Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-09-01
Chicken Cholera No. 2.
SYMPTOMS.

The South and West, where the cholera
is most common and fatal, knew all
about the symptoms Of that disease,
and consequently, l did not intend to
occupy valuable time and space in
describing The usual cholera symptoms,
but proposed to investigate the cause
without more ado. But have learned,
from letters lately received, that there
are readers Of the Prairie Farmer who
have never lost fowl by cholera, Qucky
mOrtalsD and know nothing, (may
they never know by experience y about
the disease; for their benefit l will
briefly describe the usual symptoms of
chicken CHOLERA, and the appearance Of
the internal organs after death.
A. J. Hill, in Treatise on Cholera, ,
gives the following as the correct symp-
toms of true chicken cholera: The
fowl has q detected, sleepy and droopS
ing appearance, and does not plume
itself is very thirsty, has a slow stalk.
ing gait, gapes often, and sometimes
staggers and fails from weakness. Ccyab
and wattles lose their natural color,
generally turning pale, sometimes
dark. There is diarrh ea. with a
greenish discharge, or like sulphur and
water; afterwards thin and frOthy. Pros
tration ensues, the crop fills with
mucous and wind, the breathing is
heavy and fast, the eyes close. and in a
few hours the fowl Dies II. II. Stcd-
dard, in his excellent work on Poultry
Diseases gives substantially the same
description Of cholera symptoms that
Mr.. Hill does, and as these two gentle
men arc pretty we'll posted on the sub
ioct, VIII not attempt to add anything
to their words, except that the poultry
raiser who lives where cholera prevails,
may see lis fowls so to roOst at night
apparently in good health, and in the
morning find q dozen dead under the
perches. so swiftly does this disease
sometimes DO its work.
Should your fowls commence 10 die
Of kind o. sudden like and you have
any doubts about the nature of the dis
ease, make an examination of the inter-
nal organs Of the defunct fowls, and
that Will settle the matter. 1 have
made a pOst-mOrtem examination Of
several fowls that died from cholera,
and always found the crop filed with
wind and sour food; the gizzard some
times contained sOnr, halt-dlgested food,
and sometimes the contents seemed
dried up; the intestines very much in
famed, and generally BALI filed with
a grecnish matter; blood very dark and
thick; heart generally enlarged; liver
always very much enlarged, in some
cases twice its natural size, ola dark
green color, sometimes almost black,
full of blood, and so tender that it
would fall 10 pieces from its own
weight.
have also endeavored to find out If
possible, which organs were attacked
first. In the pursuit of this knowledge
l bought four SICK hens Of a neighbor,
and had them killed and examined
The first one was killed about two
hours after she manifested the usual
cholera symptoms. Blood dark and
rather thick, bled but little; liver en-
larged and ola greenish tint. but not
mach tenderer than in a healthy fowl ;
crop full Of food, gizzard and intestines
half filed with greenish matter.
The second fowl was taken sick about
the same as the first, and was killed
four hours later. Blood somewhat
darker and thicker than that Of No. l.;
liver darker, greener and tendercr; food
in crop fermenting; gizzard and lntesS
tines about the same as in the first, ex.
cept that the intestines were slightly in
famed.
Third hen taken sick in the morning,
and killed just before dark. Blood
about the same as 2; liver very dark and
soft; food in crop very sour and ofIen-
slve; contents of glzzard about dried up,
intestlnes very much inAamed, and
filled with greenish matter.
No. 5, had been sick twenty.four
hours when l ordered her head taken
OF. Bled but little and slowly; blood
dark; liver almost black, and liberated
intestines filed with irothy, .yellowish.
white matter, and almost raw in places.
This fowl would proabbly haye died II
less than two hours.
Still in pursuit Of knowledge, 1 visit
ed farmer whose fowls had been dyins
OF by spells all summer, and bough
two chickens that were apparently il
good health. TOOK them home an,
killed them. Found the internal or
gans Of one all right, while the liver O
the second fowl was greatly enlarged
blood little darker than natural; othe
organs apparently all right.
Now i'll learned anything from al
these 'pOst-mUrtems,' 1 learned tina
the poison which causes poultry chol
era, effects the blood first then th
liver, so that it quits .secreting health
bile, and wien the flow of healthy bill
ceases, the whole digestive apparatu
is upset. / also came to the conclusion
that the cholera poison can be carrie
in the system THE fowl, in a lasen
state, for some time, in the same wa
that the germs Of some diseases ar
carried in the system of the human