Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 220, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1918 — KILL DISEASED BIRDS [ARTICLE]

KILL DISEASED BIRDS

There ‘fire some cases in which ; medicines may be advantageous- ! ly given or applied to •fowls, but. ; as a rule, when a bird becomes sick it is better to kill it, be- ' cause the cost of medicine and the value of the time required ' to carry out the treatment are ’ greater than the value at the bird which, is cured. Another reason for killing sick birds is that they may be affected by a contagious disease which before , it is recognized may spread to many other birds in the flock. A ' third reason for killing is the fact that a bird being sick Inr dlcates that it is more suscepti- ; ble to disease than the other birds of the flock, and in order ; to establish a flock which is able ! to resist disease such susceptible ; birds must be, eliminated.

* - - ■ Disinfectants and Their Use. Good disinfectants destroy the germs of contagious diseases, the external parasites, such as lice and mites, and In some cases the eggs of parasitic yorms. The eggs of some kinds of worms are so resistant that disinfectants other than heat have little effect upon them. The disinfectants should be thoroughly applied to the interior of the houses, worked into all the cracks and crevices, spread over the ceiling and the floor, the roosts, dropping boards, and nest boxes. At the same time the feeding and drinking troughs should be disinfected by pouring boiling water Into them and afterwards drying them in the sun. Disinfectants are most easily applied to the walls and ceilings with a spray pump or by using a brush. As it is difficult to keep the chemicals from coming into contact with the face and hands, the more harmless of these mixtures should generally be used. Ordinary llmewash made from freshly slaked lime is excellent, and its properties are well known to all. In the case of an actual outbreak of virulent disease, it is well to add to the whitewash six ounces of crude carbolic acid to each gallon to increase its activity as a disinfectant The kerosene emulsion, which is frequently used to destroy mites, may readily be converted into a disinfectant. To make the emulsion, shave half a pound of hard laundry soap into half a gallon of soft water and boil the mixture until all the soap is dissolved, then remove it to a safe distance from the fire and stir Into it, at once, while still hot, two gallons of kerosene oiL This makes a thick, creamy emulsion, or stock mixture. When it is to be used for killing mites in the bouses, one quart of this emulsion Is mixed with ten quarts of water. When It is to be used as a dfa-. infectant, stir well, then add one pint erode carbolic acid or crude cresol, and again stir until all is well mixed. The compound solution of cresol Is one of the best disinfectants which may be purchased ready for use. It contains 50 per cent of cresol, and one pint of it added to ten quarts of water makes a solution of the proper strength to apply to the bouses or to spray over the ground. A five per cent solution of carbolic arid (one pint carbolic add to ten quarts of water) is about equally efficacious. The choice between the two I* a matter of convenience.