Pron^-al f;s Bh: 
 
 Circular No. 92/ 
 
 Unit 
 
 *i to. i-'overnme 
 
 merit of Agriculture. 
 
 NTOMOLCKiY 
 
 iltomalogUt and Chief of Bureau. 
 
 MITKS AM» IK I! ON POULTRY. 
 
 Bj Nathan Banks, Imtixtant Entomologist. 
 
 Everyone has seen hens squatting in ;i hole of dust, vigorously 
 
 retching, fluttering their wings and lifting their feathers in an 
 
 effort I- get the dust to the body. This is evidence that the hens are 
 
 infested with mites or lice, and they are using the means mosl 
 
 available to get rid of their tormentors. 
 
 Ordinarily the fowls, by this process, are able to keep the parasites 
 in check, and although there is, of course, some loss in flesh :m<l eees 
 there is no serious damage. But in the case of setting hens the mites 
 and lice increase t<> an enormous extent, -<> that the young chick issu- 
 ing from the egg i- ;it the mercy of hordes of hungry parasites. 
 S me claim that a single individual of these voracious parasites, 
 attacking the throat of a young chick, may cause death. Various 
 troubles arc attributed by expert poultry growers to the presence of 
 mites and lice, including bowel disease in summer, drowsiness, refusal 
 to eat, gradual wasting away, loss of feathers, etc. Poultry are fre- 
 quently supposed to l>e suffering from some disease when the real 
 cause of their ill health i- an excessive abundance <>f lice <>r rait 
 
 MITES 
 
 I III I lin KEN M I II . 
 
 The mite most commonly found on poultry throughout the United 
 State-, and the one 'ailed the "chicken mite." i- scientifically known 
 as !'■ R Se< fig. 1.) Et has long been known 
 
 to naturalists, and occurs on fowl- in Europe and other part- of the 
 world. 
 
 OPTION \N'i BABIT8. 
 
 It i- an elliptical, somewhat flattened mite, nearly one-twentieth 
 of an inch long, an. I plainly visible t>> the naked eye Often it i- of 
 
 "7 
 
;i pale gray color, with darker spots; but after feeding it usually be- 
 comes more or less reddish, according to the amount of blood it has 
 sucked from its host. It has eight rather -lender, tapering legs, a 
 pair of shorter feelAs.or palpi in front, and between the latter is a 
 pair of needle-like mandibles with which it secure- it- food. 
 
 The adult mother mite lays her tiny (^gg> in crack- and crevices of 
 the wood, usually where there i- some manure or other filth. The 
 mites when born are whitish in color, oval in shape, and have but -ix 
 legs. They feed largely, if not wholly, upon filth, but when older 
 attack the chickens. If a partly hatched Qgg is broken in the ne-t 
 the mites swarm and feed upon it. After the young mite- have fed 
 for a few day- they molt, or -bed their skin, and appear with eight 
 legs, looking more like their parents. Other molts occur before the 
 
 Fig. 1.— The chicken mite (2* Adult; 6, tarsus; c, 
 
 All much enlarged l from oOxirn 
 
 ~: '.' anil '. young 
 
 adult condition i- reached, the mites becoming mature in about ten 
 • lays from birth. 
 
 Darkness and dampness are favorable to the increase of the pests, 
 and plenty of sunlight and good ventilation will do much to hinder 
 them. The mites do not remain on the poultry all the time, but 
 usually only long enough to feed : they then either wander about in 
 search of another host or retire into crevices. They are mo<t active 
 at night, but when very numerous many can be found crawling about 
 by day. By some means, possibly by the sense of smell, they are 
 able to realize that a hen is near by, and within a few minute- after 
 a hen has settled upon her nest the mites will be found upon her. 
 
 The chicken mite will attack other kind- of fowls, hor-e-. and even 
 man. The mite found upon pigeons, however. i> now considered to 
 tClr. 92] 
 
be a * I i - 1 1 1 1 « - 1 species. Pigeon . therefore, do not i the chicken 
 
 mite, as was formerly supposed b) man} | pie. 
 
