156 



FARMER'S 'CYCLOPEDIA OF LIV FT STOCK 



having been reported in small out- 

 breaks from Montana, Maryland, the 

 District of Columbia and a few other 

 localities. 



Simple catarrh ma y best be treated by 

 keeping the birds in a good condition in 

 clean, well ventilated houses without 

 drafts and giving a little cayenne pepper 

 with the food. In cases of bronchitis a 

 similar treatment is indicated, or 10 

 drops of turpentine may be given in a 

 teaspoonful of castor oil. Occasionally 

 chickens exposed to sudden changes of 

 temperature and kept in insanitary 

 houses are affected with pneumonia or 

 other serious diseases of the air passages, 

 which may be treated like bronchitis, but 

 the results are not so satisfactory. 



Pip — Rarely the mouth becomes in- 

 flamed and this and various other re- 

 lated troubles are sometimes known as 

 pip. This trouble may best be treated by 

 washing the mouth with glycerin water 

 or a solution of borax. 



Crop bound — Whenever the crop be- 

 comes obstructed as the result of tempo- 

 rary paralysis and the accumulation of 

 food, the best treatment consists in soft- 

 ening the mass of food by giving sweet 

 oil and manipulating the crop between 

 the fingers. 



Simple diarrhea indicates something 

 wrong about the food or water. Atten- 

 tion should therefore be given to these 

 matters and affected birds may be fed a 

 tablespoonful of olive oil, followed by 

 2 grains of subnitrate of bismuth 

 three times daily in water. 



DISEASES OF WATER FOWL 



Ducks are often attacked by choiera, 

 which is similar or identical with fowl 

 cholera, but is usually more fatal, re- 

 sulting in death within about twenty- 

 four hours. Occasionally some benefit 

 is derived from giving a 1 per cent 

 solution of carbolic acid in the drinking 

 water and cayenne pepper with the food. 

 As a rule, however, no treatment is 

 satisfactory. Ducks are less subject to 

 diarrhea, other digestive troubles and 

 external parasites than are chickens. 



Similarly with geese, the most serious 

 trouble is cholera. This rarely occurs on 

 farms where geese are raised in small 

 numbers but has been observed in serious 

 outbreaks in Rhode Island and elsewhere 

 in large goose fattening establishments. 

 Goose cholera is apparently distinct from 

 fowl cholera, and the mortality is very 

 high. The disease may best be pre- 



vented from spreading widely by keep- 

 ing geese in small pens so arranged that 

 when an outbreak occurs the affected 

 pen may be removed from the other birds. 



DISEASES OF TURKEYS 



One of the most serious diseases of 

 young turkeys is diarrhea, which is most 

 often caused by exposure to cold or 

 dampness and by eating spoiled or un- 

 cooked food and drinking filthy water. 

 Affected poults should receive hard boiled 

 eggs and stale bread with plenty of 

 pepper. Good results are also obtained 

 from giving a mixture containing 2 

 ounces of sulphuric acid and % pound 

 copperas in 2 gallons of water, the dose 

 being 1 teaspoonful added to each quart 

 of di inking water. Roup, gapes and other 

 common troubles affecting turkeys may 

 be treated in the same manner as recom- 

 mended for chickens. Occasionally tur- 

 keys become infested with tapeworms. 

 For expelling these worms male fern, 

 kousso or turpentine may be given in 

 small doses. A peculiar malignant dis- 

 ease of turkeys is known as "blackhead" 

 and is due to the presence of Amoebe 

 meleagridis in the intestines. The trou- 

 ble has proved serious in Rhode Is- 

 land, where it has been thoroughly in- 

 vestigated. The head may become some- 

 what discolored, which gives the disease 

 its name, but this symptom is not always 

 noted. The disease attacks young tur- 

 keys and affects chiefly the blind pouches 

 of the intestines. A profuse diarrhea 

 is observed. Later the liver is attacked 

 and becomes enlarged to twice its usual 

 size, showing round, discolored spots. 

 There is no satisfactory remedial treat- 

 ment, but the disease appears to be 

 transmitted through the feces and this 

 material should therefore be removed 

 and the turkey houses disinfected. 



DISEASES OF PIGEONS 



Pigeons are subject to a large number 

 of diseases most of which, as, for ex- 

 ample, roup, cholera and asthenia, also 

 occur in chickens and should be treated 

 in the manner recommended for those 

 birds. Pigeons may also become infested 

 with lice, ticks and mites, which may 

 be eradicated in the way mentioned for 

 chickens. If pigeons become badly in- 

 fested with intestinal worms, these para- 

 sites may be removed by giving a small 

 piece of garlic daily or a minute dose 

 of areca nut in a capsule with castor oil. 

 "When disease in pigeons is characterized 

 by a stiffening of the joints due to 



