DISEASES OF POULTRY 503 



of tuberculosis and for lesions of aspergillosis, the latter being 

 much more common in the fowl than tuberculosis of the lungs. 

 A small piece of the lungs should be placed in a tray of water. It 

 will float if healthy, and sink if unhealthy. 



The crop, gullet, and windpipe should next be studied, espe- 

 cially the crop, to see that there is no obstruction which would stop 

 1 he feed from entering the stomach and gizzard. The organs pre- 

 viously examined can now be removed, and careful examination 

 be made of the gizzard and intestines to see that the walls as well 

 as the undigested material within them are normal in appearance. 

 The cfficum should be studied, and the presence or absence of 

 tubercles on the intestinal membranes noted. Next the repro- 

 ductive organs of the female can be studied, to determine the 

 possible rupture of the oviduct or the breaking of an egg in it. 



In making a post-mortem examination, if the disease seems to 

 have been located, a description of the disease should be gone over 

 carefully and compared with the conditions found, to verify or 

 disprove the supposition. 



Diseases of Poultry. In studying the diseases of the domestic 

 fowl, the most systematic procedure is to group them, according 

 to their location or the group of organs which they directly affect, 

 as diseases of the digestive system, nervous system, respiratory 

 system, and reproductive system. 



Furthermore, there are diseases not associated with any par- 

 ticular group of organs or any one system, which, nevertheless, 

 should be considered. These may be termed miscellaneous diseases. 



There is still another group, representing a few diseases of 

 highly infectious nature which may affect one or more parts of 

 the body. These are termed infectious diseases. 



The following list gives the common diseases which the average 

 poultryman is apt to meet in every-day work. They are grouped 

 according to the system with which they are associated. Owing 

 to limited space, detailed discussion of these is impossible. At the 

 end of this chapter will be found references to standard authorities 

 on poultry diseases, where detailed information concerning each 

 specific disease may be found. 



Diseases of the digestive system: Impacted, inflamed, or 

 enlarged crop; inflammation of the stomach, gastritis; simple 

 diarrhoea; enteritis; indigestion; constipation. 



Diseases of the nervous system: Apoplexy; heat prostration; 

 congestion of the brain; epilepsy. 



