Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-07-03
POULTRY.


POULTRY.
GAPEs IN CHICKENS.
NJ onthly Meeting OF the Lancaster Poultry
AssoCia,lOn-Essay on 9apes.
The Lancaster county Poultry associa-
ticn met in the agricultural room Of city
hall this morning.
The following named members were
present
Charles Lippold, Jacob B. Lichty, F. Il.
Diffepderffer, G. A. CAST, John E. Schum,
Charles E. Long, j. NJ. Johnston.
Frank r. Diffender:fer read the follow
ing essay on
GAPES IN CHICKS.
81 may as we'll say at the beginning Of
these remarks that am not posted in the
literature of gapes. do not know what
has been written on the subject. am
only aware that they have been on my own
place during the past four years. and what
shall say IS confined entirely to my own
experience with them. Most persons who
raise poultry know what the gapes are,
and are acquainted with the cause. A
thread-like worm, of 4 bright rcd color,
and fully an inch long when full! grown, is
the cause Of all the mischief. 1t is q
member of the Eatozoa family, name
given to parasites that live within other
living bodies. There are many kinds of
these, but the peculiar one under consid-
Grafton is called by naturalists Syngamus
tracheolis. Its pretty bad name to begin
with aud the dOings of the little worm are
still worse.
This parasite las its home in tho wind
pipe of young chicks and turkeys. Even
when quite small, while still only 4 quar-
ter of All inch long, it begins to iucOnve-
nience the young peeps, and as they ln-
crease in size, which they do very rapidly,
they gradually close the windpipe, making
respiration difficult, aud unless removed
in most cases bring about the death Of the
young chick. The earliest symptom Of
their presence is a frequent opening of the
mouth. a gaping tor air as it were, and the
gravity of the case grows raDidiy until 1t
terminates in death.
How does this parasite find its way into
the chicks windpipe A good many theO-
ries have been advanced from time to time,
but nobody knows. The general opinion
is that they are taken up from the ground
with the food, while in an undeveloped
state, and finally find full development in
their natural home. 1t may be SO, but as
somewhat similar parasites are found in
the brains of certain birds, and in the eyes
Of horses, that theory, reasoning from
analogy, falls to the ground. A current
belief with which even our worthy secre-
tary seems tainted, is that they arc devel-
.Oped from that other troublesome para
site, the louise or its eggs. Now,
the louise belongs to family as
widely separated from the cape worm
as monkey is from whale, and
the Darwinian theory, when stretched to
its utmost, fails to bring them together.
The nit of a lousa will pcoducea lousc, and
it won't produce any thing else. Besides,
tho cape worm is amply provided with
means of perpetuatlns its species. 1t is,
like many other members Of the genus
lumDricus or worms, sexually perfect in
itself. It is in fact a forked or double
creature, the one part being tho female
and the other the male. The body is
heightened beyond the point OF attach
ment, and the prolonged portion, VIC are
informed by microscopists, contains nu-
merous Ova or eggs, each Of which IS 4
microscopic cape worm. This fact seems
fatal to all these theories, and is in fact
decisive as to the origin. But how these
embryo ovu!es reach their development,
and where, is q mystery no one has set
been ablo to fathom, and there we will
leave them.
How Co They Gst There?
How the gapes first get to a place do
not know. Where mine came from four
years ago can't imagine. None o: my
neighbors had them to my knowledge, and
1,o1, fv,oy, h,1f inlr /
confidently say have not raised a chicken
in all that time that was not attacked by
gapes. have tried every plan to keep
and all were equally worthless. Between
worm is invariably developed. l neve,
tried the camphor cure until this; spring
had a promising brood of young turkeys
and put them in q patch OF lawn about
40 feet wide and 100 feet long. Twice a
day put camphor III their drinking water
and otherwise took extra care of them
On the day they were two weeks cid one
developed cape symptoms, and promptly
removed nine worms from its windpipc-
the largest number ever took from one
bird. The rest got them, and | have reic
gated the camphor preventative to tho
other innumerable 'humbugs." Tho
latest remedy comes from Chester county
farmer who feeds whole corn to his chicks
when the gapes come 90. Ii this was q
remedy it would act by compression, thus
killing tho worm. But who ever had tuI-
keys or chicks two weeks old capable oI
swallowing whole corn? Mine never
could, aud believe you will agree with
ne when say that they would not at that
age even if they could.
Another thing l confess myself unable to
understand. Why are chickens and tur.
keys afflicted with this parasite and no,
ducks believe there is no case on record
of this kind. have now running together
IA young ducks and II peeps nearly Of the
same age-three weeks most of the chicks
have had the gapes and the rest will have
them, while the ducks running and feeding
with them escape the disease altogether
If the origin of the disease lay in filth, OF
was taken up from the ground with til,
food, why would not ducks also be subjec
to it? Ducks also get lousy, believe, 81
that is another heavy blow at the lous'
theory, which, however, was not ncces
sary to kill it.
Most poultry-raisers have their remedy
for extirpating the gaps worm. Most o
these are mechanical, and, Of course, ef
| fective. There is one which is often rec
commended, but have never knOwn Of
solitary cure effected by it. allude t.
shutting the bird in closed box and sub
| .iecting it to the fumes Of powdered lime
This, it is alleged, will set the chick t
sneezing or coughing, if may So call it
and in this way the worms are dislOdged
l have no faith whatever in any remed
except removal by actual force through