84 DISKASES OF POULTRY. 



digested. Amoa.^ the nunierous substances which are 

 swallowed under such conditions, are dry grass, leaves, 

 particles of dry bone, pieces of cloth, nails, and feathers. 

 Birds with such depraved appetites often pull the 

 feathers out of other members of the flock, in order to 

 satisfy their abnormal craving. In this way they ac- 

 quire the habit of feather eating. Very often the 

 feather -eating habit is acquired ],y imitation, and thus 

 it may be introduced into a flock by a new bird which 

 had contracted it elsewhere; or, it is spread through 

 the flock from a bird which was led to it by indigestion, 

 or other disease of the stomach. Lack of exercise 

 may affect the digestion sufficiently to lead to feather 

 eating. 



Treatment. — Give the birds a good run in a grass - 

 covered yard. Feed easilj^ digested and cooling food 

 including green vegetables. Onions are said to be 

 particularly efficacious. If the yard is small, prepare 

 a scratching shed, covering the floor deeply with straw, 

 and scatter grain in the straw for the morning meal so 

 that the fowls will be compelled to scratch and work 

 to find it. Add bicarbonate of soda to the drinking 

 water in the proportion of about twenty grains to the 

 quart and ])ut a small quantity of salt in the food. 

 Salting of food should, however, be light as large 

 quantities of salt are injurious and may be fatal to 

 poultry. 



CATARRH OF THE PROVENTRICULUS, INFLAMMATION 

 OF THE STOMACH, GASTRITIS. 



The true stomach or proventriculus of the fowl is a 

 comparatively small organ. It has the appearance of 

 a dilatation of the oesophagus below the cro]) and just 

 in front of the gizzard. The capacity of the proventri- 



