354 



THE RURAL EFFICIENCY GUIDE STOCK 



POST-MORTEM EXAMINATIONS. 



When the poultry die off from an unknown cause, post-mortem examina- 

 tions should be undertaken at once. By this means, alone, can the raiser ascer- 

 tain with certainty what the trouble is and remedy it. It will show him what 

 disease he has to fight and will enable him to doctor his fowls with greater 

 success. 



It is better to pluck a bird before performing an examination and to ex- 

 amine him in a systematic way. However, a speedy examination may be made 

 without plucking, by hurriedly bending back or removing the breast-bone. 

 To handle the body easily it should be nailed, breast upward, to a board. Then 

 the performer can easily get inside the bird by cutting along each side of the 

 breast and bending back the breast-bone. 



An examination of the afflicted organs can next be made and the disease 

 determined by observing what the various symptoms indicate that are given 

 below. The operator should notice whether the organs diseased are spotted, 

 enlarged, inflamed, ruptured or gorged with blood. No single organ will give 

 conclusive evidence unless the symptoms are very pronounced, but the appear- 

 ance of all must be taken into consideration. Following are the main symptoms 

 found in each organ and what they indicate. For names of organs see illus- 

 trations. 



