Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-03-18
ChIokan Ch0Isra.

etters from persons in different
parts of the United States ask
ng FOR Information in regard to
chicken cholera. l have looked
up the matter and will write a
few things, picked up on this
subject. Cholera is an exceed
ingly virulent and fatal disease,
destroying vast mum bers of birds
OF different species, and remain
ing on premises for years after
being once introduced. 1t is
generally understood that chol-
era is bic, but there are
points in natural history which
enable person to control the
disease. The disease germs are
sledom if ever taken up by the
air and carried any considerable
distance to produce tn. malady.
The virus remains in a fixed
form and generally if not always
enters into the body with the
food. 1t is distributed over the
grounds, feeding places, etc, In
the excrement OF affected birds,
aud the food, drink and gravel
are thus contaminated. 1t is
claimed by some writer's that
that healthy birds may be kept
in coops a few feet from sick
ones for months without con.
tracing the disease, but if the
former are now placed in the in
closure with the latter they
stricken in a few days.
No persons who have investi-
gated this subject agree that it
is not probable that chicken
cholera originated, in any con-
siderable mum berof cases, in any
other way than by contagion.
There are instances no doubt
VIXEN it originates by filthy sur
re audings when fowls are close
ay confined, or by feeding
edecomposingsubstances 1t can be
brought on the premises in many
ways, with sick or infected fowls,
7carrien on the feet of people, or
brought by dogs, cats or other
other animals, with infected ma
uure or feathers or by birds or
even insects. MANY fowls die
from diseases that are not conta-
AgiORs and it is a matter of prima-
ry Importance to decideas to the
nature of the affection when
cholera is suspected. The ag-
ricultural report says that this
might be done with comparative
certainty by inspection of the
,excrement, and with the fowls
94be excretions ofthe kidneys are
Joined in the cloaca with the I'M
digested parts of the food and
both solid and liquid eXcrements
are consequently voided togeth-
er. and are not mixed to any
great extent, the part excreted
by the kidneys is: easily distln-
gufshed, as during health il is OF
a pure white color while the bow
el discharges are of various hues.
After fowl takes the conta-
4gion into it's body the first and
only reliable symptom is a color
alton of the urates. AT first these
have only a faint yellow tint,
which rapidly changes, however,
anto deep yellow color; up TO
this time the bird shows no other
signs of the disease, its temper
ature is unchanged and its ex-
crement of normal consistency.
In one or more days after this
yellaw color appears the urates
are greatly increased in quaint
ty and constitute the whole or
greater part Of the discharges
and an obstinate diar-hea sets
IN, in few days the urates be-
come greenish. The excrement
of sick birds are the principal
means of spreading the conta-
gion and the first step in stamp
ing out the disease is to
destroy all which are voiding
yellow urates, care should be
had to make the distinction be-
: Ueen the urates and the howell