Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-08

Cape worms destroy great numbers OF
young chickens. turkeys and pheasants
In many parts OF the country, especially
In warm climates. They secure Judgment
In the windpipe or trachea OF the birds,
causing them to open their mouths wide,
gasp for breath. sneeze and attempt to
swallow. If the number of worms In
arss % ns nsy rss n
finally kills the fowls. This disease de-
strOys the youiK when from six weeks to
three months Of age. Twenty to thirty
pairs of worms three-quartcrs Of an inch
In length have often been found In the
trachea OF one bird. What appears to be
"A forked worm IN In reality a male and
female. permanently united. The female
is the larger and each IL attached by its
mouth to the mucous membrane of the
windpipe of the bird. where they live and
grow by sucking it's blood.
The eggs do not leave the female until
after her death. When her body Is de-
strOyed. the ova or eggs are distributed
and the embryOs emerge provided the
conditions are favorable. They hatch In
from seven to forty days from the death
of the female according to the stage of
advancement. In a moist temperature at
SO degrees eggs have Matched in from IS
to 30 days. II kept below 80, they pre-
serve their vitality for three months and
often "a year. In dry sand they dry up
and die. Ihese eel-like embryos live and
swim In water. and If the temperature is
low may survive about year. In water
of temperature Of GS to Il degrees they
live no more than eigh, to ten days In
two or three weeks from the time chicks
take the embryo in food or water, they
have the symptoms of a disease. As each
female contains several thousand eggs.
the water or mud In which the worm is
destroyed is very well supplied with in
fecting embryos.
Investigators have found that earth
worms in the ground occupied by infected
fowls often contain the embryos within
their bodies. and these worms If eaten by
the chicks may infect them. so on infected
ground, the earth worms the fowls eat
rs well as the water they drink and 9TH
err food they eat that is thrown on the
ground, may contain the embryos. Older
chickens are not so susceptible. having
more power to dislodge the worms. and
are not injured by a few. The chickens
that have been kept away from infected
soil for eight or nine weeks may then be
allowed to run. Few but stunted and I'M
thrifty ones become affected after that.
To prevent the disease. put the chicks
on Il board floor and remove the well
fowls to new ground Garlic or asafoe
tida administered in the food or drinking
water, is both preventive and cure.
Strong brine or a solution of sulphuric
acid will destroy the infection in the soil.
There are several well-tried methods of
dislodging the worms. If chicks are COM
PEELED to breathe the dust of air-slacked
lime. II reaches and affects the worms so
they cannot retain so strong hold. and
the chicken Is enabled to cough them up.
This il simple and very effective.
Another method of treatment on a large
scale is TO confine the chicks in can
vas covered box while they are fumi-
gated with carboic acid fumes produced
by pouring Il teaspoonful of the acid on
red-hot brick placed in a corner of the
box. II there is glass in one corner of
the box. the chickens will huddle against
IL and keep away from the corner where
the brick is. while their actions may be
watched through the glass. A minute Is
long enough to expose them to the
fumes. II fumigated too long the chick
ems may be killed as well as the worms
Repetitions of this treatment also cure
roup.
To remove the worms from one chicken.
one may drop four or five. drops of
strong salt water down the windpipe with
a feather. Camphor and water COM
phorated sweet oil and crude petroleum
may be used in the same way. but one
drop administered from a medicine drop
per. oil can or feather will be enough.
Some use feather stripped of its web
except at the tip. moiStened with a mix
ture of sweet oil and turpentine 1t is
inserted in the windpipe and twisted as it
is withdrawn We favor the dropper. as
we believe the stripped feather or any
wire instrument must necessarily iniure
the lining of the trachea.
When turpentine. garlic or aSafoetida is
put in the food it is absorbed in the sys-
TEN and being volatile is. it is supposed
thrown off through the lungs. comes in
contact with the worms. to which it is
fatal. and they are elected. Chickens
that have been freely fed with onion tops
have escaped the disease in infected To-
calities.-Samuel Cushman in N f.
Homestead.