The Glenwood post., 1915-05-22
Poultry Lice

orally bughouse.
Poultry Lice
Lice are divided into four different
groups, soniodes, sonieotes, lipereus
and menopen. These have their vari-
cites, the most destructive of which Is
the head louse, and the most common
is the pale body louse. Head lice, like
mites, suck blood, but the Others can
only bite, or chew, and feed on dead
cells. skin, feather material or surface
| flesh.
They are born and spend their Efe
cycle on the fowl, dividing it in see
fions; some live in the fluff, other vari-
eties inhabit rump, head and neck or
wings, while some, the hoboes, wander
everywhere They differ somewhat in
shape and size and in color are gray,
yellow, brown or mott!ed.
They are Multiplex multipliers, hatch
ing about once a week in not weather,
the first generation of single louse
reaching $4,000, the third l25,000, the
descendants of ten lice in eight weeks
being estimated at l,250,000.
Where mites and lice abound, poultry
has little chance. Together, or single,
they cause more loss than poultry dis
eases and are responsible for many
failures. Itching and irritation from
their continual crawling makes the hens
peck and scratch and promotes feather
eating; consequent loss of sleep destroys
productive ability, lowers vitality, and
makes them easy disease targets. Tray
cling from flock to flock, from fowl to
fowl, mites and lice are disease car
riers like rats and mice that infest
some poultry houses.
TO Destroy Lice
Lice are easier to destroy than mites,
being all on the hen and breathing
through spircals on sides of their
bodies, dust or grease quickly suffoeates
them. Dips cause colds, do not pene-
trate plumage and discolor the fowl;
kerosene burns the flesh; gasoline in
pure state is apt to sutfocate; sulphur
causes rheumatism and blind chicks;
Stacked lime, slug shot and hellebore
infame the bronchial tubes
The best killer is pure fresh Persian
insect powder, death to all lice, harm
less to chicks and turkey poults. \
block of camphor dissolved in pourd
of lard knocks head lice, but grease
should be used sparingly. cheap,
deadly killer to apply to adult stock
and half grown chickens is made of )
pounds plaster of Paris, ! pint gasoline
and y pint crude carbolic acid. Nix
the liquids, stir thoroughly into plaster,
screen and let dry two hours and then
can for use. To apply, take the hen
by hooks and turn head down. When |
the feathers fall forward and open,
work reasonble quantity all through !
the plmuage down to the skin, begin /
ming at fluff, the hottest part of the
hen and a louse Incubator. If thus ap- |
piled twice during Matching period, hen |
and chicks come off the nest free from
lice. As a hen usually voiis right after 4
keep her from the nest
few moments to avoid spelling eggs.
\ louse machine is easily made and |
saves time with large flocks. 1t con
sists of revolving canvas drum, thirty
inches long, its wooden heads twenty |
inches in diameter, fastened to a frame |
which revolves with drum and makes |
it stable. An opening closed with a
draw string admits the hen. The ma
chine has capacity for six Leghorns or
five Rocks. The fowls are enclosed, !
sprink'ed with powder, and drum turned
four or five times, and so on, until
flock is finished Such machine does
good, quick work and no injury to
fowls.
Louise powder should be applied after
LAYING period, thus excitement will not
stop eggs: the hens will 90 to roost and
deposit excess waste powder on roosts
and drop boards and disinfeet same and
kill any struggling bugs there.
Hens roll in dust to keep down bugs,
therefore, take natures tip and pro.
vide dust bath for their benefit and
enjoyment.