Poultry diseases and their remedies; the cause, symptons[!], and treatment of all diseases known to poultry

Introduction

The pleasure of helping others is one of our greatest blessings. When we help others we help ourselves, and our joys increase. This book is intended to render assistance to all persons who keep fowls and who may some time need help while their birds are stricken with disease. The name of this little book describes its nature: "Poultry Diseases and their Remedies." This little book was not written in a day nor a month, but it has taken me years to get it ready to place before the public. During all the past years I have given this subject my earnest and careful study and I feel that I am in a position to give the poultry world something that they will appreciate. I have tried to avoid technical terms and any one capable of understanding the simplest written language cannot fail to comprehend the full meaning of every subject treated. In sending out this little book into the world I feel that the benefits should be equal. The information contained in its pages has been sought from all quarters and from the most progressive and up-to-date thinkers on these subjects. From this store of information and my own practical experience I have prepared this book, and dedicate it to the poultry raisers of the world.

J. GAYLORD BLAIR, Author

Chapter I. Requirements Of Health

How to keep your birds healthy — How to prevent Disease From breaking out in a flock — With helpful suggestions — Selecting the breeding stock, Feeding,

Housing, Etc.

It is easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it, therefore we should study the different things that cause the diseases and try to prevent them. In most every case where diseases break out in a flock it can be traced back to filthy quarters, improper feeding, or neglect of care and attention on the owner's part. Remember that the owner or the person that cares for them has the entire control over them. We can kill any undesirable specimen at any time; if it is sick we can either kill or isolate it at once. This gives us power to prevent and stamp out the disease or trouble to some extent. If we will take every disease in time we can most always check it from spreading. Of course we can't prevent sudden climatic changes, accidents and certain insiduous contagious disorders which will occasionally break out on the best regulated plants, but in most every case disease can be prevented by good care and the proper management of the plant.

As a general thing disease is not thought of until it is present, in this case the birds are not properly taken care of or they would not be apt to contract disease. Their food is not right, the water is impure, the attention of the owner is not what it should be and all of these things placed together will make something large. We think that this little matter will not amount to much but if we neglect one thing we will another and before we realize what we are doing we have neglected other things. Small things placed together will make a large one. One penny might not buy what we want but if we placed more with it we can then make our desired purchase. Remember that if we will watch the small things the large ones will take care of themselves.

Most beginners do not know how to treat their birds after they get sick, they cannot properly diagnose a case. There are many diseases that affect poultry to day that some people have never heard of, is it any wonder they can't prevent and cure disease? Most people think that all diarrhoea is "cholera" and that all birds that have a discharge from the eyes and nostrils have "roup" hence they treat for these diseases and their birds die or do not improve, otherwise if they could diagnose the case and give the bird the proper treatment and care they would be able to cure the bird. In order to cure and prevent disease you must know the nature of it and then you can care for them in an intelligent manner. I believe this little book will give you all the information you will ever want in regard to the different diseases known to affect poultry.

Always Breed for Health . . .

In selecting the breeding stock always select birds that are strong, well developed and breed from no bird that has ever had any disease for this bird is likely to have a weak constitution, and it will always show in their offspring. A bird whose comb does not look bright should also be discarded and nothing should be used in the breeding pen that does not possess a bright, red comb; this is a good sign the bird is in a healthy condition. If we expect to have healthy birds we must breed for this as well as standard points. If we have good points in other respects what good will the bird be to us if it is not healthy and robust? After we have a strong healthy flock of birds we can then have a good solid foundation to work from and begin building on. Remember the well known law of heredity, "like produces like" and if you have weakly birds in the breeding pen you can expect the off-spring to be weak also.

Shun "Cured" Birds

If you have birds that have had a serious disease do not think of using them in the breeding pen for they will produce weak birds if you do. The bird might appear in the best of condition now, still the vitality of this specimen is weak, and it may possibly show in the off-spring of this certain bird. Especially if it had roup, canker, consumption etc. There is little use to waste time and money trying to cure a diseased bird unless it a very valuable show bird. If the sickness of the bird is of a serious nature it will never be the same any more. If you know how and will use the "axe" you will be better off than the other fellow that uses $3.00 worth of medicine to cure a $1.00 bird. Never breed from "cured" birds if you do it will cause you a great lot of trouble.

