Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-11-17
CAUSE OF POULTRY SoREHEAD
Fungus in Food Origin of Serious
Poultry Disease.

1t is not generally known that sore
head or chicken poX in poultry is caus-
ed by the same fungus or mold that Is
seen on bread, and many other sub
stances kept in warm, damp place.
This white mold of bread results from
the presence of a fungus known tech
nically as Aspergillus fumigatus, and
if this fungus attacks the face of young
nr mature chickens the rcpulSivc look
ing sorehead warts will appear.
The early symptoms of sorehead
show in a depressed appearance of the
fowl and a number of small round,
reddish sores on the face Fever is
present and the appetite has gone. The
second and third days find the fowl
more depressed and the sores brown in
color, hard ON the outside and similar
in appearance to brown warts. How
ever. there are two varieties of sore
head the dry and the moist. The wart
or dry type has been described. The
fungus attacks the mucous membrane
of the eye or throat Having so favor
able medium for developing the fun
gus spreads rapidly and soon the eye is
closed and the nOstrils and throat are
filled with mucous.
This explanation of the origin ana
cause Of sOrehead suggests means for
the prevention and control of the dis
ease. In almost every case that has
been reported to the writer, the poul-
tryman remembered that the litter in
the poultry house had become damp
and moldy, or that moldy feed had
been fed, or that the chickens had been
rooStng in a warm, d"mp house where
mold was probably present. II can be
stated with assurance that an outbreak
of sorchcad is impossible where there
are no conditions among the fowls IA
vorable for the development of mold
spores. Hence at this season of the
year especially, the poultry should be
kept in a dry, wcll-ventilated, Sun-lit
house with dry litter on the floor. II
the litter becomes damp. scatter il over
with Il fork so aS to dry ii as rapidly as
possible and prevent its becoming
heated and moldy. BY remembering
the nature of this disease and Sighting
il intelligently no one in South Caro-
lima should have a sOrehead epidemic
among his chickens.
II has been stated that a mixture of
Epson salts and sulphur given several
times week in the mash will prevent
an attack of sorchead Tie fallacy oi
this opinion is apparent hut II remain
ed for ono e the visitors to the Glenn
son college egg-laying contest at the
state fair to prove positively that a
securing of salts and sulphur is no
preventive of this disease. He followed
the directions and gave the salts ana
sulphur regularly from last July. but
shortly before the s'atc fair his chick
ems had the worst attack of SOrrhcad
he had ever seen. Many died and the
remainder were still sick when he told
the story His course of salts and sui
phur did not prevent th" spores of the
fungus from attacking the exposed
| ileSl DI the clllChtllS anu IL - Ni'"'Ni'i
if the treatment would even minimize
the severity of the outbreak.
Probably the simplest method of
treating s0rehead is to suuSc the head
of each arrc"'cd fowl i'm Il mixture of
permaganatc Of potash and peroxide
of hydrogen. First make dark pur-
pie solution of pcrmanganntc OF pot
ash i'm water. only Il small amount OF
the crystals will bc needed To color