POULTRY KEEPING 205 



Trapping Seed Ticks. 



My chickens have those black chicken ticks that bury their heads into 

 the flesh. 



This tick is one of the most difficult pests to destroy, and will 

 live through conditions that would be fatal to almost any other species 

 of insect. Spray the house both inside and outside, repeating six to 

 ten times with an interval of three days between each spraying. The 

 following sprays may be used: Whitewash containing carbolic acid; 

 distillate mixed with carbolic acid or creosote ; crude petroleum ; boil- 

 ing water, strong kerosene emulsion, etc. Before spraying the house, 

 the fowls should be moved and placed in boxes or coops where the 

 seed ticks can drop off as they become gorged, which occurs in about 

 eight or ten days. Coops arranged with a wire net bottom through 

 which the ticks can fall into a pan containing kerosene or strong spray 

 material would trap most of them as they drop from the fowls. After 

 two weeks in these temporary quarters, it is usually safe to return 

 the fowls to their original quarters. 



Common Fleas on Chickens. 



How can one fight the little fleas that live on chickens' heads and 

 throats? Our chickens range and do splendidly with the exception of those 

 hatched in the late summer or fall. These become infested with fleas that 

 live on chickens' heads and the use of antiseptic salve on their heads has to 

 be repeated every few days and that is hard on the baby chick as well as 

 a great deal of work. There are none of the fleas in the chicken house. 



The samples you sent seem to be just ordinary fleas and not what 

 is usually known as chicken fleas. The only way to prevent them 

 from attacking the chickens and to gain permanent relief is to first 

 destroy their breeding places and then treat the chickens with insect 

 powder or the ointment you mentioned. These hopping fleas prefer 

 to breed in dusty cracks and corners of buildings, but when forced 

 to do so they will breed in the open in the dust or sand. For the 

 houses, clean out dust as much as possible and spray with distillate 

 and carbolic acid or naphthalene flakes dissolved in cheap kerosene. 

 For the yards, spray with water and hoe or thoroughly stir the dust 

 or sand while spraying. We have never found anything that was 

 superior to water and hoeing for killing them in the open. 



Nightshade Poisoning. 



My fowls seem unable to pick up their food, stand about with a 

 peculiar look in their eyes, and at times attempt to run backward. I had 

 them in small runs provided with litter for scratching and in addition to 

 the grain and mash, fed them until lately with garden greens. When the 

 green stuff ran low, I turned them out to hunt what greens they could find 

 in a small creek bed that is near the poultry yards. 



