HEALTH AND DISEASE OF POULTRY 589 



This disease is very contagious, and any birds suffering from it 

 should be removed from the flock and the premises disinfected. 



Roup, or Contagious Catarrh. The first symptoms of this dis- 

 ease are similar to those of simple catarrh, but as the disease ad- 

 vances there is often swelling of the sides of the head and the nos- 

 trils become closed with thick mucus, causing the bird to breathe 

 through the mouth. If the swellings contain pus, they should be 

 opened with a sharp instrument, the contents removed, and the 

 wound treated with a mild antiseptic, such as a 2 per cent solu- 

 tion of carbolic acid. The application of kerosene mixed with an 

 equal part of olive oil has given good results in many cases. When 

 a fowl has a bad case of roup, it is usually better to kill it, unless 

 especially valuable. 



Pip. This is a condition of the tongue caused by some such 

 ailment as a cold, which compels the bird to breathe through the 

 mouth. The continual passing of air over the tongue causes it to 

 become dry, hard, and scaly, especially about the tip. The best 

 remedy is to remove the cause, also wet the tongue two or three 

 times a day with a mixture of glycerin and water, equal parts. 



Bumble Foot. This is caused by bruises on the bottom of the 

 foot, and is often due to the fowls having to fly from rather high 

 perches and alighting on hard and uneven surfaces. Remove the 

 cause by lowering the perches. If the foot is swollen and the swell- 

 ing is filled with pus, it should be lanced and the pus permitted to 

 escape. The wound should then be washed out with a 2 per cent 

 carbolic acid solution, greased with vaseline, and wrapped with a 

 piece of oloth. 



Crop Bound. The crop sometimes becomes overloaded with 

 feed, and its thin muscular walls become distended and partially 

 paralyzed, so that the organ can not be emptied, or the opening 

 into the lower esophagus may become clogged with a feather, a 

 straw, or some other substance which the bird has swallowed. The 

 crop is greatly distended and the mass of feed is rather hard and 

 firm. In both cases the symptoms are the same and treatment 

 should be conducted on the same principles. For treatment pour one- 

 fourth to one-half ounce of melted lard or sweet oil down the throat 

 and manipulate the contents of the crop with the hand in such a 

 way as to tend to break up the mass. Unless the passage is closed 

 the contents of the crop will usually pass away within a few hours. 

 For a few days feed should be limited in quantity. If the fore- 

 going method is ineffectual and an operation becomes necessary, 

 clip away the feathers from a portion of the crop and with a very 

 sharp knife, lancet, or razor make an incision about l 1 /^ inches 

 long through the skin and the wall of the crop. Then carefully 

 remove the contents of the crop with the finger, the handle of a 

 spoon, or some other convenient object, and wash out the crop with 

 warm water. Pass the finger, well oiled, into the esophagus to 

 see there is no obstruction. Sew up the wall of the crop first and 

 then the outer skin, using white silk or linen thread, being careful 

 not to sew the two membranes together, and in a few days the 



