304 CARE OF LAYING HENS 



liquid in the bottom of a tight box and confine the sitting 

 hen in the box for ten or fifteen minutes. When this 

 method is used the box should be covered with a bag, 

 through which a hole is made for the hen's Jiead, to pre- 

 vent suffocation. 



For mites, apply the liquid solution with a paint brush 

 to the perches, roosts, dropping boards, and nests, and 

 spray into all the corners and cracks Of the house. One or 

 two apphcations will entirely eradicate the worst infesta- ' 

 tion of vermin. 



The hquid has also been used with splendid success in 

 painting the floors of hen houses and brooders, to eradicate 

 disease. 



Use of Lice Powder. — The powder is used on sitting 

 hens or httle chicks and will cause the hce to drop off 

 dead almost instantly. The proper method of apphcation 

 is to hold the fowl over the lap by the feet and dust the 

 powder well down through the feathers, using a tin can 

 similar to a salt shaker. The powder can be collected and 

 used repeatedly. 



Disinfectants. — Crude carbolic acid, crude creoline, or 

 other cleansing preparations constitute cheap and effective 

 disinfectants. Both of these mix readily with water in 

 any desired proportion and pass through a spray nozzle 

 without clogging. 



Wherever the hands are liable to come in contact with 

 the solution do not use stronger than 2 per cent. Where 

 the disinfectant is to be applied with a brush or spray 

 pump, a 5 to 10 per cent solution may be used. The fol- 

 lowing table for preparing solutions of a given strength 

 is sufficiently accurate to be safe and effective for all 

 ordinary purposes. 



