SPRAYING 
to control chicken mites 
a 1-percent or a 2.5-percent spray, use propor- 
tionately larger amounts of the wettable powder 
or emulsifiable concentrate; multiply by 2 or 
by 5.) 
NORTHERN FOWL MITE 
Northern fowl mites, which look like chicken 
mites, stay on the fowls. They congregate near 
the vent, tail, and neck, and suck blood. Feath- 
ers become soiled. Scabs often form on the 
skin of infested fowls. 
Control 
Use malathion as a dust in litter for chickens 
only. Apply a 4-percent dust at the rate of 1 
pound per 50 square feet of floor space. Re- 
peat as necessary. Apply dust uniformly with 
a hand-operated plunger duster, rotary hand 
duster, or shaker jar. 
Use undiluted sulfur (325 mesh) as a dip or 
as a dust, or paint the roosts with nicotine 
sulfate. 
For a dip mixture, use 2 ounces of sulfur to 
each gallon of water. Dissolve 1 ounce of soap 
in the water. Dip on warm days only. Wet the 
feathers to the skin. 
You can dust birds individually with sulfur, 
but application must be thorough. 
PAINTING ROOSTS 
to control chicken mites 
and northern fowl mites 
If you paint the roosts, apply nicotine sulfate 
(40-percent nicotine) half an hour before roost- 
ing time. Repeat in 2 weeks. 
SCALY-LEG MITE 
Scaly-leg mites burrow under the scales of 
the fowls’ feet and lower legs. The burrowing 
causes itching and irritation. The scales are 
pushed up from the legs, scabs or crusts form 
around them, and they are easily detached. 
If untreated, the legs and feet become dis- 
torted and some of the terminal joints of the 
feet may be lost. 
Control 
Apply crude oil to the fowls’ feet and lower 
legs with a brush or by dipping. (Kerosene is 
less effective than crude oil.) Do not get oil 
on the upper legs. One treatment is usually 
enough, but if the distorted scales have not been 
shed within a month, repeat the treatment. 
An equally effective method is to soak the feet 
in warm soapsuds until the scales are loosened, 
and then grease the lower legs and the feet with 
lard containing 15 percent of fine sulfur. 
DEPLUMING MITE 
Depluming mites burrow into the skin and 
cause an irritation at the base of the feathers. 
