510 DISEASES, PARASITES, AND ENEMIES 



places the leg enlarges to two or three times its normal diameter. 

 This pest is readily communicated from fowl to fowl, hence the 

 wisdom of destroying it wherever found. The treatment is to 

 stand the bird in a pail of warm water, and allow the scales to 

 soak up thoroughly, then carefully scrape off the crusts without 

 making the legs bleed, after which wipe dry and apply carbolated 

 vaseline once daily. Crude petroleum is very effective in mild 

 cases. In bad cases it may be necessary to repeat the treatment, 

 but ordinarily one soaking and frequent applications of vaseline 

 will soon effect a cure. The treatment should be started on the 

 first sign of trouble. 



Depluming Mites. These are minute insects which live on the 

 fowl, taking up their abode at the base of the quills, which they 

 consume or damage so that the feathers subsequently fall out. 

 If the condition persists, the feathers around the neck and head 

 may all drop out. Treatment consists in rubbing crude petroleum 

 or carbolated vaseline frequently into the parts of the skin infested. 



Other Pests. Four other common pests are of less importance, 

 but should be mentioned. Mosquitoes often attack fowls, and bite 

 the face and comb and wattles, leaving a field for the infection by 

 chicken pox. Treatment is the application of carbolated vaseline. 

 Screening the roosting quarters is sometimes found advisable. 



Harvest mites abound along wet brushy places, and are common 

 in the central southern part of this country. 



Bedbugs are also quite common in poultry houses. Turpentine 

 added to the disinfecting solution previously mentioned will be 

 found a preventive. 



Hen fleas will often be found in unsanitary houses; the treat- 

 ment recommended for red mites will eradicate them. 



Internal Parasites. There are two groups of internal parasites 

 which embrace nearly all the types of economic importance, 

 namely, (1) parasites which find their way into the trachea of the 

 bird and (2) intestinal parasites. 



The first group is represented by the gapeworm (Fig. 214), 

 found only in little chicks, which when affected will stand around 

 with drooping wings, gasping for breath. Gapeworms are little, 

 reddish worms which fasten themselves on the wall of the trachea 

 and suck blood from its mucous lining, causing inflammation. 

 They are about half an inch in length, and may become so numerous 

 as almost to stop the breathing. The disease is especially prevalent 

 in the spring, the infection being transmitted in the soil from one 



