Mower County transcript., 1904-03-02
PREVENTION OF ROUP.
Germs Of the Disease Do Not Develop
Without Assistance of Filth
and Dampness.

Roup is a disease that is not feared by
those that have never had it in their
hocks. A person will sometimes raise
poultry for many years and never have
case. 1t is our belief that it is possible
to keep the disease out of the flock alto
gether by using due precautions. Bad
weather conditions seem frequently to
be the cause of the disease, but it is GER
tainly due to germ, and however bad
without the germs being present. But
even if the germs are present they may
not find a chance to develop without the
assistance of filth, dampness and drafty
roosting places. The way to keep roup
out OF flock is to keep the henhouse
clean, supply it with an abundance of
light, have it so tight that the fowls will
be exposed to no drafts, and then be
careful about introducing new birds.
New fowls must be purchased now and
then, but such ones should be kept by
themselves and away from the rest of
the flock for a month after purchase to
make sure that they are healthy. When
the disease is once introduced it is like
ly to prove very stubborn visitor to
eject. Prevention is far easier than
cure.
Roup is frequently very destructive,
but at other times the disease seems to
be mild in form, carrying off no birds at
all. This has led to the suspicion that
there are several diseases that we ig-
norantly named roup. We are certain
that there are at least two, one being
common in winter and the other most
fatal in summer. The bacteriologists
are working on the diseases at the pres
ent time and may ultimately bring light
out of the darkness. But with our pres
ent knowledge we must treat all Of these
diseases as one and call them simply
roup. This word is an Cid ore and means
'to cry out" 1t was probably given to
this disease because birds affected with
it cry out. A synonym is the ''pip.'
When this disease gets into flock the
losses from dead birds may be great;
but the Interpretation of the live birds
may be even greater. One man claimed
to us that he had a recipe that had cured
his flock of roup. 1t was quite an ex-
tensive combination of drugs that were
made up into pellets. Each bird had to
be caught in turn and have the pellets
crammed down the throat. 1t took sew
eral months in the winter to cure the
flock, and this work had to be done just
at the time when the fowls should have
been laying eggs. But said the man,
II cured them anyway, and without los
ing single fowl, but didn't get any
eggs till the middle of the next sum-
mer." 1t may we'll be doubted if the
cure was worth the trouble Doubtless
it would have paid better to have
chopped off the heads of the we'll fowls
as soon as 1t was apparent that the dis
ease was likely to take them.
Roup is indicated by the birds having
swelled heads, watery eyes, nostrils
clogged with matter, by diarrhea and
by high fever. Sometimes all symp-
toms except fever and diarrhea are
wanting 1t is better to kill cheap birds
that are sick than to doctor them. But
if it is desired to doctor them, their
heads and throats should be washed IN
antiseptics and the we'll and sick birds
should be eparated.-Farmers' Review.