FIRST-AID TREATMENT 487 



by a clogging of the outlet of the crop by twisted grass or rough 

 grain. It occurs most frequently among birds that are fed in- 

 sufficient green food, and as a result of this craving they attempt 

 to swallow pieces of hay, straw, tough blades of grass, cabbage 

 ribs or some other bulky article. This obstructs the outlet of 

 the crop and finally becomes so entangled and solidified with 

 other food that the mass presses on the windpipe, or fermenta- 

 tion sets in and induces a form of poisoning. 



Occasionally a ration contains too much middlings, or other 

 sticky meal, fed either dry or moist, which, under certain condi- 

 tions, bake together and clog the passageway. This food, al- 



{Courtesy Kansas Experiment Station) 



Fig. 304. — Brooder house. Note the covered platform in front of the building, 

 under which the chickens emerge from the house. 



though taken into the body, offers no nourishment until it is 

 digested, consequently the bird continues to eat, which only dis- 

 tends the crop further. In a few days the fowl shows signs of 

 weakness, and unless the obstruction is removed the bird dies. 



If the trouble is discovered early, the treatment is compara- 

 tively simple and a cure is virtually assured. In the latter stages 

 a surgical operation is necessary which, though simple in itself, 

 is often accompanied by other complications that prove fatal. 



Experienced, practical poultrymen make it their business to 

 inspect their flocks very closely every day, especially at meal 

 times and in the early morning. At these times it is easy to 

 detect birds that are out of condition, no matter how trivial 