Use Care in Selecting the Breeding Stock.

In the selection of breeding birds be sure that the bird has size, vigor and a sound constitution. If possible it is best to know that they have come from strong healthy birds. Breed only from birds that are matured ones. Also see that the bird is in perfect health; if the comb is a bright red, the plumage soft and smooth, legs with good color, keen apetite, etc., you can rest assured the bird is in the right condition to place in the breeding pen. Every one should use great care in selecting the birds for the breeding pens; this is one of the most important things in breeding poultry. If you get wrong here every thing is wrong. If you mate wrong for standard points or health either. It is better to have birds with strong constitutions than good standard points. Birds without health are worthless even if they are up to the standard in other respects. If you have birds that are strong and robust you can breed and improve their standard qualities but ii you have them up to the standard with weak constitution you are certainly up against it. This very thing is what causes poor hatches and weak germs. How often do we hear people say that "my chickens are dying," "I can't raise my chickens, they are all dying," etc.? Low vitality in the breeding birds is the cause. They do not use enough care in selecting the breeding birds. If you hatch chicks from stock that is robust and healthy you can't hardly stop this little fellow from growing but otherwise your results will be very discouraging.

Do not think that if you have a good male bird in the breeding pen that you can mate him with any kind of females and get good results, for you will be disappointed" if you do. While the male bird is half of the breeding pen; still you must mate good healthy females with him if you expect good results from this mating. In selecting birds see that they have no deformities whatever and that they are perfect specimens in their classes, both from a physical and standard standpoint.

Inbreeding

The mating of birds that are closely related is called inbreeding. This has caused persons to fail in the poultry business. While mating two birds that are related might produce the desired results along standard lines still their off-spring would be weak and without vigor and low in vitality. In-breeding if practiced will soon bring disappointment to the breeder. Some breeders avoid mating brothers and sisters together; others breed together their best birds for their purposes, regardless of relationship. Understand your birds and know what you are doing and you will find this will be best. Remember line breeding is not inbreeding. .

Some Common Causes of Disease.

There are many things that can cause disease to break out among your flock and if all these are traced back to the origin you will soon discover it is your fault nine times out of ten. Vermin is a very common cause of disease; for birds that have vermin on them will take disease quicker, for they are in a condition that they can't throw off the germs. Impure water, dampness, crowding, improper food and care and want of exercise are all common causes of disease. Even a strong constitution is liable to break down under these conditions.

How and Where to Locate the Buildings.

All poultry buildings should face the south and should be built on well drained land. They should be dry, roomy and well ventilated. The most satisfactory plan for a poultry house is the fresh-air one. In such houses the air is always pure and you will find that birds will do much better in such houses. The egg yield will be larger, thevitality of the birds will be higher, the eggs more fertile and will hatch stronger and better chicks. You need not have high priced land for your plant; if it is dry well drained land it will be all right and will be just as good as higher priced land. If possible have it lay or slope toward the south, south-east or south-west.

Do not have drafts over the birds or you will have trouble. Have three sides air tight and the front side •open for ventilation. And do not close unless it is very stormy. A bird can stand much more cold if it has an abundance of pure fresh air to breath than it can if it is ■closed up in a tight house without the pure fresh air. Low roofed houses are much warmer and also cheaper to build. Sunshine a Good Preventative for Disease

In constructing the poultry house try to plan it so as to have the sun penetrate to all parts of it. Sun light is one of the very best preventatives for disease. If there was no sun light how long would the different animals and vegetables live in this world? No poultry house should be built so the sun could not shine in it most of the day. Sunshine and fresh air is a cheap and sure disinfectant. Have both the brooder and breeding houses arranged so that the sun can shine in at all times of the day. Many small chicks die annually from the lack of sunshine in the brooder and brooder house. The brooder should be sunned and aired daily if you expect to raise good healthy chicks. Have the house arranged so that the little fellows can have a sun bath daily. Also provide shade as well; and remember if you go to extremes with either you will not be successful with your attempt. Sunshine is very important to health.

