CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 



171 



take place in the blood. This organ con- 

 tains numerous blood vessels and 

 through it _ passes a large quantity of 

 blood. It is particularly subject to the 

 attacks of various kinds of parasites. 

 Most of these parasites probably find 

 their way to the liver through the blood 

 channels, lodge in the minute blood ves- 

 sels and multiply there. It is especially 

 liable to congestion, which frequently 

 occurs from errors in feeding, or other 

 causes of intestinal irritation. 



Congestion of the Liver— A lack of 

 exercise, combined with overfeeding, is 

 the most frequent cause of congestion 

 of the liver. It also results from the 

 overuse of stimulating condiments and 

 the persistent feeding of many of the 

 so-called "egg foods" to birds closely 

 housed and yarded. Most of the cases 

 of liver trouble are, however, due to 

 the overfeeding of a ration too rich in 

 starch elements, such as too large an 

 amount of potatoes or bread. 



The early symptoms of congested liver 

 are not always recognized, as the bird's 

 condition may not be suspected. There 

 is at first a lack of color in the bird's 

 comb and wattles, followed by a watery 

 diarrhoea, dark at first, but changing 

 to yellow. The plumage is rough and 

 dull. Then the color of comb and wat- 

 tles begins to change to a dark red or 

 purple, often becoming nearly black. The 

 fowl is usually fat at this stage. 



Treatment — If the early symptoms are 

 noted and properly treated, most cases 

 will recover. As the cause is largely one 

 of ill-balanced rations and feeding, with 

 insufficient exercise, a change must be 

 made in this. Give twelve tablets of 

 nux vomica and sulphur comp. 2x in 

 each pint of drinking water. Feed plenty 

 of fresh green stuff and some cooked 

 meat. Keep up this treatment for a 

 week, then turn the bird out in a grass 

 range if possible ; otherwise give the 

 birds as scratching material the waste 

 from an alfalfa haymow and allow them 

 only a little grain (wheat) and make 

 them scratch hard for that. 



Inflammation of the Liver — Inflam- 

 mation of the liver is really the stage 

 following congestion. The causes are 

 the same, and the symptoms also, only 

 increased in every way. There is little 

 satisfaction in treating a case that has 

 drifted into inflammation. The liver tis- 

 sues are permanently injured and that 

 organ is unfit to perform its duties. 



Treatment — Treat these cases, if at 

 all, by clearing out the bowels with a 

 dose of castor oil or sulphate of mag- 

 nesia, following this by nux vomica, as 

 in the congestion of the liver. Feed 

 lightly, depending upon bran and clover 

 with a little cooked meat and a free 

 range of grass. 



Naked Chicks — Thinking perhaps 

 you can help us, I will ask you for a 

 little of your time. Late in October we 

 bought a hen caring for thirty chicks. 

 We have fed them cracked corn, meat 

 scraps, plenty of green stuff, charcoal 

 and grit. They feathered out, but since 

 many of them have become bald, and 

 the feathers fall from their neck and 

 they are growing thin, still their wing 

 feathers are long, making them look 

 very queer. They are not incubator 

 chicks, and we have examined them 

 closely for mites, have dusted them for 

 lice and they are quite free from either. 

 What do you think is the cause and 

 what can we do for them? — H. A. S. 



Answer — Your chickens are huddling 

 at night, crowding too closely together. 

 This makes them sweat and their feath- 

 ers fall out. Put a little carbolated vase- 

 line on their heads and cut the feathers 

 of their wings as close as you can with- 

 out making them bleed. Give them 

 wheat and more meat in their food and 

 try to prevent their crowding at night. 

 It is the crowding and lack of wheat in 

 the food, lack of protein, that prevents 

 the feathers growing, and the sweating 

 makes them fall out and will make the 

 chickens thin. 



Ovarian Tumor — I had a nice Or- 

 pington hen ; she had been laying each 

 day and appeared to be perfectly 

 healthy ; comb red, went around seem- 

 ing quite well. I feed cracked corn and 

 wheat, table scraps, and the chickens 

 have good range and plenty of good 

 food. About four days ago the Orping- 

 ton appeared to be lame in the right 

 leg. I caught her, examined the foot 

 and leg, could see nothing^ wrong and 

 she continued lame, and with difficulty 

 got on the nest. To all appearances the 

 leg was broken, as it was harder for her 

 to walk each day. Rather than see her 

 suffer I had her killed. I dissected her: 

 she was very fat with an abundance (if 

 egsrs, one soft shell. I found in the 

 right side of the back a growth about 

 the size of a pigeon egg, which appeared 

 to be part of the egg bag. The liver and 



