SANITATION 33 



the flock from acquiring the same disease, he will 

 usually find it best to call a veterinarian and 

 leave the matter with him, particularly is this 

 true if there are a large number of birds on the 

 premises or if the flock be one of high value, be- 

 cause of pure breeding. 



Immediately after the removal of a dead bird 

 from the flock the poultryman should satisfy, him- 

 self as to the cause of its death. If it is obviously 

 due to accident or if it is due to some disease 

 already recognized as present in the flock such 

 action should be taken as the conditions seem to 

 warrant, but if there is any doubt as to what has 

 occasioned the death a careful autopsy should be 

 held. Since a postmortem examination ordi- 

 narily means very little to one without at least 

 some fundamental training in pathology, the 

 poultryman will ordinarily find it advantageous 

 to take the dead bird to his veterinarian for ex- 

 amination. This should be done immediately, be- 

 fore the changes incident to decomposition have 

 masked the lesions which disease may have 

 produced, or before parasites that may have 

 caused death have changed their location or es- 

 caped from the body. 



Mode of Performing Autopsy. — Lay the bird on its 

 back. With a sharp knife open the abdominal 

 wall, commencing close to the anus, passing the 

 knife forward between the ribs and breastbone 

 to a point just back of the "wishbone" (clavicle). 

 In like manner open the left side, being careful 

 not. to injure any of the organs in the cavities. 

 Now grasp the sternum or breastbone, forcing it 

 forward, and it will break so that it will be easy 

 to remove it. This will lay the cavities open so 

 that all organs can be observed, as illustrated and 



