191( 



J)K. 11. 15. FAXTHAM OX AVIAX COC'CIDIOSIS. 



711 



Uliick.s arter ingesting coccidian oocysts become fai' less active 

 in their movements as a rule. The lii'st noticeable fe.iture is the 

 drooping of their wings and a habit of constantly looking down- 

 wards. The birds stand about more than normal birds and tlieir 

 calls are moi'e plaintive. 



While fowl chicks and pigeons appear to mope, their appetite is 

 increased, and chicks expeiimentally infected with coccidiosis eat 

 far more greedily than the conti-ol birds. They also drink con- 

 siderably more. In spite of the increase in the amount of food 

 consumed, the birds rapidly get thinner, the muscles of the brea..st 

 and legs vshowing this to a marked degree. Througliout the pro- 

 gress of the disease the growth of the affected Inrds is much 

 reta.i'ded. 



It was necessary to feed infected young jiigeons by hand, for 

 even when they reached practically adult life they failed to feed 

 themselves, merely thi'usting their heads into the food ofFei-ed 

 them, without attempting to swallow any of it. 



Several breeds of fowl chicks were used in expeiimental 

 coccidiosis and each lost weight steadily till death occuired. The 

 loss of weight of one pure bred Leghorn chick was very noticeable. 

 It was first fed with coccidian oocy.sts when six weeks old. It and 

 its control bird were then of equal weights (Tg oz.). Two months 

 later the infected chick died, its weight at death being 5 oz., 

 while the weight of its control on the same day was 1 lb. 6 oz. 



Sample weights of othei" experimental liiirls are given below : — 



Note. — The three fowl chicks were first treated with Coccidian oocysts when aged 

 3 weeks. Another fowl chick fed with Coccidian oocysts when aged 1 day, died 

 when 9 dajs old. The pigeon squal) was dosed first when aged 9 days. 



Another instance of loss of weight resultant on coccidiosis was 

 seen in the case of a pure bred female Leghorn chick which was 

 attacked when seven weeks old by coccidiosis after drinking water 

 fouled with coccidian oocysts. This bird became a chronic, and 