 The 1"-- caused l>\ the chicken mite . "i ouj ord 
 
 ing to the amount of infestation. Some writers consider this mite 
 the most serious enenij of poultry, while others think ii of secondary 
 rank. In an) case, n is a* pest of such importance a to warrant the 
 -t rictest asures of repression. 
 
 REMEDIES \ mi PBI \ I NT1VE8. 
 
 Cleanliness and sunlight are the best means of preventing an 
 abundance of mites. A chicken house can not be kept too clean. It 
 should be cleaned out even few weeks, at Least, and it is a great 
 advantage to have the nests and roosts so built that they can be 
 removed and washed in some cleansing liquid. 
 
 A treatment much in favor is thai of whitewashing the inside of 
 the house. It' this is done, about I ounces of crude carbolic acid 
 should !"• added t<> each gallon of whitewash. Like all other treat- 
 ments, this should be repeated in three or four days, to destroy tin' 
 young which have hatched since the first applicat ion. 
 
 In cleaning the henhouse it is useful also to scatter a mixture of 
 8 parts of dry air-slaked lime and 1 part of sulphur. The doors and 
 windows should be closed and the mixture thrown up to the roof till 
 the air is filled with it. It will then settle upon everything, the 
 sulphur killing many mites and the lime aiding in drying the drop- 
 pings. Setting hens need not be disturbed. 
 
 Hut the best remedy against the "chicken mite" is to spray with 
 kerosene emulsion. To make this, shave one-half pound of hard 
 soap into 1 gallon of sofl water and boil the mixture until the soap 
 i> dissolved. Then remove it to a safe distance from the fire and stir 
 into it at once, while -till hot, _ Dillon- of kerosene or coal oil. The 
 result is n thick, creamy emulsion. Dilute this stock mixture with 
 10 parts lit' soft water, and apply as a spray or with a brush, being 
 careful to work it into all cracks, crevices, and joints of the building. 
 Two or three application- on the same 'lay are necessary to obtain 
 the best results, and this treatment should be repeated in three or 
 four days to kill the young mite- which will have hatched since 
 the tir-t application. 
 
 "run! Mill- i >\ r> >i i i i:i . 
 
 Although the species mentioned, Dermanyasus aaUina Redi, i- by 
 far the most injurious, yet there are several other mite- that attack 
 poultry. The ■• itch mite '* of fowl- (Cnemidocoptes mutant Robin) is 
 the cause of •• sealy-leg." It does not. however, confine it-elf to the 
 
 [fir. !>J| 
 
legs, but often occurs on the comb and neck. The adults of this species 
 arc very small, whitish in color, and have very short- legs. They 
 burrow in the skin, causing an intense itching, and forming a crust 
 of loosened tissue above their burrows. A good remedy is to bathe 
 the infested parts in warm, soapy water, and then apply sulphur 
 ointment. Naphthaline crystals powdered and mixed with 9 parts 
 of lard also make an effective ointment. 
 
 Another closely related mite, Cnemidocoptes gallina Kailliet, is 
 sometimes found on hens. It burrows near the base of the feathers; 
 and the itching induces the hen to pluck her feathers in a vain effort 
 to stop the irritation. It is sometimes called the " depluming mite." 
 Another similar mite. Rivoltasia bifurcata Rivolta, sometimes feeds 
 on the feathers of fowls, but causes no injury. 
 
 In Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and southern California there is 
 a tick, Argas miniutus Koch (see fig. 2), which attacks hens, and in 
 those sections is a more serious menace to poultry even than the 
 " chicken .mite." The adult tick is a flattened, elliptical, reddish, or 
 
 mahogany-brown creature, about one-third of 
 an inch long. The edges of the body are 
 quite sharp, and from above one can scarcely 
 see the small and slender leg-. The surface 
 of the body is finely and irregularly rough- 
 ened or pitted. These ticks feed on the hens 
 at night and retire to the crevices of the hen- 
 house during the day. The eggs are laid in 
 these crevices, and both ticks and eggs can be 
 destroyed by spraying the inside of the house 
 with kerosene. It is useful to rest the end- of 
 the roosts upon something which the ticks can 
 not cross, as a ball of tarred cotton, or the 
 whkh infests poultry, roosts liuiv be hung by wires from above. 
 
