EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 239 



up gradually. Frequently the attendant discovers that a brood of 

 indoor chicks are getting weak. He is, perhaps, feeding a good supply 

 of green bone and other bone-forming material. He desires, therefore, 

 to make them take more exercise. With this in view he doubles the 

 amount of litter and decreases the food, with the result that the chick in 

 the attempt to satisfy its hunger, works too hard for its bodily strength 

 and fails entirely. Frequently leg weakness is accompanied by constipa- 

 tion, which is relieved by the addition of green food and an increased 

 amount of exercise. 



LICE AND MITES. 



Other foes of little chicks are external parasites, lice and mites. We 

 frequently find lice even among winter brooder chicks. Lice on the 

 head are most troublesome. They fasten themselves to the back of the 

 chick's head, near the base of the brain and gradually kill the chick. 

 It is a pitiful sight to see the little chick scratching the back of its head 

 trying to dislodge this post. Good results are usuall}^ obtained by greas- 

 ing the head of each chick with 5 per cent carbolated vaseline. Kero- 

 sene and lard, equal parts, prove equally effective. The chicks can be 

 rapidly treated and should be attended to as soon as there is any sus- 

 picion of head lice. The louse may be seen readily by means of a small 

 magnifying glass. It can also be detected with the naked eye if one is 

 very careful to examine the right place, although one must look care- 

 fully to see it. 



To kill mites, clean all coops and brooders perfectly, then apply thor- 

 oughly, either white wash, kerosene oil, or some of the prepared insecti- 

 cides. Be sure to fill all the cracks and crevices as these are the places 

 where mites will be found hiding during the day. Burn all the litter 

 and add new. A spray pump may be used for applying the insecticide, 

 as it drives the liquid into the cracks and crevices better than can be 

 done with a brush. Whitewash can be applied with a pump and then 

 smoothed over with a brush, doing rapid and effective work. Mites 

 differ from body lice in that they suck the blood from the fowls' bodies, 

 while lice have biting mouthparts and live on the skin and feathers, 

 causing intense itching and annoyance. Mites live on the fowl's body 

 at night only, hiding in cracks and crevices during the day. They 

 appear red Avhen gorged with blood, or white when there is little blood 

 in their bodies. 



To kill the lice we must treat the hen's or chick's body, as the lice 

 live there practically all the time. There are several kinds of 

 these lice, but they all yield to the same treatment, namely, a good dust- 

 ing. Tlie dust fills up the breathing pores in their bodies, and thus 

 suffocates them. A good insect powder may be made from equal parts 

 of fine ground tobacco and powdered sulphur. Snuff is also used. 

 There are a number of insect powders on the market and most of them 

 prove very satisfactory. Pyrethrum or Persian insect powder can be 

 purchased at any drug store and if fresh is effective. The essential 

 thing is a finely pulverized substance that will go through the feathers. 



Having carefully dusted the chicks (and hens, if the chicks are run- 

 ning with them) clean the houses and remove to clean ground. A good 

 dust bath should be arranged so that the hens and chicks may help keep 



