The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1873-01-18
DISEASES or POULTR =

Nearly all the poultry diseases are
caused by either wet, want of eleanh-
ness, or bad feeding, in other words, by
neglect somewhere. It is easier to guard
against this than to cure birds when they
are i'll, which is always a most unsatis-
factory speculation. The chief obstacle
is, that covered with feathers, there are
few symptoms to observe and as the
poor dumb things cannot tell what is
the matter with them, we often have to
prescribe very much in the dark. We
see, for instance fowl evidently i'll,
with feathers ruffled, comb dark and
dull, appetite nearly gone, all listless
and dull in manner but this may be
the result of many different causes,
and more special symptoms are hard to
discover, seeing we can hardly feel its
pulse, and its skin is difficult TO examine.
Common flows hardly pay the trouble
they give in treatment but with valu-
able birds the case is different, and it is
chiefly on their account We give what is
yet known, so far as we are able to dis
cover, of poultry disease.
There can be no doubt whatever that a
certain percentage of death amongst
fowls is an equal benefit. Fowls, like
everything else, must die some time !;
and, again like everything else, it can
but seldom happen that the cause of
death Will be mere old age. A certain
proportion of loss, therefore, Is not
necessarily a proof of Encouragement,
Is rather part of the economy of the
great Superintendent of the universe,
by which, creatures no longer really
capable of maintaining the vigor of the
species, are taken from world in which
they are OF no further use. As is well
put by writer in one of the American
poultry journals, the sure eye of
nature has picked out the very ones that
you would be glad to be rid of could
You detect them, and has left you the
harder individuals to breed from the
weakness, moreover, often consisting in
some profound fault that does not show
itself"
tits cases of this nature, in which some
extra trial of weather or circumstances
as only developed latent weakness issu-
ing or not, as the case may be, in any we'll
marked complaint, which are difficult or
even impossible to cure. There are
however many cases IN which exposure
or other active cause has occasioned
acute disease in the most healthy birds,
presenting plainIy-marked symptoms,
the treatment of which is well under
stood Such are mostly amenable to
judicious treatment, and fowls of price
less value may thus be saved, which
otherwise must be lost to the amateur.
Between the small group of such plain
Unmarked diseases-as roup-and the
many instances in which to all present
knowledge the symptoms are utterly Oh
scure, and recovery must be left to the
natural powers of the bird, aided by
such regimen as appear best, in large
class of cases in which partial ground
for guidance is afforded by some one or
more symptoms of a marked character.
In those also treatment may be adopted
with hope, if the affection be of sudden
or acute character but chronic symp-
toms usually betray constitutional weak
ness, and are not only difficult to deal
with, but even with the interest of the
yard it is often better to let them run
their natural course, or to anticipate
their effects by merciful execution.