68 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 
soil, and placed in the front part of the house, 
so that it will be in the sunlight. The birds 
appreciate such a device, and will use it gen¬ 
erously, as this aids them in fighting off in¬ 
sects that prey upon them. 
Suitable containers for food and water should 
be provided, and kept clean. The drinking 
fountains are of various designs, and one can 
buy these very cheaply. They are usually jars 
or cans inverted, so that the water will come 
out in a small opening at the bottom, just large 
enough for the bird to stick its head in. The 
food containers, for the dry mash are generally 
of the hopper kind, having a box-like container 
with a trough at the bottom, so that the food 
falls down into the small trough by gravity as 
the birds consume it. Thus, in a good sized 
hopper, a week’s ration of mash can be put in 
the hopper without further attention. 
CHAPTER XII. 
LICE AND MITES 
While we have interior fixtures of the poultry 
house fresh in mind let us turn our attention 
briefly to the study of parasites that live on the 
