188 POULTRY DISEASES 



in a total loss of the legs, there is usually noted a fetid 

 diarrhea. The bird may or may not have a loss of appetite, 

 it gradually becomes emaciated and finally dies. The bird in 

 the later stages lies helpless upon its side, often with one or 

 both legs extending backwards from the ])ody. 



Leg Aveakness among baby chicks at times appears suddenly 

 and with a change in environmental conditions it disappears 

 just as suddenly. The worst eases die and the milder ones 

 may recover. The condition may affect only one, or at most 

 a few birds. The same condition also applies to old birds. 

 There is unsteadiness in walking, and in badly affected cases 

 the bird sits around till finally the muscular function is en- 

 tirely arrested when the leg or legs extend backward from 

 the body. In the baby chicks the legs present a shriveled 

 appearance. 



Birds so affected do not find it possible to obtain their 

 portion of feed unless helped, as the other birds crowd them 

 away. The only safe way is to remove them from the flock 

 and give them extra care. Such birds, if not helped and given 

 proper feed, do not gain in flesh as do the balance of the 

 flock and they become thin in flesh. 



As a differential diagnosis between leg weakness and rheu- 

 matism, it may be said that in rheumatism the lameness shifts, 

 disappears and reappears, and in case of affection of the 

 joints there Avill be noted swelling which will be hot and 

 painful to the touch. In leg weakness these symptoms never 

 appear. 



Post Mortem Appearance. — No definite lesions can be found 

 in the baby chick that has died of leg weakness. All organs 

 in old fowls that have died of paralysis are apparently normal 

 except the bowel which is highly injected and at times may 

 show petechife of the mucosa. The vent fluff is usually soiled 

 as a result of diarrhea. 



All efforts, in this laboratory, to isolate a causative germ 

 or to reproduce the disease have failed. There has been no 

 organism isolated from the blood nor from the internal or- 

 gans that will reproduce the disease and inoculations of emul- 

 sions from the brain and spinal cord of birds dead of the 

 disease have failed to reproduce it. 



While we feel sure that leg weakness in l)aby chicks is 

 due to environmental conditions, we are not so sure that 

 paralysis of adult fowls is not due to a genn. Tin's work is 

 still being carried on in this laboratory. 



Treatment. — Give to old birds one-sixth grain doses of sul- 

 phate of strychnin, in tablet form or in capsule, three times 

 a day. If rheumatism is suspected give two-grain doses of 



