164 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



assistant, but by giving them plenty of 

 green food, you will have no trouble. 



CANNIBALISM I had a hatching of 

 Black Minorcas three weeks ago of 115 

 chicks ; today I have about 80. In the 

 first place, the chicks are hearty and 

 well, but will bite the rectum of the 

 other chicks and in two or three minutes 

 will just tear the bowels out and kill the 

 little chicks. Every one will give it a 

 nip, and if we are not constantly on the 

 alert all would be dead. No one of 

 whom I have inquired has ever heard 

 of such a thing. I have raised these 

 just as I raise my White Leghorns. I 

 hatched 160 seven weeks ago, and today 

 have 158 fine chicks. You would oblige 

 me very much with a remedy. W. P. H. 



Answer The remedy for "cannibal- 

 ism" is first, to keep all the chicks busy 

 with exercising; in order to do this, 

 keep the floor of the brooder covered 

 with chaff or finely cut alfalfa hay at 

 least an inch deep and feed the chicks 

 small grain (chick feed) in this; the 

 hay or chaff keeps the toes and feet 

 covered, conceals them, and the busy 

 little things are so occupied scratching 

 that they do not get into mischief. Sec- 

 ondly, give them a little more animal 

 food or milk. The cannibals have a 

 craving for animal food, and sometim.es 

 a bit of fat salt pork, whether fed to 

 them or nailed up where they can peck 

 at it, satisfies this craving. Thirdly, find 

 the first leader of this mischief, and 

 either kill him or isolate him and give 

 him to a hen to bring up. This bad habit 

 is usually started by one chick, and all 

 the others follow suit, and soon the 

 whole brooder will acquire the habit, 

 and it is almost impossible to stop it if 

 it has got a- good start. 



WARTS ON COMBS AND EYES I am in 

 trouble and I know you can advise me. 

 September 24th I hatched some Blue 

 Andalusians. They have grown very 

 fast, seemed extra healthy and vigorous 

 until a few days ago, when warts be- 

 gan to appear on their combs and eyes. 

 In one night they grew twice in size. I 

 have nine, and they are all becoming af- 

 fected. What in the world is it, and is 

 it catching? They have run at large en- 

 tirely and their feed in grain is mostly 

 kaffir corn. They were such fine chicks, 

 and I was raising them for breeders, 

 but now feel discouraged. I have a 

 younger litter, four weeks old, but they 

 are all right so far. My old birds are 



fine stock and very healthy. These 

 warts did not make their appearance un- 

 til the chicks were eight weeks old. 

 Mrs. H. E. S. 



Answer Your chickens have chicken 

 pox in a very virulent form. Chicken 

 pox is from a germ and it is very in- 

 fectious. It is fatal to young chicks. In 

 severe cases it goes into the throat and 

 mouth, as you describe. The best home 

 remedies that I know are first to grease 

 the "warts" that are on the outside of 

 the mouth or under the wings with a 

 little carbolic salve. Then wash the 

 mouth and throat with vinegar and salt 

 (a level teasponful in a cup of vinegar), 

 following this the next day with swab- 

 bing with peroxide of hydrogen. Give 

 germazone in the drinking water. Feed 

 nourishing and easily digestible food, 

 such as bread and milk. 



Chicken pox or sore head affects ordi- 

 nary fowls, and more rarely geese. 

 Young chickens are more susceptible 

 than the older fowls. It is caused by a 

 parasitic fungus. The bite of insect 

 abrasions of the comb, such as scratches 

 from fighting in cockerels or turkeys, 

 make conditions favorable for the para- 

 site to get into the skin of the fowl. 

 The bite of an insect, such as the flea or 

 mite, will carry or give the disease. It 

 is contagious. At first it has some ap- 

 pearance of warts, these reach their full 

 development in from five to ten days. 

 The largest are found about the beak, 

 nostrils or eyelids. These warts seem to 

 run together and form yellow masses 

 upon the comb and wattels. Chicken 

 pox is more prevalent in damp weather 

 than in dry. 



The cure is, wash the warts in warm 

 soap suds, dry and apply carbolated 

 vaseline, or kileroup, and feed a light, 

 nourishing diet, one-third being cut 

 green alfalfa and give bread and milk to 

 which add half a teaspoonful of pow- 

 dered sulphur. 



Disinfect the premises thoroughly. 



COLD IN THE HEAD Can you tell me 

 what is the matter with my chickens? 

 They eat, seem to feel good, sing and 

 play and are laying good, but they seem 

 to have a cold or something. They try 

 to blow their noses and bubbles come 

 out. Have been that way for about six 

 weeks; they have a good coop with no 

 air holes ; six eight ; one end open ; only 

 twenty-five to roost in it. They have 

 had bluestone in their drinking water 

 every day for a month ; they do not get 



