WITH 4200 HENS 93 



Diseases 



Some chicks will die ofif for no apparent reason — they 

 are simply found dead, apparently in perfect condition ex- 

 cepting for that sad fact. Experts find reasons for it — 

 in practice we have no explanation. You may safely 

 count on finding; one of these every now and again ; but 

 if you find them dead in bunches, plump bodies, fine look- 

 ing little chaps, look to your feed. Is your grain sound 

 and sweet? If it is not fit for you to eat it is not fit for 

 your chicks. And your bran — is it sweet and pure? Or 

 do you find lumps of it tinged with greenish mould? Have 

 you spilt water in the litter and allowed the soggy mass 

 to remain, tainting the grain and waste mash, to be found 

 and eaten by the little fellows looking for variety? Are 

 you giving them partially decayed vegetable tops, or fer- 

 mented table scraps? Is the meat in the mash faulty? 

 Did you leave them exposed to a sudden chilling rain? 



Nine times in ten the reason for numerous sudden 

 deaths will be found in this list. If you find the fault, 

 give the whole flock a dose of salts next morning, common 

 Epsom Salts, a tablespoonful to a gallon of water (dis- 

 solve it in hot water and add to your pail) in mild cases, 

 double the dose if the attack is severe. Give them fresh 

 water in the afternoon, and follow with the Douglas Mix- 

 ture, as already directed, the next two days. 



You may have some leg weakness — sturdy chicks get- 

 ting down on their knees. Once more the scientists give 

 us the cause but we admit our ignorance. We have seen 

 it with all kinds of brooding methods and with various 

 feeding systems. We do not know the cause nor the 

 proper remedy. If the attack is a severe one we assume 



