10 June, 1916.] 



Practical Poultry Keeping. 



371 



on the above lines must be especially valuable to all poultry-keepers who 

 take an interest in the business, and it can be termed one of the main 

 stepping stones towards success in this industry. 



Red Mite. 



One of the most common as well as the most annoyin,g of the para- 

 sites that infest the poultry houses and their inmates is what is known 

 as the red mite. It is one of the smallest of these pests, but it mvilti- 

 plies so quickly that myriads will be found in a few weeks after it first 

 makes its appearance. Although known as red mite, this parasite is 

 is naturally grey in colour, the reddish tinge to the body being given by 

 the blood it sucks from the fowls it preys upon. The eggs are laid on 

 the fowls themselves, and can often be seen in thousands attached to the 

 feathers. They will also be found in cracks and crevices of the fowl- 

 house or other buildings. The heat of the fowl will encourage the hatch- 

 ing of the eggs which are attached to the feathers, and the approach of 

 warm weather will also act similarly on the eggs that are in sheltered 



parts of the fowl-house. They quickly attain 

 full size, and at once proceed to annoy the 

 fowls by sucking the blood from them. Al- 

 though all of them do not always stay on the 

 fowl, it will be found that a good proportion 

 of them do so, the remainder filling them- 

 selves with blood and then going back to 

 the roosts or boxes. In the case of chickens 

 the red mite is especially harmful. They 

 infest them in such large numbers that they 

 quickly suck the greater portion of the blood 

 out, and the chicken literally weakens and 

 dies through their ravages. When hens 

 are used for hatching purposes, the red mites 

 will prove a very serious trouble unless strict 

 supervision and certain preventives are 

 used. Sittings of eggs are often spoilt 

 through the red mite, amateur owners 

 not finding out what is the cause until the hen has left her eggs and the 

 chickens are dead in the shells. When chickens are reared in brooders, 

 the red mite is also likely to make its appearance, and if not exterminated, 

 will speedily cause many deaths among the inmates. You may see a 

 number of chickens with the back of tiieir heads and necks slightly bare, 

 their wings drooping, and their general condition indicating tliat they 

 are full of disease. On examination it will be found that it is the red 

 mites that are causing all the trouble, and with their speedy eradication 

 the chickens will quickly improve and throw off all signs of disease. 



There are several methods of eradicating these pests, but the system 

 of prevention is the best of all cures. By applying the remedies durini' 

 the winter months you effectivelv prevent the eggs from liatching. and if 

 this is done properly, the task of keeping the mito down during tlie sum- 

 mer and autumn nmnths will be com]):irativelv liglit. The most effective 

 remedy for red mite is spraying or painting the jilaces wliore tlie eggs or 

 mites accumulate with kerosene. The spraying is the quickest metliwl. 

 and any ordinary garden spray with a fine nozzle will answer the pur- 

 pose. Painting with a soft and fairly large brush is also suitable, but 



Red Mite 

 (magnified 85 times). 



