Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-02
CHICKEN GAPES.
MEETING OF rhE POULTRY sOCIE


MEETING OF THE POULTRY sOCIErY.
Mr. Dsnsndsrnsr.s Report Of A,s Expsri-
msnts-Ths Date of the Poultry
Show Fixed at January II. .
The regular meeting of the Lancaster
county Poultry and Live Stock associa-
tion was held this morning in the Office Of
J. B. Long. The following members
were present: Chas. Lippold, Frank
Humphreville, JnO. E. Schum, F. r. Diff
fenderffer, j. B. Liohty, city; Jno. 8.
Wilmer, Paradise; Peter Bruner, Mt. Joy,
and John Seldomridge, Ephrata.
The minutes Of previous meeting were
read and approved. The secretary read
tho report OF ]. b. Long, showing 6S
shares of stock subscribed to the amount
of s315, with five shares unpaid, leaving
balance of Indebtedness but S19.S4. The
secretary stated that q charter had been
granted.
Martin Rudy, of Lancaster, was elected
a member and stockhOlder of the assOcia-
tion.
On motion of Charles Lippold, the dates
of the 5th show was fixed from Thursday,
both inclusive.
A>AROS1usoAt WI O0PcO lu ShheASno.
Mr.. F. r Diffenderffer read the follow
ing essay for which the sOciety's thanks
were voted him:
"About a year ago gave this society
my experiences in dealing with gapes in
chickens. That communication called out
q letter from q gentleman residing in tho
country, whose poultry yard had, like my
own, for years been infected with these
pests. He gave in detail plan he pur-
sued in the spring of 1882 to avoid this
trouble, and which was attended with
complete success. It was to keep the
chicks from the ground until they were
two months old. He made q pen in his
yard with board floor, and hero be kept
them for eight weeks, when he turued
them out, not one having been affected
with gapes.
81 had brood of Ave chicks hatch out Oh
the 7th of last March. These put on tho
second floor Of my stable, which is about
twenty feet square. After keeping them
there for about two weeks l was tempted
to give them the benefit of sunshiny day
and brought them down into tho yard.
Here I left them for several days. when
one promptly took the gapes. returned
them TO the stable again, where they re.
mained about four weeks longer, when l
gave them the liberty Of the yard. The
other four of the brood all escaped the
gapes.
matched. These wero ut once put ON .he
upper floor of the stable, where | gave
them the utmost care. Their quarters
were kept clean, they had dust bath,
their drinking water was changed several
times day, and green food was given
them at least once in every "a hours. The
room was light, but tho window was on
the north side, so that there was no sun
light. Several other brOOds were added
to this from time to time. The mothers
were confined in cOOps, but tho Young
ones had the run of the room. For
time they seemed to thrive we'll. But
about the fifth week noticed
they began growing weak in their
legs they were unsteady in their gait,
especially when they ran or tried to jump.
This evil grew worse from day to day.
They took their food as heartily as ever,
but they grew very slowly and became
more aud more tOtteriDg. | persevered
until the first broOds were seven weeks old
and the second lot six weeks and four
days. Then, seeing that they were smaller
than they should have been. were growing
NOly llttlO buu "CIO NJ CHtCCOiCu bhbG
longer continuance of the experiment
would either kill or permanently injurs
them all, brought them down and put
them in glass cOvei ell yard about 90 by
40 feet in size.
never saw u worse lot Of chickens in
my life. There were twenty-one Of the
Oldest lot and six Of the younger ones.
Not ono was firm on it's legs. The totter-
ing gait was noticeable in every one. With
plenty of sunshine, exercise. green food
and careful attention hoped to get them
through all right. But l was mistaken.
Just twelve days after they were brought
down, and when they were two days less
than miro weeks old, two Of them de.
veloped gapes on the following day four
more got them, and from that day until
the present time they have been having
these worms. Never before had such i
bad lot to deal with. Not only was it
necessary to remove the parasites once but
twice, and in several instances three times
from the same chick. Not one bird escaped.
Some were 80 large that they did not show
the most violent symptoms, but merely
coughed and sneezed and snOrted. | ex-
perimented on some of these and removed
parasites, even thOugl, they did not cape.
In fact, my poultry yard resemblsi Il nur.
sery in which q few dozen babies had the
whooping cough.
'Although two weeks have elapsed since
they were infected all have not yet re-
covered. They are nearly all over tho
Gaping period of the disease, but most Of
them still cough. As they are now nearly
three months old, the worms are unable
to choke or kill them, and regard them
as out of danger from this cause. l
operated on one of the largest recently
that gaped and cOughed most, but could
find no worms with probe five inches
long. Evidently tho parasites arc down
the windpipe a greater distance than that.
One of the chicks died Of disease, but none
from gapes. 1t IS only week since, /
may say, that these chicks have really got
over their feebleDess and become strong.
They gave almost u:e:imiuislied evidence
Of their weakness for three weeks after
they were taken out doors. Several arc
not yet over it. Since the experiment
have been taking the young chicks out OF
doors at once, and of course they have all
been getting the gapes. Only one chick
died for mo from this disease. and then
the fault was my own, want Of caution
in operating on it.
From the foregoing it will bs seen my
experiments were complete failure. 1t
is true, the gapes kept away as long
as tho chicks remained on tho board floor
Of the stable, but all took them afterwards.
Besides, the young birds were enfeebled
very seriously by the method cmployed.
Am sure they would to-day be one third
larger than they are had | never
pursued the plan did. | am
therefore, that to make