Pa Ae, oe ead rea eek ‘ |g he ae Uh den oad tr - eae SE PrP od be, viewvt vet & * +e we y ef vee tert tore ve rewe?@ woe 8 C2 ad +e," a A te 6 - ¢ 4 trt¢+ ye ef 4 oa? tr 7 . ee, ght N° Book Copyri COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT: a " : ik ie aS hes 7 ; Rib Pipes crit: aa oe. FARM-POULTRY SERIES No. 10. COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. BY JOHN H. ROBINSON, Editor of Farm-Poultry, Author of “ Poultry-Craft,” First Lessons in Poultry Keeping, etc., etc. PRICE 50 CENTS Published by FARM-POULTRY PUBLISHING CO., Boston, Mass. 1907 TLISHARY of CONGRESS Jwo Googles Received NOV 2 :307 Copyright Entry Copyrighted by FARM-POULTRY PUBLISHING CO., 1907. CONEEN ES . INTRODUCTORY AND PERSONAL - - - - CHAPTER I. To Doctor or Not to DocroR—WHEN To DocrTorR, AND WHAT TO DocToR = = = es CHAPTER II. INDICATIONS OF HEALTH AND GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE - = ~ eS - 2 7 CHAPTER III. GENERAL RULES FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISEASES - CHAPTER IV. THE SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE - - - 7 ~ CHAPTERY. A FEw GENERAL REMARKS ON THE DISEASES OF POULTRY AND THEIR TREATMENT = = a a CHAPTER VI. COLDS AND DISEASES THAT BEGIN WITH COLDS - - 13 17 21 36 41 iv CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. DISEASES DukE TO IMPROPER Foops AND FEEDING - - 61 CHAPTER VIII. SoME PECULIARLY SUBTLE AND DANGEROUS DISEASES - 88 CHAPTER IX. DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS - - - 104. CHAPTER X. DISEASES OF THE SKIN - - - - = BE4 CHAPTER XI. MISCELLANEOUS AILMENTS - - - - =" WIge CHAPTER XII. ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES . - - - 24, OE CHAPTER XIII. INTERNAL PARASITES OF POULTRY - > - at ee CHAPTER XIV. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO POULTRY : - - = 7 Sa CHAPTER XV. Tue Vicious HABITS OF FOWLS - - - - 162 CHAPTER XVI. MOLTING - - - = - e é - 169 APPENDIX - - = = “ ad =. £9F INDEX - - . - - - - Seve’ COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. Introductory and Personal. F BOOKS and booklets on poultry diseases there are in the () English language possibly a score—not including pam- phlets or circulars distributed to advertise remedies. Besides, nearly every general work on poultry contains a chapter on poultry diseases. Of works on poultry diseases a goodly proportion are by men who may be considered specialists, professionals. They are doctors of veterinary surgery, or regular medical practitioners whose inter- est in poultry naturally led them into the investigation of poultry diseases. Why, then, another book on poultry diseases, and by an author without medical education and training? The conditions of poultry doctoring are peculiar. The ordinary individual fowl is of such small value that a single examination or treatment by a medical practitioner would cost more than the fowl was worth. For this reason professional medical attendance on sick fowls is almost unknown. Occasionally, in case of an epidemic which completely baffles him, a poultryman calls in one e) THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR, of the few qualified practitioners who respond to such calls when their regular duties permit. In some of the states the services of experts connected with the State Experiment Stations or Agricul- tural Colleges may be secured in such emergencies. As a rule, however, every poultryman has to be his own poultry doctor, and treat his fowls according to his judgment, aided sometimes by such light as he can get from books or from other poultrymen. As a rule, the poultryman with no authority to consult, or in doubt after learning what he could from accessible sources of infor- mation, goes to the editor of a poultry paper for further advice, and, as a rule, the editor, if he can help the inquirer, is able to help him because of a little more experience with sick fowls, familiarity with the literature of the subject, and constant practice in deciphering from amateur descriptions the symptoms which enable him to identify the disease at least accurately enough to direct his correspondent where to look for information that will help him to a better knowledge of the case and its causes and the methods of treating it. So it came about that engaging in editorial work on a poultry paper I had to renew the study of poultry diseases which, as a practical poultryman, I had discontinued years before, and con- sidering them always from the non-professional point of view, from the standpoint of the practical poultryman, I appreciated, as a professional medical man probably would not, the difficulties encountered by the layman using some of the best works on poultry diseases. The work on diseases which I have myself found by tar the most valuable for reference became satisfactory only after con- stant use had made me familiar with its contents. Even this work, though far more exhaustive than any other, is not complete. It contains nothing or scant information on a number of matters that are frequently the subject of inquiry, and it treats some diseases in such a way that not many using the book would discover the con- nection between a case of the disease and the treatment of it here. The smaller books are quite generally not explicit enough. In nearly all works on diseases of poultry a knowledge of the name, or at least the general character of a disease, is the first requisite in a search for information about it. This is precisely the knowl- edge that most of those consulting a book on poultry diseases go INTRODUCTORY AND PERSONAL. 7 to it for, and the books are therefore deficient in the very feature which would make them most helpful to poultrymen using them most —that is, to beginners. In this book I have tried to develop a method of diagnosis espe- cially suited to those not familiar with the various poultry diseases. It is not the professional method, and I do not suppose that it would be of much use to a professional, but I trust the novice in the treatment of sick fowls will find it practical and helpful. It is approximately the method evolved by the peculiar conditions under which I have to advise about sick fowls, and though it has its defects and its limitations, I think that most of those not able to recognize and name diseases by their visible symptoms will find it more satisfactory than anything yet offered them. This method of diagnosis, the more complete list of diseases treated, the strictly popular style of the work, and the attention given many minor details which the professional writers have too often assumed everyone knew, are the special features which seem to me to furnish the reasons for another book on poultry diseases. Its object is to supply a connection which seems to be too often missing between those who need and those who have knowledge of the subject; and it is on such a basis that a non-professional may, with propriety, venture to treat the subject of poultry diseases. For the matter of the book I have drawn freely on the standard writers on the subject, and, in general, have followed them in statements of symptoms, treatment, etc., but occasionally have supplied a fact from personal knowledge, and I presume that com- parison would show here and there a variation from advices of such authorities as to the advisability of treating, though, on the whole, those authorities agree with the body of experienced poultry keepers in regard to the general unprofitableness of doctoring. JOHN H. ROBINSON. CHAPTER lI. To Doctor or Not to Doctor — When to Doctor anc What to Doctor. ISEASE in the poultry yard may be considered and treated ie, on avery different basis from disease among human beings, cr even among the larger domestic animals. In a general way the common diseases are the same, or similar in causes, symptoms, and treatment, though often differing in name; but in the case of a sick or injured animal, the owner may consider whether it will pay to restore the animal to health or sound condition, while, in the case of a human being, moral obligations and the natural affections impel these directly interested in the welfare of the patient to exhaust every means to preserve life, though prolonged life may mean misery to the sufferer, and care and expense to his family or friends. In the case of a sick or injured fowl the owner may consider the profit and loss aspects of the situation, but with this difference between the fowls and larger domestic animals: The value of the fowl is generally so small that the proportion of cases it does not pay to treat is very much increased, and it is only in exceptional instances that it pays to doctor sick fowls. Some poultrymen take the extreme ground that it pays best never ‘to doctor sick fowls at all, but to kill them at once, and so dispose sof their carcasses that the health of the flock cannot be eae ‘menaced by the disease which affected them. This position is too radical. I doubt whether anyone ever adhered to it strictly, except for a very short time. Those who claimed to do so, I have generally found killed only very sick fowls, ‘though from their statements it would be inferred that they kept no THE ECONOMIC RULE OF ACTION. 