188 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 



in the soil and are sometimes taken into the digestive 

 tube of earthworms. In badly infested soil the earth- 

 worms may, if eaten, cause gapes in the chicks. 



As soon as the disease appears all affected birds 

 should be isolated, and those which die should be 

 burned. Feed troughs and water dishes should be 

 scalded and houses and coops disinfected. Use potas- 

 sium permanganate in the drinking water. 



To extract the worms from the trachea, pass the 

 extractor carefully down the trachea for some dis- 

 tance, holding the chick's head well back, and turn 

 it around to loosen the worms. If there are worms, 

 some will be removed with the extractor. If from 

 four to ten worms are extracted a cure may be 

 counted on, though as many as thirty worms have 

 been extracted from one chicken. 



Worms 



Worms in small numbers are said to inhabit the 

 digestive organs of all fowls, and when they are not 

 too numerous do no perceptible harm. Under cer- 

 tain conditions they are supposed to develop too 

 rapidly, and then we have the disease known as 

 "worms." This is one theory, and no one seems to 

 have a better one. Without question worms are often 

 found in the intestines of fowls, and without ques- 

 tion they affect the health. In recent years a number 

 of poultry plants have been put out of business by 

 epidemics of worms, so it behooves every poultry- 

 keeper to watch for symptoms, to treat cases that 

 occur, and to prevent infection as much as possible. 



Three species of worms are known to infect the 

 digestive organs of poultry: Tape worms, round 

 worms and flukes. The tape worm is a long, flat, 

 segmented worm like those which infest man and 

 other animals ; the round worm is white and, as the 



