Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-11-03
POULTRY DISEASES
Clemson Authority Gives Helpful In
formation.


Cornmon Scourges Cause Loss Of Mil
lions of Dollars a Year-Sorehead is
Caused From Mold, and is Very
FataI-Sou,e Remedies.
Paper prepared by n. r. Mehrhof
Poultry Husbandman of Clemson
College.
The weak chickens the ones with
low vitality; the ones with poor
breeding behind them are now suf'
fering with chicken-poX (soreheaO.
Not only are the weak but also the
strong, healtny robust ones.
This disease causes millions OF dol
lars Of losses throughout the country,
Sorehead is very prevalent through
the Southern states. We must prevent
this loss and thereby increase our pro-
fits materially. We must prevent the
spread of disease in our flocks. When
we see few sick chickens in our
flock, we lose interest; we become dis
heartened. Study your flock at all
times. Do not let them become sick.
Sorehead.
Sorehead, according to the investiga-
ton by the French government, is
caused by spores of the common
mold, asperglllus fumengatus. An
outbreak of the disease appears when
fowls or chickens come in contact
with moldy litter or moldy grain. 1t
does not appear to be a constitutional
disease. 1t is usually confined to the
face, comb, wattles and ear-lobes,
eyes, nostrils and mouth, but is oc-
oasionally found under the wings in
advanced or neglected cases. 1t is
extremely contagious.
There are two varieties of sorehead;
the dry and the moist, the difference
depending on the surface the spores
attack 1t is on the mucous men,
brane of the eye, mouth, or nostrils,
the moist type develops; If it Is on
the skin of the face or adjacent parts,
it will be the dry or warty variety.
The moist type of sorehead is most
serious disease, since it grows rapidly
on the mucous membrane. 1t soon
closes the eyelids. which swell to
enormous sizes, blinds the fowl, and
causes 1t to waste away and die. If
il appears on the nasal mucous meme
brane, the whole nasal cavity becomes
blocked and the fowl breaths with
open mouth.
Treatment.
Look for moldy litter, moldy food
like watermelons, moldy corn, or mold
in any damp place where the chickens
run. In certain parts of the state,
sorehead breaks out every summer
from the mold in the vegetable matter
near the streams. Keep the chickens
away from mold and they will not have
this disease. Treating them with
salts and sulphur is not preventative
of sorehead.
Catch each diseased chicken, and
immerse it's head for fifteen seconds in
either Of these remedies: Q) Fer Sui,
l teaspoonful; water, quart; or, (2)
Cresol, 2 teaspoonfuls; water, quart.
This solution made from Fer-Sul, is
the best cure for sorehead with which
we have had experience. 1t is a brown
liquid containing iron and sulphur,
and is made by the Westmoreland
Chemical Co., Philadelphia.
Ducking chickens heads under the
solution and causing it to inhale the
liquid brings the liquid in contact with
the diseased air passages. and soon
drieS ny, tho y,,ucouc which ic bnipp die
charged. The application Of salves or
liquids outside the head is of little use,
as this does not clear tn, air passages,
and the chicken becomes worse and
dies.
Continue immersing the chickens
heads in either solution two or three
times a day until a cure is affected.
Three or four duckings are usually
sufficient for ordinary cases.
If either eye is closed or swollen,
make a swab with a match and a
piece of lint cotton and gently open
and clean the eye by swabbing it with
the remedy. If the eye is allowed to
drain, it will save the eyesight, but the
pressure of the pus inside a closed
eye-lid will eventually burst the eye
ball. Holding the head under the solu-
tion of Fer-Sul or Cresol cleanses the
eye passages and aids in curing the
disease.
Sometimes the mouth and throat are
covered with yellow, cheese looking
growths. The solution will dry up and
loosen most of these false membranes,
and the chicken will throw them out.
When the opening of the windpipe has
a growth around it, the case is serious.
The most successful way to treat this