POULTRY 423 



The common external parasites of the chicken are the louse 

 and the mite. Lice lay their eggs at the base of the feathers 

 and pass their whole life among the feathers, feeding on the 

 scurf produced by the skin. They do not usually injure mature 

 birds, though if they become too numerous they irritate them, 

 making them nervous and uncomfortable, and thus check egg 

 production. Chickens should have plenty of road dust or sifted 



FIG. 216. A good style of chicken house 



coal ashes in which to wallow whenever inclined. The fine 

 particles of dust lodge in the breathing pores of the lice and 

 kill them. 



Mites do not live continually on the body of the hen, as do 

 lice. They are tiny, spiderlike organisms without eyes, and 

 possess piercing mouth parts by means of which they suck 

 blood from the body of the chickens. They live in the crevices 

 of the boards surrounding the perches or nests, and go upon 

 the chickens only for the purpose of feeding. When filled with 

 blood, the mites again hide in the crevices. Mites are much 



