2C. 



POULTRY— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



ical climate; and, though long natural- 

 ized, they still retain so much of their 

 original habits as to influence them in this 

 respect. Very wet or very dry weather, 

 or extremes of cold or of heat, are equal- 

 ly fatal; whereas, when the weather is 

 genial and equal, fowls always thrive best. 

 The old poultry, in the meanwhile, fre- 

 quently bear all changes of weather, 

 without showing any symptoms of roup. 



Symptoms. — Consumption, which is 

 caused by the presence of scrofulous tu- 

 bercles in the lungs, may almost always 

 be induced in chickens by confining them 

 in cold, dark, unhealthy places ; we have 

 also found tubercles in other organs, of 

 the body. The symptoms of consump- 

 tion are not strongly marked in the early 

 stages ; in the more advanced state there 

 is wasting, cough, and expectoration of 

 matter. They are also affected, more or 

 less, by the circumstances in which they 

 are placed, spending a large portion of 

 their existence in coops and under shel- 

 ter, so that they are more liable to be af- 

 fected by exposure. 



Treatment. — It is fortunate that con- 

 sumption can always be prevented by 

 wholesome, abundant diet, and good 

 housing, for in advanced stages it is quite 

 incurable; when it is suspected to be 

 commencing, cod-liver oil may be given, 

 mixed with barley meal ; but as the dis- 

 ease is hereditary, a fowl so preserved 

 would be worse than useless as a stock- 

 bird. Temperature is the dominant prin- 

 ciple, to which attention ought to be paid. 



POULTRY, Crop-Bound. — Symptoms. 

 The crop, or membranous dilatation of 

 the gullet, whose office it is to receive 

 food as it is swallowed, and to retain it 

 until sufficiently softened by maceration, 

 is sometimes so overcharged, that it is 

 unable to expel its contents into the 

 stomach. From the emptiness of the 

 latter organ, the bird feels hungry, and 

 by continuing to eat, adds to the mis- 

 chief, until at last, by the contraction 

 of the crop and the swelling of the 

 grain, a hardened mass is formed, weigh- 

 ing, in some cases, nearly a pound, 

 and by the enormous protuberance it 

 causes, giving evident indications of its 

 presence. Sometimes the disease is oc- 

 casioned by a single object being swal- 

 lowed, whose size is too large to permit 

 i' to pass into the stomach. In this case 



it serves as a nucleus for other matters, 

 and a mass is formed around it. " I 

 have," says Mr. Tegetmeier, " now lying 

 before me a piece of bone, one inch and 

 a half long by three-quarters of an inch 

 broad, which was imbedded in a mass of 

 horse-hair, oat-husk, and other vegetable 

 fibres, the whole forming an egg-shaped 

 solid, two and a half inches in the long 

 and one and a quarter in the short 

 diameter. This caused the death of the 

 Dorking in whose crop it was found." 



Treatment. — The treatment of this 

 disorder is very simple. With a sharp 

 pen-knife an incision must be made 

 through the skin and upper part of the 

 crop; the impacted mass loosened by 

 some blunt-pointed instrument, and re- 

 moved. If it has remained many days,, 

 and is very offensive, the crop may then 

 be washed out by pouring in some warm 

 water. The incision, if small, may be 

 left; but if large, a stitch or two is ad- 

 visable. The bird should be fed on soft 

 food a day or two, and will rapidly 

 recover. Sometimes a dessert-spoonful 

 of gin will stimulate the crop sufficiently 

 to overcome the mass, and render the use 

 of the knife unnecessary. 



POULTRY, Diarrhoea. — " There are 

 times when fowls dung more loosely than 

 at others, especially when they have been 

 fed on green or soft food; but this may 

 occur without the presence of disease. 

 But should this state deteriorate into a 

 confirmed and continued laxity, immedi- 

 ate attention is required to guard against 

 fatal effects." — Dr. Bennett. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms of diar- 

 rhoea, or looseness, are so evident as to 

 render description hardly necessary. Las- 

 situde, emaciation, and, in very severe 

 cases, voiding of calcareous matter, white, 

 streaked with yellow, resembling the yolk 

 of a stale egg, and sticking to the feathers 

 near the vent. It becomes acrid, from 

 the presence of ammonia, and causes 

 inflammation, which extends speedily 

 through the intestines. 



Causes. — Diarrhoea is generally pro- 

 duced by a too scanty supply of grain — 

 which necessitates an excess of green 

 food — dampness, undue acidity in the 

 bowels, and unwholesome diet of any 

 description. 



Treatment. — The treatment is simple, 

 and of course depends upon the cause. 



