CHICKEN CHOLERA.
—Chicken or fowl cholera is a germ disease, and contagious. It attacks poultry of all kinds. Diarrhœa is a prominent symptom of the disease. Bad food or improper food may aggravate the trouble, but the germ introduced into the system either in food or drink, is at the bottom of it. At first the droppings will take on a whitish color. Diarrhœa will then result. The discharges will then become thin and watery, to be at times frothy and greenish in appearance. Fowls thus attacked soon lose their appetites and become stupid and take on a sickly appearance. The head drops toward the body, the eyelids fall, and the fowls stand around as if doped. Some recover, but, unless checked, the flock will be materially injured.
Of course dead fowls must be burned at once and lime and other disinfectants used to keep the disease from spreading. The well birds must be kept apart from the infected quarters. Care must be exercised that infection be not carried either by visitors or attendants from the sick to the healthy quarters. A common remedy consists of 1 part of sulphate of iron to 50 parts of water for drinking purposes. Another common remedy is to mix a tablespoonful of sulphate of iron, 2 tablespoonfuls of dried blood, and 2 tablespoonfuls of tincture of opium with a pint of water. This is given in the food in doses of 1 or 2 tablespoonfuls of this mixture three or four times a day to each sick bird.