134 PROGRESSIVE POULTRY CULTURE 



ers. These irritating inhabitants cause some discomfort 

 but do not appear to destroy the live tissues. They are 

 said to subsist on the wastes of the skin and feathers. 



If a chicken becomes sickly and shows a dry, scurvy 

 skin, lice are usually found swarming upon its body. 

 They seem to increase and thrive upon birds that are 

 stunted in growth, rough feathered, unthrifty, listless or 

 drooping. 



Diarrhea frequently accompanies lousiness. Mature 

 fowls, if numerously inhabited by these parasites are 

 liable to stop laying, become pale of comb and wattles 

 lose condition, show looseness of bowels and general 

 debility. 



Lice do their breathing through pores or openings in 

 the sides of their bodies. They may be destroyed by 

 filling these breathing pores with fine powder, oil or suf- 

 focating gases. 



Dusting: Whether fowls wallow in dust to kill the 

 body lice, to cleanse their feathers, for bodily comfort 

 or pleasure, or for all of these purposes, the operation 

 certainly tends to discourage the presence of body lice. 



A dusting place should be provided for each flock in 

 a comfortable, sheltered spot, where the sunshine will 

 make it doubly attractive. The dust need not be exces- 

 sively dry, but should be in 'such condition that it will 

 readily sift through the feathers to the skin when the 

 fowls wallow and roll in it. 



Fine mellow garden soil makes a good dust bath. To 

 it may be added finely sifted wood ashes, dry, thoroughly 

 slaked lime, tobacco dust and flowers of sulphur, ^ny 

 fine dust will answer the purpose and it may be made 

 pungent and repulsive to lice by sprinkling occasionally 

 with a two per cent, solution of carbolic acid. 



Male fowls frequently fail to dust themselves suffici- 

 ently to keep the lice away. These and any other lousy 

 rowis may be dusted by hand. Holding the bird by the 

 legs with head down in an empty barrel or box, the dry 

 lice powder is distributed by hand or sifted from a dredg- 

 ing box among the feathers and worked through them to 



