LESSON XVIII 



Diseases 



The old adage, " An ounce of prevention is worth a 

 pound of cure," is nowhere truer than in the treatment of 

 poultry diseases. A sick chicken should always be a signal 

 to warn the poultrynian that something is wrong. He 

 should immediately try to find and remove the cause of the 

 ailment. Then he should proceed to the treatment of the 

 fowl. 



Of all the diseases that come to poultry, the least under- 

 stood and the hardest to handle is roup. This disease is 

 usually considered to be the last stage of a bad cold. When 

 the fowl first takes cold, the corners of its eyes froth, and 

 it is subject to frequent sneezing. After a few days, the 

 head swells on one or both sides in front of the eyes. Then 

 the entire head swells, and the breath becomes very offen- 

 sive. 



The cold is evidently caused originally by an alternate 

 heating and chilling of the fowl's body, sometimes as a 

 result of drafts in its sleeping quarters, or of the chickens 

 standing in groups on the wet ground in the yard when the 

 weather is windy. If the house is the cause of the trouble, 

 do away with the drafts. If the chickens seem to be catch- 



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