Poultry Materia Medica 



53 



Castor Oil. — Castor oil is used as a remedy for diarrhea 

 and as an intestinal antiseptic. It may also be used in 

 cases of crop-bound fowls, although for this purpose cotton 

 seed oil will be found to be quite as satisfactory and very 

 much cheaper. 



Epsom Salts (Magnesium sulphate). — This is on the 

 whole the most useful poultry yard drug. It is indicated in 

 practically all cases of digestive disturbance and colds, 

 bowel trouble, etc. The standard dose for an adult fowl 

 is from ^ to 1 teaspoonful. 



The following table of doses of Epsom salts for young 

 birds has been worked out by Gage and Opperman ^ : 



There are several ways of administering Epsom salts. 

 It may be mixed with the drinking water, or a solution may 

 be made with warm water and put down the throat of the 

 bird. Probably, however, the best way to administer a 

 dose to a large flock is to give the birds no food whatever on 

 the day that they are to be given the Epsom salts until late 

 in the afternoon. Then having determined the amount of 

 salts to be used for the whole pen of birds at the rate of 

 from 5 to 1 teaspoonful per bird, dissolve this amount 



' Gage, G. E., and Opperman, C. L., "A Tapeworm Disease of 

 Fowls." Maryland Agr. Expt. Stat. BuUetin 139, pp. 73-85, 1909. 