The "Dust" or Earth Bath.

The aust bath is the natural method of keeping body and feathers clean and also keeping them free from vermin. It is very important and should be looked after jfast the same as the other small points that help to make the poultry business successful. The best place for the dust bath is to locate it in the corner of the breeding pen and use only fresh earth, for this is much better than dust and the birds would rather have it. By dusting in this earth bath, the birds will keep their feathers and skin clean and in a healthy sanitary condition and by adding a little insect powder, they will also free themselves from all vermin. This dust bath has been recommended for years as a sure remedy for vermin on poultry and if this is supplied the birds will do the rest. Always keep the earth a little moist. It should be changed at least every two weeks. How to Arrange the Roosts and Dropping Boards. Place the roosts about two feet from the floor and provide dropping boards under them. Do not place them high for this will cause the birds to injure themselves many times. If you place the roosts near the ceiling the breath from the fowls condences on the ceiling and walls in cold weather in the form of heavy frost and this makes the sleeping quarters damp and unsanitary. Do not use small narrow roosts for this will cause bumble foot, corns, etc. The best roost is made from a piece of timber 2 by 3 or 4 inches with the edges beveled or rounded. Have them arranged so as not to have any places for mites to harbor in. Have the dropping boards about four inches below the roosts and have them plenty wide to catch every thing; a board 2 4 inches wide is sufficient for a single roost. Clean the board every morning. It pays to keep the house clean and sanitary. Use a good disinfectant twice a week.

Avoid "House Sweating."

This can be avoided by proper ventilation and sunning. You never experience "house sweating" if you use the open front or fresh-air plan. Do not crowd too many birds in a coop or house for the result will be cold and roup. Do not under any circumstances allow more birds to occupy a coop or house than can really be cared for in such quarters for if you do it will cause you trouble. Dampness and house sweating will be the result. Airing and sunning the house will eliminate this trouble. Do not close your house tight under any circumstance whatever. Even if the temperature is very low do not think that by having the house air tight it will be warmer, for it won't. Drinking Water.

Never allow impure water to be before your 1 birds, for in this way probably more diseases are spread "'a^n^ caused than in any other way. If the water is not pure, disease is likely to creep out on us. Even as in human beings the water is the fruitful source of trouble. Do not waste time of placing pure water in dirty fountains but clean the founts every other day at least with scalding water. Do not give your birds any water to drink that you would not drink yourself and in this way you can know they get the best of water. All drinking vessels should be made so they can be cleaned easily.

Foods.

The rations should contain grains, mineral foods, green foods, together with grit, oyster shells and charcoal. These different varieties of food have an important influence on the health of the bird. The grain food may be wheat, oats, barley, rye, sunflower seed, millet, corn, etc. Most any of the commercial scratch foods are good and in these you get this variety of grains. The green food should consist of cabbage, lettuce, turnips, fresh growing grass or sprouted grains such as oats, wheat, etc. The former preferred. In winter alfalfa leaves will be found a good substitute for green food. Mineral foods should consist of fresh beef scraps, green cut bone, beef meal and blood meal. Mineral food is very important to the health of the fowl. The best and cheapest mineral food that can be found is fresh green bone. This can be secured very cheap if you get the bones from the butcher shop and cut them on a bone cutter. There is no better egg producer than this.

You can also keep a dry mash before them at all times in hoppers and the birds go and eat as they wish. This mash should consist of one part wheat middlings, two parts bran and one part corn meal. To every peck of dry mash add a tablespoonful of fine table salt. There is no better food for fowls than butter milk, skim milk and clabber. These are also very good for moulting birds.

Do not over feed your birds and get them too fat. Feed all grain in a deep litter and make them exercise after all the grain food they get. If you get your birds too fat, you will be troubled with egg bound birds, leg weakness, apoplexy, congestion of the brain, etc. Feed only what they will clean up and no more. Use good judgment in feeding your birds if you see they are getting too fat you can cut the ration down.

Exercise.

