PARASITES AND ENEMIES OF POULTRY 321 



Rats. — Rats abound in old buildings, earth or wooden 

 floors attracting them, while trash or refuse lying about 

 forms for them an ideal breeding place. In the spring and 

 summer they do considerable damage to poultry, by carrying 

 off young chicks and growing pullets. A rat does not kill 

 the chickens for the sake of eating them immediately; but 

 if a rat once gets into a brooder full of chicks he kills them all 

 on the spot before he attempts to carry any away. A family 

 of rats will usually devour considerable poultry feed. Dry 

 mash hoppers are most attractive to them, but these should 

 be so constructed that they can be closed at night. It is 

 much better to build a poultry plant so that there can be 

 no danger from rats rather than to combat them constantly 

 with poisons. If all summer poultry houses were elevated 

 on posts, or on brick or stone piers, an attractive breeding 

 place for rats would be eliminated. Permanent poultry 

 houses should be constructed on a concrete foundation with 

 a concrete floor, which is practically rat proof, and a good 

 dog trained to catch rats is the best agent to keep them out 

 of the plant. 



Weasels, Minks, and Skunks. — Weasels and minks, if 

 numerous, do considerable damage by carrying off growing, 

 and even adult birds. The best way to prevent these depre- 

 dations is to keep the house fairly near the dwelling house, 

 where they can be frequently seen by the poultry keeper. 

 Skunks delight in eating eggs. It is very common for them 

 to break up a hen which has stolen her nest in order to eat 

 the eggs under her. A gun is the best thing to use to get 

 rid of minks and weasels. Skunks can be trapped if their 

 hiding places can be found. 



Hawks and Crows. — There are two kinds of hawks — 

 chicken hawks and hen hawks. Chicken hawks are small, 

 and prey upon young chicks, not more than a few months 

 old. Hen hawks, as the name implies, are much larger, are 

 vicious by nature, and do not hesitate to carry off and kill 



