82 



POULTRY DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



given to prevent chickens from becoming infected with other 

 tape worms until the life history of these parasites is better 

 understood. It will be well, however, to keep the chickens 

 housed in the morning until the sun is well up and the ground 

 is dry, for they will thus be less likely to meet with the sup- 

 posable intermediate hosts of other worms." 



Round Worms. 



Round worms can be found in the intestine and especially the 



ceca of almost any fowl. They are much more common than 



the tape worms. Normally the round worms cause no serious 



trouble to fowls. ' Under certain conditions, however, they may 



become so numerous as to 

 be a serious menace to the 

 flock. At such times they 

 have a decided effect on 

 the digestion ; the irrita- 

 tion often causes diarrhea. 

 When in large numbers, 

 they sometimes become 

 rolled and matted into a 

 ball which may cause 

 complete stoppage of the 

 intestine. 



The round worms are 

 white in color and vary in 

 length from 1-3 inch to 5 

 inches. The head end is 

 sharp pointed, while the 

 tail end is more blunt. 

 Round worms are seldom 

 passed in the feces unless 

 present in very large num- 

 bers. When a worm is 

 passed it soon dies in the 

 droppings or is eaten by 

 another fowl. 

 Dis/yJiaragus spiralis, a small worm about 1-3 inch in length, 

 is often found in the oesophagus and occasionally in the crop or 

 intestine. 



Fig. 9. Worms protruding from a sec- 

 lion of the intestine of a fowl 

 f After Bradshaw). 



