December 1, 1908 
The Poultry Yard 
—:0:—— 
Diseases of Fowls. 
(Continued from previous issues.) 
“G. BRAGSHAW, in the ‘Agricultura: 
Gazette of N.S.W.’ 
DIARRHGA AND DYSENTERY. 
—Diarrhoea.— 
Diarrhoea is a discharge of excrement 
in a fluid or semi-fluid state. It is a very 
‘common complaint amongst fowls, and a 
symptom of several other diseases. We 
find it in birds affected with consumption 
of the bowls and liver, and is a pronoun- 
ced symptom of cholera. 
Tn adult fowls simple diarrhoea can be 
easily cured, but itis a terrible scourge 
amongst chickens reared in emanate, 
particularly in America, where it is called 
white diarrhoea. 
Unwhelesome food, sour or decayed 
vegetable matter, extreme heat, or impure 
water may be the cause. Feeding largely 
on bran may also bring on an attack 
Trritants of many sorts may be picked up 
in the fowl’s wanderings, and be respon- 
sible for the disease. 
There are many and varied remedies, 
The affected fowls should be separated 
from the others, and the food sapply re- 
duced, rice or oatmeal boiled in milk 
being the best diet. A teaspoonful of 
olive oil should first be given. ‘This may 
remove the irritant, if any, and allay any 
internal inflammation. 
Prof. W. Hill recommends a teaspoon- 
ful of castor oil, followed by 5 grains of 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
rhubarb, 19 grains carbonate of soda, or 1 
grain of opium. Chlorodyne, 3 to 6 drops 
in a dessertspoonful of water. is also 
recommended, 
Mr, Tegetmeier, poultry editor, of the 
English Field, recommends—rhubarb, 5 
grains; cayenne, 3 grains; to be given asa 
pill at night. 
' Other formulas are, a teaspoonful of 
castor oil mixed with 6 drops laudanum, 
Personally, I have found nothing more 
effective than teaspoonful of prepared 
chalk, mixed with pollard into a bolus 
about the size of one’s little finger, and 
dropped down the bird’s throat. 
The following article on this disease 
was contributed by a medical authority 
to an English paper a few months ago:— 
Diarrhoea may be simply an upset of 
_ digestive system, or it may be a symptom 
sof some more serious disease. Simple 
diarhoea may arise from the presence of 
some indigestible matter in the intestinal 
canal, or it may be due to exposure to 
heavy rain, or to draughts in the roosting 
house. Amongst the other causes may be 
enumerated the giving of sour or sloppy 
food, allowing the fowls access to water 
that has become heated by the sun, or 
that has been allowed to stand in the 
trough from day to day until it has be- 
.come soiled with excrement and almost 
putrid. The too free use of animal food, 
or the irregular use of green food, may 
also be put down as common causes. 
When there is indigestible or decaying 
matter in the intestinal canal it is not 
advisable to suddenly stop the diarrhoea; 
consequently, the first efforts should be 
directed towards removing the offending 
matter. For this purpose the simplest 
thing to use is a small half teaspoonful of 
Epsom salts to each bird; this can be 
dissolved in the water which is used to ~ 
-mix the food. The food should be light 
nourishing, and well cooked, and if the 
diarrhoea is persistant, from four to six 
drops of chlorodyne will be found an ‘un- 
failing cure; the same may be said of a few 
drops of spirits of camphor, about four 
drops for a small hen; but, personally, we 
prefer chlorodyne to anything else for the 
purpose. It may be observed that cam- 
phoris commonly used in the drinking 
ry 
31 
water of young chicks as a preventive of 
‘gapes,’ and being an astringent, often 
gives rise to constipation and general up- 
set of the digestive system. 
The indiscriminate use of hard-boiled 
egg as food for young chickens and tur- 
keys is responsible for many cases of this 
ailment. The long-continued uso of ege 
in this form always leads to constipation 
followed by diarrhoea; hence many people 
comdemn egg food for such young birds, 
when it is the method of using it that is 
entirely to blame. Even the much 
abused ‘hard boiled’ egg may be safely 
fed, provided it is so finely chopped that 
the chicks cannot easily separate the 
pieces of egg from the crumbs of oatmeal 
or biscuit-meal with which it is mixed. 
A frequent case of diarrhoea with young 
birds is allowing them them to drink sun- 
warmed water. If the water is supplied 
in a shallow vessel, which allows of the 
chickens standing in it, and so polluting . 
it with their droppings, the soiled water 
soon goes putrid, and is almost poisonous 
to the chicks, In very hot weather the 
water vessel should be emptied and refilled 
twice daily; careful rearers give fresh 
water at each time of feeding, but such 
extreme care is not necessary if shade can 
be contrived for the water. ; 
Where green food is given at irregular 
intervals, or where it is fed in quantity 
after it has been held for some time, or 
where meat is similarly used, bowel 
troubles may always be expected; when 
meat has caused the trouble, the drop- 
pings are often streaked with blood. For 
simple diarrhoea in chicken ;fand turkey 
poults, the best food to use is rice boiled 
in milkiuntilitis dry; this will ‘often 
effect a cure without further treatment. 
Tn severe cases a couple of chlorodyne in 
a small quantity of milk, or on a bolus of 
bread and milk, may be given to each 
bird. In every instance the cause of the 
attack must be sought for and removed 
or remedies will prove of little avail, 
We have so far been dealing with sim- 
ple diarrhoea, and to many people it may 
appear waste of time to notice such a 
,tifling ailment. It is, however, well to 
point out that it may be just a passing 
derangement of the system due to any of 
