DISEASES OF POULTRY 233 



sized fowl give one teaspoonful three or four times a day. 

 To chicks give one-fourth the dose. When the scum 

 loosens in the back part of the tongue, remove the scum 

 gently. Care should be taken so as to prevent bleeding. 

 Feed soft, nourishing food. 



DOUBLE-YOLK EGGS 



Eggs are frequently found with two yolks. This con- 

 dition is produced by two ovary capsules bursting at 

 about the same time and gaining entrance together into 

 the oviduct where they are concealed in the same shell. 

 Double-yolked eggs are larger than normal and may in- 

 jure the oviduct when expelled. When hatched, they 

 produce twins or abnormal chicks. 



DROPSY 



(Ascites) 



Cause : Generally due to irritating, indigestible food, 

 causing inflammation of the membranous lining of the 

 intestinal cavity. 



Symptoms : The abdomen becomes enlarged, is tender 

 to the touch and contains a watery fluid, the movement 

 oJ^ which can be heard in most cases by pressure on the 

 swollen parts. The bird appears stupid, the comb pale 

 and the appetite poor. 



Tkeatment: Unless the bird is very valuable, treat- 

 ment is not advisable. In case the bird is valuable, give 

 one grain of Potassium Iodide twice daily in the feed or 

 drinking water. Also feed nourishing food as beef- 

 scraps, vegetables, wheat bran mashes, etc. 



EGG BOUND 



(Difficult Laying; Obstruction of the Oviduct) 

 Cause : Due to the eggs being too large, the bird too 

 fat, or to the absence of the secretions lubricating the 

 oviduct. 



