518 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



excellent absorbent, and when sprinkled under the perches and 

 mixed with the droppings, the volatile properties of the hen 

 manure are carefully preserved. They differ from wood ashes in 

 this respect, for wood ashes, though a good insecticide, contain 

 considerable lime, which liberates the ammonia in the droppings 

 and thus destroys much of their fertilizing value. 



Finely screened coal ashes make the most effective sort of a 

 dust bath for the hens. The fine dust penetrates the fowl's 

 feathers, and coming in contact with lice serves to stop the 

 breathing passages of these parasites, causing them to suffocate 

 and die. Wood ashes are even better for this purpose, because 

 the particles of dust are finer, but here again the lime is objec- 

 tionable, since it tends to take the gloss off the plumage. 



Coal ashes should be used freely on the floors of poultry build- 

 ings, for they penetrate cracks and crevices and assist in destroy- 

 ing mites and other vermin, dissipate noxious odors, and improve 

 conditions generally. Still another advantage — large quantities 

 of the cinders will be eaten by the birds as grit, and will contri- 

 bute some of the mineral nutrients. 



Road Dust. — Dust removed from a road during dry weather, 

 and which is only an annoyance to travelers, will be found bene- 

 ficial in the dust boxes also. Every poultry farm should have a 

 supply on hand for winter use, for unless dirt floors are used, 

 these artificial means of supplying the fowl's toilet requisites 

 must be provided. A dust bath is quite as essential to the well 

 being of poultry as is the soap-and-water variety to the human. 



