352 THE RURAL EFFICIENCY GUIDE STOCK 



White Diarrhea in Chicks. 



There are various causes for this ailment. A common one is wrong feed- 

 ing. Either the chick is fed while too young, the food given is too heavy to 

 digest or is fermented or spoiled. Other causes are chilling, low vitality in the 

 breeding stock, careless feeding, too little or too much heat, impure drinking 

 water, infected food and unsanitary surroundings. 



Symptoms. Chickens are usually attacked when 10 to 15 days old. They 

 appear listless, their feathers become rough and they stand about with drooping 

 wings. White diarrhea is soon noticed. The chick eats less and less, is 

 thirsty, and shows signs of general weakness. The symptoms increase in sever- 

 ity and the chick is apt to be found dead. 



Treatment. The treatment is mostly preventive. If the hatching is done 

 by the hen, the chicks should be put upon fresh ground, and any chicks which 

 sicken should be immediately isolated or killed. By removing frequently to 

 fresh ground or by frequent disinfection, the disease may be limited to a few 

 chicks. If hatched in the incubator, it is well to divide the trays and brooders 

 by light partitions so that the chicks will not be in one lot. If white diarrhea 

 appears in any lot, such lots may be removed and the places disinfected. After 

 four or five days, the healthy lots may be put together. In this way the greater 

 part of the chicks are protected against a most common form of the disease. 

 Begin feeding at from 24 to 36 hours of age and feed according to the formulas 

 given for. dry bran, rolled oats and hard boiled eggs. Give neither cracked 

 wheat nor cracked corn until chicks are a week or 10 days old. Be sure they 

 have an opportunity to be comfortably warm at all times. 



Give small doses of castor oil. 



A few drops of turpentine in a little olive oil is good for white diarrhea. 



Worms. 



These worms are commonly parasitic on fowls. 



Symptoms. Worms are frequently present in the digestive canal of 

 fowls, particularly young chicks. Occasionally flat tape worms are found but 

 these are not common. Chicks infected with worms go off feed and become 

 thin and sickly. The symptoms are really those of indigestion. 



Treatment. If you suspect worms, try to remove them. Powdered areca 

 nut 20 to 40 grains per fowl, administered in mash or mixed with butter or 

 lard into pills is an effective remedy. 



Beat a new laid egg with one tablespoonful of oil of turpentine and mix 

 thoroughly. Give a teaspoonful of this mixture night and morning for a few 

 days. 



Divide a quarter of an ounce of areca-nut powder into four parts and give 

 one part every morning, follow this with a dessert spoonful of sweet oil two 

 hours after each powder. 



