The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-12-10
Eernnfn ON Ghickens.

About One-half of my customers and
correspondents ask What shall I do to
get rid Of chicken-lice ?" have heard
that question so often, and answered it
to many times that [ am getting little
tired of it; but still. for the benefit of
the afflicted fowls and their owners,
am going over the ground once more
% Eternal vigilance is the price of
freedom from lice in lighthouses. A
great many poultry-keepers, when they
lind their lighthouses swarming with
lice, go to work and clean them out in
short order and then seem to think that
the work is done for all time; but the
little torments multiply and increase
with astonishing rapidity, and in the
course Of two or three months the mex
perienced poultry-keeper is astOnished to
to find that his fowls have more lice on
their bodies than are welcome or agree
able.
If you expect to keep your fowls and
their premises free from chicken lice
you must wage an eternal warfare"
The ounce of prevention in the shape of
a proper place for the fowls to wallow
IN, and an occasional whitewashing, and
washing the perches with coal-oiI, is
worth more than several pounds of cure
after the lice once get a fOOt-hold on
your fowls; but when you do get them,
don't be discouraged but go to work
and work faithfully until they are ex-
terminated.
The plan that I have given repeated
and thorough trials-and that has never
failed me, Is to whitewash the inside of
the houses every spring and fall, and once
or twice during the summer to fumigate
occasionally with sulphur; to use coaF
oil freely as a wash about the perches and
on the bodies of the fowls; to use sulphur
or tobacco stems in the nests and to al
ways keep a supply of road-dust and
ashes where the fowls can wallow in it at
pleasure. After the dust bath has been
in use a month or six weeks the contents
are emptied into a barrel and used to
sprinkle on the platform under the rOosts,
and the box is refilled with a fresh mix
ture of dust and ashes.
For young chicks, myfrst care is to
see that they come from the nest free from
lice afterwards annoint the old hen and
chicks every two weeks with a mixture
compounded of five ounces of sweet oil
mixed with one ounce of oil of sassafras,
and applied with a sewing machine oil
can. / found this receipt in some poultry
Journal two or three years ago, tried it,
and know 1t to answer the purpose adj
mirably. CarboIic powder is also an ex-
cellent remedy for lice on young chickens
and to mix with the contents of a dust
box.
When nothing else is at hand for young
chicks, annoint them with lard oil, sweet
oil, or any kind of grease slightly sailed
Will be beneficial; but keep coal oil
away from young chicks, setting hens
and hens with chickens; no oil or grease
of any kind should ever be used about
setting hens, if you expect the eggs to
hatch-carbolic powder, sulphur, tobacco
stems, or fine cut tobacco are all good to
use in the nests of setting hens. / have
used coal oil on young chicks until was
convinced that l killed more than
cured; snd, as for lard and sulphur, you
might as well cut your chicks heads off
and have done with it.
Now, that insect food is getting scarce,
we must provide our fowls with some
thing in its place if we expect them to
attend to laying duties. Those fortu-
nate individuals who live near butchers
can usually get all the meat they need
for the fowls, but less-favOred NOR
tails are frequently put to their wits
end to provide a meal of meat for the |
biddies. If you have milk, sweet or
sour, or butter milk, give your fowls a
pan OF it every day, and they will need /
no meat. At hog-killing time save all
the refuse scraps that usually 90 to the /
cats and dogs, salt them In an old key,
and you viii have plenty of meat for /
your fowls. The best way to feed it is
to freshen boil until tender chon fine
and mix with soft feed, using the water
that the meat was boiled in for mixing /
the mass. a little meat viii go a good