z^^ 



57 



CHAPTER XI 



Disease and Its Prevention 



The best way to cure disease in pheasants is to prevent it, if one may 

 be allowed a Hibernicism. Once it breaks out on a considerable scale 

 even the most experienced is likely to suffer severe losses, therefore any 

 extended discussion of cures for the various diseases to which pheasants 

 are subject seems hardly worth while. 



CAUSES OF DISEASE.— Disease in pheasants most frequently 

 results directly or indirectly from one or the other of the following causes: 



1. Errors in feeding — (a) too much; (b) too wet; (c) irregularly. 



2. Failure to provide pens of sufficient size — in other words, crowding. 



3. Keeping birds too long on the same spot — infected ground. 



4. Failure to supply pure, fresh water in clean utensils and keep it 

 in the shade. Water exposed to the sun will frequently kill young birds. 

 Damp ground around a water vessel furnishes excellent breeding ground 

 for the germs of many pheasant diseases. Mr. Rogers keeps the plain, 

 open water pans for his young birds 10 or 15 feet from the rearing coop 

 to avoid just this condition. 



5. Failure to supply sharp-surfaced grit and charcoal together with 

 green food, such as lettuce, to penned birds. 



6. Wet weather. 



7. Exposure to diseased domestic fowls. 



8. In-breeding, which causes birds to be less resistant to disease. 



WHAT TO DO. — Generally speaking, these things should be done 

 when disease appears: 



1. Burn the body of the diseased bird. 



2. Scald daily drinking vessels and all vessels in which food is mixed. 



3. Move coop or pen to fresh ground, quickliming the site on which 

 it formerly rested and spray all coops with disinfectant. 



4. Isolate bird as soon as its illness is discovered. 



5. Get birds on dry ground if possible. Mr. Dunn uses a removable 

 floor, or "shutter," as it is called, for his rearing coops and this is always 

 employed when the chicks are first put in the rearing field in order to 

 insure a dry footing. 



6. Remove from contact with domestic fowl. 



7. In extreme cases where the ground is generally infected, feeding 

 may be done on boards. 



8. Feed your wet mash dry and crumbly, never sloppy and give as 

 much dry feed as possible. 