2. fowls not perfectly healthy. In practice they are less radical than in theory, and their practice agrees with that of most experienced and successful poultry keepers. The general rule is :— Give treatment when tt can be applied to a flock con- wentently and with reasonable expectation of beneficial results, and treat indtuiduals, if necessary, when treatment ts simple, easy, and needs to be administered but very few times. This we may term the economic rule for treatment of sick fowls, the rule to apply when the first question to consider is the financial aspect of doctoring in any particular case. If one wishes to treat sick fowls for the purpose of observing the course of a disease, its symptoms, effects of methods of treat- ment, etc., that is another matter, and one— it should be said — with which the poultryman who has to make his living from poul- try, and finds his time pretty well occupied in making it, should have as little as possible to do. The practical investigation of dis- eases of poultry by poultrymen ends when it has gone as far as necessary to show how the disease in question can best be avoided; and in the treatment of diseases that are brought to or develop in his yards a poultry keeper can generally get experience in that line as fast as he needs it, even if he limits his efforts to the treatment of cases he regards as well worth trying to save. In deciding that point, the novice is apt to err against his own immediate interests, just as he does in deciding what fowls it is worth while to keep to sell for breeding purposes. In his early experiences in poultry keeping he reserves for sale many fowls of a grade and value he soon learns it does not pay to hold, and in the same period he regards as worth an effort to save many fowls which a few years later he will unhesitatingly kill rather than be bothered treating and risk the danger of spreading disease in his flock. In the case of sick fowls, however, there is a compensating feature. Though he doctors many fowls it does not pay to treat, he is learn- ing much that is of practical use to him. He gets a practical training in the general management of fowls, learns the premoni- tory symptoms of the common diseases, gains a better appreciation of the reasons for various preventive measures about which many 10 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. are too careless, and gets a better understanding of the limits of safety in the matters in which extraordinary risks are sometimes warranted. On the whole, it may be said that the experience in treating sick fowls which the great majority of beginners acquire because they either are not convinced of the wisdom of the rule given above, or are much more lax in applying it than older poultrymen, teaches them many things better and quicker than they would learn them any other way; and looking at the matter in this light, we cannot say that their doctoring is unprofitable— provided they limit it to cases they judge promising. In virulent diseases and difficult cases that would require skillful treatment and careful nursing, it is always better to kill the fowls that are seriously affected, and devote one’s whole attention to preventive treatment for the rest of the flock. A great many diseases are quite readily cured by very simple remedies, or even by the mere removal of the cause, and by appro- priate diet when taken in their early stages, but very stubborn if neglected until they are well advanced and the recuperative powers of the fowl correspondingly weakened. Too often poultry keepers neglect treatment until the condition of the fowl becomes serious, though they have known from the first that the fowls needed some attention. If one is going to treat sick fowls at all, he should make it a rule to isolate sick birds as soon as noticed, and put them where he is sure general conditions are good and favorable. Very often fowls are kept where conditions are not satisfactory, but as long as no disease develops among them, may be tolerated. While a well fowl may stand such conditions, they aggravate disease, and often make the treatment adopted partly or wholly ineffective. The first step, then, should be to place the sick fowls where all sanitary conditions are good, and where the faults of the permanent quarters are offset by especially good conditions in the same line. Thus, if the permanent quarters are not well exposed to the sun, see that sick fowls taken from them are given a bright sunny place. If the permanent quarters are damp, be sure that the sick fowls removed from them are put in a dry place. If .he fowls are kept in small bare yards, put the sick fowls where they have grass run if GOOD NURSING MOST IMPORTANT. 11 possible. I might go on and give quite a long list of suggestions in this line. These serve to illustrate the point, and by observing this point the owner of a sick fowl will often make the best possi- ble beginning of treatment, even before he identifies the disease and is able to give the full specific treatment laid down in the books. As a matter of fact, good hygienic conditions and good nursing count for much more in the treatment of curable diseases than medicines. Without them medical treatment rarely effects a cure; with them many cures are made without medicine, or with med- icines of no particular value in the case. It is quite common for poultrymen to mistake the character of a disease, give remedies according to their mistaken diagnosis, and because the fowl recovers, assume that the diagnosis was correct, and the treat- ment appropriate and effective, when the truth is that the fowl either would have recovered without treatment, or is restored to health by good nursing. A great many diseases can only be identified by post mortem examination of fowls that die, or are killed for that purpose. A considerable proportion of these diseases will be positively identi- fied only by expert examination, while cases that baffle the experts are by no means rare, for many cases are of irregular types, and a great deal remains to be done in the investigation of the dis- eases of poultry. These obscure cases the novice of course cannot give specific treatment, and unless one is quite sure he knows the general character of the disease, and the general line of treatment that should be followed, it is probably best to attempt no treatment whatever, merely putting the sick fowls in a comfortable place, supplying them with clean water and a light diet —if they will eat — and await developments. Otherwise the treatment given may aggravate the disease. ; ‘*Reading up” on diseases, in anticipation of possible cases or outbreaks in the flock is well as far as it goes. Jt makes one some- what tamiliar with the nomenclature of the subject and with the most easily recognized symptoms. It is a good introduction to actual study and practice, but, with a case of sickness on hand, one never ougnt to rely on his recollection of what he has read in this way, but should compare the symptoms in the case with those 12 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. given for the disease he thinks he has recognized. A great many undertake to doctor sick fowls on a diagnosis which considered but one or a few conspicuous symptoms, and go wrong, when, if they had consulted their authorities, they would have known they were wrong, even if they failed to discover what they needed to know to set them right. Isolated or rare instances of disease or death which cannot be explained need give no particular uneasiness. Many of these are due to accidental causes, or to conditions peculiar to the fowls affected and not general in the flock, and investigation in the flock would lead to nothing, while investigation of the individual case, when possible, would reveal nothing pertinent to the rest of the flock. In general, therefore, it is as well to give those cases no furthe: thought. But if such a case is shortly followed by another similar case the poultryman should begin to watch his fowls very closely, and to look the premises over to see if anything is wrong. Then if cases continue to come, and he is still at sea about them, he should try to get advice. CHAPTER II. Indications of Health and General Symptoms of Disease. R. SALMON has aptly referred to a definition of disease as 1) ‘‘a life, the manifestations of which deviate more or less from the normal.” Then to detect disease we must observe a devia- tion from the normal. To observe such deviation we must know what is normal. The normal condition in one’s own flock may not be the general, healthy normal. Very frequently it is not. There are many flocks that, because of unsanitary conditions or poor feed- ing, usually show such general symptoms which are common to nearly all diseases, as dullness, roughness of plumage, etc., not per- haps in as marked degree as in a sick fowl, but still enough to make the usual appearance of the fowls so different from that of fowls in perfect health and condition, that the first symptoms of disease are less conspicuous, and may pass for a long time unnoticed: This explains why so many poultry keepers describe as having appeared suddenly, symptoms which, to more experienced eyes, would have been plain long before, but which they did not observe until they became