Mites and Lice on Poultry. 



13 



peculiarly modified legs which assist them in moving about through 

 the feathers. Certain species which remain on the larger feathers 

 have a very narrow, elongate form which utilizes the protection 

 afforded by the grooves between the barbs of the feathers. In fact, 

 poultry lice show a wide divergence in size, shape, and spiny armature. 



FOOD HABITS AND INJURIOUSNESS. 



Poultry lice are not fitted for sucking blood. They feed on por- 

 tions of the feathers or on scales from the skin, and their presence in 

 any considerable numbers is responsible for serious injury. 



In the Southern States the loss due to lice probably is greatest 

 among young chickens. Chickens hatched after April 1 and brooded 

 by hens experience a high mortality, much of which appears to be 

 due directly or indirectly to lice. Early chickens also are sometimes 

 affected. The lice often leave the hens and pass to the chickens 

 before these become 

 dry after emerging 

 from the shell. 



The first symptoms 

 of lice infestation 

 usually are droopi- 

 ness, lowered wdngs, 

 and ruffled feathers. 

 Diarrhea follows, and 

 the chickens then 

 often die .in a few 

 days, or, when older, 

 sometimes fall a prey 

 to various diseases. 

 Grown fowls some- 

 times may be very 

 heavily infested with 

 lice without showing 

 any ill effects, but in 

 such cases the egg 

 yield is hkely to de- 

 crease. In other cases the fowls may lose weight and sometimes die as a 

 result of the lice or succumb to some of the common chicken maladies. 



Turkeys suffer to a considerable extent when young, and no doubt 

 poults frequently are killed by gross infestation. Older birds do 

 not seem to be so badly affected. This is also true of ducks and 

 geese. In general, these fowls are less heavily infested with lice 

 than chickens. 



KINDS OF LICE ON CHICKENS. 



The seven different species of lice common on hens are spoken of 

 as body lice, head lice, and feather lice, according to the usual places 

 in which they are found, but since the different species intermingle 



-Eggs of the head louse (Lipeurus heterographus) on 

 feather. Greatly enlarged. (Original.) 



