January 1, 1908 
The Poultry Yard. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
aa - mS 
Sacmisnaae 
For explanation of points see previous issues. 
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Diseases of Fowls, 
Every living thing has its own particu- 
lar vermin, both internal and external, 
and possibly poultry, of all ereatures 
have the greatest number and variety. It 
is claimed by some writers that a few 
yermin on ordinary healthy fowls in no way 
affects their health it being when such 
multiply exceedingly that- they do harm 
and when such time arrives it most fre- 
quently happens the hostif a chicken,has 
become so emaciated from their effects 
that the application of remedial measures 
but hasten death, again showing that par- 
asitic troudles are just like diseases— 
prevention, in every instance, is better 
than cure, i. e., clean fowls can be easily 
kept clean, while the internal and exter- 
nal parasites, when but few can be easily 
exterminated. 
Some scientists tell us that external 
yermin on domesticated fowls reach up- 
wards of a score of varieties, others about 
half that number. Some make two groups 
of them, lice and mites; the definition of 
others is lice, mites, ticks, and fleas,and 
and for the purpose of this article such 
definition is sufficient, f 
All lice are what is known as pennivor- 
ous that is living on the feathers and 
outer scales of the skin, but not punctur- 
ing the integument in search of their 
natural food, the damage they do is there- 
fore, not nearly so severe as is the case 
with the blood suckers. 
Some of the parasitei—all lice and 
some mites—live permanently on their 
hosts, while others—fleas, some mites, 
and ticks—go to and fro. Some live 
entirely upon the skin, deep amongst and 
at the root of the feathers, some live like 
ticks with their heads against the skin, and 
their bodies erect, while another sort live 
between the barbs of the feathers, and all 
are encouraged to live by dirt. The flea 
is abundant in dirty fowl runs, particu- 
larly those of a sandy nature and in filthy 
nests, they are devoid of wings. and pro- 
vided with sharp, piercing mouths and go 
only on their hosts to feed. 
These parasitic infestations of poultry 
cause far more loss than breeders imagine, 
from the fact that when fowls are kept in: 
large numbers, the owners rarely examine 
them by handling, and the cause of their 
lack of thriving and poor condition is rarely 
considered or ascertained. . The evil is 
thus allowed to spread unmolested, general 
unhelthy conditions resulting. Parasites 
of one or two sorts are most injurious to- - 
young chickens and broody hens, and are 
the frequent cause'of a hen abondoning 
her eggs, and the failure to bring out 
15 
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: ’ chickens is frequently due to the irritation 
caused by these pests, while it is nothing 
for broody hens to die on their nests 
through being robbed of their blood, and 
even when death does not result, the con- 
_ stitution is frequently so weakned as to 
cause predisposition to other . diseases. 
_ The external lice of fowls are entirely dif- 
ferent from those fouad on the turkey,the 
guinea-fowl. or aquatic birds, and any one 
of the varieties peculiar to one bird will 
not live on the other, and all are distin- 
guished from the mites by having six legs _ 
the mites having eight, the junior ones 
however of the later manage to hobble 
along on six legs, a pair of hind ones de- 
veloping later in life Different species 
of the vermin are partial to particular 
parts of the bird’s body the favourite parts 
being the rump, around the vent, and 
under the wings, whfle a destructive var- 
iety sometimes called ticks, are frequently 
found on the heads and necks of chickens 
a few hours after hatching. 
While several varieties of lice live almost 
permanently on particular places of the 
fowl’s body, there are one or two sorts of 
a wandering nature, and visit all parts 
alike, but are found more abundantly on 
the skin of the abdomen and amongst the 
fluffy feathers there. 
‘They occasionally leave one fowl] for - 
another, can be found on the roosts at 
night, and have even been seen on the 
walls of badly infested poultry buildings 
and occasionally attach themselves to the 
person who may handle the fowls. Lice 
are by some supposed to suck the blood 
of their victims. This however, they do 
not do, but bite and chew the feathers 
and scales of the skin. They cause violent 
itching by biting, and must produce severe 
pain to the fowls when they are numerous, 
Anyone searching a fowl’s hackle, prior 
to moulting, they will usually see small 
notches eaten out of the feathers, and 
frequently a large number of the hackle 
feathers have been eaten off close to the 
skin, all of which has been done by the 
lice during the period from the fowl’s last 
moult, 
Allthe lice breed rapidly, the eggs 
being laid upon the down of the feathers 
and they are said to hatch out in from 
eight to ten days, and immediately begin 
to crawl about and harsss the birds. These 
and other external parasites are usually 
found in dark, dirty, and_ ill-ventilated 
houses, damp also contributes to their 
propagation and flourish best on unhealthy 
fowls Every adult fowl is more or less. 
lousy, some poultrymen say they keep 
their fowls free from tnem, This, no 
doubt is true,:but this freedom is not so 
absolutely, as some of the vermin are so 
very small as to escape detection. Atthe 
same time, when they are kept in check 
to a moderate extent lice are not of such 
danger as the other external pests, and 
when the fowls are healthy, kept in clean 
houses and runs, and supplied with a dust 
bath, they will keep themselves compara- 
tively free, and should under these con- 
