HEALTH AND SANITATION 229 



top and then sewed up again. Care must be taken 

 not to sew the skin of the crop to the outside skin. 



Hardened droppings indicate constipation, due to 

 lack of green feed and of exercise, or in young 

 chicks to binding feed such as boiled milk. Ample 

 green feed and exercise are the best correctives. 



Bareness of head of feathers, due to feather pull- 

 ing and eating. (See special discussion.) 

 i Gaping of little chicks, as if obstructions were in 

 their throats, is due to small Y-shaped worms in 

 the windpipe. Characteristic of flocks kept on the 

 same soil from year to year. Give flocks of little 

 chicks new ground annually, or at least not less 

 often than once in three years. 



Weakness of the legs indicates a lack of bone- 

 forming ingredients in the feed. Reduce the pro- 

 portion of carbohydrates and fat and increase the 

 proportion of animal food, especially bone meal. 

 Alfalfa and clover also help. Plenty of grit should 

 be supplied. 



CHOLERA 



No form of medical treatment has proved satis- 

 factory, though many preparations have been 

 recommendeCi for the eradication of fowl cholera. 

 No confidence can, therefore, be placed in internal 

 medication. The proper way to fight cholera is 

 by carrying out the strictest sanitary methods. 

 Affected birds must be promptly isolated at least 

 ten feet away from the flock. Dogs and other 

 animals must be fenced out of the poultry yards if 

 possible, and birds exhibited at poultry shows and 

 elsewhere, as well as fowls brought from other 

 places, should be kept separate for at least ten days. 