too pronounced to be overlooked by anyone. In a flock of fowls in vigorous health and good condition, any variation from the normal is immediately conspicuous. In a flock that is a little off in condition and appearance all through, diseases may make a good deal of progress before their presence is suspected. A healthy fowl in good condition has a confident carriage. In the smaller and more energetic breeds this manifests itself generally in alertness, energetic movements, and bustling activity. In the larger fowls general movements are more deliberate and dignified, 14 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. but there is no lack of wide awakeness and business-like interest in life. In the medium sized breeds we get a mean between the activity of the light and the more serious attitude of the heavy breeds, but in them all the indications of soundness and good con- dition are easily recognized. The eye should be bright and clear. The skin of the face and comb and wattles should be smooth, pliable, and a clear red in color, bright red in males after the age of puberty is passed, and the same bright red in the females when laying. In chickens and in hens not laying, the comb is not so highly colored, but still should show a healthy red. In some game fowls, and in a few rare breeds, the comb is normally very dark, but in all the com- moner and popular breeds, the comb is a bright red, and—allowing for some lack of color in the combs of immature stock and hens that are not laying —any variation from a good red, (as a yellowish or purplish tinge), should be regarded with suspicion, and, having been noted, should be investigated. . The feathers, except during molting, should be smooth, quite glossy when new, but becoming duller with age until when quite dead, just before the molt, they soil quickly and are not easily cleaned. The ordinary wear on the plumage begins to show slightly almost immediately after the molt, and there is a progres- sive deterioration of the feathers, slow at first, very rapid just before the molt, but healthy feathers have a life and quality that is absent from the plumage of fowls in poor condition, and poor plumage means something going wrong. The skin and scales of the shanks and feet should be smooth and clean looking. Any roughness, or a dry shriveled skin, means trouble, either local or as a feature of the general state of health. In yellow skinned fowls bad condition of feet is more noticeable than in others, but whatever the color of the feet, between those in good condition and those that fail even a little of good condition, the difference is very plain after having been once observed. When fowls are kept in dry places, especially on coal ashes or on alkali soils, the legs are apt to bleach badly when the skin under the feathers is a little affected. Under other conditions the con- dition of the skin of the feet generally indicates the condition of the skin of the body, and is a symptom not to be neglected. GENERAL LACK OF CONDITION. 6S The habits of fowls also afford indications of their physical con- dition. The normal fowl is apt to be governed somewhat by its primitive instincts and natural tendencies, even when not impelled by necessity. Fowls that eat only what they get with little effort, and then remain inactive until near the next feeding time are not right or are not managed right. In such flocks digestive disorders are likely to be general. Not all—and possibly at a certain time none—of the fowls may have digestive trouble, but they have habits that develop such troubles, and therefore should be corrected. Sometimes inactivity or reluctance to forage are due to sore feet, or a beak so injured or deformed that the fowl picks up small grains with difficulty. Hence a bird that mopes or sits around should be caught and examined to find out whether any trouble of this kind exists. General lack of condition in a flock is frequently not suspected by a poultryman who sees closely little stock but his own, or who looks at it with too partial eyes. Again and again I have seen people in all seriousness call attention to the fine condition of their fowls when lack of good condition was evident all through it. As arule, a poultry keeper whose fowls are subject to any bad con- dition, overcrowded, lack exercise, house ill ventilated, yards foul, houses damp, etc., needs to suspect that these have some effect on his fowls, and if his fowls seem all right to him, would do well to compare them with others that are kept under better conditions, and perhaps also compare notes with others. In all matters of this kind discussion sharpens the wits, and should make the judgment more accurate. And it is of the utmost importance that judgment in such matters should be correct, for while in this book on diseases we must pass the subject, as incidental, with a brief mention, to know the signs of health, and those first variations from them which indi- cate the presence of conditions favorable to development of disease, is of far greater practical value to the working poultryman than to know all about all diseases. Within limits, and as long as health continues sound, we may, in practical poultry keeping, disregard or depart from some of the rules of safety. Our warrant for doing this is the fact that the rules may be violated much or many times without the appearance of the possible bad consequences. We take 16 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. risks which are justifiable or otherwise, according to our ability to control the situation, and this, in many cases, (if not in all), depends upon being able to detect the early indications of unfavor- able developments, and take steps to counteract them before they reach a serious stage. Delicacy either in diet or susceptibility to weather changes is a condition which calls for the serious consideration of the poultry keeper who finds it in his flock. There are many flocks extremely susceptible to variations in the weather, in the conditions under which they are kept, and even unfavorably affected by slight changes of diet. The number of flocks of fowls, especially those kept in close quarters, that become dependent on the perfect work- ing of the keeper’s system is surprisingly large. Though there may be no disease in such flocks, vitality is low and constitution impaired, and the stock is often reduced by outbreaks of disease which would have had little effect on more robust fowls. Delicacy in a flock calls for a more robust method of treatment. CHAPTER III. General Rules for the Prevention of Disease. HE first and most important requisite for the prevention of ae disease is good physical condition based on a good constitu- tion and preserved by good housing, yarding, feeding, and care. The making of a good constitution may be said to begin with the selection of vigorous healthy breeding stock. This means not simply stock that appears to be in good condition at the breeding season, but stock that has never at any time been seriously out of condition. Over and over again in the experience of thousands of poultry keepers it has been shown that the offspring of fowls appar- ently cured of a disease are peculiarly subject to that disease, or to some kindred disease, and that such stock seems to succumb very easily to disease. It does not always happen so, but it happens so often, and the losses thus incurred are so serious, that old poultry- men are generally agreed that a fowl that has had a serious sickness is worse than useless as a breeder. Such a fowl, if possessed of special merit, might be used in a special mating, the object being to perpetuate his special points of excellence. And the offspring of such a mating, if given special care to prevent the disease the parent had, might escape it. Then by careful breeding and judicious handling tendency to the disease might be eliminated from the stock, and so the original excellence preserved free from the original weakness, and finally introduced into the entire flock. But it is only one bird in a thousand that is good enough to be worth this trouble, and no matter how good the bird, it is a mistake for a breeder to rely upon a fowl that has had a sickness likely to 18 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. affect his progeny. If he breeds from such birds, it should be as stated above, in special matings, his regular matings being of fowls that had always been healthy. Above all, a breeder should avoid breeding from a flock all, or most of which had been sick, for from such breeding stock there is almost always a large proportion of weakly, stunted chicks that succumb easily to disease. The next thing to observe for the preservation of health is the natural environment —the soil and atmospheric conditions. On heavy or clayey soils, all filth diseases are much more trouble- some than elsewhere. On loose sandy, well drained soils, the dangers of filth diseases are so greatly reduced that the poultry keeper, if so disposed, may safely reduce his efforts to maintain strict cleanliness, often to the point of neglect of cleanliness, with- out serious risk. On soils of intermediate character, maintenance of safe sanitary conditions varies in its requirements with the nature of the soil. Atmospheric conditions are, as a rule, of less importance. Fowls become accustomed to a certain general atmospheric condition, or range of conditions, and endure without inconvenience conditions which, to unacclimated fowls, might be serious. The most import- ant point to observe in regard to atmospheric conditions is with unacclimated fowls. Fowls that are new to a locality, especially if brought from a very different climate, are often injured by exposure to weather conditions which do not hurt acclimated fowls in the least. To avoid diseases that might develop in this way, keep such fowls from exposure to the full severity of weather extremes, whether heat, wet, wind, or cold. The house problem, as it concerns health, may be made simple or difficult according to the system of housing adopted. In an open house with fresh air always abundant, what are known as the temperature diseases are reduced to the minimum, though in such houses fowls lacking in vigor are perhaps more likely to con- tract such diseases as pneumonia, than in warmer houses. In warm houses the health of the fowl depends very much upon the attention given to the ventilation, and not to constant ventila- tion through ventilators supposed to have certain desired effects, but to ventilation by adjustment of doors and windows to suit the CLEANLINESS, DIET, EXERCISE. 