Poultry Hygiene 25 



it is difficult to devise any satisfactory drinking fountain 

 in which the water is not hable to contamination from Utter, 

 manure, etc. All these considerations indicate the advis- 

 ability of adding to all drinking water which is given to poul- 

 try some substance which shall act as a harmless antiseptic. 

 The best of all such substances yet discovered for use with 

 poultry is potassium permanganate. This is a dark, reddish- 

 purple crystalline substance which can be bought of any 

 druggist. A pound will last for a long time. It should be 

 used in the following way : In the bottom of a large mouthed 

 jar, bottle or can, put a layer of potassium permanganate 

 crystals an inch thick. Fill up the receptacle with water. 

 This water will dissolve all of the crystals that it is able to. 

 This will make a stock saturated solution. As this solution 

 is used add more water and more crystals as needed, always 

 aiming to keep a layer of undissolved crystals at the bottom. 

 Keep a dish of stock solution like this alongside the faucet 

 or pump where the water is drawn for the poultry. When- 

 ever any water is drawn for either chicks or adult foivls add 

 enough of the stock solution to give the water a rather deep tvine 

 color. This means 1 to 2 teaspoons of the stock solution to 

 10 quarts of water. At the same time one should clean 

 and disinfect the drinking pails and fountains regularly, 

 just as he would if he were not using potassium permanga- 

 nate. At the Maine Station plant for some years past no 

 bird has ever had a drink of water from the time it was 

 hatched which did not contain potassium permanganate, 

 except such water as it got from mud puddles and the like. 

 Dr. G. B. Morse, ^ a well known authority on poultry dis- 

 eases, had the following to say regarding this point in a 

 recent address. After describing the potassium permanga- 

 nate method, as well as two others, directed to the same end, 



1 Morse, G. B., "The Gospel of Cleanliness of Poultrymen." 

 Reliable Poult. Jour., Vol. 17, No. 8, pp. 756, 757, 775-777, 1910. 



