Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1868-09-03

Read at the last meeting of American Poultry
Society, and contributed for publication in
the Country Gentleman, by S. NJ. Saunders.
The diseases of poultry, being taken
in time, may not result in serious mall
ady. too often resulting in death !; but
procrastination is generally as fatal in
poultry keeping as 10 anything else.
The ailments Of fowls may generally be
traced to variable temperature, to ire
gular, injudicious feeding. or to their
being kept on ground. which has become
impure with their use Of It. Judicious
feeding. perfect, cleanliness. and ,oeca-
sipnal removal to new ground, VIII, u
great extent, keep fowls healthy. 81
The following are the principal dis.
eases among them: Sis E5aa7L IN s.
Apoplezy. evidenced by Inflammation
of the brain.
Tracheal Inf taamnsation, ,. .(or gspes)
with paracitic worms in the windpipe,,,
Ronp. which is highly infectious. and
9 very deadly disease, but If taken ID
time can be cured. THE premonitory
symptoms are q slight hoarseness. and
catching in the breath; as If from cold.
Moulsing, with old fowls, is often so
severe aud so protracted, that it carries
them off. The young are also victims of
leg weakness and bad feathering.-a yL
Sickly fowls should always be removed
from the fowl house on the FIRST symptom
Of illness, ~ they are generally i'll used
by their companions --pecked at. and evil
IDENTIFY become objects q dislike. 81 ~ q
Apoplexy with fowls. as ID human
beings, is difficult to cure. 8 Itis gene
rally the result OF high feeding, and is
most common among laying hens. which
are sometimes found dead on the nest
the expulsive efforts required in laying
being the immediate cause of the attack.
The only hope for cure consists in an
instant and copious bleeding. by opening
a vein with sharp pointed penknife. or
lancet. The largest Of the veins seen on
the under side of the wing should be Sc
lected. and opened in a longitudinal d.
rection, not cut across, and SO long as the
thumb is pressed on the vein at any point
between the opening and the body. the
blood will be found to Aow freely. Light
food and rest should be given the bird
after the operation.
Gapes, in nine cases out of ten, are OBJ
tanned from rain or impure water. and il
q certain preventive (not cure) is desired.
the use Of camphor will be found the
most efficient remedy. A small lump.
about the size of peanut, kept constant
ly in the vessel from which the fowls
drink. will make gapes unknown in your
yard. Having carefully adopted this
precaution this year more particularly.
and having raised over two hundred
chickens, without one case of gapes, I
can testify that camphor is the only GER
tain remedy. My neighbor, Mr. t.,
who is also member of the American
Poultry Society, and who has equal. if
not superior advantages to mine for poul-
try rearing. has lost three-fourths Of. his
chickens BY gapes, which l attribute to
his use of rain water and non-use of
camphor. aa4.s. 2-t;ts1rlta.;f ..s..5 i.s.
, Rain water will, after having stood
some time. be found, BY examination un-
der q microscope. to contain worms iden-
tical with those taken from the throat of
a chicken suffering from gapes.i s'9S,!
Roup, If treated at the outset. may be
cured by feeding twice day with stale
crusts of bread soaked in strong ale.-l
Dry housing and cleanliness are indis-
pensable. ~
Fowls sometimes waste away without
any apparent disorder. In such cases a.
teaspoonful Of cod liver oil per day will
often be found a most ef6cacious remedy.