Smyrna times., 1923-06-13
DISEASE KILLING MANY. CHICKS
State Authorities Investigate Ravages
and How to Treat the Disease

anu IlUW " LANctl AAtN ASA9Ntt7N
Dr.. c. C. Palmer, Investigator in
Poultry Diseases for the State Board
of Agriculture, gives advice on Coo
cidiosis. The Bacteriology and Animal
Hygiene Laboratories at the Univer-
sity of Delaware are receiving many
young chicks suffering from a dis
ease known as Coccidiosis. The let
ters accompanying the shipment indi-
cate the disease as unusually prevail
ent this year and the poltry raisers
are suffering heavy losses.
The disease affects chicks most
commonly from the age of four to ten
weeks, but may effect chicks much
younger. 1t is caused by an animal
parasite known as Eimeria or Coo
ciduim Alum, which lives in the lin
ing of the intestine of the chicken.
The parasites are voided in the drop |
pings and will remain alive in the |
ground for several years. Older birds !
become resistent to the parasite and |
serve as carriers or spreaders of the |
disease. Young chicks become infect
ed by feeding on contaminated ground
1 The parasite gaining entrance with
the food and drink rapidly multiplies
within the lining of the intestine, soon
inducing sickness and death.
The chicks affected show the fol-
lowing symptoms: Dsordered feath-
ers; droopy wings; punched appear
ance; general weakness and failure to
grow The droppings become fluid
(diarrhea) and often of a whitish
color. In extreme cases the droppings
become bloody.
How to Handle the Disease
Like many infectious diseases. the
best results are obtained in this dis
ease by endeavoring to avoid the in
fectiOn. In fact, in many diseases
this is the only method by which the
disease may be controlled as once the
disease develOpes it is practically i'm
possible to cure it. Young birds
should be placed on ground that has
not been used by chickens for at least
two years Every poultry raiser in
sections where this disease is prevail
ent should provide lots designed es
pecially for raising young chicks.
These lots should be fenced to pre-
vent other chickens using the lots.
After the chicks have reached the age
of eight weeks they are transferred
to permanent range. The lots are
covered with lime and the ground
turned under. The. lots should re-
main idle but if it is necessary to use
; them the next year, the lime treat
> ment may be repeated. In addition
to proper care Of the yard, the brood
: er houses should be thoroughly clean
: ed and disinfected with a good coal
tar spray of Creolin, Stock-dip, Crude
S Carbolic Acid, Carbolineum, etc. After
Y this, whitewash may be applied. All
e of this means great deal of work
n but if carried out thoroughly the dis
r ease many be prevented.
For focks in which the disease has
appeared, remove at once all sick
T chicks and treat them separately
Burn all dead chicks Clean thorough
q ly and disinfect the brooder house
h yards, and runs, feed and water uten
sils. Remove, burn and replace tn,
- litter daily. Repeat the cleaning an,
- :, disinfecting frequently. Apply linn
= abundantly to the yards and floor o
- the brooder house. All of this involve
- an enormous amount of work, but j
= handled carefully and thoroughly
:. most of the chicks can be saved
= Remove at once all scratch graf
- from the chicks and give them
II moist crumbly mash including Epsor
n Salts at the rate of one-quarter poun
- - to every one hundred chicks. Tn
- EPSON Salts are to be used only once
-, The dose may be repeated at week.
. intervals until the chicks are thol
IS Oughly out of danger. A good we
~ mash for chicks of the susceptible ag
~ may be made as follows:
- Two pounds wheat bran; one poun
b. wheat middlings; one pound cOrnmea
~ One-half pound beef scrap. If milk
- available, the beef scrap may /
-. omitted from the mash and the mas
- itself mixed with sour milk so that
~ is in a crumbly condition when fed I
- ~ the chicks. Feed the chicks thrC
times a day about what they will clea
up in ten or fifteen minutes each fee,
ing. Both water and sour milk
buttermilk should be available at q
'e- times. Place Copper Sulphate in Il
ms sour milk or buttermilk using a lev
RS teaspoonful of the pure Pulveriz,
in Copper Sulphate Crystals to each ga
Nv Ion of sour milk or buttermilk.