496 POULTRY DISEASES AND PARASITES 



its early stages. As the disease advances, however, pro- 

 gressive emaciation may be noticed, accompanied by a 

 feverishly bright eye. This is likely to be accompanied by 

 general weakness and a ravenous appetite. It not infre- 

 quently happens that there are tumors, ulcers, etc., and if 

 the disease is localized in the joint there will be lameness. 

 Where tuberculosis is suspected it is always well to kill a 

 suspected case and examine the liver and spleen. In a great 

 majority of eases these will be covered by numerous raised 

 nodules. With many forms of sickness the liver is affected, 

 and may be blotched, but these blotches are usually depressed 

 or raised very slightly. There is a tuberculin test now being 

 used with poultry which is somewhat similar to the tuberculin 

 test used with mammals. A supply of the tuberculin is 

 not likely to be at hand, however, and it is usually advisable 

 as soon as tuberculosis is suspected to ship two or three of 

 the live suspects to the bacteriology laboratory of the State 

 Agricultural College, where the disease can be definitely 

 diagnosed. If the difficulty is pronounced as tuberculosis 

 it is the part of wisdom to dispose of the whole flock, as up to 

 the present time there is no cure for this disease when it 

 has advanced to a point where any of the symptoms noted 

 above have put in their appearance. In case the disease has 

 appeared in valuable breeding stock which it is highly desir- 

 able to maintain, specific directions for handling the situation 

 should be secured from the State Bacteriological Laboratory. 

 White Diarrhea. — ^This is a disease attacking chicks soon 

 after hatching, usually appearing by the time they are a week 

 or ten days old. It is probably the most serious scourge, 

 from an economic stand-point, with which the poultry- 

 raiser has to deal. It corresponds in its seriousness as a 

 menace to poultry production with that of hog cholera in 

 pork production, or contagious abortion with dairy cattle. 

 It appears that this diflRculty is caused by a bacterium which 

 finds its way into the digesti\'e tract of the chick in various 

 ways. The possibility of the infection being traiismitted 

 from a mother to her offspring by means of the yolk material 

 in the egg has already been discussed in its relation to the 

 inheritance of disease, (see page 96). 



