Chapter XIII 



Poultry Sanitation — Pests and Parasites 



NINETY per cent of all financial disappointments in poul- 

 try raising can be traced to epidemics of disease; there- 

 fore a study of the prevention, diagnosis, and cure of disease 

 is important. 



What, then, is the road to success? It is not the route of 

 fine buildings and expensive equipment or pedigreed stock, 

 but rather the highway of a healthy flock. 



What is health? It is a condition in which the tissues and 

 organs of the organism function in harmony. If there is fric- 

 tion anywhere there is an abnormal condition and disease. 

 Health in a fowl is indicated by a good appetite, sprightly 

 carriage, glossy plumage, a bright full eye, a bright red comb, 

 normal droppings, and pronounced stamina. 



What is disease? It is a condition in which the cells, 

 tissues and organs of the organism fail to function in harmony. 

 If only one structure fails to function normally, it affects in a 

 greater or less degree all the other structures, and we conclude 

 that the body is diseased. 



How Can Disease be Prevented? 



Prevention is better than cure. If disease can be warded 

 off it saves loss of time and money and waste of food that 

 always follow in the train of every sickness. To prevent 

 disease should be the aim and study of every poultry keeper. 

 What are some of the methods of prevention? Here are a few. 



1. Breeding for physical stamina. The beginner is occa- 

 sionally wrecked on the shoal of fancy feathers. It is possible 

 to combine fine plumage and vigor, but, if a choice is to be 

 made between the two, physical stamina should have 

 preference. 



2. Prompt isolation. The spread of disease can be pre- 

 vented by prompt isolation. An epidemic often can 

 be averted by the quick removal of one sick fowl from the 



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