DISEASES AND REMEDIES I03 



has been plucked. Too hard driving by the cock bird 

 may cause the trouble, by preventing the hen from 

 getting full quantity of food. The first diarrhea may 

 be caused by feeding too much wheat, or grain that is 

 too new. A good remedy in such cases is to give two 

 droppersful of sweet fern tea at once. 



Roup. — Roup may be known by a discharge from 

 the nostrils and a very offensive breath, and is prob- 

 ably the sequence of a neglected cold, coupled with a 

 diseased condition of the bird. It is very contagious 

 and requires careful treatment. Fill a small oil can 

 with camphorated oil, and after washing the nostrils 

 well, put three or four drops in each of them and one 

 or two in the mouth. Another remedy is to use two 

 drops of kerosene oil in the nostrils and one or two 

 in the mouth. Watch birds carefully until cured. If 

 the birds are well taken care of, this remedy is a sure 

 cure. 



Vertigo. — When afHicted with vertigo the bird turns 

 its head over its shoulder and seems dizzy, frequently 

 falling down. It is probably an affection of the brain. 

 We have known a bird with vertigo to live for two 

 years, always having a spell when we entered the 

 coop. We have never known a case to be cured, and 

 the best treatment is tne "hatchet" remedy. 



Leg and wing troubles. — In some cases, the legs 

 of the bird seem too weak to support the body. Homers 

 and short-legged varieties very seldom have this 

 trouble. Inbreeding we believe to be one of the chief 

 causes. Do not inbreed, always keep a record, and mate 

 carefully, and you need not fear this trouble. 



Birds sometimes may strike their wings in going 

 in or out of the entrance, or may hit each other with 

 their wings in fighting, and such blows may cause 



