Evening star., 1915-03-28
;;[2@uLTRy 3

the only. markets for capons in this
| immediate section. Arrangements can
usually be made with good hotels or
restaurants for all the plump. capons
you can furnish. Prices during the
season mentioned should range from
and fat barred or white Rock capon
should weigh ten pounds or more when
ready for market
Question-AIy chickens have scabby
warts or pimples on combs, wattles
and earlobes. The warts seem to grow
all over their eyes. completely closing
them and rendering the chickens bind,
so that my wife and myself have to
put the food into their mouths in or
der to keep them from starving. Some
of them have thin. Watery discharges
from the nostrils, anu are constantly
sneezing, coughing and gasping. while
! they breathe with a. wheeling, rat
Ting sound that can be heard several
yards from the henhouse. Chickens
belonging to my neighbors are also at
fected in the same way, and any lnfor-
| nation you can give will be greatly
appreciated.-J. S. T., Virginia.
Answer-very evidently your neigh
borhood is the center of an epidemic
Of chickenpox and roup. either of
which is bad enough alone, but both
constituting a serious condition of af-
fairs. The first thing to do is to re-
| move all affected fowls to warm, dry,
been thoroughly disinfected by heavy
spraying with some of the coal tar dis
infectants in extra strong solution.
This Is to kill the germs of the two
diseases which will be scattered by the
ailing fowls in the litter with which
the floor must be thickly covered. II
possible, place the roupy fowls in ono
coop or house and those with chicken
pox en1,a,n In another Treat the roupy fowls
as follows: Mix one ounce Of boric
acid in one quart of water: or use
either an ounce of peroxide of hydro
gen IN three ounces of water. or one
drachm OF permanganate OF potash in
one quart water. With either of these
solutions wash and thoroughly cleanse
theinside of the mouths of the roupy
birds. also cleansing the nostrils by
means of tiny tufts of cotton wrapped
on the end of toothpicks and soaked In
the solutlon- Or a good way to adj
minister the treatment is to place the
solution in bowl or cup and plunge
me SICK fowls head into it. holding
the birds head entirely under for two
or three seconds. but not long enough
to cause suffocation. Repeat this treat
| ment twice u day until the discharge
dropping two drops of a Is per cent
solution of argyrol into the eyes twice
day until symptoms, disappear If
there is much swelling under the lower
lid OF the eye. cut a small incison IN
the eyelid. using a very sharp knife,
and remove the yellow, curdy kernel
that will be found there; then cleanse
the wound and the place from which
the kerne! has been removed with one
OF the disinfecting solutions given
above. 7
Chlckenpox is comparatively easy to
treat Soften the scabs or warts with
caroolated vaseline or carbolated oil,
and after couple of hours remove the
70 which has been added boric acid in
the proportion of one ounce to the
quart of water. After the crusts have
| been washed off. treat the raw surface
-"hlch means a solution containing
as much of the chemical as the uuan-
tity of water will dissolve-or paint
each place with tincture of iodine
using small camefs hair brush or the
tip of small feather. AS these dis
eases are, both highly contagious, all
drinking vessels and feed pans or
troughs must be thoroughly scrubbed
with hot water and soap and thorough
~ disinfected with strong solution
or carbollc acid, which must be thor
oughly washed out before the vessels
are used again. Precautionary meas
ures must be used for some time after
all traces of both diseases have disap-
peared, using disinfectants literally in
and about the houses; otherwise fresh
outbreaks of the trouble may be ex-
pected. As matter of fact, it is
usually cheaper. quicker and more
economical in the long run to kill all
diseased birds, and either burn the car
casses or bury them deeply-three feet
isn't too deep. In any case, birds that
have suffered with chickenpox or roup,
! or both, should never, under any cir
. cumstances. be used as breeders.
Question-My chickens seem 10 be
m q n Inv M
which keep them awake at night and
constantly "fussing" on the roosts
The chickens have almost stopped lay
Ing and are falling off in flesh. / can
find no lice on them, although 1 have
examined them closely. What do you
think is the matter?-Arthur NJ. Vir-
ginia.
Answer-f close and careful exami-
nation OF the fowls fails to disclose
the presence of lice. then the chickens
are undoubtedly being tormented by
| mites. These tiny pests, although
| among the smallest of the insect foes
Of poultry, are. BY reason of their
fecundity, among the most formida BILE
enemies OF hens or chicks. When they
| once gain a foothold in poultry
mouse heroic treatment is necessary to
dislodge them and render their breed
ing places uninhabitable. Mites -four
ish mostly during the summer but in
warm houses they may persist and
drive hens distracted even during the
W iHleF L he mites 1OWIS pf1n-
cipally at night when they are on the
roosts. The insects suck the blood of
their victims and when gorged return
to the cracks and crevices in which
they hide during the day, such places
usually being in and around the
roosts, roost supports and nearby
walls. Dark and dirty quarters suit
them exactly, and dirty nest boxes
filled with old, foul litter make ideal
breeding places and ambushes for
them. Cleanliness. plenty of air and
ample sunshine tend to discourage the
mites. Remedies are: First clean the
houses thoroughly inside, removing all
old nesting materials and other dirt
and debris. Scrub the roosts and roost
supports with hot soapsuds, and, If
possible, give the nest boxes similar
treatment. Paint the roosts and sup
ports with a mixture of one part of
kerosene. being careful to cover every
inch of the surface of roosts and sup
ports. Paint the mixture heavily
about the ends of the roosts Give the
INSIDE walls OF the house a thorough
coating lmewash to which has been
added "a teacupful of the crude carbolfc
acid to two gallons of limewash-or
WhiteWash Be certain that the wash
is applied to every part of the walls
inside the house and that it pene-
trates all cracks, knotholes, nailholes
and other crannies where the mites
may Turk. Scatter clean, fresh soil on
the dropping boards or the floor be-
meath the roosts, sprinkling fair
amount of air-slacked lime with the
clean SOIL Replace every straw of the
old litter with fresh, clean litter Then
dust each hen carefully with some
good insect powder. working the pow
der thorough ';tn fha fa.tbarS aSpa