CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 



141 



When Chicks Choke As we are be- 

 ginners and having some trouble with 

 our chicks, we wish to ask you for 

 advice, which will be greatly appre- 

 ciated. 



The chicks are five weeks old and 

 up to a few days ago all were well, 

 when we discovered a sick chick. It 

 seemed to be choking and would 

 twist its head and peep. We feed 

 nothing but the best chick feed and 

 always keep fresh water before them 

 and keep them in a fireless brooder, 

 twenty in each. Kindly advise me 

 what the trouble is and how to cure it. 

 Thanking you very kindly for any 

 favors you may extend to us, we beg 

 to remain, yours very truly, W. F. H. 



Answer When a chick "twists its 

 head and peeps," it is a sign that it 

 has "colic." It has eaten something 

 that disagrees with it. It may have 

 swallowed a burr of some kind or it 

 might have eaten a bit of something 

 that was mouldy. A small dose of 

 castor oil with a few drops of turpen- 

 tine in it would have relieved it. 



Cold in the Head Can you tell me 

 what is the matter with my chickens? 

 They eat, seem to feel good, sing and 

 play and are laying good, but they 

 seem to have a cold or something. 

 They try to blow their nose and bub- 

 bles come out. Have been that way 

 for about six weeks; they have a good 

 coop with no air holes; six by eight; 

 one end open; only twenty-five to 

 roost in it. They have had blue- 

 stone in their drinking water every 

 day for a month; they do not get any 

 worse or seem to be any better; they 

 have warm mash for morning feed 

 and wheat noon and night. Would 

 they be good to eat in that condition? 

 F. C. H. 



Answer I am afraid that your 

 chickens are too crowded in their 

 roosting quarters and that they get 

 too warm at night and come out into 

 the cool morning air and in this way 

 take cold. Or the open end may be 

 towards the night breeze. They evi- 

 dently have, for some cause, slight 

 colds. Bluestone, or germazone in 

 the water is an excellent cure and by 

 adding chopped onions and a little 

 red pepper to the mash, should cure 

 them. One teaspoonful of red pepper 

 for every twelve hens is the dose. If 

 the chickens, are not feverish and the 



discharge from the nostrils has no 

 bad odor, would consider they are fit 

 for food. 



Cough and Sneeze Will you please 

 tell me what is the matter with my 

 I have several that cough or 

 sneeze, I do not know which. They 

 will shake their heads and "holler." 

 One can hear them quite a distance 

 Will you please tell me the disease 

 and remedy? B. J., Tucson, Ariz. 



Answer Your fowls have bron- 

 chitis and perhaps some influenza. 

 Give them bread and milk for supper, 

 and a quinine pill and half a teaspoon- 

 ful of red pepper mixed with butter. 

 And see that they do not sleep in a, 

 draught or in a house where the rain 

 comes in on them. 



Comb Discolored I have a White 

 Leghorn cock two years old; he has 

 always been healthy, but for the last 

 two months I noticed that his comb 

 and wattles turned a deep purple and 

 would remain so for days, then they 

 would change to a natural color 

 again, but only for a day or so, and 

 then turn purple again. He seems 

 to be healthy and vigorous in every 

 way. Now, can you tell me what can 

 be the matter with him and what I 

 can do for him, or if it would be wise 

 to use him any further for breeding 

 purposes? Mrs. L. S. 



Answer The comb tells quite a 

 little story of what is going on in the 

 organs of the whole body. Any 

 change in the appearance of the comb 

 is indicative of a disturbance in some 

 other part of the bird. 



The dark colored comb is an indica- 

 tion of a disordered liver and indiges- 

 tion. The dark comb is one of the 

 first symptoms noticed in congestion 

 of the liver and most cases of this 

 come from an overfeeding of a ration 

 too rich in starch elements, such as 

 too much potatoes or bread in the 

 table scraps, and insufficient exercise. 

 I do not know how you are feeding 

 your fowls, but I would recommend 

 you to put a little Epsom salts into 

 the drinking water, or you can give 

 him alone a small half teaspoonful 

 in a tablespoonful of water, and put 

 in the drinking water of the whole 

 flock ten drops of tincture of nux 

 vomica to a pint of water. Feed plen- 

 ty of green food and more meat than 



