THE EGG QUESTION 



Egg-Bound I have the White 

 Minorcas. Have 15 hens and get 

 from 12 to 14 eggs per day. I have 

 a pullet and an old hen that seem 

 to droop and sit around all day, and 

 sometimes stagger; they had been lay- 

 ing all the time and their combs are 

 still red, but they do not lay now. 

 I feed them bran mash in the morn- 

 ing with alfalfa meal and egg-niaker, 

 and once a week chopped onions and 

 red pepper, and at noon we give them 

 green grass, and at night wheat, be- 

 sides this they get lots of meat scraps 

 from the table; they have oystershell 

 and grit before them all the time. 

 They have not eaten anything since 

 they felt this way, but seem to kind 

 of gasp for breath, and they do not 

 seem to have anything in their craws. 

 Thanking you in advance for a reply, 

 I remain. Mrs. J. W. S. 



Answer Your hens certainly have 

 been doing very well. Minorcas very 

 often get egg-bound, as their eggs 

 are so large they have difficulty in 

 laying them. This may be the case 

 with yours, and I would advise you 

 to examine them. You might also 

 give them some Epsom salts, half a 

 teaspoonful in a tablespoonful of wa- 

 ter. If they are egg-bound, inject a 

 little olive oil and hold the body of 

 the hen in a pan of warm water, as 

 warm as you can bear your hands 

 in; this will relax the parts and en- 

 able the egg to pass. If it is indi- 

 gestion, the Epsom salts will help 

 that. I think your hens may not be 

 getting green food enough. 



Egg-bound is most common in 

 sluggish birds, or those closely con- 

 fined without opportunity to exercise. 

 Active fowls, such as Leghorns, sel- 

 dom take life easy enough to get fat, 

 hence are not subject to this disease^ 

 which is largely owing to an over-fat 

 condition of the entire system, in 

 which the egg passage is pressed upon 

 by the accumulation of fat, hindering 

 the passage of the egg. Not only are 

 there large collections of fat in the ab- 

 dominal cavity, but much of the mus- 

 cular tissue is replaced by streaks of 

 fat. This weakens the muscles of the 

 egg passage, so that the egg may be 

 arrested in the passage where it sets 

 up inflammation. This same egg- 

 bound condition sometimes causes 

 death from heart disease. The bird 



goes on the nest to lay, strains vio- 

 lently to pass the egg, the heart mus- 

 cles are decidedly weak from fatty de- 

 generation, the extra exertion is too 

 much for the weakened heart, and it 

 gives out, the bird being found on the 

 nest dead. 



In the early stages when the irri- 

 tation is slight, it is sufficient to in- 

 ject a small quantity of olive oil and 

 gently manipulate the parts. After- 

 wards give cooling green food, and 

 if the hens are too fat, reduce the 

 ration. In case the expulsion of the 

 egg cannot be obtained by the injec- 

 tion of oil, immerse the lower 

 part of the body in water, as warm 

 as can be used without injury, and 

 hold it there- half an hour or more, 

 until the parts are relaxed. Then in- 

 ject oil and endeavor to assist the 

 bird by careful pressure and manipu- 

 lation or by gentle dilatation of the 

 passage. 



It Cured Them How long can 

 eggs be kept for setting and do they 

 require any special treatment? I have 

 a favorite hen and I want to set as 

 many of her eggs as possible, but 

 I do not know how long they will 

 remain fertile, as I have no hen want- 

 ing to sit at present. Several of my 

 fowls had a touch of roup and I tried 

 a remedy that you gave (castor oil, 

 camphorated oil, kerosene, turpentine 

 and a few drops of carbolic acid) 

 squirted up her nostrils. I also mixed 

 another remedy that you gave (cay- 

 enne pepper, mustard, vinegar, lard 

 and flour) and gave it to the fowls, in 

 pills, as you said. I happened to leave 

 it where they could get at it, and 

 found that I need not give it in pills 

 for they were eating it with relish. 

 I have made .the mixture several 

 times since and they seem to be 

 very fond of it. Their combs have 

 become very red and although they 

 are moulting, they are laying well. 

 Would you advise allowing them to 

 eat all they want of it? They are 

 entirely well of the roup. Mrs. H. 

 A. H. 



Answer In reply to your first 

 question, it is well to remember that 

 the fresher the eggs you set, the 

 stronger will be the chicks. I have 

 always set them as fresh as I can get 

 them, and I never sold eggs over a 



