514 POULTRY DISEASES AND PARASITES 



man to distinguish between the difl'erent species, aside from 

 the scaly-leg mite mentioned elsewliere. The mite is a tiny, 

 spider-like parasite witli i)iercing nnjuth parts. It does not 

 live on the body of the fowl as does the louse, but goes upon 

 it from the nest or perch to gorge itself with blood. RJitcs 

 are most frequently discovered about the perches or nests 

 where they live and breed in the filth accumulating in the 

 cracks and crevices. These tiny parasites multiply rapidly, 

 once the quarters have become infested, and one should be 

 constantly on the lookout for them. When discovered, 

 the roosts and nests should be at ojice thoi'oughly sprayed 

 with kerosene containing enough crude carbolic acid to 

 give it a vei'y decided odor. This treatment should be 

 repeated again in nine or ten days if the weather is cool, 

 or in hve or six days if it is very hot. The reason for 

 the second spraying is that it is usually impossible to 

 reach with a spray, eggs that have been laid far back in 

 the cracks. It is necessary to spray the second time and 

 sometimes even a third time in order to destroy the mites 

 that hatch out from these eggs. The interval between 

 spraj'ing depends upon temperature, because the eggs 

 hatch more quickly in warm weatlier than in cool. Mites 

 are found more often in dark houses than in light ones, 

 and cutting windows in a dark house not infrequently 

 proN'es a means of preventing further infestations. 



Poisons. — There are lumierous ways in which poultry 

 pick uj) sufhcient poison aliout the farm to throw them out 

 of conflition or e^•cn cause death to considerable mnnbers. 

 Among those most frequently reported are connnon salt that 

 has been put out for li\e stock; lead and zhic poisoning, 

 which result from the birds eating paint skins which form 

 on old paint buckets; arsenic, which is the basis of many 

 rat poisons; and copper, which appears in many mixtures for 

 spraying fruit trees. Nitrate of soda used as a fertilizer 

 uvdy be picked up in sufficient quantities to cause difHculty. 

 The symptoms of the \'arious poisons differ somewhat, l)ut 

 usually include loss of appetite, unsteadiness of gait, or 

 extreme nervousness followed l>y convulsions and death. 



'I'he treatment is to first seek out and remove the cause. 

 In the case of poisons from fertilizers it will probably be 



