PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



process of slaking is completed, add enough water to make a 

 thin paste. Strain this through a fine sieve ^o remove any 

 lumps or foreign particles and then add a solution of four 

 quarts of salt in hot water. When ready to use the mixture 

 add hot water to bring it to the proper consistency. The dis- 

 infecting power is increased by adding one pint of carbolic 

 acid to five gallons of wash. It may be applied with a brush or 

 with a spray pump. 



Crude) Carbolic Acid. — A good disinfecting solution is rec- 

 ommended as follows : — Use one pint of crude carbolic acid, 

 one pound of laundry soap, and one gallon of kerosene. The 

 soap is first dissolved in a gallon of boiling water and then the 

 kerosene and carbolic acid are added. When ready to spray, 

 add water equal to the mixture. 



Creolin is a good germicide. Add a sufficient quantity, about 

 two per cent, to the amount of hot water required, and then 

 use as a spray or wash. It can be used to wash out incubators 

 and brooders. As it is more powerful than carbolic acid the 

 quantity required will be very small. 



Formalin. — This is a 40 per cent solution of formaldehyde 

 gas. A five per cent solution of formalin is used to spray the 

 interior of buildings, incubators, coops, etc. After the spray 

 is applied, the room or incubator is closed as nearly air tight as 

 possible. When incubators are disinfected they should be 

 allowed to air and dry out before putting in the eggs. This is 

 to avoid any possible injury to the. chick germs by the disin- 

 fectant. 



A good stock dip makes an efifective disinfectant. Zeno- 

 leum is one of the best. 



Parasites and Enemies 



Enemies and parasites of the farm flock are found in the 

 soil, in the air, in the water and in the food. If there is a 

 creature that has more guerrillas on its trail than a chicken I 

 have not been advised. 



Bacteria are too small to be seen by the naked eye but 

 accumulate in such vast numbers that they are a constant 

 menace to health. There are upwards of 100,000 bacteria in a 

 cubic centimeter of virgin soil; ordinary milk contains 20,000 

 to a cubic centimeter; and it is estimated that in a milligram 

 of fecal matter from a fowl there are upwards of 30,000,000 

 of these micro-organisms. This gives us some idea of the 



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