Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-06-06

Many of the diseases which affect
poultry and which spread rapidly
/ throughout the flock, and kill large
part of the birds may be prevented
and cured if proper measures are
taken in time The fowls also may
be infested by various kinds of para
sites. some of which live on the sur
face of the body and others in the
crop, stomach, or intestines These
parasites are injurious because they
take part of the nourishment which
should be used by the bird to put on
flesh or to produce eggs, says the
United States department of agricul-
lures Farmers Bulletin $780,
The contagious diseases which are
caused by animal and vegetable germs,
and the weakness and loss of flesh
caused by the larger parasites, are
/ the most important conditions which
/ the poultryman has to consider in
/ the endeavor to keep his birds in a
healthy condition. These germs and
parasites should be kept out of the
flock by suitable preventive meas
ures. because disease may be avoided
| in this way much more easily and
cheaply than it can be cured. The
/ aim in studying the diseases of birds
/ is, therefore, to learn how to prevent
/ such diseases rather than how to cure
/ them.
| There are some cases in which med
| icines may be advantageously given
/ or applied to fowls, but as a rule when
a bird becomes sick it is better TO
| kill il, because the cost of the medi-
/ cine and the value of the time re-
quired to carry out the treatment are
usually greater than the value of the
( birds that are cured.
! 1t is very important to start right
and begin the flock with birds which
are free from contagion and parasites,
and to put such birds upon ground
which is likewise free from these
causes of disease,
The best way to accomplish this is
to get eggs from a flock which has
shown no indications of contagious
disease for at least a year; avoid put
ting these eggs in any packing such
as chaff, oats, or cut straw which may
| be musty or moldy; wipe the eggs
with a cloth wetted in 70 to so per
cent alcohol, and match them in a new
or thoroughly cleaned incubator. The
young chicks should be free from par
asites and injurious germs of all kinds,
and, to keep them in this condition,
they should be put in new or clean
brooders and permitted to run only
upon ground where poultry has not
previously been kept, or which has
not been used for poultry for sew
eral years.
Disnfectants and Their Application.
Good disinfectants destroy the
germs of contagious diseases, the ex-
ternal parasites such as lice and mites.
and the embryo of the intestinal
worms They should be thoroughly
applied to the interior of poultry
houses, worked into all the cracks and
crevices, spread over the ceiling and
the floor, the roosts, dropping boards.
and nest boxes. At the same time.
| the feeding and drinking troughs
should be disinfected by pouring boil
ing water into them and afterwards
drying them in the sun. The disin-
fectants are most easily applied to the
walls and ceilings with a spray pump
or brush. AS it is difficult to keep
them from coming into contact with
the face and hands, the more harm
less of these mixtures should gen.
orally be used. Ordinary limewash
made from freshly slaked lime is ex-
known to all. In the case of an &C