SPRAYING ROOSTS 



to control chicken mites 



DUSTING 



to control northern fowl mites 



Control 



Make a dip containing 2 ounces of sulfur (325 

 mesh) and 1 ounce of soap per gallon of water. 

 Dip birds long enough to wet the feathers to the 

 skin. Dip on warm days only. Repeat after 3 

 or 4 weeks if necessary. 



CHIGGERS 



Chiggers that attack poultry are the same 

 tiny red mites that attack man. They attach 

 themselves to the skin of poultry in clusters 

 under the wings and on the back and neck. In- 

 jury is most severe among young fowls. 



Infested fowls become droopy and emaciated, 

 and refuse to eat. Abscesses and extensive 

 areas of inflammation are common. Many birds 

 die. 



Control 



Rub one of the following substances on in- 

 fested fowls to kill the chiggers : Sulfur oint- 

 ment, kerosene, lard, mineral oil, or vaseline. 



Use a good disinfectant, such as a 4-percent 

 carbolic acid solution, on areas that contain pus. 



If there is no practical way to keep poultry 

 out of places where chiggers are likely to be — 

 such as meadows, patches of weeds or berries, 

 orchards, and woodland — spray or dust the 



places with toxaphene, chlordane, or lindane. 

 Remove fowls and livestock from the area to be 

 treated. Keep them out of the area at least 2 

 days after completing the treatment; confine 

 fowls in the poultry house and animals in barn- 

 yards if necessary. 



SPRAYING 



Apply toxaphene or chlordane at the rate of 2 

 pounds per acre, or lindane at the rate of Vi 

 pound per acre. To prepare a spray, mix an 

 emulsifiable concentrate or wettable powder 

 with water. The amount of concentrate or 

 powder that you must use to obtain the required 

 dosage depends on the percentage of actual in- 

 secticide in the product you buy. A chart on 

 the next page shows the percentages most com- 

 monly found in retail products and, for each 

 product, the amount needed in a spray mixture 

 prepared for treating 1 acre or for treating 1,000 

 square feet. 



The amount of water needed depends on the 

 density of the vegetation to be treated, ranging 

 from 25 gallons per acre (for sparse vegetation) 

 to 50 gallons per acre. From '/o to 1 gallon is 

 needed to treat 1,000 square feet. 



Spray treatments will usually prevent rein- 

 festation for 4 weeks or longer. 



Use a cylindrical compressed-air sprayer or a 

 knapsack sprayer for treating small areas. 

 Power sprayers are desirable for treating large 

 areas. 