19 daily as well as the irregular or seasonable changes of conditions. Occasional neglects of doors and windows of tight houses are fruitful causes of disease, while the general habit of keeping such houses shut tight much more than is necessary, makes the average vitality of fowls kept in them much lower than it should be. The eftect of cleanliness in the house on the health of the fowls is also influenced by the type of house used. If a house is to be closed tight and kept warm so that all gases and odors are retained in it for hours and the air laden with them, droppings should be removed daily. If the house is open so that odors and gases are carried off such frequent cleanings are not necessary. The observations already made on soils apply in a general way to yards. In connection with the yards we have further to consider such disinfection and renovation of the soil as may be necessary, and the effects of neglect of these upon the general condition of the fowls occupying the premises. Yards used too long without renovation are often the unsuspected cause of disease, or, where no disease develops, of failure of the stock to thrive. Sanitary con- ditions must be preserved in the yard as well as in the house. The diet of fowls and the method of feeding them are directly responsible for most of the digestive disorders. We cannot take that subject up in this connection, but the reader should under- stand that only by judicious and proper feeding can he avoid the common troubles of poultry that are most obscure in their symp- toms and most difficult to deal with. Methods of exercising fowls are generally intimately related to methods of feeding them. A system of feeding that discourages exercise is wrong except for chickens to be marketed early, or in fattening. Frequently aration that is good and safe, if given to fowls that exercise freely, is a regular disease breeder for fowls that take little exercise. A most conspicuous illustration of this is found in the case of corn, which, fed under proper conditions, is a most satisfactory food, but when fed in disregard of appro- priate conditions quickly puts fowls out of condition. Overcrowding, when very bad, is likely to breed disease; when not so bad its results are more likely to be limited to lack of thrift or productiveness. Contagious diseases are most frequently introduced into a flock 20 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. with additions from outside. It is a good plan not to allow new stock to mingle with the old for at least ten days to two weeks after it is brought on the place. This rule should be followed even with stock from flocks known to be free from disease, for it often happens that disease germs, latent and harmless in one flock. become active and dangerous when stock from that flock is moved to another place. Two weeks should give ample time for develop- ment of latent disease, and if no bad symptoms appear within that time, the new stock may be put with the old. The introduction of new males during the breeding season is a risk many poultrymen take without thought, and subsequently have abundant occasion to regret. At that season the delay caused by quarantining a new bird needed for service seems intolerable, and the breeder frequently puts him into the breeding pen without much examination. From such an event many a poultryman dates a long period of trouble with parasitic or skin disease introduced with the new male, and by him rapidly communicated to all females with which he comes in contact. As far as possible the poultry keeper should depend for the pre- vention of disease on conditions which make for health rather than upon special correctives of unhealthy conditions. Those who must keep fowls in close quarters must rely much upon disinfectants and strict attention to hygienic conditions. Those who give fowls liberal yard room need give less attention to sanitation. The difference between the two systems quite closely parallels certain differences between farm and city life, between sparsely settled and densely populated areas. Give nature room and she attends to sanitation and various other matters relating to health, in her own way. Crowd beings of any kind together, and special, and some- times artificial and complex sanitary systems and requirements become necessary. CHAPTER IfV. The Symptoms of Disease. OME diseases are distinguished easily by peculiar and unmis- GS takable symptoms. Some general symptoms are common to a great many diseases. Some frequent symptoms are common to diseases of certain classes, and make it sometimes very difficult to distinguish between them. Of some diseases the symptoms are obscure, not especially manifested in outward appearance or in any function, and distinguishable only by post mortem examination — often only by expert examination. Occasionally a disease develops which baffles the most careful examination to determine its precise character. Diseases are not always simple and free from complications. Hence the combinations of symptoms found are sometimes very puzzling, especially to a layman with no intimate knowledge of the subject. Diseases, as they develop in the poultry yard, are rarely ‘‘ typical” cases, presenting all symptoms of one disease plainly, and no others. It is perhaps more common to find one or more symptoms absent, or to find some symptoms varying greatly from the usual type, and even more closely resembling symptoms in some quite different disease. Hence, apart from the diseases having unmis- takable symptoms the diagnosis of diseases, even by men of medical training, is often inaccurate, while that of the common poultryman is apt to be wrong as often as right. However, if diagnosis is correct in half, or even less, of the cases discovered, and the disease given proper treatment at an early stage, and proper steps taken to prevent its spread through the flock, and measures adopted to prevent its recurrence, much has been gained. 22 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. The more common and most generally troublesome of the dis- eases showing no plain symptoms outwardly it is possible even for a novice to identify by post mortem with sufficient accuracy to enable him to give preventive and dietary treatment adapted to the situation. In this chapter I have undertaken— 1.— To arrange and group the visible symptoms of the diseases of poultry in such a way that a poultryman may more systematically and carefully observe the symptoms of sick fowls; also be able to distinguish between general and special symptoms. 2.— To briefly indicate the post mortem symptoms, especially of diseases not characterized by outward symptoms. In preparing the list of symptoms from which the schedule which follows has been compiled, I have used principally Salmon’s ‘‘ Diseases of Poultry,” supplementing it here and there from state- ments in Sanborn’s ‘‘ Farm-Poultry Doctor,” Vale’s ‘‘ Manual of Poultry Diseases,” Hill’s ‘‘ Diseases of Poultry,” various articles on diseases in the poultry journals, especially those by Woods, and, occasionally, from personal observation indicating symptoms or facts which our medical authorities have overlooked. Visible Symptoms of Disease. Symptoms in the Attitude and General Condition of Fowls. The impulse or instinct of a fowl affected with a disease which makes it feel sick is to remain quiet and out of the way of the rest of the flock. This disposition manifests itself differently in differ- ent fowls and different circumstances, and is also probably some- what influenced by the degree of indisposition. Hence all fowls sick with the same disease do not act alike, and while weakuess, dullness, drowsiness, stnactivity, sluggishness, etc., are given as symptoms in many diseases, they are, as a rule, symptoms of no particular value in determining the character of the disease. We note, further, that as between these many terms signifying much the same things, it is practically impossible to make fine dis- tinctions. The same observer might, at different times, describe the same condition by different terms, or apply the same term to different degrees of debility. So, though we find in the descrip- tions of symptoms furnished by authorities on poultry diseases, a SYMPTOMS IN THE APPEARANCE OF FOWLS. 