500 



COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



trouble is. It is better to lose one bird, and thereby determine 

 the evil, than to risk losing half a flock later on. 



Gape Worms. — Strictly speaking, gape worms do not come 

 under the head of worms, as they are commonly understood, 

 but under the term gapes, which is reckoned as a disease of 

 chicks. Nevertheless, it is equally abominable, a kindred ill, 

 hence its place in this chapter. 



(Courted Ailanlic Farm) 



Fig. 309. — On commercial duck farms feeding is done almost exclusively by 

 means of tramcars. 



Gape worms exist at all seasons, though they are seldom ob- 

 served as troublesome until the hatching months, when they 

 affect young birds. Chicks are most susceptible from 10 days 

 to 6 weeks old, since at this age they are not large enough nor 

 strong enough to dislodge the worms from their throats. Vigor- 

 ous birds and older stock are attacked by the worms, but they 

 usually succeed in getting rid of them without the keeper's aid. 