It is just as important to have our fowls tak'e exercise as it is to take exercise ourselves. Of course we realize what it would do for us if we did not take exercise. Our health would scon break down if we did not take exercise of some kind daily. If you will make your birds exercise you will find they will be healthier, more robust, and will hatch stronger chicks from the eggs laid by them. This will also keep them from getting over fat. When you see a bird suffering from being over fat or having congestion of the brain and apoplexy you can say right then that these troubles were brought on by not making your fowls take the proper amount of exercise.

When you feed dry mash from hoppers you should let the birds have free range as much as possible. In feeding grains you should feed it in the litter and make them work and exercise after the last grain of it. If you feed the grain in the morning this will keep them scratching after it most all day. Birds will lay more eggs while they are confined in yards than when running on free range but as a general thing they do not hatch as well and what chicks that do hatch seem weak. This is caused by not enough exercise.

Even small chicks need exercise and if you give them the right food in a litter they will begin to scratch for it when they are only a few days old and this is what makes them grow fast and develope into large robust fellows. Just as soon as they get large enough to look after themselves it is better to make them <roam out into the field and you will find that they will grow faster and make much better birds than they would if they were allowed to stand around your door all day looking for you to throw them something to eat. Birds that try to make their own living and roam out into the fields are the ones that make the winners and good breeders. Remember that sunshine, evercise and fresh air is the best preventative known for •diseases.

How to Handle Contagious Diseases

Did you ever notice that the first birds to take some

FO UL TR Y DISEASES contagious disease is always the weakest one in the flock? Birds that are healthy and active are seldom stricken with disease. To prevent a contagious disease from spreading you should isolate the sick bird at once as soon as discovered. Begin to clean up the house and remove all litter, dust and clean thoroughly and disinfect with a good reliable disinfectant and continue this every day. Remove the litter on the floor every week at least. In handling diseased birds you should not go direct to the well ones for all this is a good way to scatter the germs. Do not keep the sick birds in the same room with the well ones. It is a good idea to have a pest house and keep all sick birds in it until they get entirely well.

Avoid Tonics and Medicines.

A bird that you have to "doctor" up all the time with tonics will be no value as a breeder and you should not fool trying to get this bird in the right condition for breeding purposes, for the chicks hatched from such birds will be weak and will never amount to anything. Do not give tonics and egg foods to healthy birds thinking that they will lay more eggs for they are doing their best and it will only tend to weaken the organs of the bird and the result will be a fall off in the egg yield. The less dosing you give your birds the better off they will be. If you keep grit, oyster shells and charcoal before your birds at all times they will not need much if any medicine. A good disinfectant is very beneficial and should be used about the house and yards every week at least but out side of this tonics and medicines are not necessary and if you have birds that have to be dosed to be kept alive you should get rid of them at once.

Chapter II. The Skin

Chickenpox

A disease that is not always fatal, but one that will bring

down the General Health of Fowls and opens the Way

for other diseases — two species of the disease —

Symptoms and Cure.

This disease that is known as sore head, warts, pigeon pox, pian, etc. is in my opinion one of the worst diseases that can affect poultry. Chickenpox is not necessarily fatal, but it is a disease that will soon bring down the general health of a bird, and therefore opens the way for other diseases. Some years past when I was not as familiar with it is I am now, I thought cholera an roup were the worst diseases that could affect poultry, but now I do not think it. During these years past I have had experiences with almost every disease known to affect poultry, and I must say that chickenpox is one of the worst I had to deal with. Before this I thought it was nothing more than a few little "Pimples" that would appear on the comb and wattles of birds and hence I did not know how, to take it, but since I have found that these little pimples grow like weeds and will soon make large ones that will cover the whole .face of the bird in one night's time. Of course some cases will be; milder than others, and in such cases there will only be one or more very small warts or pox sores. With chicken-pox you are also' liable to be annoyed by two other very bad diseases, canker and roup. Whenever these warts or pox sores come in the mouth of the bird you now have canker to contend with and when the birds catches the least bit of cold, roup is very likely to be your next enemy.

What Cause This Growth?

