POULTRY DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 191 



septic should be used in the drinking water. Potassium per- 

 manganate as recommended on p. i6 may be used. Dr. Morse 

 recommends also bichloride of mercury, using lo of the i-iooo 

 grain tablets to one quart of water. Also lO grains of iron sul- 

 phate to the gallon of water is said by some to be good. It is 

 the opinion of the writers that neither of the latter two is as 

 desirable for use as an antiseptic for the water as permanganate. 



These recommendations apply to any case of white diarrhea 

 whatever its cause. In the forms of white diarrhea caused by 

 parasitic organisms specific modes of treatment or of prevention 

 may be recommended. In the case of coccidiosis Dr. Morse 

 says that the eggs should be dipped in 95 per cent alcohol or a 

 4 per cent solution of a good coal tar disinfectant before they 

 are placed in the incubator. The incubators and brooders should 

 all be thoroughly disinfected every time they are used. The 

 treatment of sick chicks should be as recommended above. 



In the case of bacillary white diarrhea the same recommen- 

 dations for disinfection of incubators, brooders and the prem- 

 ises should be followed. Dr. Rettger says that it is only dur- 

 ing the first 48 hours that the chick can be infected. Conse- 

 quently the very greatest care should be taken during those first 

 two critical days. However, the fact that the bacterium has 

 been found in the yolk of the unhatched^even of the unlaid 

 egg — indicates very clearly, that something more than disinfec- 

 tion is necessary to stamp out the disease. Very great care 

 should be exercised in picking out breeding stock. It is very 

 likely that the hens which lay the eggs infected with the bac- 

 teria were chicks which recovered from white diarrhea. The 

 bacteria still continue to live over in their bodies. Every ef- 

 fort should be made to locate and remove the source of infec- 

 tion. If there is widespread infection on the farm, eggs for 

 hatching should be obtained from other places where there is 

 little or no white diarrhea. 



On methods of preventing and eliminating bacillary white 

 diarrhea Rettger and Stoneburn give the following. 



"If the disease makes its appearance among the flocks of 

 chicks every effort should be made to ascertain the source of the 

 infection. This may be (a) breeding stock upon the place, 

 (b) eggs for hatching secured from other breeders, or (c) newly 

 hatched chicks purchased from others." 



