62 



and sometimes so very soft and dinm-Iike that it is 

 «'vidi'nt that it contains *;as. TJie appetite is entirely 

 lost or becomes abnormal, the fowl is mopish, its feath- 

 ers are rnffied and it may attemi)t to vomit. If the 

 crop is preitsed upon forcibly, sour and o-lfensive smel- 

 ling material may be expelled through the mouth. 



The cure of this condition is not difficult unless it 

 has continued for such a long time that the fowl is 

 considerably T\eakened. The irritant, fermenting or 

 putrefying contents should be expelled by pressure 

 from witl)'Out while the fowl is held with the head 

 down. Then a small quantity of salicylic acid (two 

 grains) dissolved in water should be administered for 

 the purpose of checking further fermentatio-n or 

 hydrochloric acid may be given in one drop doses di- 

 luted with two teaspoonfuls of water. The fowl 

 should be kept from food for a day or tvNo and usually 

 this is all that the case requires. 



2. OBSTRUCTION OF THE CROP. 



If a fowl has gorged itself with food that is ditlicult 

 of digestion, such as old and dry grain or hard and in- 

 digestible substances, as straw, wood, stones, etc., and 

 this material remains in the crop for several hours the 

 walls of the crop will become exhausted by the un- 

 usaal distention and then the fowl is unable to remove 

 the obstn.-ction in any way. The recognition of the 

 condition is not difficult because there exists a large, 

 firm, hard swelling in the region of the crop. T'j)on 



