PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF 'DISEASE 341 



it usually costs more than the birds are worth, besides monopolizing 

 time and attention that should be given (then, more than at any 

 other time) to careful consideration of general conditions in the flock, 

 and to the adoption of salutary measures applying to the whole 

 flock. An occasional case of disease has no general significance, 

 but anything resembling an epidemic shows that some of the gen- 

 eral causes of disease are operative. Disease on such a scale is the 

 penalty for mistakes, and especially. for neglect to keep up the con- 

 stitutional vitality of the stock and to maintain right hygienic and 

 sanitary conditions. No amount of doctoring, however effective at 

 the time, will give permanent relief. The only advantage that a 

 poultryman has in knowing diseases is that he knows the causes, 

 and is thus able to follow the old medical maxim, " Remove the 

 cause and the effects will cease." It is a matter of common remark 

 among poultrymen that the more one doctors, the more he will 

 have to doctor. 



Injuries. Accidents cannot be wholly avoided, but damage from 

 such causes is insignificant. Injuries due to environmental causes 

 must be prevented by dealing with those causes as with causes of 

 disease. One of the most important of these is crooked breastbone 

 in fowls. Thousands of cases of this are developed by allowing 

 young chicks to roost (by day, usually) on narrow-edged boards, 

 on the edges of boxes and barrels, and in like places. This is not 

 the sole cause of crooked breasts, but is a common cause which is 

 easily avoided. Another very common injury is frostbite of combs 

 and wattles. This is best avoided by keeping fowls that are adapted 

 to the climate, but much can be done in the way of prevention by 

 accustoming the birds to low temperature, by giving dry feed only 

 in zero weather, and by giving snow or finely cracked ice instead 

 of water when it is so cold that water freezes quickly. Warm 

 water should not be given. 



Internal parasites. Worms are the most troublesome internal 

 parasites of poultry. The gapeworm infests the windpipe. It is 

 dangerous only to young chickens. Tapeworms and roundworms 

 of many varieties infest all kinds of poultry, being found mostly 

 in the intestines and digestive organs. When present in small 

 numbers they do little damage to strong, robust birds, and do not 

 often multiply dangerously when sanitary conditions are good. 



