PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



there are occasional outbreaks of disease even though the flock 

 is kept under ideal conditions. 



(j) Weather conditions: Damp and cold windy weather 

 often bring trouble to the flock unless there is adequate pro- 

 tection. This is in evidence in the fall of the year when the 

 young stock are still roosting on the ground or in crowded 

 coops unprotected from sudden weather changes. 



What Should be Done When the Fowls Get Sick? 



To know the nature of the disease is half the cure. This 

 is often a difficult task. Our knowledge of poultry ailments 

 is incomplete and, even in some well known diseases, the 

 symptoms are so obscure and the lesions so complicated that 

 an error in diagnosis is not improbable. In identifying dis- 

 eases, two things must be considered : External symptoms 

 and internal conditions. 



How to Make a Diagnosis 



First, note external symptoms. It is not always possible 

 to determine a disease by external symptoms alone. The 

 same symptom may occur in several diseases. For example, 

 lameness occurs in tuberculosis, liver disease, gout, bumble 

 foot, rheumatism, coccidiosis, and other affections. Diarrhea 

 occurs in cholera, enteritis, coccidiosis, liver disease, vent gleet, 

 and mineral poisoning. It is only by comparing all external 

 symptoms with conditions found in the autopsy that a correct 

 conclusion can be made. Symptoms should be studied care- 

 fully. Note whether there is lameness, diarrhea, swellings and 

 where located, peculiarity of action, blindness, coughing, rat- 

 tling, ruffled plumage, loss of appetite, empty or full crop, or 

 emaciation. In the case of diarrhea, the color and consistency 

 of the excreta should be observed. After a record is made of 

 outward signs, then a dead bird should be examined. 



Second, Make a post mortem examination. In making an 

 autopsy, the following tools are needed : A sharp knife, a pair 

 of strong shears, small forceps, small scissors, a dissecting 

 needle and a pair of bone forceps or, instead, a pair of small 

 tin-shears. The dissecting needle can be made by forcing the 

 head of a needle into a wooden handle. 



A board, two feet square, should be secured, and this is 

 covered with paper. The specimen is laid upon the board, 



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