140 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



covered with chaff or finely cut alfalfa 

 hay at least an inch deep and feed 

 the chicks small grains (chick feed) in 

 this; the hay or chaff keeps the toes 

 and feet covered, conceals them, and 

 the busy little things are so occupied 

 scratching that they do not get into 

 mischief. Secondly, give them a little 

 more animal food or milk. The can- 

 nibals have a craving for animal food, 

 and sometimes a bit of fat salt pork, 

 whether fed to them or nailed up 

 where they can peck at it, satisfies 

 this craving. Thirdly, find the first 

 leader of this mischief, and either kill 

 him or isolate him and give him to a 

 hen to bring up. This bad habit is 

 usually started by one chick, and all 

 the others follow suit, and soon the 

 whole brooder will acquire the habit, 

 and it is almost impossible to stop it 

 if it has got a good start. 



Chicken Pox I am in trouble con- 

 cerning my chickens. My young Leg- 

 horn pullets have black looking sores 

 around their eyes and on the comb. 

 They look like ticks at a distance, and 

 sometimes scale off. I am using sul- 

 phur, lard and a few drops of carbolic 

 acid. What is the trouble? Can it be 

 chicken pox? 



Is my remedy of any value; if not, 

 can you suggest one? Also, what is 

 the cause? 



Some of them also have the gapes, 

 and I have been unable so far to ef- 

 fect a cure. Have killed several al- 

 ready. What is good for the gapes 

 and can you tell me what causes 

 them? 



Can a water glass solution be used 

 the second time for preserving eggs? 

 J. B. 



Answer Chicken pox is your trou- 

 ble. See reply to H. E. S. 



Give the chicks with gapes garlic, 

 easiest cure. 



Some advise putting down the win- 

 pipe a feather dipped in coal oil to 

 dissolve the worm, but many chicks 

 are killed in this way, and I prefer 

 dusting over the chicks a little slaked 

 lime, which will make them cough up 

 the worm. However, I really con- 

 sider the garlic the best and crushed 

 or chopped fine and mixed with a lit- 

 tle bran, and when they get better, 

 give frequently chopped onions. 



Chicken Pox 

 Warts on Combs and Eyes I am 



in trouble and I know you can advise 



me. September 24th I hatched some 

 Blue Andalusians. They have grown 

 very fast, seemed extra healthy and 

 vigorous until a few days ago, when 

 warts began to appear on their combs 

 and eyes. In one night they grew 

 twice in size. I have nine, and they 

 are all becoming affected. What in 

 the world is it, and is it catching? 

 They have run at large entirely and 

 their feed in grain is mostly kaffir 

 corn. They we^e such fine chicks, 

 and I was raising them for breeders, 

 but now feel discouraged. I have a 

 younger litter, four weeks old, but 

 they are all right so far. My old 

 birds are fine stock and very healthy. 

 These warts did not make their ap- 

 pearance until the chicks were eight 

 weeks old. Mrs. H. E. S. 



Answer Your chickens have chick- 

 en pox in a very virulent form. 

 Chicken pox is from a germ and it is 

 very infectious. It is fatal to young 

 chicks. In severe cases it goes into 

 the throat and mouth, as you de- 

 scribe. The best home remedies that 

 I know are first to grease the "warts" 

 that are on the outside of the mouth 

 or under the wings with a little car- 

 bolic salve. Then wash the mouth 

 and throat with vinegar and salt (a 

 level teaspoonful in a cup of vinegar), 

 following this the next day with 

 swabbing with peroxide of hydrogen. 

 Give germazone in the drinking wa- 

 ter. Feed nourishing and easily di- 

 gestible food, such as bread and milk. 



The most important part is to dis- 

 infect the brooders and houses and 

 yards, so as to get rid of the germs. 

 Move the chicks that are well to 

 fresh, clean brooders on the other 

 side of the ranch, and then scald the 

 old brooders thoroughly, giving them 

 a last rinse with water in which cor- 

 rosive sublimate (bi-chloride of mer- 

 cury) has been dissolved. Of course, 

 the mercury is poisonous, so the 

 chicks must not be put into the 

 brooders until it has dried off, and 

 care must be used in handling it not 

 to let any of it get into your own 

 eyes. The runs and houses should be 

 disinfected by whitewashing or spray- 

 ing thoroughly with a solution of 5 

 per cent carbolic acid. 



The feeding vessels and troughs 

 should daily be scalded with boiling 

 water until the epidemic ceases. The 

 affected birds should be isolated. 



