POULTRY NOTES — 1909. 81 



should be in the fluff around the vent and on the ventral side 

 of the body and in the fluff under the wings. Its efficiency, 

 which is greater than that of any. other lice powder known to 

 the writers, can be very easily demonstrated by anyone to his 

 own satisfaction. Take a bird that is covered with lice and 

 apply the powder in the manner just described. After a lapse 

 of about a minute, shake the bird, loosening its feathers with 

 the fingers at the same time, over a clean piece of paper. Dead 

 and dying lice will drop on the paper in great numbers. Any- 

 one who will try this experiment will have no further doubt of 

 the wonderful efficiency and value of this powder. 



For a spray or paint to be applied to roosting boards, nest 

 boxes or walls and floor of the hen houses the following prepa- 

 ration is used: — j parts of kerosene and i part crude carbolic 

 acid, po-pj per cent, strength. This is stirred up when used 

 and may be applied with any of the hand spray pumps or with 

 a brush. 



// po-p^ per cent, crude carbolic acid cannot be obtained cresol 

 may be substituted for it in this paint. 



The routine methods which the Station uses in handling its 

 stock with reference to the lice problem is as follows: — 



All hatching and rearing of chickens is done in incubators 

 and brooders. The growing chickens are never allowed to come 

 into any contact whatever with old hens. Therefore, when the 

 pullets are ready to go into the laying houses in the fall they 

 are free from lice. Sometime in the late summer, usually in 

 August or early in September, the laying houses are given a 

 thorough cleaning. They are first scraped, scoured and washed 

 out with water thrown on the walls and floor with as much pres- 

 sure as possible from a hose. They are then given two thor- 

 ough sprayings, with an interval of several days intervening, 

 with a solution of cresol such as is described in the next section. 

 Then the roosting boards, nests, floors and walls to a height of 

 about 5 feet are thoroughly sprayed with the lice paint (kero- 

 sene oil and crude carboUc acid described above). Finally, any 

 yearling, or older birds, whether male or female, which are to 

 be kept over for the next year's work are given two or three 

 successive dustings, at intervals of several days to a week be- 

 tween each application, with the lice powder described above, 

 before they are put into the clean houses. 



As a result of these methods the Station's poultry plant is at 

 all times of the year practically free of lice. 



