Treatment. — To attain this, whitewash frequently all the
parts adjacent to the roosting-pole, take the poles down and
run thera slowly through a fire made of wood shavings, dry
weeds, or other light waste combustibles. Flour of sulphur,
placed in -^ vessel, and set on fire in a close poultry house, will
penetrate every crevice, and effectually exterminate the vermin.
When a hen comes off with her brood, the old nest should be
cleaned out, and a new one placed; and dry tobacco leaves,
rubbed to a powder between the hands, and mixed with the
hay of the nest, will add much to the health of the poultry.
Flour of siilphur may also be mixed with Indian meal and
water, and fed in the proportion of one pound of sulphur to
two dozen fowls, in two parcels, two days apart. Almost any
kind of grease, or unctuous matter, is also certain death to the
vermin of domestic poultry. In the case of very young chick-
ens, it should only be used in a warm, sunny day, when they
' hould be put into a coop with their mother, the coop darkened
ior an hour or two, and everything made quiet, that they may
secure a good rest and nap after the fatigue occasioned by
greasing them. They should be handled with great care, and
greased thoroughly; the hen, also. After resting, they may be
permitted to come out and bask in the sun; and in a few days
they will look sprightly enoughs
To guard against vermin, however, it should not be for-
gotten that cleanliness is of vital importance, and there must
always be plenty of slacked lime, dry ashes, and sand, easy of
access to the fowls, in which they can roll and dust themselves.
Loss of Feathers. — This disease, common to confined fowls,
should not be confounded with the natural process of moulting.
In this diseased state, no new feathers come to replace the old,
but the fowl is left bald and naked; a sort of roughness also
appears on the skin; there is a falling off in appetite, as well as
moping and inactivity.
Treatment. — As this affection is, in all probability, con-
stitutional rather than local, external remedies may not always
prove sufficient. Stimulants, however, applied externally, will
serve to assist the operation of whatever medicine maybe given.
Sulphur may be thus applied, mixed with lard. Sulphur and
cayenne, in the proportion of one quarter each, mixed with
fresh butter, is good to be given internally, and will act as a
powerful alterative. The diet should be changed: and cleanli-
ness and fresh air are indispensable.
Pip. — This disorder, known also as the gapes, is the most
common ailment of poultry and all domestic birds. It is es-
pecially the disease of young fowls, and is most prevalent in
the hottest months being not only troublesome but frequently
latal.
278 POULTRY.
Symptoms. — The common symptoms of this malady are the
thickened state of the membrane of the tongue, particularly
toward the tip, the breathing is impeded, and the beak is fre-
quently held open, as if the creature were gasping for breath;
the beak becomes yellow at its base; and the feathers on the
head appear ruffled and disordered; the tongue is very dry; the
appetite is not always impaired; but yet the fowl cannot eat,
probably on account of the difficulty which the act involves,
and sits in a corner, pining in solitude.
Page 194
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Treatment. — To attain this, whitewash frequently all the parts adjacent to the roosting-pole, take the poles down and run thera slowly through a fire made of wood shavings, dry weeds, or other light waste combustibles. Flour of sulphur, placed in -^ vessel, and set on fire in a close poultry house, will penetrate every crevice, and effectually exterminate the vermin. When a hen comes off with her brood, the old nest should be cleaned out, and a new one placed; and dry tobacco leaves, rubbed to a powder between the hands, and mixed with the hay of the nest, will add much to the health of the poultry.
Flour of sulphur may also be mixed with Indian meal and water, and fed in the proportion of one pound of sulphur to two dozen fowls, in two parcels, two days apart. Almost any kind of grease, or unctuous matter, is also certain death to the vermin of domestic poultry. In the case of very young chickens, it should only be used in a warm, sunny day, when they should be put into a coop with their mother, the coop darkened ior an hour or two, and everything made quiet, that they may secure a good rest and nap after the fatigue occasioned by greasing them. They should be handled with great care, and greased thoroughly; the hen, also. After resting, they may be permitted to come out and bask in the sun; and in a few days they will look sprightly enough
To guard against vermin, however, it should not be forgotten that cleanliness is of vital importance, and there must always be plenty of slacked lime, dry ashes, and sand, easy of access to the fowls, in which they can roll and dust themselves.
Loss of Feathers. — This disease, common to confined fowls, should not be confounded with the natural process of moulting. In this diseased state, no new feathers come to replace the old, but the fowl is left bald and naked; a sort of roughness also appears on the skin; there is a falling off in appetite, as well as moping and inactivity.
Treatment. — As this affection is, in all probability, constitutional rather than local, external remedies may not always prove sufficient. Stimulants, however, applied externally, will serve to assist the operation of whatever medicine maybe given. Sulphur may be thus applied, mixed with lard. Sulphur and cayenne, in the proportion of one quarter each, mixed with fresh butter, is good to be given internally, and will act as a powerful alterative. The diet should be changed: and cleanliness and fresh air are indispensable.
Pip. — This disorder, known also as the gapes, is the most common ailment of poultry and all domestic birds. It is especially the disease of young fowls, and is most prevalent in the hottest months being not only troublesome but frequently latal.
Symptoms. — The common symptoms of this malady are the thickened state of the membrane of the tongue, particularly toward the tip, the breathing is impeded, and the beak is frequently held open, as if the creature were gasping for breath; the beak becomes yellow at its base; and the feathers on the head appear ruffled and disordered; the tongue is very dry; the appetite is not always impaired; but yet the fowl cannot eat, probably on account of the difficulty which the act involves, and sits in a corner, pining in solitude.