DISEASES OF BANTAMS— THEIR REMEDIES. 



Colds— Roup— Canker— Crop-bound— Cholera— Diarrhoea— Leg Weakness— Scaly Legs— Lice— Gapes- 

 Pip— Chickenpox— Going Light. 



ANTAMS when young have many dangers con- 

 fronting them. Being so small, of necessity they 

 are tender and delicate. Sudden changes of the 

 weather during the night will often cause them 

 to droop and 'look out of good condition, but 

 with care they will prosper as well as their 

 larger relations. To prevent disease be positively 

 certain that the parent birds have no taint of any kind 

 about them. Positive absence of all disease in the breeding 

 stock is first to be considered. When the eggs are set under 

 the hen, she and the nest must both be perfectly free from 

 dirt or lice, and the hen must be in perfect health. To 

 make doubly sure, dust the hen well with insect powder 

 (Persian is the best) before placing her on the eggs, and 

 again one week before due to hatch. This should destroy all 

 insect life; but do not trust it. In addition give the hen a 

 good 'dust bath for her use during incubating; and when 

 the chicks are hatched look sharp for their first enemy, the 

 head louse, usually to be found, if present, on top of the 

 head. They may locate on the neck. If none are present 

 you may conclude the chick is safe for a week from them. 

 When any are found, paint well the head and neck with 

 melted lard, a little warm — not hot. Use small, stiff, flat 

 brush, and be sure the head and neck are oiled well to the 

 skin. This will destroy all that may be present; but keep 

 a close watch against their return. 



More young Bantams die from diarrhoea than from all 

 other causes. People usually concede that the food they eat 

 is the cause cf the disease; they change the diet, and then 

 wonder what makes the trouble. Nine times out of ten it 

 is caused by taking cold in some way; bad or sour food will 

 cause it; want of grit or too much water after a long thirst 

 will produce the same result. The best remedy is to give 

 them special care so that none of the above causes will exist. 

 Should the chicks be so affected, clear all ^obstruction from 

 the vent by removing the soiled down with a pair of scissors, 

 using great care not to cut the skin. Anoint with fresh olive 

 oil and feed dry cooked food. Always provide plenty of 

 good, sharp sand, or very small grit for them. 



The next trouble for the little Bantam is cold. Uniil 

 fully feathered they are very suscep^tible to changes in the 

 weather. Cold, damp days and nights often work havoc 

 among them. The only sure preventive for this is to house 

 them in a well-construoted coop, having a covered run, 

 where they can enjoy partial freedom during bad weather. 

 When affected feed warm, rich food, keep them dry, and tie 

 a lump of camphor and a small stone in a piece of white 

 muslin and drop this into their drinking water. The stone 

 is for a sinker; camphor is good for cold in all cases. If 

 Bantams are kept free from lice, cold and dampness, and 

 properly fed and watered, they will he free from every 

 disease. 



ROUP. 



This name is applied to all stages of the ailment, from a 

 slight cold to the most disgusting diphtheritic condition, 

 anmo time since a statement appeared in one of our journals, 



saying that young chicks never have the roup. The author 

 has discovered that the above is incorrect. Being asked to 

 look at a brood of chicks that were hatched where no other 

 chickens had been for several years, he found them to be 

 about three weeks old and affected with roup and canker of 

 the very worst kind — eyes swollen and an offensive discharge 

 from the nostrils. This proves that it can come at any time. 

 No doubt such cases start from diseased parent birds. 



How to cure roup is a question hard to settle. If in the 

 stage of a slight cold, clean the mouth, throat, nostrils and 

 head with warm v/ater and soap, rinse well with warm water 

 and vinegar, half of each. Take a small syringe and force 

 some of this warm mixture through both nostrils till well 

 cleaned. Follow this with an injection of olive oil. Place 

 the bird in warm, dry quarters and feed soft food. If this 

 does not improve the patient and it grows worse you will 

 save time by destroying the specimen and burning the 

 carcass. 



Another treatment is to cleanse them as above and give 

 aconite or arsenicum. Others say spongia in their drinking 

 water is a good remedy. All these mefthods will help some 

 of those afflicted with the disease; but when the case is so 

 bad that they grow worse each day under such care, it is 

 better to kill them. 



I have seen specimens cured by dipping the head in a can 

 of oil (kerosene). This will also remove all the feaiheis 

 from the head, but they come again. So many call a simple 

 cold the roup. Usually when cured by any reasonable means 

 it is a simple cold, but real roup in a fowl is as bad as diph- 

 theria in a child and as hard to cure. 



The following on disease is printed by permission of Dr. 

 Wm. Y. Fox, of Taunton, Mass.: 



COLD. 



A common cold is probably the most prevalent disease 

 the human family is subject to, and the same is true of Ban- 

 tams.' The first symptom is sneezing, then a discharge of 

 clear, watery fluid from the nostrils and eyes; later, a slight 

 loss of appetite and general dumpishness. 



In itself a cold is of little consequence, but, as it is often 

 the forerunner of roup, it must not be neglerited. Cold is 

 generally caused by drafts blowing across the roosts at night, 

 or by filthy quarters. It may also be caused by dampness in 

 the house or runs, or too much exposure to bad weather. 

 Bantams can be allowed in their yards in very cold weather 

 if the ground is free from snow and mud, but they are much 

 better off in the house if there is mud or snow on the ground, 

 or if it is stormy. In this respect they certainly require more 

 care than the large varieties. The prevention of colds lies 

 in keeping the flock in clean, tight, dry quarters. 



The treatment is very simple. If only one or two are 

 affected remove them from the rest and place in a coop 

 where they will be warm and free from drafts. Get some 

 camphorated oil, at any drug store, and with a small glass 

 syringe inject it into the nostrils twice a day. This will 

 generally effect a cure within a few days. If many of the 

 flock are afflicted in this way it will be impracticable to 



