Diseases of Fowls.. 
(Continued from last issue.) 
Croup TROUBLES. 
There are several diseases of fowls’ 
crop, the majority of the cases being 
brought about by careless feeding, while 
sometimes it is due to the birds them- 
selves. ' 
The fowl’s crop is found at the bottom 
of the gullet, and from various causes 
the food may become stopped there, just 
as it had been swallowed In the course 
of the fowls’ wanderings they swallow a 
very wide collection of materials—seeds, 
weeds, insects, worms, grubs, pebbles, 
etc.. and if long, course grass is had ac- 
cess to, some of this may form into a 
ball and obstruct the passage, with the 
result that the bird gets no nutriment at 
all, becomes hungry, eats more, all of 
which lodges in the crop until it assumes 
an enormous size, and, when noticed, the 
fowl, through starvation, has become 
shockingly thin of flesh, and to save its 
life treatment is necessary. Yarded 
fowls, if they have been receiving no 
green food, and are then supplied with 
large quantities of it, somtimes eat to 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
September 1, 1908 
re oe esenersiantennemenmneninremcmnams 
repletion, and the crop, being unable to 
perform the first and necessary 
assimilation or softening process, the food 
forms inte a ball and being unable to 
press down through the passage is a cause 
of hard crop. 
Feeding new soft wheat or maize is 
often responsible for another sort of crop. 
trouble. The yrain swells, the crop be- 
comes a hard mass, treatment again being 
necessary. Occasionally a piece of broad 
grass has been swallowed; this getting 
across the passage bars the food from its 
legitimate course, and causes swollen 
crop. Often a piece of string gets into 
the bran or pollard. and may cause the 
obstruction; or other things may be 
responsible. 
Frequently a fowl may have swollen or 
enlarged crop for some time before the 
owner is aware of it, aud at times the bird 
pines away and. dies before the cause is 
known, for, apart from mopishness and 
a listless appearance, there is nothing to 
denote the illness except the bird ig 
caught and the crop is examined. Some- 
times a bird may be caught. and, through 
having eaten a big feed, may appear to 
be crop-bound when suchis not so; and 
to make sure in all cases the bird should 
be confined for a dozen hours in some 
place where there is no food, and if crop- 
bound the enlargement will still be there, 
but if the crop has become empty the 
fowl may be placed back in its run. 
Should the contents of the enlarged 
crop be maize or other grain the simplest 
remedy is to pour, say half a tea-cup of 
woderately hot water down the fowl’s 
throat, knead thoroughly on the outside 
with the fingers, when the mess will be 
broken ; then take the fowls by the legs, 
also holding the wings, allowing her head 
and neck to hang down at full length, 
with a dowward working and pressure 
of the fingers of the right hand, and plac- 
ing the forefinger of such in the bird’s 
mouth to keep it open; the grain and 
water will readily empty out. Several 
emptyings will be necessary, for the bird 
can be held in the position but a short 
time, otherwise it will choke, After each 
emptying, more water will have to be 
administered, and the last should contain 
a teaspoonful of sweet or salad vil, and 
be allowed to remain in the crop, when 
there will possibly be no more trouble 
The bird should be removed to a ‘pen by 
itself, and in an hour or two receive a 
small feed of bread and milk. 
There are times when the removal 
of food in above way does not remove 
the obstruction, and should the crop again 
become distended, an operation will be 
necessary. 
~The other troubles are soft crop, and 
inflammation of the crop. Mr E. Brown, 
an English authority on poultry diseases, 
Says :— 
