Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-04
Timber NECK AFFECTS.
DELAWARE POULTRY
Disease That Ha8 Been Caus-
ing Considerable Loss in.
This State.

A disease that has been causing
considerable loss among the poultry
In Delaware Ii what IL commonly |
called timber neck. AS the name sug-
gests. the sick birds apparently lose
all power to control the neck and ms
result the head IL held backward or
TO one side. This symptom Is not al
ways present, however. The writer has
investigated a number of outbreaks
In Delaware In which the neck symp-
toms We're not present. In these out
breaks. the symptoms were observed
OF general muscular weakness. The
sick birds had apparently lost all pow
of controlling their muscles. They
were unable to walk or fly and would
sit around sometimes in an apparent
stupor. Less severe cases could get
around but were unable to walk. Az
ter the symptoms become well estab-
lished death occurs within few hours
to several days.
The disease Is one of bacterial pois-
oning caused by the poison or toxin
produced by an organism known as
bacillus botulinus. This germ is wide
ly distributed In nature and Is present
on many Delaware farms. The germ
itself is said to be harmless: but when
forage. grain. or any material Of vege
table or animal nature containing the
germ spells there Is created n favora-
BILE environment for the germ to be-
come active and produce its poison.
The spelling of feeds is often associat
ed with the formation Of molds and II
Is, therefore, advisable to avoid feed
ing TO poultry any feeds that are ut
all suspicious of being spoiled or
moldy. While the poison of the hotu-
linus bacillus may he present In feeds
that do not appear spoiled. 1t is be-
lieved that outbreaks of botulism un-
der such circumstances will be quite
rare and usually II VIII be possible to
locate the spoiled feed. Moldy bread.
decaying fish and meat. spoiled or
moldy grain. etc, are quite likely to
harbor the poison.
This disease of poultry is closely re-
lated to forage poisoning of horses
and cattle. which is caused by the
toxin of the botulinus bacillus. and
which is so common among livestock
in Delaware. Like the similar disease
OF horses there is no medical cure for
the malady. Experiments are being
conducted in the hope of developing
an antitoXin for the treatment OF
botulism but so far satisfactory re-
suits have not been obtained. The
method Of treating the disease In poul-
try is to prevent II by carefully avoid
ing the use of feeds that appear moldy
or in any way spoiled. Should the dis
ease appear among birds on range
Immediately Confine them to a yard
and feed grains of good quality. out
breaks of timber neck are more com.
mon on farms where the birds haV,
free range When sick birds are sem
into the laboratory and the owner is
advised that his birds have botulisn
and that he should avoid spoiled feeds
we often meet with the reply that IN,
birds do not have access TO spoiled oil
moldy feed. Careful study of the farm
conditions will usually disclose tina
at some place the birds are feedins
upon spoiled material. Confning th'
birds to a yard prevents their obtain
ing the spoiled feed and usually check!
the outbreak.