THE RURAL WORLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 434, 27 January 1912, Page 6

THE RURAL WORLD.

POULTRY NOTES. BEST, SIMPLEST, AND QUICKEST CURE. The best, the simplest, and the quickest means of curing scaly leg is to besmear plentifully the affected parts with tar. That is all. There is no daily scrubbing with soap and water. Let the bird run out as usual for a week; then examine its legs, and you will find that I he. incrustations are peeling off and leaving the legs as clean as possible. In nine cases out of ten one application is sufficient, but when.: the disease, is very severe in character, or of long standing, it may ho necessary to repeat the operation. This is the method found to give most satisfactory results with a minimum'amount of trouble; and, as I have only once seen tar mentioned as a cure, for scaly leg, and that in an American publication, I fancy its remedial properties in this direction are unknown to the generality of British fanciers. There is just a modicum of danger in the bird eetting some of the tar on its plumage; and to avoid this, it is advisable to perform the operation during the daytime, and allow the fowl to walk about in the run until the tar dries, which does not take long, as it is speedily absorbed by the incrustations. When the excrement secreted by the kidneys, which is normally pure white, appears yellow, though the droppings are solid and the bird appears perfectly healthy, look out for bowel trouble. When the crop is hard and unyielding there is danger of the bird becoming crop-bound. When the discharges are streaked with blood, it is time to give preventives for diarrhoea. When the joints are hot and swollen and the fowl is disinclined to stand, rheumatism lias taken hold. When the bird seems lame and j has a small swelling on its foot, remove to a house with no perches j and oblige it to roost on a lied of straw. Bumble foot is eas'ly cured in the early stages if the cause is at once removed. When the nostrils are clogged with i dirt and the eyes water, ward oil' a j possible case of roup by timely treat- : ment. If the case is bad apply the j hatchet and bury the carcase. When a hen seems to drop down behind and goes repeatedly to trie nest without laving, she is usually suffering from a disorder of the oviduct, and might as well be killed.