23 great variety of terms indicating weakness as variously manifested in the general attitude of the fowl, and these will be noted in the full descriptions of symptoms; they are to be regarded as of only minor importance in the diagnosis of disease. The terms used to indicate visible lack of condition, and the dis- eases with which each is identified by our authorities, are :— DULLNESS — symptom in bronchitis, catarrh, indigestion, gas- tritis, enteritis, constipation, worms, atrophy of the liver, DROWSINESS— symptom in aspergillosis, atrophy of the liver, congestion of the lungs, leukemia. DEPRESSION — symptom in enteritis. DuUMPISHNESS — symptom in canker. SLUGGISHNESS — symptom in inflammation of the liver, eczema. STUPOR — symptom in atrophy of the liver, vertigo. TorRPoR — symptom in enteritis. INACTIVITY — symptom in catarrh, black rot, diarrhea, enlarge- ment of the testicles. WEAKNESS — symptom in cholera, dropsy of the heart. EXTREME WEAKNESS — symptom in aspergillosis. GENERAL DEBILITY—symptom in inflammation of the oviduct. GENERAL LASSITUDE— symptom in enteritis. Rapip Loss OF STRENGTH — symptom in peritonitis. LISTLESSNESS — symptom in dropsy. ISOLATION — symptom in worms, cholera. DiFFICULT LOCOMOTION — symptom in constipation. StTirF WALK — symptom in worms. RouGH PLUMAGE — symptom in cholera, worms, leukemia, gas- tritis, gapes, diarrhea, constipation, aspergillosis. As everyone who has observed many sick fowls knows, this list by no means exhausts the possibilities. There is practically no limit to the variations of arrangement of such symptoms and names of diseases that will make statements easily applied to many cases. We therefore class all such symptoms as general symptoms not peculiar to particular diseases. Such symptoms are generally the first noted by the quick observer. They indicate a diseased con- dition ; but having learned this much through them, we may dis- miss them from further consideration as more likely to confuse than to aid attempts at diagnosis. 24 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. EMACIATION — is a symptom of more importance in determining the character of a disease, because it usually indicates the presence of one of several most difficult diseases to deal with, and is in each the most conspicuous symptom. These diseases are tuberculosis, asthenia, (‘‘ going light”), and anemia, (called by Salmon, leukemia). Emaciation is also noted as asymptom in aspergillosis, inflammation of the kidneys, gastritis, enteritis, worms. Such are the diseases in which it is most frequently observed, but it may be a symptom in any disease which a fowl resists for a long time, and, of course, is also seen asa condition in many cases where a thin, emaciated fowl contracts disease. Symptoms in the Actions of Fowls. Under this head I group a class of symptoms which rarely escape the notice of even the least experienced of poultry keepers. The most conspicuous of them is convulsions, or convulsive move- ments, principally of the head and neck, though frequently affecting in a lesser degree the body as well, and occasionally of such nature that the bird entirely loses control of the limbs, and either lies helpless or with limbs moving spasmodically. CoNVULSIVE MOVEMENTS OF THE HEAD AND NecK— occur in cramps, gapes, and frequently in large combed birds in common colds. Movements which might appear to be convulsions are sometimes a symptom in various diseases, such, for instance, as a swallowing motion when neither food nor drink is being taken. Such movements, while to some degree similar, are not convulsive, for they are under control of the bird, and made with a purpose. A Swa.Litowinc Motion WitTHouT CONVULSIONS — indicates accumulation of mucus in throat and windpipe, or obstruc- tion of those parts. CoNVULSIONS— are common, but not invariably a symptom in epilepsy, atrophy of the liver, vertigo, worms, enteritis, and in the last stages of peritonitis, and cholera. A SWALLowInG Morion ACCOMPANIED BY A WRITHING — espe- cially of the upper part of the body, is a symptom in crop bound. SYMPTOMS IN THE ACTIONS OF FOWLS. 25 GIDINESS AND STAGGERING — mentioned as symptoms in ver- tigo and enteritis, are features of convulsions ; while chills, also given as a symptom in enteritis, would not readily be differentiated from convulsions. The head twisted and eye turned up, while the fowl moves in a circle, is a symptom of vertigo. CONTRACTION OF THE MuscLES— sometimes observable in the toes, sometimes in the neck, is a symptom of rheumatism. When this symptom appears, affecting the neck, it is usually twisted and drawn back between the shoulders. LAMENESS AND Loss OF USE OF THE LEGS—are symptoms quickly noted; both occur in succession or alternation in leg weakness and rheumatism. Lameness may also occur with, and as a result of the various symptoms of diseases of the feet, and is frequently the result of injury to the feet, legs, or back. RESTLESSNESS — indicating fever, is a symptom in peritonitis. GAPING — symptom in gapes, enteritis. Symptoms in the Appearance or Condition of Special Parts of the Fowl. Under this head we consider local symptoms, not conspicuously connected with any important function, leaving functional symp- toms to be taken up separately a little further on. Head Symptoms. In a way the appearance of the head of the fowl is a factor in such general symptoms as dullness, drowsiness, emaciation. A good observer may note something wrong in the expression of the eye, or appearance of the head, before the general appearance of the bird is unusual enough to attract attention. Such symptoms as those we need not consider further than in the general way. The conspicuous symptoms of the head parts, and the diseases or con- ditions they indicate are :— Of the Comb. Coms, PALE— symptom in leukemia, (anemia), dropsy, tuber- culosis, enteritis. In these diseases the paleness of the comb is generally very noticeable. In many others there is much less color inthe combthan when the bird is in good health. 26 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. Comb, DarK, PuRPLISH— symptom in congestion of the lungs, enteritis ; sometimes in bronchitis. A distinction must be made between the dark purplish comb seen in these diseases and the comb the tips of which turn bluish when chilled. Coms, PuRPLE, OR Tips TURNING BLUE, THEN BLACK— symp- tom in black rot. ScaB oN Comps —a dark or yellowish patch or scab which can- not readily be removed, is a symptom of ulceration of comb. This symptom must be distinguished from a simple scab, the result of an injury. WaTTLES ENLARGED AND HARD— symptom in dropsy of the wattles. WATTLES HAVING WHITE POINTS OR PATCHES which enlarge and run together — symptom in eczema. YELLow WarTS ON FACE AND ComB — symptom in chicken- pox. CHEESY Lumps ABOUT THE EYES— symptom in roup. EyELIDS GUMMED AND SWOLLEN — symptom in catarrh. JAuNDICE — symptom in inflammation of the liver. PUFFING AND SWELLING OF THE FACE—symptom in roupy colds. INFLAMMATION OF MouTH— symptom in gastritis and roup. INFLAMED Mucous MEMBRANES— symptom in bronchitis. GRAYISH WHITE MEMBRANOUS PATCHES IN THROAT — symptom in diphtheria. Pip, scale on tongue—symptom in catarrh, roup, bronchitis, pneumonia. Feather Symptoms. Loss oF FEATHERS from parts of the body —symptom in favus. FEATHERS BREAKING at the surface of the skin indicates scabies. IMPROPERLY DEVELOPED FEATHERS — deformed feathers, indicate inflammation of the kidneys. Feathers are also lost, broken, or damaged by other fowls eating them, generally from the rump and neck; and from the backs of hens in the breeding season by the wear of the feet of the males. SKIN AND FOOT SYMPTOMS, BREATHING. 27 Skin Symptoms (of the Body). SKIN PuFFED WITH AIR— symptom of emphysema. ScurFY THICKENED SKIN — symptom in favus. The skin of any part of the body bare of feathers, and exposed to sun and wind, turns quite a dark or bright red; if the skin, notwithstanding its high color, seems clean and healthy, it is probably not in any way diseased, and will return to its normal color after the feathers grow on it. TUMORS AND SorRES — generally result from injuries, though I have seen and also had reports of boil like sores on fowls which seemed to be identical with boils on the human person, and probably due to similar conditions or causes. Leg and Foot Symptoms. THICKENED SKIN of under side of feet — corns. SWELLING ON Foot — bumble foot. ABSCESSES on soles of feet and between toes — symptom in bumble foot. SWOLLEN FEET AND Tors—dropsy of the feet. SWOLLEN JOINTS — rheumatism. SKIN oF LeGs Dry AND RouGH—symptom in fish skin disease. SCALES OF SHANKS AND TOES LOOSE raised, with dead whitish crust forming under them — symptom of scaly leg. Visible Symptoms in Functional Operations — Breathing. Normally the function of breathing attracts no attention what- ever. Anything out of the usual in this connection is therefore an indication of something wrong. RAPID BREATHING — is asymptom in gastritis. DIFFICULT BREATHING — is noted in catarrh, dropsy of the heart, congestion of the lungs. LABORED BREATHING — symptom in aspergillosis. To make nice distinctions between difficult and labored breath- ing is often impossible. A WHISTLING SounpD—in breathing indicates bronchitis or defective air passages. SNEEZING— is a symptom in catarrh. A peculiar croaking sneeze is often made by fowls when eating too rapidly. 