Diseases of Poultry. 191 



After a wliilc he would eat small bits of flesh meat, and by degrees other food ; and ultimately 

 carried off the honours in a class of more than forty entries. Of the great value of raw eggs thus 

 used in cases of marked debility, we have had knowledge on many occasions. 



Diarrhoea. — This affection may be caused by any sudden change in diet or even of weather, 

 and hence is rather common. If the looseness be obsei^ved early, it can be checked at once in 

 most cases by giving a meal or two of well-boiled rice dredged over with finely-powdered chalk. 

 If this be ineffectual, six drops of camphorated spirit may be given thrice daily on a pill of 

 barley-meal, restricting the diet to boiled rice, barley-meal, and barley alone, with only a 

 little cut grass daily ; or a prescription may be administered, as given by Mr. Tegetmeier many 

 years ago, of five grains chalk, five grains rhubarb, and three grains cayenne pepper, made 

 into a bolus or pill. In very severe cases we would add half a grain of opium to the pill, giving 

 one morning and evening. The bone-dust spoken of at page 139 is an excellent preventive of 

 diarrhoea. 



Dysentery. — This disease is really diarrhcea developed to the " desperate " stage, as evidenced 

 by the evacuations being mingled with blood. It is rarely cured ; but promising results have 

 attended the administration in any simple form of five drops of laudanum and five drops of 

 M'Dougall's Fluid Carbolate every three hours. 



In some cases dysentery appears to become epidemic, as in the following case in the 

 experience of Mr. Hinton. " It was my misfortune, possibly my fault, when in Wales, to lose 

 a great number of birds under conditions which appeared to me more like dysentery than anything 

 else. The disease occurred only in the laying hens, and in eveiy case it was speedily and rapidly 

 fatal. I then kept Silver-spangled Haniburghs, Cochins, Brahmas, and Dorkings ; to the best of 

 my recollection all had access to the yard (a common run), where the first carcase was hung up in 

 order to be fly-blown, and some of each breed succumbed. The Hamburghs belonged to a friend, 

 and had not long reached me. When I left home in the morning they appeared perfectly healthy ; 

 at one o'clock, when I returned, I found one lying on the ground, and apparently unable to move, 

 but with face lively and expression good. The bird occasionally made a straining effort, and there 

 was some blood at the vent ; but no egg was passing. She died the same night. This was the first 

 victim, and was, as I have said, hung up. Within a short time another was seized, and was found 

 in the nest straining, with the same discharge. This case was as speedily fatal, and in all I must 

 have lost ten or a dozen. Now in all these cases there was found, on post-mortem examination, 

 distinct disease of the rectum (the last inch or more of the intestine) ; the tissues were completely 

 softened through, and of pale colour, so that with the handle of the knife it was most easy to make 

 a hole ; whilst in the worst cases this appeared to have been already accomplished by the disease 

 itself. I came to the conclusion that the disease was contagious, and I can only advise any 

 breeder to bury the carcase of a similar case deeply, well covered with carbolate of lime." 



Egg-bound.— The inability to lay on account of unusual size of the egg is of by no means 

 rare occurrence. The most usual symptom is that the hen, after going as usual to the nest and 

 remaining some time, comes off without having laid, and walks slowly about, often— especially in 

 Polish— with the wings hanging down on the ground, and evidently in distress ; but sometimes they 

 remain on the nest. Often a full dose of castor-oil and a handful of groundsel will give relief 

 in a few hours ; if not, a small flexible syringe should be passed up the oviduct till it meets 

 the egg, but taking care not to fracture it, and an ounce of olive-oil injected. This is both safer 



