Milford chronicle., 1919-04-18

or lady hen doesn't object to scratch
ing for living, but she balks on scratch
ing for worms all day and then having
to scratch all night at vermin which de-
light in strolling over her during the era
OF darkness. 'Tis a pity that returned
soldiers who fought cooties in France can
not be converted into poultrymen, as
without doubt they would work overtime
in promoting hen comfort by battling
and routing lice and mites from the
f1ocks.
Fowl lice and mites reduce egg pro-
duction. hinder the growth and reduce
the quality Of flesh of all classes of poul-
try. Mites are particularly bad among
farm fowl. as these blood-suclSing insects
often gain a firm foothold in the flock
before the farmer is aware Of their pres
ence The hens become irritable and de-
cline in egg production and healthy con-
dition as a result Of losing blood to the
mites. In heavily infested coops it is not
unusual for the chickens to become droopy
and weak, with pale combs and wattles.
Sitting hens desert their nests and thus
ruin the eggs, while in extreme cases
they are found dead on the nests, being
killed outright by the attack Of thousands
at night, except that they attack hens on
the nests during the daytime. They Sc
crete themselves in cracks and crevices
around the chicken house during the day
and hence their presence is often over
looked until a heavy infestation has de-
veloped.
i Route Mites from Roosts.
-
essential to drive the pests from the
roosts, nests and interior Of the poultry |
house, which should be sprayed with
mixture of one part kerosene to four
parts of crude petroleum. Ordinarily one |
application is sufficient, but as an extra |
precaution it is advisable to spray Sec
ond time about one month after the first !
treatment. Poultry should be kept out ,
Of the treated buildings until the mater
ial has well dried into the wood.
Arsenical dip, as a spray, used to de-
stroy cattle ticks, is also fairly satisfac-
tory as a control for chicken mites; sew
eral applications are required to eradi-
cate the mites from the poultry roosts.
The mites which cause scaly leg usually
can be eladicated by applying crude Pc
troleum to the legs with brush or dip
ming them into this oil. One treatment is
usually enough, although in severe cases
il may be repeated at the end Of thirty
days. Chiggers, which are bad on poultry
in the Southern and Central States, are
controlled to a certain extent by busting
the chickens with flowers of sulphur, and
where the fenced range is infested the ap-
plication of so pounds Of sulphur an acre
with a dust blower aids m eradicating
these pests.
Lice Like to Live on Poultry.
If poultry escape infestations Of mites :
they are still exposed to visitations from
lice, which, unlike the mites, remain con-
stantly with the fowl. More than 40 diff
ferent kinds Of lice attack domestic fowls
and feed on portions Of the feathers or on
scales from the skin, their presence in
any considerable number resulting in SER
ious injury.
Throughout the Southern States the g
loss due to lice probably is the greatest
among young chickens. Chickens hatch a
ed after April 1 and brooded by hens
experience a high mortality, much Of e
which appears to be due directly 10 lice, S
the insects being transmitted from the S
mother to her young. Body lice, head il
ice and feather lice, like the three mus Il
xeteers. usually are on the lookout for s
trouble, and lots Of ii.
Sodium fiuorid means sure and instan- a
.aneous death to poultry lice, and in j.