Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-03-31
FARM WOMEN WANT
To KNOW FACTS
MANY MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE
TO THE WOMEN OF AUDUBON
COUNTY AT THIS SEASON


The farm women of Audubon
county who are interested in raising
and caring for chickens at this time
of the year are frequently confront
ed with problems that are hard to
solve One of our readers asked us
the other day to publish some facts
about the caring for of little chicks.
She said she had $50 of them and
knew of other neighbors who had
equally as many. She was especial
ly anxious to raise all of her chicks,
for she says I'VE women folks are
going to have to help our husbands
this year in order to- make COM
Portable living"
After her interview, we went to
the office of the county agent and
talked with e. NJ. McGinnis, the as
sistant county agent, who has spe-
cialized in poultry matters. He went
into the matter very thoroughly and
submitted us the following articles
which he knew would solve the per-
picking problems:
Lice on Poultry
Lice may kill mature birds or
chicks directly or may SO weaken
them that they succumb to other dis
eases. There Is no question that
there is a heavy loss of egg produc-
ton and growth in the flock due to
the presence of these parasites.
Common Hen Lice.
The body louise (Menopon Biseri-
atus and Menopon .Pallidum) are
pale yellow to grey in color and from
one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an
&c
they have biting mouth. parts, they
do not suck the blood, but live on
the hairs, feathers, and scales of the
skin. They are found in largest
numbers about the vent and under
the wings.
Life History-The eggs, common
ly called nits, are fastened in clus-
tiers on the feathers, usually around
the vent of the bird. They are small,
white and oblong. In six or eight
days, the young emerge and immed-
lately commence irritating the bird.
They mature in three weeks. Breed
ing is very rapid. The offspring
from a single pair is estimated at
$4,000 individuals in a season.
They spread rapidly from bird to bird
and one lousy bird will soon cause a
whole pen to become infested.
Treatment-As lice spend their
entire life on the fowl, the fowl must
be treated to reach them.
(a) Sodium Fluoride. This pow
der may be purchased at most drug
stores and has proved a very ueffec-
tive method of control. A pinch,
the amount of material that can be
held between the thumb and index
finger, is applied to each of the fol-
lowing parts: head, neck, back, tail,
under each wing, thigh and vent. APP
ply as often as needed.
CD Homemade Powder. A good,
yet cheap, louise powder can be made
by mixing parts gasoline with one
part standard stock dip and adding
enough dry cement to dry up the
liquid. Hold the bird with its head
down and work the dry powder into
the feathers. ..... o
(c) Murcurial Ointment. For
setting hens especially, this salve is
popular. Mix one part blue oint-
ment with two part vaseline. Apply
about the size of a pea to the region
Just below the vent and under each
wing Rub in we'll. @t
The head louise is dark in color
and about one-tenth of an inch in
length. 1t lives mostly on the feath-
ers of the head and neck. Eggs are
glued to the feathers of the head and
neck and hatch in about five days,
the lice maturing in about ten days.
Treatment-Apply 70 the, head of
the chick or bird a little of salve
4 An1 fYtl Nf
standard stock dip in a. cup of melted
vaseline or lard. Use after cooling.
Mites
Mites (Acarina) are probably the
parasites. Altho they are very small,
they make up in numbers what they
lack in size. They increase rapidly,
are long lived and live by sucking
blood 1t is certain that they kill or
stunt many chickens and cause hens
to stop laying Setting hens are Of
ten killed or forced to leave their
nests by them.
Common Red Mites
The chicken mites or red mites
are about 1-25 to 1-120 of an inch in
length. They are light to dark grey
in color without food, but become
bright red after filling up on blood.
During the day, they may be seen
in cracks or crevices of different
parts of the poultry house. At night
they crawl out to suck the blood of
the birds.
Life History-White elliptical eggs
that are laid about the roosts hatch
in about four days. The mites are
mature in a few days. They are
inactive during the winter, but in
crease rapidly from early spring to
late fall. They can live for months
without food.
Treatment-Red mites may be
dealt with effectively.
I. Clean up filth, ventilate house
with open front, and let plenty OF
sunlight into the house.
2. Construct removal roosts and
dropping boards, allowing as few
cracks as possible.
3. Paint or spray the roosts, walls
about roosts, dropping boards and
nests with full strength solution OF
two parts oil to one part of stock dip
or five gallons of lime sulphur to 40
gallons of water. Applications are
made four to six times during the
spring. summer and fall, and in pairs,
one following the other in five or six
days.
$50. Scaly Leg Mites
A minute mite, which cannot be