28 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. Head Discharges. WATERY DISCHARGE FROM NOSTRILS—symptom in catarrhal cold, catarrh. FERMENTING SOUR, WATERY DISCHARGE FROM THE NOSE AND MoutTH — symptom sometimes in crop bound. Mucus DiscHARGE FROM NOSTRILS AND MouTH— occasional symptom in gapes. FETID DISCHARGE FROM NosTRILS (having the ‘‘roup smell,” a peculiar nauseating odor which, once observed, is ever afterward easily distinguished )—symptom in roup, con- tagious catarrh, sometimes in diphtheria. FROTHY DISCHARGE FROM THE MoutTH—symptom in enteritis. BLoopy Mucus From MouTH—symptom in congestion of the lungs. BELCHING GAs—symptom of catarrh of the crop. WATER ESCAPING FROM THE CROP THROUGH THE MouTH=— when fowl is held head down is not a symptom of disease unless the discharged fluid is sour or foul, when it indicates a bad condition of the crop. Appetite. IRREGULAR APPETITE— indicates overfeeding, indigestion, or, (not infrequently), food poorly prepared or of poor quality. Lack oF APPETITE— is given as a symptom in worms, constipa- tion, catarrh, bronchitis, and enteritis. Loss oF APPETITE—is given as a symptom in aspergillosis, black rot, diarrhea, enteritis, gastritis, inflammation of the kidneys, leukemia, peritonitis, inflammation of the liver. Whether lack of appetite means poor appetite, and loss of appetite no appetite, is not clear. Probably the distinction is not always carefully observed. Appetite symptoms would not be expected to be uniform in the same disease, for fowls, like people, vary much in regard to the appetite in sickness. Considered by themselves, appetite symptoms are of little, if any, use in determining the character of most of the diseases mentioned in connection with them. ABNORMAL APPETITE — fowls frequently display abnormal appe- tites, eat voraciously of food from which they apparently APPETITE, CROP AND BOWEL SYMPTOMS. 29 extract little nourishment, or take excessive quantities of such food accessories as grit. Such phenomena indicate diseased condition in the digestive tract, but our authori- ties have little to say about them. They are probably properly described as extreme symptoms of indigestion. INTENSE THIRST—is mentioned as a symptom in_ gastritis, aspergillosis, enteritis, cholera, but will be observed in many other diseases. In any case of disease accompanied by a fever, or feverish conditions, marked thirst is likely to be found. The Crop. THE Crop DISTENDED AND Harp—is ‘‘crop bound.” The crop bound condition may be due to obstruction of the crop, or to disease of the crop or digestive tract, preventing the regular passage of food through the system. Crop Bounp is a symptom in catarrh of the crop, sometimes in diarrhea, and in cholera. WHEN THE CROP IS PROMINENT AND HANGs LoosELy — the fowl is said to have ‘‘ slack crop.” Vent Discharges. DIARRHEA is a symptom in a great many diseases. It may have no special significance, or it may, by certain peculiar- ities, be of great assistance in identifying a disease. The following forms of diarrhea have been described :— SIMPLE DIARRHEA — itself a form of disease — symptom, excre- ment soft, yellowish, whitish, or greenish. Many people call every case of disease in which there is diarrhea with greenish excrement ‘‘ cholera,” and many reported cures of cholera are merely cures of simple diarrhea. Szmple diarrhea has been observed as asymptom in cases of worms, tuberculosis, and in black head in turkeys. BLoopy DIARRHEA — symptom in enteritis, appendicitis. DIARRHEA WITH DARK EXCREMENT TURNING TO YELLOW — symptom in black rot. GREENISH DIARRHEA WITH SOLID EXCREMENT — symptom in early stages of bacterial enteritis. GREENISH DIARRHEA WITH EXCREMENT DARK AND LIQuiIp — symptom in later stages of bacterial enteritis. 30 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. DIARRHEA WITH YELLOW URATES (the white part of the excre- ment of birds) — symptom in cholera. Salmon says that while yellow urates do not invariably indicate cholera, because the urates are frequently tinted from other dis- orders, they afford a valuable indication. It is to be inferred from his statement that while yellow urates occur in other diseases, they invariably occur in cholera in the early stages; hence, if urates are not yellow it may be con- cluded that the disease is not cholera unless we have: DIARRHEA WITH GREENISH OR DEEP GREEN URATES—a symp- tom of the later stages of cholera; or DIARRHEA IN WHICH WHITE URATES ARE PASSED IN VERY LARGE QUANTITIES, the excrement consisting almost entirely of urates mixed with colorless mucus. Such a diarrhea has been observed as a very early symptom in several cases of cholera. This diarrhea gradually chang- ing, the urates becoming deep yellow, and finally green. CONSTIPATION — occurs in fowls far less often than diarrhea, and often passes unnoticed when it does occur, unless very bad. Painful and ineffective efforts to evacuate the bowel are the symptom of constipation. Frequently the affected fowl cries with pain. CONSTIPATION — is a symptom in indigestion, (dyspepsia), gas- tritis, peritonitis. Other Bowel Discharges. A THIN WATERY DISCHARGE— soon becoming white and offen- sive, frequent passage of small quantities of excrement, the membrane of the bowel much inflamed, with the inflamma- tion often extending to skin around the vent, are symptoms in vent gleet. This should not be confounded with a simple whitish diarrhea. Symptoms Associated with Laying. UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO Pass EGoG, the egg being some- times partially extruded ; sometimes not at all— symptom of egg bound. Ecc LopGEep LoosELy IN ABDOMINAL CAvITY—symptom of rupture of the oviduct. POST MORTEM SYMPTOMS. 31 ABNORMAL LAYING, continued production of abnormal eggs, — symptom of inflammation of oviduct. PROTRUSION AT THE VENT— in laying hens a symptom of pro- lapsus of the oviduct; occurs occasionally in fowls under other circumstances, is then protrusion of the bowel. SUDDEN DEATHS— symptom of rupture of the heart, apoplexy, choking. Symptoms Discovered by a Post [ortem Exam- ination. Importance of Noting Inward Symptoms. Some diseases readily identified by outward symptoms have only those outward symptoms; others have also peculiar internal symp- toms. A few diseases can be identified only by post mortem exam- ination. When a disease is presumed to have been correctly diagnosed by the outward symptoms a post mortem would be made only to clear up any lingering doubts one might have as to the correctness of his conclusions. When the outward symptoms noted seem insufficient for diagnosis the poultryman who wants to know what was wrong generally ‘‘ opens” the body of the fowl and examines the internal organs. Some of the most common diseases are readily identified in this way by anyone, but there are many cases beyond the skill of the layman to identify, and, as has already been said, some that the experts have to give up. Generally, how- ever, in case of a common disease anyone can learn enough of the condition of the fowl, and of the parts affected, to know to what class of causes the trouble is probably due, to what class of disease it belongs, and what general course is best to pursue with fowls affected by or exposed to it; and this, after all, is the principal thing. If one is not familiar with the appearance of the organs of a healthy fowl he should, when making a post mortem examination of a fowl that had died of a disease the character of which he wishes to discover, kill and examine a fowl apparently in perfect condition, that, comparing them part by part, he may more cer- tainly arrive at the facts. More, a poultry keeper who does not know what the internal organs of a healthy fowl look like, should lose no time acquiring that knowledge, but take advantage of 32 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. the first opportunity to examine them, and as fowls or chicks from his yards are killed, ought to observe the condition of the internal organs of the fowl, just as day by day he notes outward symptoms, for in this way one will often discover the presence in his flock of a disease without marked outward symptoms in time to adopt effectual preventive measures when, if the disease continued unsuspected until several deaths from it had occurred, many more members of the flock might be past saving. How to Make a Post Mortem Examination of a Fowl. In the case of a healthy fowl to be used for the table after having served as a subject for examination, the way the fowl is intended to be cooked might be allowed to determine the method of making examination. If a fowl is to be cut up before cooking, it is a simple matter to remove wings and legs, and then