THE POULTRY YARD. 



231 



young birds suffer cold, damp, and exposure, 

 digestive ailments 

 aggravated by 

 of grinding 



Nearly all 



A Portable Hospital Coop. 



are 

 want 



material in the crop. 

 Pounded gravel,lime- 

 stone, crockery, or 

 glass should always 

 be within the reach 

 of fowls. Cold 

 draughts of air blow- 

 ing across them 

 while roosting or 

 down on them, will cause swelled heads and eyes, and, 

 very likely, lead to roup. It is often the case that rupture, 

 weak legs, and other complaints are caused by high roosts, 

 the birds being injured by jumping or falling therefrom 

 to the ground. The roosts should be low. 



The Safeguards. When poultry have plenty of space 

 to roam in, if only for a few hours each day, and they are 

 not molested with dogs or by quarrelling with neighbours' 

 fowls, they have more certain prospects of continuing in 

 health. They require very little doctoring. Wheu much 

 of that sort of thing becomes necessary it is evident there 

 is something wrong in the breed, in the feeding or the 

 location. By far the greater proportion of diseases arise 

 either from exposure or ovei'crowding, or neglect in 

 preserving cleanliness often all combined. The first 

 requirement in case of sickness is to put the patient in a 

 separate pen. 



Symptoms of Disease. The first symptoms of nearly 

 all fowl diseases are moping and diarrhoea At this stage 

 much evil may be warded off. When a fowl hangs its 

 wings and looks drooping it should be caught and put in 

 the hospital pen. See at once whether it appears purged, 

 and, if so, give immediately in a tablespoonful of warm 

 water, a tablespoouful of the purgative mixture, and when 

 purging ceases, give a few drops of spirit of camphor. 

 Repeat this next morning, and, in most cases, the disease 

 will be checked, care being taken, of course, to give the 

 invalid warmth and shelter. Oil, as a medicine, is not 



