Poultry Diarrhea.

Will you kindly tell me the cause and cure for bowel trouble among hens?

The “quick cure” for chick diarrhea has not yet been found.  Prevention is the only sure remedy.  The first treatment in diarrhea (which must not be confused with simple looseness of the bowels) should be a mild physic to clean out the digestive tract.  Epsom salts is probably best for this purpose where a number of fowls are to be treated.  This is usually given in the drinking water, but Dr. Morse, who has charge of the investigation of poultry diseases in the Bureau of Animal Industry, gives the following directions for administering the salts:  “Clean out by giving epsom salts in an evening mash, estimating one-third to one-half teaspoonful to each adult bird, or a teaspoonful to each six half-grown chicks, carefully proportioning the amount of mash to the appetite of the birds, so that the whole will be eaten up quickly.”  For a few days afterward, feed only lightly with dry grain and tender greens, such as fresh-cut mustard and lettuce leaves.  Keep plenty of pure, cool water, with just a thin skim of coal oil — one drop to each pint — for drinking; also plenty of sharp grit and fresh charcoal broken to the size of grains of wheat.

Limber-Neck.

A very peculiar disease is taking off my fowls.  The head of the fowl bends down to the breast and the fowl looks like dead, there is also a slight discharge from the mouth.  The head and tail droop and if the fowl could stand up they would almost touch.

When a fowl loses partial or entire control of the muscles of the neck the common name of the affection is limber-neck.  In medical science limber-neck is regarded as a symptom rather than a disease, and may be due to a number of causes, such as derangement of the digestive organs, intestinal worms and ptomaine poisoning.  The affected fowls should be given immediately a full tablespoon of fresh melted lard or sweet oil, to which has been added a scant teaspoonful, of coal oil.  In an hour repeat the dose.  For a few days the fowls should be fed on some light food, such as shorts scalded with sweet milk in which has been dissolved a level teaspoonful of baking soda to every pint of milk, and also allowed plenty of crisp, tender lettuce or similar greens.  A little Epsom salts should be added to the drinking water for a few days.  This treatment, if resorted to at the start, will be effectual, but if the poisoning has had its course long, nothing will save the bird.

Chicken Pox.

My one and two-year-old fowls are getting scabby combs.  It starts with a round blackish spot and swells into many spots, finally nearly covering one side of the comb.  Sometimes accompanying this is the closing of one eye, and later both eyes.