POULTRY DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. I95 



juncture with the body. The size of the puff varies somewhat. 

 In mild cases it is about the size of a hickory nut. Sometimes 

 there is one puff, sometimes several. A few cases have been 

 reported "where the puffing covers nearly the whole body, the 

 skin of the chick being so inflated that locomotion becomes dif- 

 ficult." (Robinson). 



According to Vale the trouble generally occurs in growing 

 chicks which have been confined in close quarters. It is often 

 associated with some lung trouble. It seems to be due to ob- 

 struction of the air passages and the rupture of some of the air 

 sacs. The air thus escapes into the tissues beneath the skin. 

 While not common this disease does occur in Maine. Some 

 cases were reported to the Station while this work was in prep- 

 aration. 



The treatment suggested by Vale is to puncture the skin with 

 a needle and to give 2 grains nitrate of iron to each wine glassful 

 of drinking water. Robinson, however, says : "It is rather to 

 be recommended that no effort be made to treat such chicks. 

 Even if cured of the trouble, they rarely develop satisfactorily." 



Gapes. 



Gapes is a disease which attacks domestic poultry and many 

 species of wild birds. In fowls it is more frequently observed 

 in young chicks. It occurs also in adult fowls but rarely causes 

 enough inconvenience to attract attention. The disease is due 

 to the presence of minute parasitic worms in the air passages. 



Diagnosis. "The symptoms of gapes are frequent gaping, 

 sneezing, a whistling cough with discharge of mucus and worms, 

 dumpishness, weakness and drooping wings. When badly af- 

 fected, the bird shakes its head frequently, gapes and coughs as 

 if suffocating, droops and is not able to keep up with the rest 

 of the flock, and stands in "dumpish" position with eyes closed, 

 wings drooped, mouth open and tongue protruding." (Woods, 

 Rel. Poult. Rem.) 



The correctness of a diagnosis for gapes should be tested by 

 determining whether or not the worms are present in the tra- 

 chea. When chicks are dying from a disease supposed to be 

 gapes the trachea of a dead bird may be examined. If the trou- ' 

 ble is gapes the worms will be found attached in pairs to the 

 raucous membrane of the trachea. 



