My system of small pens without yards is the easiest system to keep 

 free from mites, because each unit can be thoroughly disinfected, and 

 as the hens in each unit are separate from every other unit, the system 

 can be worked step by step very thoroughly. It is possible to keep 

 each eight foot square pen absolutely free from disease germs and lice. 

 This gives the hen perfect freedom to perform the duties of egg 

 production. 



There are many good kinds of spray pumps on the market. The 

 best pump for oils and acids is one with metal valves. A small hand- 

 pump that sets in a bucket is sufficient for individual ranches. The oil 

 should be purchased in large drums so that when spraying is needed 

 there will always be a quantity on hand. In a thickly-settled poultry 

 community like Runnymede at Palo Alto, the oils and acids can be 

 purchased in large quantities same as the feed. If crude carbolic acid 

 cannot be obtained, creolium or creosote is next best. There are many 

 other kinds of spray, but I will not confuse by giving too many. The 

 one given will get sure res .Its, and thus no chances are taken. 



Body Lice on Hens 



The body lice that continually live under the feathers on the hen 

 are not o x uite so disastrous as the little red mites that live in the cracks 

 and crawl onto the hen at night and suck the blood. The body lice 

 live largely upon scales and feathers and only torment the hen by 

 making them uncomfortable with their crawling. These inhabit the 

 feathers around the vent and on the thighs and under the wings. 



Head lice and ticks are more dangerous, as they sap the blood. 

 Ticks usually appear in the feathers on the back .and look like the 

 ticks on sheep or like bed bugs. They have, a large round body and 

 small head, resembling the shape of a turtle. The head lice are long 

 and fasten themselves upon the top of the head. They are very 

 disastrous to chicks. 



Chicks hatched in the incubator and brooded in brooders away 

 from mature hens should never have body lice if kept in clean quarters. 

 It is the biggest mistake to allow young chicks to mingle with older 

 stock. 



It is almost impossible to keep old hens 'from having some "body 

 lice, and if the young stock run near them they will be certain to get 

 lousy, and this is where the trouble starts. When young pullets get 

 lousy they never come into full laying ve. y early. One or two old hens 

 in among a thousand pullets will sometimes be the whole cause of 

 failure. It is absolute folly to ever under any circumstance allow old 

 hens to come near young stock. This is another feature of my small pen 

 system, making it possible to keep the young stock entirely separate 

 from the old stock. 



By keeping the pullets separate they will have their first year 

 laying without being bothered with any body lice. And if they have a 

 good place to dust in for their second year they will keep clean to the 

 end. Some hens are too lazy to dust themselves and may become 

 lousy, but these can sometimes be detected by their rough feathers 

 and culled out. The breeding cocks are also very prone to be lousy. 

 They do not take the trouble to bathe in the dust and are usually 

 more lousy than the hens. They should be gotten rid of at the moment 



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