208 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



Limber-Neck. 



/ find a big hen sitting on the roost with her head hanging down. 

 No matter where you put her, she would stay that ^^x^y, and refused to 

 eat or drink. 



The trouble is limber-neck ; is the result of the hen eating some 

 poisonous meat or refuse of some sort. Some old rotten carcass, 

 even that of a mouse, or of dead poultry, will cause this. Once a hen 

 is attacked it depends upon whether she is strong enough to throw it 

 off, or is given aid promptly. A good, big dose of olive oil is the 

 very best remedy. Put the hen in a shady place, and leave her until 

 the oil has a chance to carry off the poison or neutralize it. If the 

 hens are strong, and have not eaten much of the decayed stuff, they 

 will, in most cases, get better without treatment. Look well over the 

 premises and find all refuse that is likely to harbor maggots. For no 

 matter how well fed fowls are they will eat more or less of this stuff 

 if they find it. A hen that has had a bad attack of limber-neck is of 

 very little further use. (See also Part VIII, Vol. I.) 



Turkey Liver Trouble. 



My turkeys, running on alfalfa, become sick for a few days with a 

 diarrhoea, then die. I found its liver was all spotted, and almost ready 

 to decay. 



This is a case where the first symptoms have not been noticed 

 and it ran on, ending in death. The real cure for all liver troubles is 

 watchfulness and prevention as far as possible. Give each bird a tea- 

 spoonful of castor oil to clear the bowels, then give two or three of 

 Carter's liver pills for a week. The birds should also have good feed, 

 clean, dry grain along with the alfalfa. 



Fowls "Going Light." 



Some of my fowls get very thin and light all at once and then die 

 suddenly. We fed Kaffir corn till lately, now I give them a bran mash 

 twice a day. 



Whenever you have a case of a hen going light all at once and 

 dying, there should be an investigation right then. Your feed is 

 certainly light enough to cause the hens to go light. A bran mash 

 twice a day, or even Kaffir corn, unless the hens had a good grass 

 range, is not sufficient for hens there must be more of a variety. 

 Both of these feeds are good of themselves, but it is too narrow a diet 

 to preserve health and strength. The symptoms you give point to 

 tuberculosis. Make a post-mortem examination of the next hen that 

 dies and see what condition the lungs are in. It may be just plain 

 poverty that ails your birds, and the remedy would be to clean up all 

 dirty litter and improve the diet by adding some grain and a little beef 

 scrap and barley meal to the bran mash. Also give them one tea- 

 spoonful, in a quart of mash moistened but not wet, of the following 

 tonic: Iron sulphate, 1 ounce; calcium phosphate, 8 ounces; fenu- 



