Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-07-14

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Almost every family, however poor;
bava or can have Its own chickens
EGGS. And the following hints will prove
useful to all such Of your readers as WISH
to raise chickens successfully:
HEN HoUsE-Your hen-house should
he roomv. say 16 feet long, 10 feet vide,
10 feet high. where it leans against a sta
bic. barn or wagon shed, and seven Ieet
biob ~ the lower side. And its front
face-which should face the south
should have glazed windows on hinges
to let the suns warmth and hght IN n
winter, and for the admission OF Aresn
air n summer. The hen-house may, IL
desirable. be built at the end OF the hog-
pen, or over 1t.
RoosTTNG PLACE.-The roostlng place
Of vour hens should consist of a ladder
like frame, (whose Stats are about elgh77
teen inches apart that can be leaned
against the rear of the house at any de-
sired inclination. As the hens IN roost-
ing. always occupy the highest places nrst;
This will bring them close together, and
Eaen them warm in winter. And in sum-
mer this ladder may be raised up to a lev,
eI. 90 as to keep them farther apart and
cooler then. The floor should be made
of stone. sand, and lime, concerted or
cemented together so as to form a hard
and drv floor. and keep out rats. A few
shovelfuls of dry pulverized clay sprink-
led over this floor every week or two,
will absorb all the moisture of the hen
dung or dropping, and SO keep the house
free from bad odor.
breeding your chickens from the same
fowls, or from fowls closely allied to each
other. For this viii invariably produce
a small. delicate and improbable stock,
while oross-breeding of choice different
kinds of poultry will just as certainly
yield you a large, strong, healthy and very
profitable supply of hem and ROSTERS.
EGG NEsTS.-The butter or lard boxes
or tubs, proeurable at any grocery, put on
shelves raised two or three feet above the
floor, at the rear end or sides of the hen
house, make the best laying nests, as
their well soaked g~reasiness will keep the
hen-lice entirely away, as no hen-louse
can live on or In grease, And hence 1t
would, for the same reason, be well to
give the entire roosting ladder al occa-
sional greasing. And the boxes afore-
said should be frequently eleansed and
supplied with fresh straw or hay.
YOUNG CHICKENs.-As the earliest
Matched chickens, provided they have a
dry, warm and sun exposed house or coop,
free from lice, generally do the best; the
hens should be set to Matching about the
middle of February or the first Of March,
but have fewer eggs han common, SO
they may cover them well and keep them
equally warm. And the yovng chicks
should be kept Of the cold ground and
cut Of the wet, and in a dry, warm place
and fed with warm food, until they are
old and strong enough to do without
warm food. IF a setting hen looks pale
about the head, it is a sure sign that she
Is lousy. To remedy this evil clean out
her nest-Wash her eggs in warm water
3 and grease her under her wings and on
her breast and belly, and put her back
again, and feed her well, and she will
soon improve and do well.
EGGs IN WINTER.-To make your hens
lay-e0gs In winter, they must have a clean,
dry and warm house, and be fed on scraps
of flesh or unsalted meat, fat, finely pow
dered bones, oyster shells and refuse
lime, green cabbage leaves, &c, and have
n proper supply of pure and unfrozen
water to drink. Hot Indian corn, buck
wheat and oatmeal, contain a large
amount of heat-producing qualities, and
so form the best winter food for laying
hens
GAPEs IN CHIoKENs.-Holding gapy
chickens in or over tobacco smoke until
they have inhaled smoke enough to make
them sneeze two or three times, is said to
be an infalIible cure for this disease.
SUNFLoWER SEED.-Chiekens are very
fond of sun1oWer seeds, which not only
fatten them very quickly, but make their
flesh very tender, juicy and fine favored.
And so it will be we'll for you to plant
sunfowers in some corner of your grounds
for this purpose.-Cor. of Dollar Neaos-
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