242 Catarrh of the Crop. 



9. Diseases of the Crop of Fowl, 

 (a) Catarrh of the Crop. Ingluvitis. 



(Weicher Kropf [German] ; iufammation iughiviale [French] ; 

 soft crop.) 



Etiology. Primary catarrh of the crop makes its appear- 

 ance after the ingestion of pointed foreign bodies, of soft, scaly 

 or, on the contrary, hard food. Richter reported numerous 

 cases among chickens after the feeding of too dry oats. Some- 

 times the disease is due to the ingestion of fermenting or decay- 

 ing materials (draff, distillers' mash, parts of cadavers). Too 

 early removal of the young squalls from pigeons often causes 

 ingiuvitis in the parents, Ijecause the glands which were active 

 during the feeding of the young birds may subsequently become 

 inflamed. 



Secondary ingiuvitis is caused by animal parasites and is 

 seen in thrush. 



Symptoms. The animals lose their appetite, are listless, 

 stretch their necks repeatedly and swallow with difficulty. The 

 crop is tender to pressure. The fermenting contents cause a 

 marked protrusion of the region of the crop, the latter feels soft 

 and is tympanitic on percussion (socalled soft crop). Fetid 

 gases escape from the beak upon pressure on the crop or are 

 occasionally brought up by vomiting ; the fluid contents are like- 

 wise emptied and they smell disagreeably sour. 



These escape through the beak and partly through the nose. 

 Disturbed nutrition leads to emaciation ; the animals become 

 very weak and frequently die. After a long continued affection 

 of this kind or after repeated attacks a socalled pendulous crop 

 develops frequently. 



Treatment. One must particularly try to empty the crop 

 of its contents by hokling the animal's head down and carefully 

 kneading the crop towards the buccal cavity. The next step 

 consists in the administration of mikl disinfectants (2% boracic 

 acid solution, 1% sulphate of iron) or astringent solutions 

 (alum, tannic acid, juice of lemons) ; peppermint tea or fennel 

 water to which 10% hydrochloric acid has been added is also 

 serviceable, also a 5% solution of Carlsbad salt (Klee). In 

 very ol)stinate cases irrigation of the crop may be instituted 

 with good success. 



Irrigation of the crop, according to Klee, is performed as follows: A funnel 

 is placed at the end of a thin rubber tube 40 cm. long; the free end of the tube 

 is then intro(hK'ed into the croj) through the beak. The funnel is now filled 

 with a 1% solution of boracic acid, it is next elevated and the solution is allowed 

 to run into the crop. Finally the funnel is lowered and the fluid is permitted 

 to run out. While it escapes the crop is carefully kneaded or massaged. 



