398 Agricultural Gazelle of N.S. TV. [May 2, 190S. 



tlu^ owiK.'r IS uuari' of it, ami at tiiiies iIk; Inid jiiiics asva_)aiiil dies licforc lli'.- 

 cause is known, for, a])art tVoiii iiio|pisliness ami a listless appearance, there is 

 notliiii;r to (leiiotc tln' illiu'ss exci'jit t lie liird is caii^ht and t lie crop examined. 

 Soiiictimi'^ a liird nia\- lie cauu'lit, and, through liavim;- eaten a ))ig feed, may 

 appear to bs cropdjound wlien such is not so : and, to make sui'e, in all cases 

 t e bird should be confined for a dozen hours in some place when,' there is 

 no food, and, if crop-bound, the enlai-i^ement will still \w there, but if the cro2> 

 has bi'come emptv the fowl mav be placed back in its iiin. 



Should the contents of the ('nlal■^'(■d crop -be mai/(; or other ^rain, the 

 simplest rcnie:ly is to pour, s ly, h df a tcacu)) of modci'atcly hot water down 

 the fowl's throat, knead tlioroughly on the outside with the linueis, when the 

 mass wnll become brolcen ; then take the fowl by tlie legs, also holding the 

 wings, allowing her head and neck to hang down at full length, with a down- 

 ward working and pi'essure of the Hngers of the right hand, and ])laci)ig the 

 forefinger of such in the bird's mouth to keep it open : the grain and water 

 will readily empty out. Sevei-al emptyings will be necessary, foi- the bird can 

 be held in the position hut a shoi-t time, otlierwise it wdll clioke. .Vfter ea -h 

 emptying, more water will have to lie adnnnistered, and the last should 

 contain a teaspoonful of sweet or salad oil, and he allowed to remain in the 

 crop, when there will possibly be no more trouljle. The Idrd should be 

 remoyed to a pen by itself, and in an iioui- or two receive a small feed of 

 bread and nnlk. 



Ther<^ ar(^ times wdien the removal of foo 1 in the above w.ty does not r<'moye 

 the obstruction, and should the crop again lieeome distended, an operation will 

 be necessary. The following on this subject was lately contiibutetl to an 

 English pa])er : — 



The Treatment of a Crop-bound Fowl. 



Irregular feeding or over-feeding fowls w ith JKinl, dry grain is very liable to cause 

 crop ti'ouble. Over-distension by giving too lar^e a ipiantity of grain after a long fast, 

 or meclianical obstruction on account of some indigestible substance (long rank grass, for 

 instance) blocking the passage from the crop to the gizzard, is a common cause. U'liere 

 no regard is paid to the hours of feeding, and large quantities of grain, such as Indian 

 corn and poor oats and barley, are thi'own down, some fowls will be sure to gorge them- 

 selves givedily with it. As soon as the grain is put witliin reacii they rusli eagerly at it 

 and eat all they can, a mouthful at a tinuv 'I'liat is unuatuial ; a fowl should pick up a 

 grain, and not a nioutbful at once. The 1>ird, stimulated by the presence of tlie otlicrs, 

 swallows as much as possible, overtills its crop, and then has what in tlu' human being 

 would lie called " a pain in the chest. " By instinct, the Ijiril lias recourse to water to 

 remedy it, but food can only pass to the gizzard as that organ empties itself of the stuff 

 previously in it. In the meantime the food swells, and causes cHstension of tiu' crop. 

 From the fi-equent occurrence of this, there is a loss of digestive powers ; tin- cio]i has 

 become large, weak, and flaccid, unable to dispose of the food daily put in it. Ap])etite 

 ceases and thii\sl increases, the fowl drinks to the last, and dies. If the crop is merely 

 swollen, a good remedy is to pour a tables])oonful of neat gin or brandy, or strong salt 

 water, down the bird's throat, and starve it for a- clay — i.e., from one breakfast-time until 

 the next — and then feed it sparingly \\ith soft food three times a day, mixing some tinely- 

 (•h(>])pecl raw onion in it. If this plan fail to effect a cure, operation is necessary. The 

 crop may be opened easily in the following nuinner : — I'ick off the feathers down the 

 front of the breast in a straight line, and al)out ^j-iiudi wide, then with a lance or a sharp 

 knife cut it open, the incision l)cing IJ, inch long, and made over the most dependent 

 part of the crop. Next make a small incision in the crop, introduce the finger and with- 

 draw all the contents and well wash it. Then, if necessary (that is, if the crop has become 

 so loose that it appears to have broken through the outer skin), with a pair of sharp scissors 

 cut a piece out of tlie crop, including the incised part, from ^-inch to "2 inches wide in the 



