]Vkite Diarrhea 293 



Many of the chicks chirp or peep constantly or will utter 

 a shrill cry apparently of pain, when attempting to void the 

 excreta. These sounds are often characteristic of the 

 disease. 



In many cases the chicks present the appearance of being 

 "short backed" or "big bellied." Woods ^ describes this as 

 follows : 



"The weakling is almost always big-bellied, the abdomen 

 protruding to the rear so that it bunches out behind, well out 

 of line with the vent, with the result that the chick looks as if 



Fig. 64. — Normal ten day White Leghorn chicks. (After Rettger and 



Stoneburn.) 



the tail piece and backbone has been pushed forward and in 

 just above the vent " (cf. Fig. 63). 



In some cases the chicks die with but little warning and 

 show few of the above symptoms. In other cases the sick 

 chick will last a long time showing all the symptoms men- 

 tioned. 



Post-mortem examination often reveals but few lesions. 

 One of the most striking things is the loss of flesh if the dis- 

 ease has lasted for some time. The alimentary canal is 

 usually nearly empty except for some slimy fluid. The 



1 Woods, P. T., "Reliable Poultry Remedies." Quincy, 111. 



