The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-04
DISTINGUISHING SYMPTOMS
" AND BEST WAYS OF CURING
OF WORMS SHOWN BY EXPERT
Suggestions for Treating
! Poultry Diseases and
Means Of Knowing Them
Explained Fully.

nv Or. .. r. kAupP.)
(peuItry investigator and Patheleoist
for United statss Depart.
i: msnt Of Asrieulturs.l
Agricultural experts estimate that
almost ten million dollars is lost an
nlally by diseases Of poultry, Of which
a, great part 10, due to worms which
!. afro harbored In the intestinal tract and
other vital organs. The writer Of this
article has made q close study Of the
subject, and experimental with drugs
and means Of Kidding fowls Of these
pests. Some OF the results Of his in
vAstigations follow:
The tube which extends from the
throat to the lungs is commonly called
the windpipe. lts scientific term Is the
tfachea- And the result Of worms
In tho trachea, a condition may be de-
veloped which is called gapes. 50 called
because the bird in its later stages
gasps for air BY extending its head
high into the air with mouth open.
True and False 0apss.
There are many causes for gapes,
such as pieces OF cracked corn or other
particles Of food being sucked down
the tracheal opening In the throat dur
Ing the process Of swallowing. Ex-
anime the throat Of q bird and you
will see long slit open and shut at the
upper end Of tho larynx, or box at the
upper end Of the windpipe. There is
no covering to this air opening. as in
lnammals. hence It is not 80 well pro-
tected when the food passes over it to
the gullet or esophagus. Consequently,
II the bird chokes or gasps a small par
ticle Of food may find its way into the
upper part Of the windpipe and thus
obstruct the free passage Of air. We
once found whole grain of corn
lodged In the upper part Of the wind
pipe Of = fowl.
When the windpipe becomes OBJ
structed 1t is difficult for tho air to
pass and the bird gasps. Obviously.
this Is not due to worms. And since
the condition due to worms is called
gapes, we call this other gasping-false
gapcs. :,
There Is a worm, the male of which
is round, white in color and about one
fourth inch long. and the female is
about one and one.fourth inches long,
which find their way into the wind
pipe and cause true gapes. These two
worms are usually attached, making
Y-shaped looking worm, but which.
as just stated. is really two distinct
individuals. Many of these worms may
invade a single trachca and cause Sc
rious trouble.
-, How the Worms Spread.
When filled with mature eggs the
female worm is coughed out of the
trachea, or the chick dies and the
worms then decay, and finally tho eggs
or minute worms are freed upon the
ground. These are devoured by earth
worms. which are in turn eaten by the
young chicken, and the bird is infest-
cd. Only young birds are seriously
affected by gapeworms. Old birds APP
pear proof against them. At any rate
sthsy do not produce serious results.
Earthworms taken into the stomach
Of the chick are digested. and the mi
mute worms (Syngamus trachealis) are
liberated. It must be remembered that
all dead tissue is digested by the stom-
ach fluids, but the live worms are SO
constituted that these secretions have
no III effects upon them. Tho libcr-
atcd worms now bore their way
through the walls of the stomach, and
finally become located In the trachea.
They attach themselves in clusters to
the wall Of the trachca. Their heads
arc provided with suction discs by
which they hold on. The head parts
are equipped with microscopic men,
braneous teeth that wound the sur
face to which they are attached and
suck the blood. AS the worms grow
the mess becomes larger. At first per-
haps they cause no inconvenience.
later. they induce grave symptoms and
death. As each worm grows the air
passage gradually becomes obstructed
and the bird finds breathing more and
more difficult. Threatened with suf-
location the bird extends its head into