4 Farmers’ Bulletin 1110. 
These different species of lice never leave the bodies or feathers 
of the fowls. They differ somewhat in size and appearance, but all 
are fitted with peculiarly arranged legs which permit them to move 
about rapidly through the feathers. They have sharp, strong, biting 
mouths, but unlike the red and gray mites are not fitted for sucking 
blood; instead, they feed on portions of the feathers and on scales 
from the skin. 
BODY LICE, 
The body louse is much larger than the red or gray mite, and is 
straw or pale yellow in color. It lives and breeds entirely on the 
body of the fowl, centering its activities on those sections that are 
not closely feathered, although it may sometimes be found on 
the head, neck, or other parts of the body. It is usually found in 
greatest numbers under the wings and around the vent, and often- 
times the skin of the fowl where the lice are thickest will appear red 
and rough, and quite often scabs and blood clots may be seen. These 
are evidence of long irritation, preventing normal growth and deyel- 
opment in chicks, and causing sickness and loss of vigor in mature 
towls. 
Body lice deposit their eggs in clusters on the web part of the 
feather close to the quill. On mature fowls they are to be found in 
greatest numbers on the small, short feathers below the vent. On 
chicks the eggs are often deposited on the soft, downy feathers about 
the head and throat. The eggs hatch in about a week, and the lice 
reach their full size in about 20 days; therefore, if the lice are not 
killed, the fowls become alive with them in a very short time. 
FEATHER LICE. 
Feather lice are the species most commonly found on poultry, but 
are probably the least important, for the reason that they stay on 
the feathers the greater part of the time and feed on the feathers 
and scales along the quill rather than on the skin or body of the fowl. 
They are smaller than: the body lice but otherwise resemble them 
somewhat in appearance. They can be detected easily, however, upon 
parting the feathers on the back or breast, where usually they can 
be found clinging to the web and shaft of the feather. Feather lice 
infest mature fowls and are seldom found on young chicks. 
HOW TO GET RID OF BODY AND FEATHER LICE. 
Inasmuch as poultry lice stay on the fowls nearly all the time, the 
only effective treatments are those which are applied directly to the 
birds, 
Sodium fluorid, a powder which can be purchased at most drug 
stores, is the most effective remedy, being exceedingly poisonous to all 
