DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 29 



Causes: These can usually be attributed to feed- 

 ing unwholesome food, irregular feeding or overfeed- 

 ing, or it may be the result of the bird eating some 

 irritant or poison, or it may follow impaction of the 

 crop; still another cause is the presence of small 

 worms which infest the crop, oesophagus and gizzard. 



Symptoms: These somewhat resemble symptoms 

 of impaction, but in catarrh the distended crop will 

 feel soft and will be found to contain liquid and gas, 

 with some food, and the odor from,the bird's mouth, 

 when pressing on the crop, will be sour and offensive. 



Treatment: Empty the crop at once by careful 

 pressure and manipulating the contents toward the 

 mouth while the fowl is held with the head down; 

 then place the patient in a clean, dry, comfortable 

 coop, and twice a day give five grains of bicarbonate 

 of soda, two grains of subnitrate of bismuth and a 

 few drops of tincture gentian. 



Food should be with-held for a day or so; then feed 

 light diet, such as boiled rice, beef broth, etc. 



For symptoms and treatment for worms see article 

 on those parasites. 



INDIGESTION OR GASTRITIS. 



The digestion of the fowl is rather complicated and 

 any interference with its proper function often gives 

 serious troubles. 



Just below the crop, or between the crop and th6 

 gizzard, is a small pouch or dilated portion of the 

 oesophagus called the proventriculus, in which the 



