TREATING DI5TLMPLR5 AND COLDS. 151 



point will observe for himself bow like human beings fowls are in these matters) it will be 

 noted that fowls in this condition try to find a comfortable place. The most comfortable 

 place that affords quiet and seclusion, or as much of them as can be obtained in their quar- 

 ters, is the place they take. Too often the poultry house and yard afford no suitable place for 

 the fowl that is not fit to rough it with its companions. Especially is this the case when 

 houses are stocked to their full capacity, and yards'are small. Then it is often pitiful to see 

 a sick chicken knocked about and run over by the rest of the flock, and thus deprived not 

 only of the quiet it seeks, but of the strength it needs to concentrate on nature's effort to 

 restore health. The natural tendency of the organization to recover its balance when weak- 

 ened at any point, or in any function, is after all the most important factor in the treatment 

 of poultry diseases, and be doctors best whose first step is to place the fowl in conditions 

 where nature has a chance to begin the work of recuperation. 



Take the ailing fowl away from the others, see that it has an opportunity to rest. Make 

 it comfortable, remembering that what conditions will be comfortable for it depends some- 

 what on the nature of the trouble. 



A fowl that is weak and debilitated by indigestion and diarrhea, and has a low fever, with 

 symptoms of alternate chills and fever, will be most comfortable in a warm dry place. So 

 will a fowl that seems to have poor ci'rculation, that acts sluggishly, and the comb tends to 

 turn dark. 



A fowl that has a cold with collection of phlegm and mucus in the throat and nostrils, and 

 discharges from the head, needs more than anything else, pure fresh air. It would be foolish, 

 as it is unnecessary, to expose such a fowl to severe weather to give it fresh air, but it will 

 generally be found that such fowls are benefited rather than injured by a degree of exposure 

 much greater than most poultrymen think advisable for their poultry as a regular thing. 

 Probably the best place for such patients is in an open coop in a sheltered spot. 



Lame fowls should be put where they will be warm and dry. It is often difficult to deter- 

 mine the cause of lameness. Rheumatism is a frequent cause. With laying liens a strain 

 when extruding the egg often results in a temporary or partial paralysis, which may dis- 

 appear within a few hours, or, at most, a few days, if nature is given full opportunity to per- 

 form the work of recuperation. In all sorts of cases of lameness in hens in flocks in which 

 there are males, it is especially necessary to remove the hen from the pen, for whether it is 

 that the unusual attitude of the hen attracts his attention, or from some other caus-e, it fre- 

 quently happens that a male forces his attentions on a sick hen in his flock to such an extent 

 as to completely exhaust the strength of the hen. Even when the trouble is not so serious 

 the recovery of ailing hens will always be more sure and rapid if it is impossible for the 

 male to annoy them. For this reason it is advisable in cases of general indisposition in a 

 flock, when all hens may be somewhat affected, though not enough to require isolation for 

 all, to remove the male, when the hens will get along very well. 



A point worth noting is the tendency, under certain climatic conditions, for fowls, animals, 

 and people to have similar distempers in epidemic form. Conditions which result in many 

 cases of a disease like "grip" or pneumonia among the people of a community are almost 

 invariably accompanied by similar diseases in epidemic form among the fowls. Observing 

 this, the poultryman will find it quite safe to treat the fowls for the same trouble for which 

 the people are taking treatment. When medical treatment is to be given in such cases, give 

 an ordinary full grown fowl the usual dose for a child of two or three years of age. 



In applying external treatment for such troubles as colds people give hot foot baths, some- 

 times giving the whole body a hot bath or a sponging with hot water, then rubbing with 

 lard or vaseline, or a mixture of such substances with turpentine or camphor, or both, or with 

 a little carbolic acid. Such applications are very effective with fowls, though the mode of 

 application must be varied. Instead of treating the feet and body of the fowl we steam and 

 bathe the head, throat, and nostrils, then anoint with mixtures described. 



When fowls are found with the face slightly puffed, or the eyes closed, and the lids 

 gummed together try steaming with hot water and carbolic acid, (2 parts acid to 100 parts 

 water) then rubbing with lard and carbolic acid in about the same proportions. Do this at 

 intervals of two or three hours for a day, and in nearly every case taken in the early stages 