There must be some moisture present to produce this fungus growth, therefore, it is more likely to break out among your birds in the late fall when there are weeks of dark, damp weather. If it appears in the dead of winter you are not likely to be annoyed very much. Houses that are not kept clean, and are allowed to become damp and wet, and especially when the accumulated droppings are allowed to become damp. This is an ideal place to grow these germs. These germs are known as bacteria and they are very small, living organisms, and can only be seen by means of a miscroscope. Warmth and moisture favor the development of these germs, and it is always of a milder form in the North than in the South. When it breaks out among a flock there is no use to isolate the affected birds; most of the other birds have been exposed to it, and the symptoms will begin to appear in a few days. The best thing you can do to check it is to place a few drops of creolin or permanganate of potash in their drinking water, and allow no other drink for them. Begin at once to clean things up and disinfect thoroughly with some good reliable disinfectant. Let the house air and dry well. Remove the old litter and replace with new, also clean the old droppings away. If everything is watched up close and kept clean you will be rewarded for it later, by getting the trouble under headway.

Two Kinds of Chickenpox, Moist and Dry,

There are two kinds of chickenpox, the moist and the dry. I do not know which kind is the worst but I notice: the miost variety always appears in or about the eyes. The bird will sometimes lose both its sight and its eyes. The pox warts will appear on the sight and cause the bird great pain and loss of the eye. In some cases the eye will go out in one day's time, then the glands in and about the eye will become affected and the eye will run water for some time, later turning to a cheesey matter. Now you have canker to deal with. The dry variety I think is the easiest to cure. The moist variety will be a dark bluish.

color and the sores or warts will be of a very oily appearance. The dry is a lighter color, and the surface very dry and crusty.

Symptoms.

About twenty-four hours before the warts appear the comb and wattles will have small specks of dry blood on them, then the warts will appear later. The bird will nave a very high fever, will be very thirsty, and will stand around and sometimes sit on the roost all day. The small round swellings called nodules, now appear and are flattened, but later, become elevated and are of a yellowish or a red color. They are seen in most cases first upon the featherless parts of the head. From the time they first appear until about three days afterwards they will appear very fast, and will be in thick clusters, and in some cases this fungus will grow or multiply until it covers the whole side of the face or comb. In mild cases these warts will be scattered over the face and comb and will not grow to be any size. The condition of the bird when the disease breaks out, determines the course or how bad it will end. If the system of the bird is in good shape the disease will be light, but if in bad shape the disease will more than likely to go very hard with it. These warts may appear on any part of the body, but they most generally appear on the face and combs, and under the wings. They will vary in size very much, some will be about the size of a pin head, while others may be as large as a pea or bean or even larger than that. As long as you can keep the nodles confined to the head and face you are all right, but just as soon as they appear in the mouth, throat, and nostrils your trouble begins.

Roup and Canker Now Appear

The inside of the mouth will now become full of thick saliva, sores will now appear on the tongue and on the roof of the mouth, and sometimes down in the throat and at the opening of the windpipe. The nostrils will have a discharge running from them, the eyes will run a milky looking watery fluid, which will later become thick and purulent and cause the lids to stick together. Now as this watery matter is full of these germs (bacteria) it will begin to get thicker and thicker until it will be of a very hard cheesy matter. Now you are up against it. You have canker and roup to contend with and the best thing for you to do at this time is to kill and cremate all birds that are affected. You will always notice that birds that get this far along and develop canker and roup are the weakest in your flock and it always goes hardest with them.

If you will catch the bird you will soon discover that it is very thin and seems to be a fit subject for the "boneyard." It will stand around on one foot without any energy, will refuse to drink or eat, and you will have to feed it in order to prevent starvation. The feathers will stand on their ends, and the bird is certainly a poor looking prospect of ever amounting to anything if it should happen to pull through. In twenty-four to thirty-six hours after chickenpox makes its appearance the bird will be thin, where before it was fat and in good shape. This dreadful disease will certainly cause the bird to decrease in strength and flesh.

Treatment.

The first thing to do in treating the affected birds is to place them in a light, dry, well ventilated coop bedded with plenty of clean straw. Change this at least every other day, and do not allow it to get the least bit damp or wet, for you will have a place for germs to accumulate. I believe I said above that it was no use to isolate birds after they were exposed to it, but you will have a better chance to treat them if you will place them in a coop away from the rest of the flock. It will be only for treatment and not for the protection of the well ones.