488 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



may be their ailment. If a fowl remains on the roost after day- 

 light, or manifests little or no interest in food, it should be caught 

 and examined. If the bird is crop bound the symptoms will be 

 noticed as soon as the fowl is handled. The bird will be slow to 

 avoid capture, its crop will be distended and hard, and in most 

 cases a sour-smelling liquid will run from its mouth. 



The treatment usually prescribed is an injection of castor oil 

 or olive oil into the crop. If these are not available, melted lard 

 will answer the purpose, or warm water, although the latter is 

 not so active or effective in its action. A good plan is to begin 

 by draining off any liquid in the crop, which may be accomplished 

 by holding the bird head downward. Then inject the oil, about 

 two tablespoonfuls, using a medicine dropper, small syringe or 

 spoon. Hold the bird upright and gently knead and work the 

 mass in the crop. After some minutes this operation will cause 

 the injected liquid to mix with the solids, and when the mass is 

 thoroughly broken up an effort should be made to remove it 

 through the mouth. 



Dislodging the Obstruction. — This is sometimes a matter of 

 difficulty, particularly if the offending substance is long and 

 fibrous, such as grass. If the massaging process is ineffectual in 

 removing the contents of the crop through the mouth, and the 

 case is not a serious one, it may be well to wait and see if the 

 trouble will not pass off naturally. Kneading the crop some- 

 times dislodges the obstruction in the outlet from the crop, and 

 with the aid of the oil the mass will be assimilated. 



When to Operate. — If, however, the crop is not materially 

 reduced in six hours, there is but one remedy — an operation. 

 It is a very simple one, requires no great skill, and if the fowl is 

 in a vigorous condition it has a splendid chance to recover. 

 Young chickens weighing under a pound are too small to undergo 

 the surgical treatment, and had better be killed. 



Instruments. — ^The task will be much easier if one person holds 

 the bird while another performs the operation. The only instru- 

 ments required are a sharp knife, lancet or scalpel, a pair of small 

 scissors, a small spoon, preferably a mustard spoon — one that 