 Greatly enlarged (original). ^ ^ ^^ rf ^ ^ . g ^ ^ ^^ 
 
 stood as yet. but there is no probability that it will spread to the 
 North. 
 
 LICE. 
 
 The various species of lice affecting poultry are more numerous 
 than the mites, but since they do not suck the blood they are Less 
 
 injurious- 
 
 THE COMMON HEN LOUSE. 
 
 DESCBI1TION AM) HABITS. 
 
 The only species found in abundance throughout the country is 
 known as Menopon pallidum Nitzsch (see fig. 3), the common "hen 
 
 [CIr. 92] 
 
louse." This is pale « 1 1 > 1 1 yellow in color, with more or less distinct 
 darker marks on each side of the body, although often after feeding 
 it is reddish or pinkish in color. The length is aboul one-twentieth 
 of an inch, the legs are six in number, and the head i- broad, rounded 
 in front, with a small antenna <>r feeler on each side. Ii is always 
 without \\ ings. 
 
 This louse is very active, and seems to wander continually over the 
 akin or among the feathers, apparent 1\ looking for something new . a - 
 any person will discover who handles a lousy hen. The eggs, or 
 '• nits,' 1 of ilii- louse are tiny, elongate, oval objects, with the smaller 
 end flattened and the larger end attached i<> the vanes and barbs of 
 the feathers. II' conditions are favorable, the young issue from the 
 
 _• in about eight days, but they may !><• kept in :i cool place for 
 Beveral month- without loss of vitality. The young louse is much 
 like the parent, having -i\ legs and a broad head, but with ;i rather 
 smaller body. It keeps close to the bodj of 
 the host, molts several times, and in the 
 course of two or three weeks, if not dis- 
 turbed, will reach maturity. Lice are not 
 provided with mandibles fitted to suck 
 blood from a hen, but they use then- short 
 toothed jaws to bite off the epidermal scales, 
 or dandruff, and the edges of the feathers. 
 The claws of the feet are sometimes verj 
 sharp, and continual pricking of the host 
 draw- blood, which is greedily eaten bj the 
 lice. This accounts for the reddish color of 
 many specimens. 
 
 Dampness, tilth, and warm weather favor 
 the increase of these lice, and a setting hen 
 in a foul nest is their paradise. At night 
 they crawl ahout on the roosts, going from 
 one fowl to another, so that one infested bird wi 
 infestation of an entire flock. 
 
 The chicken- do not suffer from loss of blood, Win from the nervous 
 exhaustion induced by the biting of their scales ami the scratching 
 and pricking from the claw-, often resulting iii -ore- or ulcerations. 
 The continual worry and loss of sleep produce debility ami bowel 
 troubles. Little chicken- are. of course, more susceptible and often 
 die from the attack-. 
 
 Unlike mite-, lice are usually confined to one kind of host, and the 
 lice on duck-, geese, and pigeons are of kind- different from those on 
 chickens. 
 
 [Ctr.92] 
 
 I - 
 
 pallidum 
 
 enlai ual). 
 
 soon cause the 
 
REMEDIES. 
 
 Many people who keep a few hens consider the infestation by lice 
 a natural state of affairs, and so long as the lice are not so excessively 
 numerous as to interfere seriously in egg production no attempts arc 
 made to exterminate them. Lice, however, arc readily killed by a 
 number of substances, although there is more or less difficulty in 
 getting at them. Hidden among the feather- or close against the 
 body the parasites arc secure against any remedy unless it be applied 
 very thoroughly. Moreover, one application is not enough. "What 
 will kill the lice may not affect the eggs or "nits.** so it is necessary 
 to repeat within a few day- any method of treatment that may be 
 used. 
 
 Carbolic acid, tobacco, sulphur, naphthaline, or any oily substance 
 will kill the lice if it touches them. 
 
 Carbolic acid must be handled with great care, for it i- a burning 
 poison. It is used mixed with lime or kerosene. To make the lime 
 mixture, stir 2 ounce- of 90 per cent carbolic acid in 1 pint of cold 
 water, sprinkle it in a half bushel of lime, and leave the lime to air 
 slake. This can be sprinkled anywhere about the henhouse, but is 
 most effective if put in the nests and mixed with the dust in the 
 "wallow." If kerosene is used, take 2 ounces of carbolic acid to 1 
 gallon of kerosene, stir it thoroughly, and paint the mixture upon the 
 roosts and nests, keeping the poultry out of the house until the mix- 
 ture is dry. 
 
