604 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



ing itself by diarrhea and caused by the presence of some mold. 

 They also recognize mycotic pneumonia, which is an invasion of 

 the bronchial tubes by the mold known as Aspergillus fumigatus, 

 giving rise to the disease known as aspergillosis. This disease is of 

 frequent occurrence in pigeons and pigeon feeders, due to the 

 presence of this mold on the corn which the feeders take into their 

 mouths along with water and force into the mouths of the "squeal- 

 ers" in a fashion similar to that practiced by the parent birds. 



It is hard to estimate the immense value that hopper feeding 

 has been to poultrymen in that it preserves the food from contam- 

 ination such as occurs when grain is scattered. Nevertheless grain 

 must be scattered, for the scratching shed is a necessity. How- 

 ever, moldy litter should be avoided. The removal of moldy clover 

 chaff has been reported as ending a siege of aspergilloses in chicks 

 (brooder pneumonia). Recently one of the State experiment stations 

 purchased for litter some straw that had been baled while damp. A 

 few days after the introduction of this straw the chickens began to 

 die. Post-mortem examination revealed pneumonia, the lungs show- 

 ing minute white spots. Bacteriologic investigation of these spots 

 demonstrated the presence of a mold which was found also in the 

 straw. The immediate removal of this litter and the introduction of 

 clean straw checked the illness of the fowls. 



These considerations point to the necessity of keeping the 

 chicken feed free from mold; for example, moldy feed and meat 

 scrap that "smells bad." With the latter, cases of baicillary diarrhea 

 or toxic conditions similar to that known as ptomaine poisoning may 

 be expected. If, in spite of the utmost care, as may sometimes hap- 

 pen, mold should creep into grain which it is compulsory to feed, 

 treat it as the housewife has for years treated such accidents by 

 applying strong heat. There is immense satisfaction in realizing 

 that the day is past when it was thought that moldy grain which 

 could not be used by human beings would do for the horse, what 

 was too bad for the horse would do for the cow, what was too bad 

 for the cow would do for the hogs, and that which the farmer 

 would not dare give to the hogs might be thrown to the chickens. 



Clean Eggs. The reason for dipping eggs, just prior to incu- 

 bation, in grain alcohol is due to the fact that as they come from 

 the hen they are compelled to pass through the cloaca, which gives 

 passage likewise to the droppings. Thus the exterior of the egg- 

 shell is certain to be contaminated with whatever infectious mi- 

 crobes are lurking in the intestinal tract of the hen. If, as is very 

 likely to be the case, the hen is parasitized with coccidia, the shells 

 of her eggs are certain to be contaminated with the coccidial cysts, 

 which under the influence of the heat and moisture of the incu- 

 bator develop to the stage necessary for the transfer of the disease 

 to the chick. Then, when the chicks begin to peck, as peck they 

 will, during the first 24 hours, some of these cysts will be taken 

 into ^ the alimentary tract and, upon reaching the duodenum (that 

 portion of the intestine immediately following the gizzard), will 

 be dissolved by the pancreatic juice, so setting free the coccidial 



