DISEASES OF POULTRY 



There is no reason for chickens being unhealthy except, as a 

 general thing, from the carelessness or ignorance of their owners. 

 Carelessness in not keeping the fowls clean, in not being regular 

 in their feeding, in the lack of pure water and shade and in giving 

 them either draughty sleeping quarters or too close and badly vent- 

 ilated coops. 



Poultry keepers in the East, after years of trouble and anxiety 

 over roup, which I really think is much worse there than here, are 

 coming to the conclusion that open-front houses, even there, where 

 they have zero weather, will prevent roup and colds. 



Here in our favored climate, open-front houses, cleanliness and 

 plenty of green food are a sure prevention of roup. 



I am glad to be able to say that although there are more than 

 double the number of pure-bred fowls in California now than ever 

 before, there is a minimum amount of roup. Poultry raisers are 

 using common sense in the feeding and care of chickens, looking 

 upon poultry raising as a business, a money proposition, when 

 handled in a business-like way, and the result is very little roup 

 and less sickness of any kind. 



Roup must be transmitted by contagion; healthy fowls will not 

 have it unless a roupy fowl is introduced into the flock, or the in- 

 fection is brought in through water or food, through coops in which 

 roupy fowls have been confined or through the infection being car- 

 ried on the garment of the attendant. 



Many Kinds of Roup 



It was formerly the custom to call nearly all the ailments of 

 fowls due to taking cold by the name of "Roup." Dr. Salmon of 

 the Bureau of Animal Industry, Washington, D. C., makes a dis- 

 tinction, however, between the different kinds of colds or roup, 

 simple catarrh and infectious catarrh, also called roupy catarrh, and 

 diphtheritic catarrh or diphtheritic roup. Simple catarrh is easily 

 cured, will often get well without treatment; roupy catarrh is very 

 infectious and more difficult to cure; but diphtheritic roup is the 

 worst of all and greatly resembles the diphtheria of children. 

 There is also another disease called "Canker" which much resem- 

 bles diphtheritic roup, but is less severe. It is caused by another 

 germ and needs other treatment. 



Catarrh 



All of these diseases commence in the same manner. Usually 

 the first symptoms noticed are a slight discharge from the nostrils, 

 eyes wet and watery from mucus, and often some bubbling at the 

 corners with coughing and sneezing. In simple catarrh more seri- 

 ous symptoms will not have developed in a few days, but with 

 roupy catarrh the discharge thickens and obstructs the breathing 

 by filling the nostrils and there is a foul odor to it. Sometimes 

 swell head develops, then one or both eyes are closed, the birds 

 wipe their eyes on their shoulders, sleep with their heads under 

 their wings and the discharge sticks to and dries on their feathers. 



