DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 103 



ptomain poisoning occurs chiefly in mid-summer, 

 and on farms were the fowls have an extended 

 range, including patches of high weeds that ef- 

 fectually conceal dead animals from the care- 

 taker, until the loss of a large portion of the flock 

 compels cutting weeds and a diligent search for 

 the carcass. 



The beginning of ptomain poisoning in a flock 

 is usually something like this: During very hot 

 weather a bird dies in the tall weeds, it may be 

 from disease or from violence, and in three or 

 four days its carcass is filled with maggots and 

 in an advanced stage of decomposition; it is 

 found by the other birds and devoured, with the 

 consequent death of many of them, some of them 

 dying in out of the way places and remaining un- 

 discovered by the keeper, and in turn poisoning 

 others, and so on. 



Oftentimes the keeper is responsible for the be- 

 ginning of the trouble by thoughtlessly throwing 

 some small animal which he has killed (opossum, 

 weasel, rat, etc.) where the fowls find it. If the 

 weather conditions are favorable to rapid de- 

 composition, ptomain poisoning in the flock will 

 result and the "vermin" dead will destroy more 

 birds than ten of its kind would destroy during 

 life. 



Maggots are usually found in the crops of birds 

 dying from eating putrid flesh, and if the poultry- 

 man holds autopsies on the dead birds, he is quite 

 apt to conclude that the maggots have killed them. 

 Such is not the case. 



Report of a Case of Ptomain Poisoning 



In one flock there were twenty-four hens. A can of spoiled 

 corn that had been left sitting in the basement, in a glass 

 container, with top removed, was given to the birds at 11 



