126 CALIFORNIA POULTRY PRACTICE 



Hens that are inclined to put on fat should be fed in deep litter 

 and nothing of a fattening nature fed on the side. Ground bone 

 rather than beef scrap should be the meat diet. Egg-bound hens are 

 liable to die of heart trouble, as the straining to dispose of the egg 

 causes great disturbance in the cardiac region. 



Symptoms of Egg Bound. The hen is restless, often going on 

 the nest and leaving it several times, the tail feathers are droopy as 

 if the hen were in the rain. Sometimes the hen can be helped by 

 passing an oiled finger around the egg passage, then give a table- 

 spoonful of olive oil to drink. Holding the hen with the vent over a 

 bowl of hot water will cause the muscles to relax so that the egg can 

 pass. But prevention is much surer and better. Keep hens from ac- 

 cumulating fat on the abdomen and there will neither be egg bound 

 nor many soft shelled eggs. 



Inflammation may occur with egg bound condition or it may be 

 caused by too much condiments that have irritated the inner lining 

 of the egg passages. This is a very serious disease and must be given 

 attention or nothing will save the hen so affected. Unless the egg 

 can be removed and the fat be reduced at once the case is almost be- 

 yond help before being noticed. 



If the inflammation is caused by a broken egg or a retained egg 

 the cause must be removed 'before we can hope for a change for the 

 better. Bathe the lower part of the abdomen in warm water, give a 

 few drops of fluid extract of ergot and after injecting olive oil man- 

 ipulate gently with the fingers until the egg can be reached, then 

 remove it. Feed very light for some time and tone the hen up with 

 a little iron tonic. 



Soft Shelled Eggs. This is not exactly a disease but it is not a 

 normal condition. Anything that is not normal must be abnormal, 

 and an abnormal condition generally ends bad. Hens will some- 

 times drop soft shelled eggs from fright, even when not frightened, 

 if there are strangers around, or dogs. Worms are also exciting 

 causes of soft shelled eggs, but the most frequent cause is an overfat 

 condition of the abdomen. This is easily cured if the fault is from 

 overfat condition. Make the birds work for what they eat in deep 

 litter, cut out a large portion of the starchy foods and feed more al- 

 falfa in the mash feed to counter balance the mill feed. See that the 

 hens are well provided with oyster shell, grit, etc., and give a heap- 

 ing teaspoonful of sulphate of magnesia in a pint of drinking water, 

 keeping it before them for one day and given twice a week. If this 

 does not reduce the fat, turn them out on grass and feed nothing else 

 for a week. 



Peritonitis. No one has ever known of a fowl that got better and 

 lived with this disease. It is an inflammation of the membrane cov- 

 ering the organs in the abdomen. The fever runs high, from 105 to 



