FRACTURES IN FOWLS.
Mataura Ensign, Rōrahi 14, Putanga 993, 4 Hōngongoi 1890, Page 9
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FRACTURES IN FOWLS.
Cases have been known in which a hen has gone about and apparently enjoyed her life with a broken leg, a wooden limb being used instead. But it may be taken as a fact that only extremely valuable birds for breeding purposes are worth keeping under such circuin<rances. Still it is no uncommon thing, when n leg is merely fractured, to set it. If the fowl can be kept perfectly quiet, and prevent* d using it for some time," there ia no difficulty in swing it, no more than in cases of fracture with any animal. The leg requires to bo set that is, the fractured parts placed in tbe position they must occupy in order to knit together again once more. The limb should be first wrapped round with kid (say, an old glove finger") soaked with white of egg. This makes a firm basis, a6.t dries rapidly, and hardens- as it dries. Above this the splints must be placed, which may be made from the quill of a gooee or thin strip of cork, and the whole bound tightly round with linen bands. Instead of the splints, tbe newer method of encasing broken limbs in plaster of Paris may be adopted. In this case, above the kid there must be a thin layer of plaster of Paris, which will very soon harden and form a perfectly rigid encasement. At the end of a week it may be desirable to remove the splints oe plaster, so as to be sure that the re-knitting is progressing satisfactorily. A fowl with a fractured leg must be kept from using it. The easiest and most effective way of securing this end is to keep it in a basket, over which either twine netting or a piece .of canvas, with a single hole therein, through which the bird can protrude its head, is stretched. If food is placed near the injured bird, and the basket is cleaned out daily, the hen will be very comfortable, and its leg will have perfect rest. At the end of a week it should be able to walk, bat it must be allowed to take exercise very gently at first, or the fracture may be forced apart again. Soraetimesfracturos of the wings are caused, generally by a rough catching. In this case tho wing should be placed in its right position, and then bound up with splints in the way already directed. There is another form of wing trouble which often affects the heavier breeds, namely, slipped wing. This is undoubtedlyhereditary and I believe is the result of disuse of wing muscles. In very bad cases the leathers in the wing turn completely round, but in the less severe cases one or two of the piitaary feathers, instead of being tucked up out of sight, hang dowv as if the muscles had no power to hold them in position. Though this may be unsightly among the ordinary fowls, it does not much matter unless it is a very kid case, but it i 6 hardly desirable to breed from a fowl so affected, as it is sure to be perpetuated, and probably exceeded, in the progeny. For show fowls it is a very objectionable blemish one which often loses a bird a position it otherwise would have fairly obtained. Slight cases may be cured, if taken early, by binding up the wing with fine soft cord or tape, all the feathers being put in their right position. Some exhibitors bind their birds' wings in this way when affected, merely removing the tapes or cords prior to the show.
