Minor Ailments of Poultry. 



483 



Many causes conduce to crop disorders — poison, an over- 

 liberal supply of black or red pepper, or even too much spice. 

 As a general rule, if there is to be any hope of recovery, the 

 bird must be fed by hand, and here, once more, attention 

 must be called to the fact that a fowl can easily be choked 

 during the process of hand feeding unless care be taken with 

 its tongue. 



The best remedy in case of poison is to give a teaspoonful of 

 magnesia in hot water, and in any case the food should be 

 principally composed of boiled bran, finely-chopped boiled 

 cabbage, beef tea, and boiled linseed meal, for at least a week, 

 four times a day. The bird must be fed by hand. 



The fowl must have plenty of green food, but this should 

 be cooked or inflammation may be set up. 



In the case of dry grass balling in the crop an operation is 

 sometimes needful. Take the bird on your knee, having first 

 tied its legs together, and pour down its throat a teaspoonful of 

 hot water ; after ten minutes' rest knead the crop gently for a 

 few minutes, say five, and continue to do so at intervals of two 

 hours during daylight. If this does not cause the obstruction to 

 pass lance the crop, take out everything which it contains, and 

 then sew up the wound, being careful to sew the two skins 

 separately, and not to let the stitches lie over one another. If 

 fed as advised above the bird will soon recover its health, 



Diarrhoea can usually be stopped by giving one meal of well- 

 boiled white rice, strained very dry, over which a little powdered 

 chalk has been sprinkled. In very bad cases proceed as for 

 dysentery. 



Diarrhoea with young birds often comes from unsuitable or 

 sloppy foods, from too much heat in the foster-mother, or from 

 filthy sleeping quarters and runs. 



Dropsy, which can be brought on by damp runs, or may be 

 the outcome of kidney disorder, affects both chicks and grown 

 birds, and may be apparent either in the feet or all up the legs ; 

 it may even come from a touch of frost-bite. It may generally 

 be cured by increasing the desire for exercise, and by feeding 

 on more greenstuff, lean meat, and other non-fattening matter. 

 A dose or two of castor oil will be advisable. Dropsy rarely 

 makes its appearance when birds have plenty of opportunities 

 of hunting for their food among dry litter of some sort. 



Q Q 2 



