Milford chronicle., 1916-04-07

1 OF liLtle CHICKS WHICH Qle, hlbuOuBn per
feetly healthy when they were brOugh
into the world. Many breeders lose al
most their entire hstchings without an
apparent reason for the youngster
turning up their toes. " Oh yes. MANI
die as the result of white diarrhOea Of
bowel trouble, but then there are othel
reasons for their being taken out of the
w0rld in almost as large numbers a:
from the presence Of this dreaded dis
ease.
When large numbers of chicks die
without the presence of bowel trouble
there must be reason, as there is q
reason for everything. | believe that
even more chicks are carried out Of the
/ poultry world by the Parasite route
than by the bowel trouble one. The
parasite disease is an external one and
which should never exist. 1t does not
in the yards of the attentive poultry
man, but unfortunately for the chicks
themselves, all pOultrymen, or rather
raisers of poultry, are not attentive
ones and thus they lose annually large
profits which should and could be theirs
for the return of a little labor.
The parasite which saps the life blood
out of the veins of the little fellows is
] AuE AOlSCg anu Tie AAQLAdAAly III AuG nv
erage flock of chicks can almost invari-
ably be traced to the ravages of this in
| sect. There are many different species
of lice, but the ones with which we are
called on most to deal with, and which
if not checked will prove disasterous to
the fowls, are body and head lice.
These are the ones with which the Rv-
erage poultryman is acquainted. In
foot fharr kba
the many species and by far the most
plentiful.
To these, however. l might add one
which is a great pest, and while it does
not infest the body of the birds, it makes
regular trips to their bodies every night.
only to run off and hide with the light |
mites which inhabit the cracks and !
crevices of the cOops, nest boxes and |
various other places about the plant. !
They worry the birds at night so that |
they can get no rest, and thus wear
away their strength, allowing the body !
and head lice to continue to sap their
blood during the day. From this you
can readily see that the life of a lice
infested bird, with mite-infested coop,
can be one of but short duration.
All lice will eventually kill the chick
if allowed to go unchecked, but the head
louise or the large variety is perhaps re-
sponsible for more deaths than are the
other kinds. The large grey fellow
turks in the doWny region of the head
and can only be found by parting the
down which covers the head Of the chick.
Being adapt at the game of hide and
seek, it takes quick action on the part
of the breeder to discover their presence.
The body lice, while easier to discover
than are those of the head variety, are
also quick, but usually infest the chick
in larger quantities and are thus more
readily found. That form of parasite
known as the little red mite is not to be
found on the body of the chick, so it is
useless to look for them there. They
meander to the cracks and crevices dur
ing the day, when the chick is up and
about and wearing away its strength {
fighting the body lice, and only make
their attact under the cover of dark J
ness. They then operate, and thus keep c
the chick busy during the supposed I
sleeping hours as well as the daylight. I
They also suck the blood of the young t
lters. Thus you can see that it is al c
most next to impossible for the chick to
.hrive and grow when its life blood is
)eing supped by night and by day.
If we would be successful in the rails :.
ng Of young chicks we must of neces- !,
ity get rid of these parasites, or at .
east, keep them down to a minimum in n
rider that the chick will have chance 4
o build. u
''The Half Has Never Yet Been Told" y
pplies to this subject, as it is impossi-
lie to say too much upon it or to en-
arge on strict adherance to fightingl
hem. Upon your efforts to get rid of b
r minimize the presence of lice on your b
irds depends, in a large measure, your Ct
1ccess in the business of raising young a
hicks. l am, of course, speaking for oi
he future of your business when / pl
peak of the young chicks, but your ef- m
0rts should be directed against this
arasite as regard the older birds as
ell for no lice infested bird will give hl
on her best efforts. Keep all the fowls Of
sasonably free of lice and your efforts
ill be we'll repaid.
Every breeder should give his undi-
ded attention in an effort to keep both
le fowls and their quarters, whether H.,
be coop, brooder or anything else, q
zee of lice. m Sl
The liberal use of kerosene, disinfect-
Its or commercial lice killers in the d.
'uses will do much toward accomplish u u
g the desired effect, and likewise good ~
suits will be had by the use on the u,
rds themselves of some good lice pow "
r at regular intervals. Don't get the I4 %
ca into your head that to fight lice you n. ~
n eonfine your efforts to the birds M 4
nor alone to the houses.
ce and mites can only be exterminated W
a two-column advance upon the enc ~
y. One column should be sent after ee
EN- through the medium of the birds, We
nile a fianking movement to rid the
ops and houses is also Of great impOr-
nee in completely putting to flight the
emy. an
When the battle is fought and the les
emy routed, you will greatly aid mat an
-s by the suppl, ing Of a good dust CHI
tn for the use Of the birds and they ha
D then assist you in keeping the para bic
es in check. One attack each year, qu
wever, is not sufficient Go after mi
I'm often. Houses get dirty and re- or
ire sweeping regularly. In order to ter
sp down lice one must be continually Co