The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-06-13

IheSe are the questions WHICH tbs
prospective purchaser OF eggs OF
breeding stock will be asking the
breeder before long. And he has
right to, for the breeder is now in 20
sition to make such a guarantee.
Amy OF three methods may be used
to test breeding stock. In the first
method, the body cavity OF the laying
hen is opened exactly as in the
caponizing of cockerels, and an exam
ination of the ovary is made. In the
case of hens whose oYaries are in
fected, the ova or undeVeloped eggs
VIII be found TO have a peculiar ap-
pearance. Little or no change viii
be noted in the small infected ova.
The larger infected oya, however, Of
ten present striking variations in
shape and texture. They are fire.
quently decidedly angular, and vary
in their consistency from soft and
liquid to firm and cheesy. There are
various degrees of discolorations. At
times some of'the Ova are found TO
be OF a peculiar bright yellow, again
they may be dark, almost black, and
occasionally more or less mottled.
No matter how badly infected the
oyary may be, a large number Of the
ova are apparently normal. Hens
having abnormal ovaries should be
discarded at once.
With the second method the breed
ing hens may all be trap nested, the
eggs marked and incubated IN pedi-
gree trays. The chicks should be
banded and a record kept Of the band
numbers OF both the chicks and their
parents. When any chick shows signs
OF the disease, he should be removed
at once and burned. His mother
should be removed from the breeding
flock. The brother and sister chicks
should be isolated and carefully
watched. The floor Of the pen where
the healthy chicks are kept should
be thoroughly cleaned and disinfect-
ed to prevent the contamination OF
the other chicks through the drop
pings.
The third means Of testing the
breeding stock for white diarrhea is
the surest. The trouble with it is
that it can be done only in the labor
atory by the trained bacteriologist.
This is the direct psychological test
of a large number Of eggs from each
breeding hen. Even the general prac-
| titioner of veterinary medicine is not
at present qualified to do this, but
! the time is not far distant when he
viii be. When he is, the purchasing
public will demand that a certificate
! OF soundness with reference to white
! diarrhea be furnished by poultry
! breeders just as the breeders OF dairy
/ cattle now are compelled to show
| such a certificate with reference to
! tuberculosis.
If you have white diarrhea in your
/ flock, the earliest deaths may occur
within a very short time after hatch
| ing without any prominent symptoms,
excepting, perhaps weakness and lack
of vitality. The characteristic whit
ish discharge from the vent soon
makes its appearance in the flock,
| the time depending, without doubt,
upon the yirulence of the organism
| and the mode of infection. The dis
| charge may be slight or profuse, in
color white or creamy, sometimes
mixed with brown. The voided mat
| ter has a more or less sticky or glairy
| character. It may simply streak the
down below the vent or may cling to
the down in suficiest quantity to seal
| I'D the Fent. The latter condition,
/ however, is not necessarily indicative
of white diarFhea.
The chicks soon become 1istless and
sleepy and inclined to huddle togeth-
| er, and remain under the hover much
| of the time. They seem TO lose ap-
petite. FREQ Iently when they attempt
to take food their action is more or
less mechanical The wings begin to
droop or project slightly from the
body, with feathers ruffled. In acute
cases the eyes are closed and the
| chicks become Indifferent to every
thing that goes on about them. Many
| Of them peep or chirp constantly, the
sound being shriH or weak according
to the strength Of the individual.
Frequently, when endeayoring to void
the excreta, the chicks utter a shrill
twitter, apparently a cry Of pain
The breathing may be 1abored, the
abdomen heaYing with each breath
Occasionally one may note certain
amount Of gasping or gaping.
During the progress OF the disease
the chick may die suddenly while still
fairly strong When the disease is
prolonged the chicks gradually waste
away, becoming weaker and weaker
until they are scarcely able to sup
port their own weight. IN this stage
they viii often be seen to rest against
foreign objects for support, standing
with legs braced apart, squatting Of
lying utterly helpless.
Frequently the chicks take On the
appearance which poultrymen cal
-shOrt-baeked-' The back seems tC
shorten and the abdomen to protruds
out OF proportion, causing the chicl
/ to look "stilty" as compared with one
OF normal DEVELOPMENT.