Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1914-06-11

month OF age. After this a1eW straB'
Cling deaths may be expected, and II
complications set In, high mortality
may be observed. The chicks which
have had bacillary white diarrhea
seem to be greatly weakened In con-
stitution and fall an easy prey to dis
orders which would be resisted easily
by normal chicks.
Those which survive remain moro
or less stunted In their development.
Frequently they are misshapen, with
long beaks and Grow heads" and
with imperfect feathering. In every
way they impress one as being weak
and lacking in vitality. This condi'
ton may persist indefinitely. or the
bird may slowly regain vigor and vi.
tally and finally make fairly salts
factory development.
The trap nest records OF individual
hens, when studied in connection with
the results OF egg examinations, seem
to indicate that infected hens are COM
paratively poor layers. This is es-
pecially true OF those hens which are
in their second and subsequent lay
ing years. Apparently such hens lay
regularly only in the spring and sum-
mer, the natural breeding season.
In order to secure further practical
information on this point, an extended
trip was made among poultrymen who
make it a practice to raise winter
chicks. In a very few cases there
seemed to be evidence OF white diar.
rhea infection. but the large majority
of the men interviewed agreed that
the chicks which are Matched In late
fall, winter or early spring, are COM
paratively free from this disease.
The question has frequently been
asked as to whether infection may be
spread from one hen to another,
through food which has become con-
taminated with infected droppings.
On this point We have no direct evil
dence, but in view OF the fact that In
fected and non.infected hens have
been kept in the same pens for many
months without any apparent spread
ing OF infection. 1t seems highly i'm
probable that the organism is con-
veyed from adult to adult in this
manner. Experiments are being con-
Quoted to determine this point con.
clusiveiy.
The question also naturally arises:
May not the male bird carry the or
ganism from one hen to another?
The same course Of reasoning. may be
followed here as In the previous In
stance, and although we do not regard
the evidence as conclusive, 1t is quite
probable that the organism is not car.
ried in this way.
Whether or not adult male birds
may he infected with the germ, Is an.
other matter which is still undecided.
We have on several occasions ex.
amIned the testes OF half-grown and
adult males, with negative results.
Such tests, however. have been too
few to justify any definite conclusion.
Should the possibilities OF the trans.
mission OF the organism from hen to
hen, and through the agency Of the
male birds, be actually eliminated.
there is apparently but one explana.
ton for the presence OF the organism
in question in the ovaries OF adult fe.
males. We have already demon.
strated that chicks may have. the dis.
ease when Matched, or acquire It very
soon after Matching. The infected fe-
male chicks which survive the disease
continue to carry the organism In
their bodies, not in the various organs,
as when they are young and visibly at.
fected, but locally, as in the ovary. In
other words, such chicks have be.
come permanent bacillus carriers. Our
examination OF the ovaries OF half
grown pullets has given us strong evi.
dence in support OF this theory.
AS to the means of preventing the
spread of infection from chick to
chick, segregation of chicks during
the first four days after Matching
should prove effective. It is entirely
probable that keeping chicks in small
groups in the incubator for forty-elght
hours after Matching will materially
reduce the chances OF a few infected
individuals spreading the infection
through the entire hatch, For div!s.
ion into small groups we suggest the
use of pedigree trays, wire baskets. or
bags made of mosquito netting.
Naturally. the smaller the group, the
less the chance OF spreading the in.
lection.
From the time the chicks begin to
hatch until they are removed to the
brooder, the incubator should be kept
dark. This will largely prevent the
chicks from picking at the droppingS.