68 THE COMPLETE POULTRY BOOK. 



"4. FowU from. ndgUarmg mfected premises to be rigidly exciuded.-It it is im- 

 portanttokeep heThy fowls from infected grounds. " ^^ -* l-^^'^f/tm f rt^ 

 exclude fowls living in infected quarters from entering on runs that are stiU free 

 from the disease. Even though insusceptible to cholera and consequently healttiy, 

 they are able to carry the virus on their feathers and feet, and may even dis- 

 tribute it with their own excrement; for although the virus is unable to propa- 

 gate itself in the blood and tissues of i'nsusceptiblfe birds, there is reason to 

 believe that it may stili multiplv in the contents of their digestive organs. 



"5. OAer infected mbsUmces to be excluded from <Aenm«.-Manure from mfected 

 places is often purchased and spread tipon land to which healthy poultry has 

 access, and thus becomes the means of spreading the disease. This should 

 either be entirely excluded from the faj-m or the fowls should not be allowed to 

 come near to where it is placed. It cannot be safely disinfected. Feathers and 

 dead birds are also at times carried a considerable distance by various agencies, 

 and should be guarded against when possible. 



"If sickness appears among the flock we should ask : 



"1. Is the disease cholera f— Fowls frequently die in considerable numbers from 

 diseases that are not contagious, and hence it is a matter of primary importance 

 to decide as to the nature of the affection when cholera is suspected. In my 

 own experience I have found that this might be done with comparative certainty 

 by inspection of the excrements. With fowls the excretions of. the kidneys 

 are joined in the cloaca with the undigested parts of the food, and both solid and 

 liquid excrement are consequently voided together. They are not mixed to any 

 great extent, however ; thie part excreted by the kidneys is easily distinguished; 

 as during health it is of a pure white color, while the bowel discharges are of 

 various hues. The kidney excretion will hereafter be referred to as Ae wrales, i 

 ancl it is the only part which claims our attention-. 



"After a fowl takes the contagion into its body, the first and only reliable 

 symptom is a coloration oi the urates. At first these have only a faint yellow 

 tint, which rapidly changes, however, into a deep yellow color ; up to this time 

 the bird shows no other signs of the disease, its temperature is unchanged, and 

 its excremen^; of a normal consistency. In one or more days after this yellow 

 color appears, the urates are greatly increased in quantity, and constitute the 

 whole or a greater part of the discharges and an obstinate diarrhcea sets in ; in 

 a few cases the urates now beconie greenish, and exceptionally they are of a 

 dee|« green color. 



"The only lesion seen in post-mortem examinations that is likely to 

 attract the attention of non-professional observers is the enlarged liver, which is 

 nearly constant ; itmay be ef various shades of color. Besides this the presence 

 of yellow urates in the cloaca and ureters is a valuable sign and is generally 

 present. 



"2. Sick birds must be destroyed.— The ex&ements of sick birds are the princi- 

 pal means of spreading the contagion, and the first step in stamping out the dis- 

 ease is consequently to destroy all which are voiding yellow urates. Care should 

 be had to make the distinction between the urates and the bowel dejections, for 

 the latter are frequently of a yellow color in health ; but a little observation'win 

 preclude any mistake of this kind. The kUUng should not be by any method 



