DISEASES OF THE OVARY AND OVIDUCT 155 



and the death of the hird. Disease ])roeesses sometimes so 

 weaken the wall that it gives way under the stress of natural 

 contraction. 



Sijmpto})is. — The hen ceases to lay, the al)d(mien becomes 

 larger and often one or more eggs can be felt by palpating 

 the lower portion of the abdomen. Often the hen is noted to 

 sit up penguin-like-fashion, walking with tail and posterior 

 portion of the abdomen dragging the ground. There is 

 nothing to do except to kill the bird. At autopsy there will 

 be found many yolks in the abdominal cavity, possibly one 

 or more with shells and possibly an infiammatinn of the lining 

 of the cavity (peritoneum). 



BROKEN EGGS IN OVIDUCT 



Eggs in the oviduct, as well as ova still undelivered, are 

 often found broken as a result of a kick of a large animal or 

 of the hen being stepped upon. Death usually follows, if not 

 immediately from the injury, which breaks the egg, after sev- 

 eral days as a result of complicated obstruction of the oviduct 

 resulting from the fibrous exudate thrown out about the br.'iken 

 yolk. 



We have also studied cases of ruptured ova due to heavy 

 hens roosting on high roosts and by jumping upon the hard 

 floor, causing rupture of the larger forming yolks or ova or 

 of eggs in the egg canal. 



PROLAPSE OF THE CLOACA 



This may occur in heavy laying hens that roost on high 

 perches and fly a long distance to the ground, and especially 

 when the wings are clipped. If these birds are allowed low 

 roosts and put on a limited diet they recover. Some of these 

 conditions have been studied in the author's laboratory and 

 the trouble overcome by observing this rule. 



ABNORMAL EGGS 



Manv different kinds of abnormal eg-2,s are produced by fowls 

 owing to various diseased or other abnormal conditions of the 

 generative apparatus. Because of the rarity of their occurrence such 

 eggs are of little importance to the practical poultry raiser, but 

 thev possess much interest for the scientific investigator. 



Soft-shpll Eoffs. — This is a condition where eggs are laid without 

 a sufficient amount of shell substance covering the shell membrane. 

 The commonest cause is overfeeding, another cause is the lack of 

 sufPcient shell-making material in the feed: still another cause is 

 frieht. which may cause a premature detachment of the yolk. 



The cause should be remedied and the condition will disappear 

 without further treatment. 



Yolkless Eggs.— These are small eggs, in which the albumen and 



