Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-02-17
GAPES

which attaches itself to the internal
surface of the windpipe, sucks blood
from the mucous membrane, and OBJ
structs the passage to such an extent
as TO interfere seriously with the
breathing. The insufficient supply of
air. the loss of blood, and the
diminished activity in looking for food
lead TO a weak and bloodless condition,
and often death from overcrowding or
exposure that a we'll chick would be
able to resist without injury. Some
times so many worms accumulate in
the windpipe that breathing becomes
! impossible and the chick dies from
suffocation.
The worm which causes this disease
is sometimes called the red worm or
the forked worm because OF it's color,
and Of the fact that the male and fe-
male are so firmly grown together that
they can not be separated without
tearing the tissues. The two worms
united In this manner appear at first
sight like a single worm with two
necks and two heads The female is
little more than one-half inch In
length and the male one-fifth inch.
The heads of both are attached to the
mucous membrane, irritating ii to such
a degree that there is an increased Sc
erection of mucus, which collects and
increases the difficulty OF breathing.
! A large number of eggs develop In
the female worm while in the wind
pipe, and these are either thrown out
| by the chick while sneezing or they
are swallowed, pass through the stom-
ach and intestines unframed. and are
scattered with the droppings These
eggs adhere to the food or get into the
drinking water and thus infect other
chicks and keep up the disease in
definitely. Often the red worms are
coughed up. but they are Immediately
seized and swallowed by some of the
chicks, and in this manner also the
disease is spread.
The eggs of this worm live a long
time in the soil and are sometimes
taken into the digestive tube of earth
worms. In badly infected ground a
considerable proportion OF the earth
worms may, if eaten, be capable of
causing the disease in chicks.
These facts explain why ground up
on which chickens are raised year af-
ter year become so badly infected, and
4 how the infection is carried by grown
fowls and by some wild birds and that
this is another means for their pres
ervation.
When the eggs Of this worm are
taken into the stomach Of the chicks
the young worms are soon liberated
and find their way in a few days to
the windpipe, where they may be seen
already attached within a week.
The symptoms of gapes are most
frequently observed in chicks from
ten to four weeks old. The affected
birds cough or sneeZe with an abrupt
whistling sound and a more or less
labored effort. Very soon they begin
to cape, extending the neck and open
ing the beak, thus indicating that they
are not getting a sufficient supply Of
air. During the first few days the APP
petite is ravenous, but in spite OF the
quantity of feed eaten the birds be-
| come weak, anemic, and emaciated
Later there is little appetite, the af-
fected birds are dull, have difficulty in
keeping their companions, and as the
| disease advances their wings droop
and they stand with closed eyes and
head drawn back into the body. FIRE.
quently the head is thrown forward
and they cape or give II convulsive
shake In order to loosen the obstruc-
ton in the windpipe and permit the
entrance OF air. In this condition
they are liable to die suddenly from
suffocation. from exhaustion, or from
being trampled by their own fellows
at night.
The most vigorous and the older
birds show only mild symptoms or
none at all. They may cape occasion
ally, but their appetites remain good
and they continue to grow. However,
|
intensely infected the proportion of
the chickens which are able to resist
the attacks of these parasites becomes
less, until finally 1t may be almost i'm
possible to raise either chickens or
turkeys.
Reliance must be placed upon pre-
vention rather than cure, because a
chicken two to three weeks old has
not sufficient value to warrant the ex-
penditure of time or medicine In It's
treatment.
Sometimes IL is found advisable to
extract the worms or to inject some
liquid into the windpipe which will kill
them. Extractors are made in var
ious ways. Generally a small quill
feather is stripped of all of its web
except a small turf at the end, and this
is used either dry OF moistened with
kerosene or oil of turpentine. A fairly
good extractor may be made by taking
a hair from a horses tail, bending II
in the middle, and twisting the two
ends together so as to form loop; or
a similar loop may be made by cutting
the hair, laying the two end pieces side
| by side, tying a knot near the end,
trimming the short ends close to the
knot. and twisting the long ends to-
gether. These homemade extractors
have been initiated in the poultry sup
ply trade by doubling and twisting
small flexible wire which carries few
moderately stiff hairs to scrape off the
worms
Spoiled Her Trip