CHAPTER XV 
PARASITES AND DISEASES OF POULTRY 
ANY poor egg records and unthrifty and 
M unprofitable flocks in the hands of begin- 
ners can be explained by the presence of 
lice and mites on the fowls. Fowls are scarcely 
ever wholly free from vermin, and while in small 
The Parasites numbers they do little damage, they 
of Poultry are rapid multipliers, and unless their 
multiplication is periodically checked they will be- 
come so numerous that in a short time they are 
liable to get the poultry keeper into serious straits. 
A man may start in the poultry business with 
everything new and clean, but it is only a short 
time until the pests are there. Much needless 
trouble is often caused to beginners by vermin, 
because they cannot find any lice, or at least not 
enough to lead them to believe there is anything 
important at stake. The beginner should remem- 
ber that every adult fowl is more or less lousy, and 
should not flatter himself that his fowls are free 
from them. It is a good rule to treat every fowl 
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