The Control of External Parasites of Chickens in New York State

THE most widely used controls for chicken lice and mites were developed more than two decades ago (Bishopp and Wagner, 1931; Cleveland, 1923; Cutright, 1929). These control measures are in part fairly effective but they are by no means completely satisfactory. Experimental data on the effectiveness of certain of these conventional methods is lacking. Likewise, little is known of the efficiency of the new organic insecticides under field conditions. Nearly all the important papers deal with tests conducted in the laboratory.

This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the effectiveness of certain of the more promising synthetic organic insecticides when applied by a convenient method against natural infestations of the economically important species of chicken lice and mites. Certain of the insecticides showing promise against lice and certain of those showing promise against mites were combined in an effort to find an all-purpose material.