Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-02-11


such as melted lard, olive oil, meat
drippings, ETC., will close the pores
and kill the louise, if it touches it. 1t
is not at all certain that either oil or
powder will kill the nit or egg of the
louise, and it is here the Ineffective
ness of such remedies lies.
To dust hen, grasp her with the
left hand by the legs, hold her with
her head down and just touching the
ground or table. In this position a
fowl will rarely flop it's wings and all
the feathers fall open to receive the
powder, which should be thoroughly
rubbed into the fluff clear to the skin
with the free right hand, or busted in
with small powder gun. It is the
work of more than a minute to thor
oughly dust hen. The lice are most
numerous around the vent, over the
thighs, under the wings and on the
head. They will be found hidden in
the fun or burrowing under the skin.
1t is by contact only that the powder
kills. Keep the powder out of the
eyes, nostrils and lungs of the hen.
For this reason, if one values his
birds and their health, he will not
put them in barrel or cylinder and
revolve them in a cloud of dust. Such
a proceeding will kill the lice, not the
nits. 1t will work decided injury
to the bird. 1t is necessary to repeat
the busting at intervals of eight days
to kill the nits that hatch meanwhile.
If you plan to keep your hens free
from lice, you must make up your
mind to frequent repetitions of the
process. Use the powder freely. If
a cloth or other receptacle is placed
under the bird to be busted, you can
easily take up the powder that would
otherwise be wasted, and use it again
and again.
How about the dust wallow? Very
attractive dust baths in sunny places
attract part of the hens Of flock,
but in most cases the lousiest bird of
the flock, which is generally the male,
fails to avail himself of its privilege.
This is especially true if air-slaked
lime or sulphur or finely sifted ashes
be added to increase the efficacy of
the bath. More hens will be induced
to wallow in the dust bath If it is
kept slightly moist. For busting
those hens which fail to dust them
selves. various commercial lice pow
ders are offered in the market at Is
cents per pound. Pyrethrum Powder
is not poisonous to fowls, and is eff
fective and cheap IL bought in bulk.
Tobacco dust, air-slaked lime, finely
pulverized sulphur. brick dust, SCOT.
flakes. and finely ground
corn meal are all ingredients used in
the various mixtures.
Blue ointment is frequently recon-
mended as a remedy for lice. There
are on the market certain commercial
preparations in the form of q salve,
which free the birds from lice and
keep them free for from three to six
months or even longer. The direc-
lions for their use are the same as
for blue ointment. Apply a piece
little smaller than a garden pea to
the birds skin directly under and
around the vent. With blue ointment
it is absolutely essential to keep the
birds dry for several days after APP
plying, or there will be lame birds, if
not dead ones. These commercial
are guaranteed under the
insecticide act of 1910, serial No.
973, and in accordance with that act
there Is published on the label the
inert ingredients. The writer per-
sonally has observed the use of one
such preparation for over a year
without noting the slightest injurious
effect. 1t is we'll, however, to bear
in mind that all of these preparations
contain poisons and to err on the side
of caution always in their use. Never
use them on young stock, especially
day-old chicks. With chicks, preven-
ton is better than cure, but where
cure is needed, nothing is safer than
olive oil. Lice go to the nostrils or
the vent for moisture, and if head
and vent are encircled with the oil, a
trap is set which will catch the lice.
In treating day-old chicks, use the
least possible amount of olive oil and
apply it just before the chicks go to
sleep for the night to prevent chill
ing.
In conclusion it might be pointed
out that for the determination of both
lice and mites there is a variety of
methods. The vital thing is thor
oughness and care in the application
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