Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-12-07
3Egrtes1ct1teal.
SCRAPS FOR THE SOUTHERN PLANTER
By q Goochland Fas7aea:.

L.. IN the OclODef HuiUueF q the
Planter, is mistaken in his theory OF
the cause of gapes in chickens. Lice
are most assuredly not the cause, as
have had demonstrated III the last two
years. No doubt they aggravate the
disease, but they do not cause it. /
have had in my houses, which
from taste for raising fowls / super
intend myself, not so much as i louise
in lS42 Or 1913: yet in both years,
and especially in this, the gapes have
been destructive to an unusual degree.
The notion that the worm in the throat
or lungs Of The chicken, causes it TO
heave fer breath, is a vulgar efror.--
Many birds, perhaps all, have these
worms: but no other bird but the chick
en- has the actual gapes. Turkeys and
guineas have the sneezing, which is a
mllder form Of the disease.
The cause of gapes III chickens has
exercised the observation Of very ma
ny people to discover it for half cen
fury or more. When physicians sue
coed in discovering the cause Of the
hooping~cough in children, we may
hope to End out that Of gapes in chick
ems = not before. In truth the two
diseases. are extremely analogous, and
no doubt each proceeds from some
constitutional necessity, which is in
scrutable from the nature Of things.
Worms in the throat or crop, or lice On
the feathers, are symptoms, not causes.
But while we shall always be baf-
fed to discover the cause of this de-
structive epidemic or endemic, for it is
one or the other, among very valua-
Bile family of fowls, certain facts which
are well established, prove that it may
be partially prevented or partly mitiga-
led. And first, has any one seen the
gapes among their negroes chickens
! never did, although | have looked
for them, and what is more, TO my
knowledge, | never saw the person
who had. This I take it, is valua-
bic fact. l. The negroes hen houses
are always small. 3. They have, Of
course, but few hen to inhabit them
8. They are comparatively acorna, and
the chickens, young and old, are better
protected from the cold.
Some length and minuteness of ex-
perience enable me to offer the follow
ing rules to your readers, with strong
confidence that they are founded in
philosophy:
l. Have your houses small, close &
warm.
9. Restrict your hens to 6 or s.
3. If you have need to raise many
chickens, multiply your houses at diff
ferent points, but do not multiply your
fowls within any particular house.
d. Have as many trees, and as little
grass and weeds as possible, around
your houses.
s.. In the spring & early fall months,
have your novels for young chickens,
tight and impervious to wind or rain,
and frequently replenished with clean,
dry straw.
6. Keep the chickens in The novels
until the dews are off in the morning.
T. For the first week feed them up
on bread baked dry and without salt.
After that you may give them tail-ends
(as we call IT'D Oats are.frst-rye Sc
cond-wheat third-Indian corr fourth.
Perhaps Indian corn small hominy
would be as good and more generally
convenient than any.
/ annex few other general rules;
for although, Mr.. Editor, to our fellow
citizens, The Carriers, the Simpsons,
and the Harrisons, and other distin-
guishea farmers, this matter may look
excessively small, yet unquestionatly it
is important to the comfort, plenty and
economy of every family.
]. Cold feet are the prorimate, tho
not the final cause, Of the gapes and
most Of the diseases Of chickens
Keep their feet warm and you will raise
eleven out Of twelve chickens in every
brood. Our barn-door chicken is a
native Of Hindostan, where it is found
IN a wild state to this day, and conse-
qnently our climate is too harsh for her,
save in June, July, August and Sep
TENDER. To make it flourish, you
must temper the climate to its southern
constitution. In an old number Of the
Gentleman's Magazine, a partlculal
description IS given OF the method o
rearing chickens for market at a grea
establishment, for the purpose, IN Lon.
don, in which large capital was pro
htably invested. The eggs were hatch
ed by artificial heat, regulated by ths
thermometer. rs soon as thus hatch
ed, the chickens ara transferred to an