174 POULTRY DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



sion, and perhaps a very bad rupture results, ending in the 

 course of a few days fatally." 



"I don't think it profitable to attempt to treat such cases. 

 Some cures may be effected, but it is not always easy to check 

 laying without starving the hen, and even that treatment may 

 not operate quickly enough to avoid a bad rupture. Every egg 

 passed while the vent and adjacent parts of the passage are not 

 in normal condition is a possible cause of fatal trouble." 



"The best way to treat this trouble is to prevent it by selecting 

 medium sized eggs for hatching. Select breeders of good size; 

 select good but not excessively large eggs from these ; use males 

 from stock of the same characteristics, and avoid the use of 

 males (and of hens too) that are narrow bodied." 



Gangrene of Oviduct. 



This may result from severe and complicated obstruction. 

 What is meant by "gangrene" is that the walls of the oviduct 

 die, and putrefy. This causes general blood poisoning from 

 which the bird dies. Gangrene of the oviduct most frequently 

 follows severe cases of complicated obstruction where there is 

 a mass of fibrous exudate deposited in the oviduct. There is 

 not the slightest hope of successfully treating such cases. 



Breaking of Bgg in Oviduct. 



It sometimes happens that an egg in the upper portion of the 

 oviduct, before it has acquired any shell, is by accident broken. 

 There is a belief common amongst poultrymen that this is al- 

 ways immediately fatal. There is but little discussion of the 

 subject in the literature but our experience here indicates that 

 two sorts of results may follow the breaking of an egg in the 

 oviduct. These are : 



1. An inflammatory condition of the oviduct is induced lead- 

 ing to copious secretion from the glands of the albumen portion 

 of the duct and the isthmus. There is also a copious fibrous ex- 

 udate, and the final outcome is a severe case of complicated ob- 

 struction of the oviduct. Death in these cases may be delayed 

 for a long time after the original accident. In the absence of 

 inflammation recovery may possibly occur. 



2. Death within a short time (2 to 3 hours) after the break- 

 ing of the egg, without visible lesion of any organ of the body. 

 The oviduct is not even inflamed. Absolutely the only things 



