A GUIDE FOR KEEPERS OF POULTRY 229 
from one fowl to another and thus a whole flock is soon 
infested. They multiply very rapidly, especially in warm 
and damp weather. A new generation matures about 
every three weeks. Two kinds of lice infest the heads of 
fowls—a small gray one, whitish in color and very small, 
and a large gray louse frequently found on the heads of 
chicks and young turkeys. 
Body lice do not live on the blood of their victims but 
they cause so much irritation that diarrhoea and death 
often follow their presence. The Iowa Experiment Sta- 
tion recommends the following lice powder which anyone 
can mix: To a mixture of 3 parts gasoline and 1 part 
crude carbolic acid add as much plaster of paris as it will 
moisten. This makes a pinkish-brown powder perfectly 
dry, having the characteristic odor of carbolic acid. Hold 
a fowl up by the legs and sift the powder down through 
the feathers and fluff, working it down to the skin. More 
than one application may be needed to kill off those which 
hatch after the first application. The second application 
should be made a week after the first. 
Sitting hens should be thoroughly dusted before eggs 
are put under them. There are many liquid lice-killers, 
made chiefly from coal-tar or gas-house wastes. A mix- 
ture of 1 gallon of kerosene and 1 pound of crude car- 
bolic acid is perfectly effective. This should be painted 
on the perches and sides of the house, using the mixture 
plentifully. Ifa sprayer is handy it is better to spray the 
mixture on the sides of the house, dropping boards and 
perches. Every inch of the surface should be touched 
by the mixture to make the work effective. 
Red mites that destroy many fowls are not true lice 
but blood-sucking spiders. They live on the blood of 
their victims and when allowed to increase without hind- 