by separating the breast and back leave the organs exposed, but undisturbed, and the examiner can remove and inspect them as he wishes. If the carcass is to be drawn in the usual way, it is not so easy to make a satisfac- tory observation of the internal organs, as they cannot be observed in position, but still one can learn a good deal of their appearance and condition if they are removed carefully. If the examination of the healthy carcass is desired to contribute as much as possible to the acquisition of skill in the examination and treatment of diseased fowls, it is well to make it in the same way that the post mortem would be made on a dead fowl. It is obvious that the ‘‘ butcher” methods of examination mentioned above are very crude methods from a surgical point of view. One of the best directions I have seen for making a post mortem exam- ination of a fowl was given in an English poultry paper recently. It is :-— ‘‘ Take the dead bird and lay it on a wooden table, or on a piece of strong board, breast uppermost. Spread out the wings and the legs, putting a small nail through the joint of each wing and through the center of each foot. It is not necessary for the bird to be entirely plucked; it will be enough to pluck the breast, and when this has been done pinch up the skin at the point of the breast bone, and cut it straight through from the vent to the crop. Having done this, draw the skin back on both sides, so as to leave LIVER SYMPTOMS. 33 the flesh fully exposed, and then with a sharp knife cut through the flesh on both sides of the breast bone, and with a strong, blunt pointed pair of scissors, cut out the center of the breast bone entirely, taking particular care in doing so not to injure the heart, as a flow of blood from tne neart will interfere with subsequent operations. When this has been done the principal organs will be seen fully exposed.” Liver Symptoms. Liver troubles are by far the most frequent of diseases requiring a post mortem for identification. Perhaps the most common con- dition of the diseased liver is: LivER ENLARGED, gorged with blood, tender, easily torn or crushed — indicates inflammation or congestion of the liver. LIVER SHRUNKEN, with granulated surface — atrophy or wast- ing of the liver. LIVER SHRUNKEN, hardened, marbled, or spotted with yellow or gray patches — fatty degeneration of liver. LivER SOMEWHAT ENLARGED, dark colored, surface sprinkled with minute grayish spots — symptom in leukemia. Liv—ER GREATLY ENLARGED, softened, very dark, or dark green, gall abundant — symptom in cholera. LIVER (IN TURKEYS) SPOTTED, with whitish or yellowish or brownish patches — symptom in blackhead. Sometimes the same condition or symptom is discovered in the liver and other organs, or certain conditions of other organs occur with certain liver symptoms. ABSCESSES in liver, lungs, kidneys, and spleen are symptoms in aspergillosis. LiveR ENLARGED and distended with blood, spleen enlarged and pale, intestines, particularly the ceca, red and contain- ing much mucus — symptom in enteritis. WHITISH OR YELLOWISH nodules or tubercles in liver, spleen, and peritoneum — symptom in tuberculosis. BILE, BLack, THICK AND HarpD—symptom sometimes found in biliary repletion (jaundice ). BILE CoLorRING ORGANS adjoining gall bladder —symptom in biliary repletion (jaundice). 34 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. Special symptoms in the kidneys are neither so frequent nor so conspicuous. Kipneys Mucu ENLARGED, grayish colored and hard—symp- tom in inflammation of the kidneys. KIDNEYS GORGED WITH BLoop—symptom in cholera. In the lungs symptoms of several bad diseases are found. To test the condition of the lungs put a piece of one in water; a healthy lung will float, a diseased one will sink. Luncs Dark, full of blood, and hard—symptom in pneumonia. Luncs CONTAINING CHEESY NopULES—symptom in_ tuber- culosis. YELLOWISH OR WHITISH NODULES in internal organs, espe- cially the organs of respiration — symptom in aspergillosis. In cases of sudden death the symptoms that explain the trouble are likely to be found in the heart. HEART UNEVEN LOBED, large on one side and small on the other — symptom of failure or rupture of the heart, (syn- cope ), hypertrophy. Heart Sac DIsTENDED with liquid with false membrane adhering to heart and heart sac— dropsy of the heart sac. INTERNAL SURFACE OF HEART REDDENED and deposits of clotted lymph adhering to it — inflammation of the internal membrane of the heart. INTERNAL HEMORRHAGES—rupture of heart or blood vessels. INTESTINAL WALLS THICKENED AND ULCERATED— symptom in tuberculosis. NopuLes WHITISH, YELLOWISH, OR BROWNISH IN INTESTINAL WALLS — symptom in nodular teniasis. LINING OF ABDOMINAL CAVITY INFLAMED deep red in color— peritonitis. YELLOWISH OR REDDISH YELLOW LIQUID IN ABDOMINAL Cavity — peritonitis. Worms IN INTESTINES — Worms are most frequently found in the intestines, though they infest other internal parts. Sometimes conditions produced by worms resemble symp- toms of tuberculosis. Worms IN WINDPIPE, or trachea— gapes. SYMPTOMS IN ORGANS OF REPRODUCTION. 35 MITE LIKE PowDerR, whitish or yellowish in color, on surface of air sacs—air sac mite. The condition of the ovaries of the female, and testicles of the male often reveal the reason for the failure of the hen to lay, or for the laying of abnormal eggs, and for sterileness in males. OvaRIES SMALL WITH Ova (EGGs) VERY SMALL — is a natural condition in a hen not laying or about to lay. Discovered in a hen which failed to lay naturally, it indicates atrophy of the ovaries. TUMORS OF THE Ovary are quite common. Ova BROWNISH OR BLACK, easily crusted and containing a putrid liquid — gangrene of the ovary. Corresponding with these diseases of the female organs of repro- duction, we have in the male organs : ATROPHIED AND ENLARGED TESTICLES, and sometimes tumor- ous or cancerous growths. Any deviation from normal condition of these organs will furnish an explanation for sterility, or low fertility. CHAPTER V. A Few General Remarks on the Diseases of Poultry and Their Treatment. iG HELPS to a better understanding of the diseases of poultry, and their prevention and cure, to know that most of the dis- eases of poultry have their counterparts in cause, character, and effects in human diseases. This fact is not generally appreciated as it should be. Many people are wont to regard themselves and their fowls as so far apart in the scale of development that there can be little in common between them. A physician once wrote me asking what to do for a constipated fowl. Ireplied: ‘‘ Give the same dose you would a two year old child.” By return mail I received a letter to this effect: ‘‘ Thank you for the suggestion. It never occurred to me that the diseases of fowls and human beings were essentially alike, and should be treated the same, but when you stop to think of it, there is no reason why they should not be. I don’t think [ll need to trouble you again about treating diseases.” The similarity of diseases in fowls and men is less clear than it might be because of the differences in names of diseases, because it has been customary to group many poultry diseases under a general name, and because it is only recently that poultry diseases have been carefully investigated, and the different forms of disease affect- ing the same parts differentiated. Structural and other peculiari- ties of fowls account for slightly different manifestations of symp- toms, and also for a few diseases that are peculiar to fowls; but, on the whole, any disease discovered in the poultry yard has its counterpart among human diseases, is produced by like causes, and requires much the same treatment to effect a cure. PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF DISEASE. 37 Chapter II. treated briefly the general causes of disease, with special reference to the prevention of disease. In various chapters following this the development of numerous diseases from a common cause will be traced in connection with the categorical presentation of causes, symptoms, and treatment. In this chapter I wish, as preliminary to the treatment of each disease, or group of diseases, as a special topic, to bring together in a short classifi- cation some of the most common causes of disease and the diseases which develop from them, the purpose of this grouping being to afford the reader a bird’s eye view of the subject, and enable him to see more clearly the relations between various diseases, and their connection with common causes. With rare exceptions, cases of disease occurring in a flock of poultry will be promptly traced by a qualified investigator to one or more of these prime causes of disease: 1.— Colds. 2.— Improper feeding. 3-— Improper conditions. 4.