Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-05
cambridge. Ga.


If it is not too much trouble 1
would like for you to write me what
is the matter with a chicken that
acts like hog with blind staggers.
Ny yard 5Ox10O, has strip of rye
20x50, has a strip 40x50 in grass
the rest of it l SOW in oats. a strip
about 1Ox1O every morning for the
chickens, until I can get around
over the, entire strip.
Every morning 1 feed with
scratch feed, at noon 1 feed with a
dry mash, and at night do not get
home in time to feed 1 only keep
eight chickens on this lot. How
many do you think 1 could keep to
do we'll?
This hen, every morning when
she flies off the roost, why she
falls down, staggers around, can't
walk and acts like one who has had
a hard lick or struck with some
thing. 1 am sure that there is
nothing dead that they have eaten,
there is not any lice or mites on
them, use dropping boards and keep
house in good condition. Hen is
laying every day. The breed is
Buff Leghorn
If it is not asking too much of
you, will you kindly advise me what
you think the trouble is?
Thanking you in advance for any
information you may give me. L
remain, Yours very tduly,
E. v. M.
ANSWER.
1t is very often the case that a
chicken will have a nervous affec-
ton similar to the one you refer to.
You can never tell just what brings
this on. Often they recover from
it without any treatment. AS long
as it does not affect your hen and
she keeps laying, there is no use to
bother about her.
However, a treatment of giving
her some vaseline with a little char
coal added for about a week would,
probably do her some good. 1t may
be possible that her digestive or
gans are out of condition and the
trouble might pass off if her system
gets in good shape. However, her
continuing to lay would not indi-
cate this.
You are keeping about the right
number of chickens on the space
mentioned for them to do their best.
You could keep three or four times
this many and they would not be
too crowded. Be sure that your
chickens have plenty oyster shell
and grit where they can get it at all
times.
The treatment that you are CIV
ing your birds should give you
splendid results and lots of eggs
Atlanta Ga-Pard,n M for
troubling you, but / am very much
concerned about two young ROSTERS
have. They have been very
healthy, as in fact all my chickens
have. Last Sunday morning / no
ticed these two, on by themselves
and not eating. They stood around
droopy all day. but picked up a lit
tie grain at the evening feed. Yes
terday they were still the same
way. / separated them from the
others. Their combs are red and
healthy looking, but they just stand
and fun out their feathers.
have never had any sickness among
my chickens, even when little
only once when two had the pip,
and / am inclined to think that is
the trouble now for they try to
pick up food but do not succeed
in getting 1t up, now and then a
bite.
] fed some fat (cooked) beef
and bread crumbs, also mixed some
corn meal, few drops of turpen-
tine and dash of cayenne pepper
but they would not eat that. They
drink all right however.
Please tell me if l have done
right and If there is anything else
I can do, for 1 hate to have them
die. l neglected to say they are
Barred Rocks. Any information you
can give me will be very much ap-
preciated.
Monday I mixed some lard, salts
and coal oil together and gave
about a teaspoonful to each one.
forced them to eat it and they look
better today. but are still not able
to pick up food, or very little at
least
Thanking you in advance, / am
Yours very truly,
MRS. ]. L. T.
ANSWER.
From the description given in
your letter, your ahickens have
evidently eaten something that has
caused their system to be all upset
and the sooner you can get some
thing down them to correct this
disorder the quicker they will get