ENEMIES 73 



use of ointments. A good ointment for this purpose 

 is made of one part (by weight) of mercury, three 

 parts of lard, and three parts of tallow, melted together and 

 mixed thoroughly while cooling. A small quantity of this 

 mixture, used about the head and vent of the fowl, usually 

 kills all the lice on its body. 



This remedy, however, will not prove effective against 

 mites. ]\Iites make their home in the cracks of the hen 

 house, in the roosts, or in the straw under the nests. They 

 suck the fowl's blood at night, and hide themselves in their 

 homes during the day. Since the pests live on filth when the 

 chickens are not present, it does no good to shut the fowls 

 out of the house for a time unless the house is thoroughly 

 cleaned. The best way to get rid of mites is to remove all 

 straw or litter and then to spray the inside of the house 

 thoroughly with equal parts of crude carbolic acid and 

 coal oil. 



It should be remembered that lice and mites weaken 

 the bird until it becomes an easy prey to all sorts of diseases. 

 Often people treat their chickens for various ailments with- 

 out ever discovering the primary causes — lice and mites. 

 Chickens that are free from these hody pests will be likely to 

 thrive better and to prove better paying propositions to their 

 owners than those that, tlirough ignorance or neglect, are 

 allowed to suffer from the parasites. 



