Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1904-05-07
Guard Against Gapes.

Gapes are frequently present in a
nock without the owner of the chicks
suspectlng 1T. The trouble may be
a cause of loss year after year and
the poultry raiser imagine bad food
10 De to blame, or that the chicks
nave some bronchial disease. Gapes
come to the chicks by way of the
angle worms that are fed them. or
tnat they pick up themselves. We
nave known children to take such
an interest in the little chicks shut
up IN tnelr coops that they would dig
angie worms for them, not knowing
lnal lney were at the same time sup
plylng them with the deadly gape
worm Feeding angle worms to chicks
is good practice if it be known that
gapes do not exist in the neisbbor-
hood; but if there have been games
on the farm at all, feeding the worms
10 the chicks is a dangerous prac-
tlce- Angle worms may be fed to
mature fowls without fear of in
ouclng gapes, as the cape worms are
aDle 10 attach themselves only to the
very tender membranes of growing
chlckens. We see the statement made
lnal on some farms during certain
seasons 1t seems almost impossible
TO rear broods of young chicks that
are entirely free from it, particularly
II the chickens are kept under the
ordinary conditions" This is true.
but the trouble can be easily obyfated
Dy keeping the chicks on board floors.
On most farms the chicks can be kent
on grass plots; but where gapes are
pad the board floor will have to be
iesorleo 10 as a protection against
tne sapes- Some quite complete ex-
n
been made by the experiment sta
tions. Two lots of chickens were
kept side by side, one on a board
floor and one on the bare earth In
several repetitions of the experiment
the chicks on the bare ground cot |
the gapes, while those on the board |
hoor did not. In another experiment |
Two broods were kept on board floors |
One brood was fed angle worms and |
tne otner was not. The brood re- |
celvlng the angle worms were soon
SICK with the gapes, while the other
brood was unaffected
formerIy the processes of life Of
tne cape worm were unknown. but in
recent years they have been discov-
cred, and the cape worm is seen to
be parasite of the angle worm. The
worm now carries the name of Syn-
samus trachealis. 1t is reddish in
color and from three-eighths to three
-ourths OF an inch long. What an
pears like one worm is really two
he male and the female being ,per
attached. This led to the
common name of the "branched
worm" prevailing in some localities.
The male is the smaller of the two
worms.
These worms attach themselves to
ne alr-passages of young chicks.
Chey nourish themselves by sucking
he blood of the fowl, and when
arge number of them collect in the
vlndp1pe of chick the loss of blood
8 great As many as forty of these
worms have been found in the wind
ipe of single chick. The weaker
mes among the chicks are killed off
y the gapes, but the stronger ones
enerally survive the attack The af-
ected chickens cough up these worms
nd other chicks eat them and be-
ONE affected. 1t is therefore best |
D take away from among the others |
he chicks affected with gapes.
1t is easier to prevent gapes than
D cure them, but there are remedial
leasures that may be taken. One
to put the chick in a barrel
nd dust in some air-slaked lime.
his will cause the coughing up /
the worms A double horse
air twisted in the windpipe frequent $
d1slodges many. A feather dipped
turpentine and turned in the
-achea will cause many to be dis
'deed, and they will be coughed up.
1