jViinor Ailments of Poultry. 



487 



kerosine and, when the oil has soaked in, with strong sulphur 

 ointment, and keep the birds isolated until they are cured. 



On no account rub the legs with hot water and a hard brush, 

 as was formerly supposed to be necessary ; it is a most cruel 

 and quite useless proceeding. 



In stubborn cases it is well to repeat the treatment in four 

 days' time. 



Soft Eggs are sometimes the result of fright, more often 

 of over-stimulating food or want of lime. They are of rare 

 occurrence where birds are given scalded clover-hay chaff with 

 their soft food. 



Add an abundance of this food to the other rations, and 

 see that birds have plenty of oyster-shell and grit ; remember 

 that on no account must maize or wheat be fed for a time. 

 Twice a week give a large teaspoonful of sulphate of magnesia 

 in the drinking water to every ten birds. 



Douglas' mixture, which every poultry-keeper should have 

 in his medicine chest or near at hand, for it is the most valu- 

 able tonic known, is prepared as follows : — 



\ lb. sulphate of iron (green copperas). 

 I fluid oz. sulphuric acid. 



The whole should be well mixed with a gallon of hot water 

 should be well shaken before use, and must be kept in an 

 earthenware or glass jar — for it would eat its way out of a tiiv 

 in a very short time — labelled " Poison." 



The usual dose is one tablespoonful of the mixture to a 

 gallon of water, but for special use, such as in the case of 

 " white comb," that dose may be doubled. As a rule it 

 should not be given more often than twice a week. It is of 

 the greatest use for young or breeding ducks during raw, wet 

 weather. 



In order that birds may be kept in the best of health, it is 

 advisable to add 1 oz. of table salt to the hot morning food of 

 every 100 birds. 



C. E. J. Walkey. 



