Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 210, 5 September 1934, Page 11

Poultry Notes

AILMENTS AND DISEASES OF CHICKS Chick troubles are of the poultrykeeper’s own making for the most part, the direct result of abuse or mismanagement. If there were no carelessness or neglect there would be comparatively little disease and few losses of chicks. The appearance of any cou&id erable number of sick individuals in a brooder flock is positive proof that someone ha* not done his part. Nature is not a blunderer; chicks are hatched to live and grow, not to sicken and die Do not make the mistake of thinking of young chicks as weak. They are delicate organisms, it is true, but nevei weak unless mistreated, -bo a good chick, treated properly, will live, keep healthy, and grow to adult size just in the way that nature intended. If it fails to do this, it is because someone abused or mistreated it or its parents. Chick troubles when they appear can almost invariably be traced directly to low vigour in the breeding flock, weakened vitality due to improper methods with incubators or brooders, or to failure to supply well-selected and nourishing food. It is to be expected, of course, that the beginner, with a new science to learn, a multitude of details to master, and a living to make, will find more or less difficulty in providing just the right conditions for his chicks at all times, and in avoiding mistakes. Sooner or later he will have to reckon with various disorders in his flocks, and it is of the utmost importance that when disease does appear he shall be able to recognise it promptly, in order to get the situation in hand at the earliest moment, before derangement becomes chronic —before simple ailments become incurable diseases. Chick troubles usually are not diseases, not at first, anyway. They are simply ailments or slight derangements 1 of the vital organs which, if noticed in time and their cause understood, can be corrected without serious loss. As »a rule there is little to be gained in' doctoring sick chicks. When the trouble has reached the stage where that be- ' comes necessary, there is little hope for i themMethods of Sanitation More attention should be given to sanitation in chick-raising than is usually the case. Efforts to raise chicks with the smallest expenditure of time and money often result in providing makeshift coops and buildings, and in ’ crowding the chicks into such inadequate quarters that injury inevitably . results. While chicks apparently will . do well under quite unfavourable c<»n- , ditions in warm, sunny weather, they I lose ground rapidly whenever a cold, rainy spell occurs. There is no reason : why this should happen if their brooders and coops are what they should be, and if these are kept clean. Over- , crowding, foul covers, poor ventilation, damp floors and accumulated droppings . reeking with ammonia fumes are not ‘ conditions under which any chicks can | > thrive, and it is only when they are ■ raised during the most favourable season of the year that they are able to withstand such treatment. Cleanliness ought not to be neglected at any time, and is especially important during the danger period, the first four weeks of the chicks’ lives. Some of r the most serious diseases that affect ’ young chicks are germ diseases, and ; the poultryman who is careless and ’ slovenly about the quarters in which the chicks are confined is simply mul- . tiplying infection and cannot long escape the consequences of his indiffer- . ence. Disinfectants should be used freely about all coops, brooders and ! runways, where chicks are confined. ‘ Airslaked lime is good for bare spots and general outdoor use, but is too ’ caustic to be used where young chicks > are liable to get into it with their feet. It should not be employed indoors, as the dust arising from it may cause serious inflammation of nostrils, throat 1 or eyes. Whitewash is an excellent disin fee 1 tant, and may be used freely without any danger of ill-effects. Constitutional vigour is the foundation of all success in chick raising, and it is useless to hope for success if this fundamental has been neglected in the breeding stock. First Symptoms of Disease In many chick disorders the symptoms are similar, though not so much so but that the caretaker can delect shades of difference pointing toward ' specific causes. When chicks arc noisy, when they huddle in corners or in the sunlight, when they stay under the cover for hours at a time, when they refuse to go out at mealtime, and do not eat when they are out, there is every reason to fear serious trouble. Such conduct indicates weakness at least. It may not mean anything inoi-e serious than that, but study the chicks and review everything that has been done. Is the temperature of the brooder what it ought to be? Has the feeding been properly done? Have the foods been wholesome and pure? Has provision been made for plenty of j healthy exercise! Chicks peep and arc noisy because , they are uncomfortable. Whether the cause of this discomfort is hunger or thirst or the first stage of disease the poultryman must determine for himself, and if he is a true poultryman he will not leave the chicks until he knows. If with all conditions as nearly correct as the operator knows how to make them, the chicks do not promptly

brighten up, it usually is wise to add a little pepper, ginger, or mustard tl their feed. One of these mild stimulants, especially during the latter part , of the first week when the young chick I is completing rhe absorption of the yolk and coming to depend entirely upon supplied foods, may prevent serious derangements. The use of digestive stimulants is better than resorting to drugs, but be careful. Use only i enough to make the Dinah slightly warm to the taste, and discontinue it as soon as it is no longer needed. (To Ire continued).