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OLD-TIME CHICKEN REMEDIES

Patricia Earnest's article "Old-Time Remedies for Common Poultry Diseases" (MOTHER NO. 26) is a disaster. One old-time remedy I'd advise for her: "An ounce of prevention . . ".

[1] "Chickens still get sick," the author says, "sometimes with fairly lethal diseases . . . ". "Vicious" is a better term for Newcastle disease, pullorum disease, infectious bronchitis, etc. There is no treatment for these conditions. Disinfect the premises with lye and start over with clean birds.

[2] "Roup is caused by cold, damp or drafty quarters . . . ". Roup is caused by a protozoan (Trichomonas gallinae). Pigeons and wild birds pick it up and transmit it to chickens via contaminated water. To prevent it, keep such carriers away from your flock—or at least from their drinking water—and try a little Clorox in the liquid. Dimetridazole (.05%) in the water will help prevent severe illness if the disease occurs.

[3] Gapeworms "lodge in the hen's throat" . . . nuts! The larvae of the gapeworm live and mature in the lungs, trachea and bronchi, causing a severe pneumonia in young birds. Holding the chickens upside down by the legs is as ridiculous as holding a human pneumonia patient in a similar position.

Gapes is transmitted when birds eat the larvae or eggs of the pest, or when they eat earthworms, snails and slugs containing the larvae. Prevention consists of keeping the flock off freshly plowed ground where they will pick up many earthworms, and giving 0.1% thiabendazole in the feed for two weeks.

[4] In cases of scaly legs, "that old cure-all potassium permanganate" just turns the legs purple and is virtually worthless. The vaseline Ms. Earnest recommends is somewhat effective, since the disease is caused by a mite and the idea is to smother it with a fine oil. A better, more penetrating coating, however, is one part kerosene to two parts raw linseed oil.

[5] "Liver trouble", etc. The description of the symptoms suggests a condition known as bluecomb disease, of unknown cause. Stress predisposes chickens to this trouble and should be avoided. Especially, make sure they have water at all times . . . and in liquid form, not frozen in the winter. Try one of the following additions to the flock's drink: blackstrap molasses (2%), potassium chloride (0.5%) or oxytetracycline (1 to 5 grams to 5 gallons of water).

[6] "Feather pulling is not a disease . . . ". It most certainly can be! The condition is called gumboro disease and there is a vaccine which can be put in the drinking water. It's not 100% effective but is of worth in large flocks.

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