268 PARASITES CAUSE HEAVY LOSSES 



Spray the houses as for the other mites, and rub car- 

 bolated vaseline into the roots of the feathers. It is also 

 a good treatment to dip the fowls in a tea made from 

 tobacco leaves. 



The stick-tight, or hen flea, is a great pest in some of 

 the southern states. It generally attaches itself to the 

 comb or wattles of the fowl, burying its head in the flesh. 

 Sometimes they crowd around the eyes, and cause blind- 

 ness until removed. They stick so tightly that they cannot 

 be pulled out. Mix ten drops of carbolic acid and some 

 sulphur with a teaspoonful of vaseline, to make a soft 

 paste. Rub this well into the feathers and skin of the 

 head and wattles of the fowls. 



The premises must be cleaned of the fleas also. Burn 

 all litter and trash, and spray the ground, nests and houses 

 with the coal oil and crude carbolic acid preparation. 



There is another parasite that causes the disease called 

 scaly leg by boring under the skin of the feet and legs of 

 the fowls. They cause a powderous secretion which 

 enlarges the feet and legs of the fowl, giving them a 

 rough, ugly appearance. Dip the feet and legs in coal oil, 

 rubbing with the hand, and allowing it to soak well in. 



You cannot make a success of your poultry if they are 

 troubled with lice. To be a good layer, a hen must be kept 

 comfortable and happy. This is impossible if she is 

 fretted and annoyed by these pests. Imagine a flock that 

 fights head lice and body lice all day, with perhaps hen 

 fleas and scaly leg in addition, going to roost at night, to 

 be tortured by mites which swarm from the hiding places 

 and cover them. These are apt to be the conditions in a 

 dirty poultry house, where the filth is allowed to accumu- 

 late under the roosts and in the corners. The fowls, with 

 their vitality weakened and their strength sapped by these 

 parasites, take cold easily, and quickly succumb to disease. 

 They are always in poor health, although eating heartily ; 

 and the poultryman finds that while his feed bill is no less, 



