TREATMENT FOR BODY LICE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 132, 5 June 1937, Page 25

TREATMENT FOR BODY LICE

Those who keep fowls of the dual purpose varieties or keep their birds confined should take care to avoid infestation with body lice. These parasites live and breed on the fowl, and while they will not kill their host they certainly lower vitality and prevent the best results. Show poultry can be completely ruined by lice eating important feathers when they are quite young, a small hole in a young feather becoming a large one when that feather is mature. Many powders for dusting purposes are on the market, and some are better than others, but of all treatments that of using Black Leaf 40 is easily the best. Provided the perches are well covered by the sleeping birds and all of the flock sleep on the perches, treatment is very simple. Choose a still evening, and about an hour before dark wipe over all the perches with a damp rag. Next take your Black Leaf 40 and with a thin brush wipe a streak of undiluted Black Leaf 40 along the centre of each perch. The wiping with a damp rag prevents this rolling off. Check up after dark to see that all the birds are on the perches and during the night the liquid will vaporise with the heat from the fowls''bodies and destroy all body lice. Individual treatment consists of visiting the perches at night and smearing a few drops of Black Leaf 40 under the breast of each bird. This method is definitely more economical and more effective than the wholesale perch treatment. The Black Leaf is a poison and care should be used with it. Treatment should be repeated after another ten days or so in order to destroy lice that, will.--hatch from eggs deposited on the feathers close to the vent. These appear like little grey deposits usually on the fluffy base of vent feathers. Lice usually congregate near the vent in order to obtain moisture. Body lice must not be confused with red mite, which live in. the sheds and crawl on to the fowls at: night time also. Treatment for-these is to use some coal tar oil preparation on all woodwork near the perches and nests. ■ Active fowls on free range will usually.rid themselves of body lice by their natural instinct to dust on damp earth. . They obtain much enjoyment and exercise from this dusting habit, and intensively housed fowls should be supplied with a dust bath even if no lice exist. The earth supplied should be renewed every week in case of disease infection. If you have any pet hens reserved for. sitting purposes., and rearing special chicks, now is a good time to treat their legs for scaly leg. Mix up' about equal -parts of lard, flowers of sulphur, and kerosene, and massage- this well into v the ■ legs and feet. Repeat twice and the legs will' come clean of those unsightly scales which spreadr so easily to young chicks reared under infected hens. .. EGG-LAYINCTCONTEST ? The following are the tenth week's results in the egg-laying contest conducted at Massey College:— SINGLE PENS. Section;. A.—A. A.-'-Hoare,- No. 1 (6), 55; A. G."'Mumby;,No. 4 (5), 54; O. H. Markland,.No.'3 (5),' 51; W. Scott, No. 1 (5), 50; P. Wills, No. 2 (5), .50; J. Wilson-(6), 49; A. 'S. Harrison, No. 2 (5), 48; Miss H. Keddell, No. 3 (5), 47; O. H. Markland, No. 1 (5), 47; A. G. Mumby,'.No.,2 (5), 47; Miss H. Keddell, No. J;(5),.46; P. Wills, No.-1 (4), 46; Sunny River P.F.. No. 2 (4), 44; W. N. Laws, No. 1 (5). 43; A. J. Severn, No. 1 (4), 43; J. Reilly (5), 41; J. Mold (1), 40; J. A. Annan! (6), 39; A. J. Shailer. (0), 39; O. H. Markland, No.. 4 (6), 38; O. H. Markland, No. 2 (4), 37; A. J. Severn. No. 3 (2), 34; A. G. Mumby, No. 3 (4), 33; A. A. Hoare, No. 2 (3X, 32; P. Mummery, No. 1 (1), 32; W. Scott, No. 3 (2), 31; Sunny River P.F., No.. 3 (0), 30; J. T. Hazelwood (2), 29; Rangiuru Egg Ranch, No. 3 (5), 29; Rangiuru Egg Ranch; No. 1 (5), 28; A. G. Mumby, No. 1 (4), 27; A. S. Harrison, No. 1 (1), 26; G. W. Hawkins (5), 26; W. Scott. No. 2 (3), 26; Mrs. M. L. Douglas (4), 24; J. A. Fearce (5), 20; Miss H. Keddell, No. 2 (0), 19; G. E. Moody. (6), 19; Mrs. R. R. Cannon (1), 17; C, L. W. Urquhart "(3), 17; Whenuapai P.F. (6), 17; Ancona Stud P.F. (6), 14; Sunny River P.F., No. 1 (0), 13; Rangiuru Egg Ranch, No. 2 (0), 11; P. Mummery, No. 2 (4), 9; W. N; Laws, No. 2 (6), 8; A. J. Severn, No. 2 $4), 8; Mrs. L. Hubbard (0),-7. ' Section B.—Miss E. T. Somer, No. .1. (6), .63? Mrs. W. J. Huxtable (4), 59; Miss E. T. Somer, No. 2 (6), 56; Mrs. M. L. Douglas (6), 53; Huxtabli Bros., No. 2 (5), 53; Mrs. R. Willers (6), 53; W. A. Larsen, No. 1 (5), 52; D. E. Hopkins (5), 51; J: D: Rowlands, No. 2 (4), 50'; W. Fletcher. No. 1 (5).. 48; Mrs. W. O. Gould .(2), 47; Huxtable Bros.. No. 1 (2), 47; T. B. Holdaway (0), 46; R. Feist (4), 45; W. A. Larsen, No. 4 (5), 41; E. Jensen. No. 2 (5), 39; E. Jensen, No. 1 (3), 38; T. Dowthwaite, No. 3 (6), 29; W. Fletcher, No. 2 (4), 29; T. Dowthwaite, No. 2 (5), 24; Ancona Stud P.F. (6), 20; J. ,D. Rowlands, No. 1 (0). 15; T. Dowthwaite, No. 1 (4), 14; W. A. Larsen. No. 2 <1). 11: John Walker (1), 11; W. A. Larsen, No. 3 (4), 9; Miss E. T. Somer, No. 3 (4), 4. TEAMS RESULTS. Section C—H. A. Lucas, 51, 47, 38, 42 49, 43 (32), 270: Ancona Stud P.F., 4L 48, 40, 17, 31, 27 (22), 204; Mrs. G. E. Sewell, 6, 45, 31, 43, 34, 44 (14) 203; S. G. Batten, 46, 40, 37, 25, 19, 20 (21), 187- C. L. W. Urquhart, 46, 17, 32, 31, 17 14 (19), 157; Cotswold P.F., 35, 39, 25 22. 2, 32 (21), 155; M. Stephenson, 23, 19, 0, 44, 20. 32 (15), 138; J. T. Hazelwood, 24- 27, 11. 8, 20, 37 (13), 127 Section D.—L. G. Hooper, 50, 52, 34, 28 57, 55 (33), 276; W. A. Larsen, 51, 30! 40, 54, 48, 8 (27), 231; F. A. Dewhurst, 20, 40, 20, 37, 40, 40 (32), 197; Austral P.F.. 29, 51. 39. 7, 36, 24 (31), 186; G. A. Edge, 36. 40. 48, 25, 0, 16 (11) 165; G. A. Mitchell, 47, 9, 48, 46, G 2 (26). 158; Bliss Bros., 0, 0, 43, 0, 0, 33 (11), 76.