POULTRY PARASITES 



509 



but uncomfortable for the fowls from the dust getting into their 

 eyes and mouth. 



T. E. Quisenberry, of Mountain Grove, Mo., has recommended 

 the use of blue ointment as a preventative for lice, one great advan- 

 tage being the ease of application and permanence. It is usually 

 applied by rubbing into the feathers and down around the vent. 



Mites (Figs. 211 and 212) differ from lice in that they do not 

 live on the bird's body all the time, but mass together in cracks 

 and crevices under perches and in the walls, whence at night they 

 crawl to the fowl and suck blood, returning to their hiding places 



FIG. 213. The work of the scaly-leg mite. Affected birds should be isolated and given 

 immediate treatment to prevent spread of the mites. 



before the birds leave the perches. When full of blood they are 

 red, hence the name of red mite or red spider. Spraying with 

 strong kerosene emulsion or crude petroleum will kill all the mites 

 it touches, hence it is well to have fixtures movable so one can 

 get at all parts which might harbor these insects. Painting the 

 perches with crude petroleum every few weeks, in warm weather, 

 will keep mites in perfect control. 



Scaly Legs. The form of scabies which affects the legs of 

 fowls (Fig. 213) is due to a burrowing insect, which multiplies 

 under the scales and secretes a calcareous material. This elevates 

 the scales and gives them an uneven appearance, and in some 



