Minor Ailments of Poultry. 



485 



The only way of any service to pass the egg is to dip 

 the finger in oil and to put it up the oviduct, so breaking 

 the egg ; every particle of shell must however, be got out or 

 inflammation will be set up. Hold the vent over boiling 

 water, feed the bird — which must be put away from its 

 mates — on light food, giving it only tepid water to drink, 

 with additional greenstuff and lean meat. When putting it 

 back into its coop, after treatment, give a dose of 15 grains of 

 Epsom salts, and do not allow it with other birds for at least 

 a week. 



Feather- Eating is often the result of confinement and 

 insufficient green food. Give all birds so affected some well 

 scalded clover-hay chaff in their morning warm mash, and see 

 that birds have a wider range, if possible, and plenty of good 

 grit. As a matter of fact, scalded hay should be given to all 

 kinds of poultry every day from October to the end of March, 

 but it must be well scalded over night. Clover-hay is best, 

 but ordinary meadow-hay will do very well. 



Frost-Bite sometimes comes, especially with Minorcas, 

 from cold north or east winds, and is not by any means 

 confined to the winter months. Keep the affected ones in 

 warm, dry quarters, with plenty of light and air, but out of 

 direct sunlight ; give them more greenstuff, and if the comb 

 be very black, but only in this case, add one-half teaspoonful 

 of muriate of ammonia to every pint of their drinking water. 

 Their combs may be dressed with the following ointment : — 



Vaseline ... ... ... 3 tablespoonsful. 



Glycerine ... ... ... 2 do. 



Turpentine ... ... ... h tablespoonful. 



Gastritis is an enlargement of the food passage between 

 the crop and the gizzard. Birds so affected must be fed 

 entirely on soft food, but should have no bran or sharps, and 

 all the meals used should be well sifted to eliminate husk. 

 Hay-chaff boiled in skimmed milk is excellent as the staple 

 foodstuff. Be most careful to see that the bird does not catch 

 cold, or it will probably die, despite all your care. 



Moulting, especially in bad weather, is a severe strain on 

 the bird's constitution. Give Douglas' mixture twice a week 

 in all the drinking water and add to the soft food, which should 