— Contagion. Beginning from colds we have a group of diseases affecting mostly the organs of respiration. Most of these it has long been customary to designate by one common term —roup. From colds also develop catarrhal conditions of the digestive organs, which are probably the real, though unsuspected cause of many cases Of digestive disorders occurring where no fault can be found with the feeding. To colds, and conditions whichcause colds, are traced such dis- eases as catarrh, bronchitis, congestion of the lungs, pneumonia. To colds, and conditions which cause colds, operating with con- tagion, are traced such diseases as diphtheritic roup, tuberculosis. To improper feeding, or improper feeding and improper con- ditions, or either or both of these, and contagion, are traced nearly all the commoner diseases affecting the crop, stomach, liver, and some of those affecting the intestines. Often a derangement of one organ or function becomes responsible for derangement of other organs or functions. In fact, disorder in one organ or function, if it continues, is not likely to be long confined to that one locality, for the organs of the body are mutually dependent upon each other, 38 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. and derangement of one affects others, and also reacts upon the system in general. Contagion as the sole cause, or as prime cause, with colds, or conditions which cause colds and reduce vitality ; improper feeding, and improper conditions, as contributing causes, is responsible for a long list of troubles :— Parasites of the skin and of internal organs — for lice, mites, worms; for skin diseases, venereal dis- eases, scaly legs; for chicken pox, tuberculosis, cholera, diph- theria, contagious catarrh, enteritis, etc. As we find that a case of disease is rarely simple, regular, and typical, so we find many cases of disease resulting from combina- tions of causes, each of which alone might produce the disease, and would produce it in some fowls, while other fowls might succumb only to the combined effects of several causes, all tending to pro- duce that disease. It is important to keep this in mind when referring to advices about diseases, for the first step in the treatment or prevention of further spread of many diseases is to remove the cause, or causes, and one of the most common causes of failure in the treatment of diseases which should yield readily to treatment, is to remove one cause, but leave others to continue their effects, and neutralize the effects of treatment given. Suppose a disease is known to be correctly diagnosed, the symp- toms being unmistakable. Suppose there are two or three possible causes for this disease, and that all of them happen to be present. Suppose that—as is very often the case—the poultry keeper assumes that the cause which is most conspicuous to him is the cause in this case, removes it, gives the prescribed treatment, and fails to see improvement. He may be right about the cause. That is amatter it would be difficult or impossible to either prove or disprove. But whether the other causes had anything to do with producing the disease or not, after it has developed they may tend especially to aggravate it, and prevent recovery. Bearing this in mind the reader should carefully note every pos- sible cause of the disease he has to deal with, decide whether or not it is present; observe whether any part of the treatment recom- mended applies to it, and see that every requirement is met in the treatment as he gives it. REMEDIES TO KEEP ON HAND. 39 The Importance of Being Prepared. The effective treatment of cases it pays to treat will often depend much on the promptness with which they are taken in hand. It is not too much to say that promptness and thoroughness are the most important factors in the treatment of the majority of cases. What counts most is doing the things that need to be done to give nature a chance, and doing them without delay. In many cases a few applications or the regular use of a simple remedy in the early stages are well worth while, when, if the case is neglected until it develops to a serious stage, treatment would be troublesome, com- paratively expensive, and results doubtful. If one is going to doctor sick fowls, he should be prompt always, and in every situation where a mild disease might quickly develop into a more serious one, should be very prompt to treat it. Such promptness depends on being able to get the remedies required without delay, and unless a poultry keeper is so situated that he can get the things he may want in such an emergency at short notice, it is a good plan for him to keep on hand a few of the articles or preparations most likely to be needed. For those who wish to do this I give here such a list. It will be noted that a considerable number of the articles specified are articles kept in almost every household. Hence the number of things to procure especially for treatment of poultry is quite small. Vaseline (veterinary vaseline Carbolic acid. preferred ). Peroxide hydrogen. Lard. Boric acid. Glycerine. Bicarbonate soda ( baking soda). Castor oil. Subnitrate of bismuth. Sweet oil. Sulphate of iron. Olive oil. Kerosene oil. Linseed oil (raw). Turpentine. Alcohol. Camphor (spirits of). Creolin. Sulpho-naphthol. Tincture bryonia. Tincture spongia. Tincture aconite. Salicylic acid. Quinine. Epsom salts. Calomel. Chloro-naphtholeum. 40 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. With the articles in this list available from stock kept for other purposes, or on hand in small supply, the poultry keeper is pre- pared to treat fully nine-tenths of the cases of disease that may develop in his poultry yard, and prepared, I think, to treat all urgent cases in which treatment is likely to be profitable. If one prefers to do so he may equip himself with a case of poultry remedies as put up by different dealers in poultry supplies, or with the special remedies advertised for special diseases, or classes of diseases, or may keep these on hand as well as the common articles mentioned in the above list. Having decided for what condition or disease he will treat, one may use a ‘‘ specific” or proprietary remedy rather than follow the prescriptions given in this book, if he prefers to do so. Most of them I suppose con- tain the same medicinal properties as the remedies given by the authorities. Some I know are compounded after formulas fur- nished by physicians familiar with the diseases of poultry. A few are put up and sold by physicians who are also poultrymen. CHAPTER VI. Colds and Diseases that Begin with Colds. T HAS been customary for a great many years to group nearly ] all the diseases which might be considered under the heading of this chapter together under the common name roup. All these diseases were not called everywhere alike ‘‘roup,” but each one of them was called ‘‘roup” by a great many people, and many applied the term ‘‘roup” to a number of different diseases, making no discrimination between different diseases exhibiting head and mouth symptoms. In recent years there has come a tendency to make proper dis- criminations, and though the divisions and classifications of dis- eases by authorities differ somewhat, the situation in this respect is much improved, the chief drawback at present being the lack of familiarity among poultrymen with the nomenclature used. A number of diseases have no common name, and the descriptive technical names given them not meaning anything in particular to the average layman, he is generally not disposed to familiarize him- self with them and make the corresponding distinctions between forms of disease. At present I find most poultry keepers calling both contagious catarrh, (to which the authorities seem agreed to limit the term ‘‘roup”), and diphtheritic roup or diphtheria roup ; quite at a loss what to call or what to do with the diseases of this group, not characterized by a foul odor, and so often imagining a ‘‘ mysterious disease,” when they have nothing worse to deal with than a common cold. 42 THE COMMON-SENSE POULTRY DOCTOR. The Common Developments of Colds in Fowls. These are :— 1.— Common colds, called simple catarrhal colds. 2.— Bronchitis, or croup. 3-— Contagious catarrh — roup. 4.— Influenza. 2 5.— Diphtheria, or diphtheritic roup. 6.— Congestion of the lungs. 7.— Pneumonia. 8.— Conjunctivitis. The conditions which cause colds are, in a general way, causes ot these diseases. To put it another way, if the poultry keeper allows his flock to be exposed to conditions which cause colds he creates or increases the risk of introducing into his flock any or all of the above named diseases. Some of them are contagious, hence may occasionally be introduced into a flock where without contagion they would not be likely to appear; but most of them develop either directly from cold producing conditions or gradually from neglected colds. Common Colds. Symptoms.— The symptoms of simple catarrhal colds are watery or frothy eyes, eyelids gummed together, face under the eyes puffed or swollen, sneezing, running at the nose. Not all occur in every case. Frequently but one is noticeable. At first, and for some time in many mild cases, the general con- dition of the fowl seems little affected, the appetite is good, and the bird active. If the cold continues, the bird becomes sluggish, mopes, loses appetite, the plumage is rough. If neglected, the case may develop quickly into some of the more serious complaints mentioned above. It may become chronic in a mild form. Under favorable conditions it may disappear without treatment. CausEs oF CoLps.— If we regard a cold as the simplest form of ‘‘temperature disease,” I think we get a better appreciation of the causes of colds.