 Tobacco is used as an infusion, made by pouring hot water on 
 tobacco stems. The hens are dipped into the liquid thus made. This 
 is not a pleasant method to practice, and care should be taken to pre- 
 vent the fowls from taking cold. Tobacco dust is the basis of various 
 powders which are advertised to be used against lice. Their value 
 depends largely upon the strength and frc-hness of the components. 
 They are often used successfully, although frequently they are ex- 
 pensive. 
 
 Sulphur mixed with air-slaked lime. 10 pounds of sulphur to a half 
 bushel of lime, is also often used against lice. This may be scattered 
 everywhere in the house, or mixed in the dust wallow. Sulphur can 
 also lie used in fumigation. To avoid danger from lire, the sulphur 
 or sulphur candle should be put on an old tin can or something simi- 
 lar, and this placed in the middle of a pan of wet ashes or earth. 
 Light the candle and shut the house tightly for several hours; then 
 air it well before allowing the hens to enter. 
 
 Kerosene may be used in conjunction with naphthaline. Dissolve 
 
 in kero>cne all the flake naphthaline it will take, and paint the 
 
 roosts and nests with this saturated solution every week or so for a 
 
 few months. Sawdust wet with this liquid may be placed in the 
 
 [Cir.92] 
 
nest, but should be pu( beneath the straw, so thai the eggs will not 
 rest u|m>ii it. Naphthaline is nol poisonous, however, and maj be 
 handled w ithoul danger. 
 
 try 
 
 ol II I I: l.Hl "\ POULTRY. 
 
 Chickens are subject i" the attacks of various other lice with 
 
 habits similar to t lie » — « - of the species mentioned, but mosl of them 
 
 ire not common. One, .'/• pon biseriatum 
 
 Piaget, is eery like 1 1 » « - common "hen louse, 1 
 
 Inn larger, and with a more elongate body. 
 
 Others belong t<> the genera Lipeurus (fig. 1), 
 
 Goniodes i fig. 5 1. and < roniocotes I tiu 
 
 Several of these are known as "gray sucker 
 
 lire.'" They 'In not move around a- much 
 
 a- the Menopons and hit < >ft»-n confined u> 
 
 one pari of the body. 
 Sometimes they burj 
 their heads in the scales 
 of tin' skin or close to 
 th< base nt' ;i feather 
 ami remain a long time 
 in one position. The species of Lipeurus 
 arc more slender than the common lice, 
 ami the Goniodes and Goniocotes are 
 broader, with more prominent feelers or 
 antenna?, .and with darker spots on the bor 
 ders of the body 
 \^ 'I'll.' remedies used 
 
 Tk a aira i i i — t the ■ ■ 
 
 •■ Unit In l i 
 
 henhu**1 f »"»» '"'" >'" ' 
 
 at the same time 
 destroy any of these other lice that hap 
 pen to be present. 
 
 A SURE PREVENTIVE FOR MITES AND 
 LICE. 
 
 Since lice and mites have no wings 
 and ran crawl but short distances, it is 
 evident that they are disseminated only 
 from fowl to fowl. But if an infested b 
 or rooster i- brought to the flock the parasiti — oon spread to nil the 
 birds. There i- a possibility that lice may lie carried by certain bird 
 flies, but such die- have been found so rarely on poultry that this 
 
 [I'ir 
 
 ■ 
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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 
 I I II II I I I I 
 
 8 
 
 3 1262 09216 4937 
 
 method of infestation need not be considered. It i- t here fore a Mire 
 preventive agains{ mites and lice to keep only poultry hatched in an 
 incubator and raised in a brooder. Build the hen house on a spot 
 where none has been before: never buy fowls, raise them artificially J 
 keep them away fijom other hens, and they will not be trouble,] by 
 mites and lice. 
 
 Approved: 
 
 James Wilson. 
 
 Seen tary of Agriculture. 
 Washington, I). (\. August 6, 1907. 
 
 [Cir.92] * 
 
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