346 



Fowl Cholera. 



[august, 



into a flock by the purchase of infected birds, by infection 

 picked up at poultry shows, or by birds being put into con- 

 taminated crates belonging to dealers or other persons. The 

 microbe, however, is very easily destroyed by a weak solution 

 of carbolic acid or sulphuric acid. It also dies after an exposure 

 to sun and air. 



Symptoms. — The period of incubation is very short, in 

 some cases not more than eight hours, while it rarely exceeds 

 sixteen. Fowls that have pecked the dead body of a comrade 

 have been known to develop the disease in twenty-four 

 hours. The disease takes two forms, the acute and the 

 chronic. In the first case, the course of the illness is very 

 rapid, and it frequently happens that no symptoms are 

 observed, the bird dying before it is noticed as being ill. It 

 may collapse in its walk, or fall from its perch to the ground 

 and die, after giving a few flaps of its wings. But the 

 symptoms when they are noticeable are as follows : — 

 Affected birds become depressed, huddle themselves together 

 and hide their heads under their wings. The feathers become 

 ruffled, the wings and tail droop, and the birds sway from 

 side to side or stagger. The appetite is lessened, while 

 thirst is greatly increased. There is a discharge from the 

 eyes, nose and beak, and the comb and wattles turn bluish 

 red. The most marked symptom, however, is diarrhcea. The 

 evacuations are frequent and watery, being white or yellow 

 at first and becoming greenish and foetid as the disease 

 progresses, while the feathers round the hind parts become 

 matted together. Except in the specially acute form 

 mentioned above, the disease lasts from one to three days, 

 though cases are on record where the illness was prolonged 

 for a week. The birds usually die in a state of stupor or 

 convulsions. The death rate in acute cases is very high, 

 sometimes reaching even 80 or 90 per cent. 



In the chronic form the more violent symptoms are not 

 present, but the bird becomes thin and bloodless and suffers 

 from constant diarrhcea. Sometimes there is a breaking out 

 on one or more of the joints, and the inflammation then set 

 up naturally retards the recovery of the sick bird. Towards 

 the end of the epidemic, however, milder cases occur, among 

 which there are a greater number of recoveries. Birds which 



