It is often worth while to give a good tonic or condition 

 powder to aid the birds in getting their digestive organs in 

 order again. The following tonic is recommended by 

 Salmon : Powdered fennel, anise, coriander, and cinchona — 

 each 30 grains ; powdered gentian and ginger each 1 dram, 

 powdered sulphate of iron, 15 grains. Mix and give in the 

 feed so that each fowl will get 2 to 14 grains twice a day. 

 (For another tonic see p. 71.) 



Constipation 



Constipation occurs in adult fowls far less often than 

 diarrhea. It frequently passes unnoticed unless very 

 severe. This trouble is much more common in young stock 

 than in grown birds. In adult fowls it often occurs in con- 

 nection with indigestion, gastritis, or peritonitis. Among 

 the specific causes of constipation lack of exercise and lack 

 of green food are probably the most important. Occasion- 

 ally intestinal worms will accumulate until they block the 

 intestine. Sometimes following a diarrhea the vent will 

 become obstructed with dried evacuation. This is partic- 

 ularly apt to occur in young birds which do not roost. It 

 is one of the symptoms of white diarrhea. 



The symptoms of constipation are painful and ineffective 

 efforts to evacuate the bowels. In the worst cases the vent 

 becomes completely plugged with dry, hard feces. The 

 birds appear dull, listless and without appetite. 



Treatment. — When the vent is plugged with dried feces 



