Evening star., 1919-04-20

Although the diseases of young
chicks. such as described in last Sun
days Star. and other ailments like
the gapes and leg weakness. may
be practically eliminated if proper
precautions are taken. we must keep
constantly on the watch for signs of
their appearance.
EYperienced poultrymen with innate
so 'ers Of observation can apparently
scent the approach of disease before
II actually makes it's appearance to
others, and this power of observation
should be developed as much as pos
sible so that unfavorable conditions
which usually accompany and are re-
sponsibie for these troubles may be
remedied before the ailments become
so firmly fixed that it is almost i'm
possible to combat them successfully.
An ailment may be merely weak
ened condition of the chicks brought
about by improper brooding or by
the ravages of vermin, or 1t may be
one of the more serious Diseases such
as the white diarrhea. brooder pneu-
monia or contagious catarrh Or
"roup." which often attacks growing
chickens.
Leg weakness. a disease or rather
an ailment of young chickens. some
times develops and spreads rapidly
before it is discovered. 1t is not
contagious disease, in fact it is doubt
full as to whether it should be class
ed as disease. 1t is apparently
merely condition of weakness
brought about by unfavorable treat
ment. The affected chick is weak
legged, particularly in the leg joints;
it does not have the proper use of it's
legs, and in the more advanced stages
1t is unable to walk at all, falling
over at most every attempt and at
the last is unable to stand; in such
condition it is unable to get food
and practically starves to death.
Forced feeding, resulting in rapid
growth, develops a body too heavy for
the legs to support but in all prob
ability this weakness is influenced by
insufficient bone-making material in
the food and by the lack of exercise
to strengthen the leg muscles.
However, the ailment seems to be
confined to chicks kept in brooders
or on brooder house floors of wood
or concrete, or on dry sand covering
such floors. 1t usually begins its at
tack after the chicks are four weeks
old and continues as long thereafter
as they are confined. Changing from
most cases check the spread of the
ailment and cure most of the affected
chicks. Some time ago l took from
the brooder house some that were un-
able to walk without falling. and
forced them to stay outside on moist
earth, and they recovered. Usually the
opening of the brooder house, permit
ting the chicks to run in and out. is
all that is required, unless the trouble
has gone too far. The contact with
the moist soil, with unlimited fresh air,
seems to strengthen the legs and mus
body, without the necessity for any
change in the feed. particularly when
the feed mixtures have been well bal
anced.
For year in New England we had
been growing winter chicks which
were raised indoors on a concrete
floor covered with dry sand; the chicks
were well fed with a properly mixed
ration, including milk and bone meal
for bone building. The long brooder
house, containing individual lamp
heated portable hovers, was well ven
tilated, but after five or six weeks
begin to develop regularly every year.
At last divided each brood pen into
two compartments, using six-inch
board partitions. In the rear was the
hover, with cut straw or chan litter
covering a layer of dry sand, in which
the grain was scattered. The front
the floor was covered with not less
than one inch of sand. and every
morning this was sprinkled thorough
ly with water, and from that time on
we had very little trouble with leg
weakness. The drinking fountain and
shell hoppers were kept in the front
compartment and occasionally a little
feed and crusted oyster shell would be
thrown around on the moist sand.
OF all the chick ailments known to
the poultrykeeper the one that is
most annoying is gapes. This trouble
we have always with US, and unless
measures it will bother us for many
years to come.
The trouble is due to the little
threadlike worms called gap worms.
which get into the trachea (windpipe)
and attach themselves in such num-
bers to the inner lining, or mucous
membrane, that severe Inflammation