The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-08-04
CONTROL OF. CHICK. MORTALITY.


In every portion of New England
may be seen what remains of aban-
doned poultry plants. Inquire OF the
causes that brought them to grief,
and in at least a majority of cases
the answer will be white diarrhea."
With his flock once infected by this
dread scourge, no poultryman has
yet succeeded In putting up anything
but a losing fight The ultimate re-
suits have been always the same.
For the past two years DR.. l.. F,
Rettger of Yale University and Prof.
| F. Fl. Stoneburn of the Connecticut
Agricultural College, have been
working together In the study Of
white diarrhea," and the results of
their labors Ia another of. the many
triumphs in the field of applied SCI
ence.
The first step In the Investigation
was to determine the exact cause of
the disease. While some OF the
characteristic symptoms may be
brought on in variety of ways, a
carefully conducted series of expert
ments finally fastened the trouble
upon a specific member of the great
family of bacteria. Further studies
developed the fact that healthy
chick can be infected only during
the first two days of its life, and
that the disease Is commonly spread
by relatively few diseased chicks,
while all are yet confined within the
Incubator. Unmatched chicks were
found already infected with the ia
tai bacteria, but the season of 1909
closed before the primary source of
Infection could be determined. A
most interesting bulletin was issued
last fall by the Storrs Experiment
Station covering the work up to this
point.
During the season now drawing to
a close, this investigation has been
continued, and the results attained
now await only the practical appli-
cation on commercial scale. With
the light of the previous year to
guide them, the experimenters used
only the eggs from trap nestled hens.
This eliminated one set of unknown
factors at the start and proved a
short cut towards the final results.
Starting with the chick Just ready
to hatch, the infection was traced
back through the various stages to
the new laid egg. Comparison then
developed the significant fact that II
one egg from a given hen was in
fected, all were infected. Examine
ton of the ovaries in those hens
under suspicion confirmed the be-
lief that white diarrhea" is another
of those things that may be handed
down from generation to generation.
While it would be interesting to
know certainly, the source of the in
lection found in the mature hens, the
information would be of limited
practical value. The work of last
year suggests that it is probably car
ried over from the preceding gener
alton.
In conversation with the writer
during a recent visit to Storrs, DR..
Rettger said that of course the prac-
tical application Of this work was
yet to be made, but the remedy that
suggested itself seemed very simple.
That is to provide special trays for
the incubators SO that just prior to
Matching, the eggs may be separated
into groups of three or four, and the
chicks kept from mingling freely un-
til after the danger period of the first
two days had passed. In this way
natural selection should result in al
healthy flock after two generations at
most
Comparatively few chicks survive
white diarrhea" anyhow, so the
percentage of infected eggs must ne
cessarily remain low. A large ma
jority of the chicks Matched from