The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-03-14
KEEPING POULTRY FOR PROFIT.

nave luIt l'u'lti ItN III Gull
start in thepoultry business on a cheap
plan, and now will tell him how to
manage afterward. In picking out his
flock to start with let him choose as
many good Dominique puIlets as he
can, and then get Brahma cocks to
put with them, for think the cross
bred while Young are better for the
table than pure Brahmas-there will
be more meat, but not so big frame
of bones, and the pullets he would keep
would he hard to beat as layers. In
setting the hens, try and manage to
set two at once. each on frcm thirteen
to fifteen eggs, and when they hatch
give the chicks to one hen, and shut
the other up for day or two. Get
stout string four or five feet long: tie
one end into a piece Of leather just
long enough to 20 around the leg, and
fastcn the string to a small peg driven
almost even with the ground, so that
the hen cannot wind the string up on
it. Then place a box or barrel Just
near enough so that the hen can 90 in
at night and put a piece Of board
about two feet long by the box, to feed
the chickens on while YOU feed them
meal.
| always feed them Indian meal, wet
up as | need it-not waiting for it to
sour, as some recommend. | wet it
with water, and sometimes with butter
milk, if have it, which is very good
feed them the meal for four or five
days, and then, if | can get wheat
screenings, mix them together, wet and
fed them, or get buckwheat and feed
them part of the time | never feed
them at one time all they can eat
only what they will pick up clean.
Be sure and keep water by them, and
in the long hot days renew it twice a
day Managed this way, | have never
been troubled much with the gapes
Keep the hen tied up about two weeks
then let her range with her brood.
Feed her by her box, and let her roost
there nights, until the chickens are
about six weeks old then after dark
take the box with chickens into the hen
house for two or three nights, after
which the box may be put away or
used for another hen, and the hen will
cali the chickens to roOst the next
night herself The reason | tie with
sring is, the hen can see and warn her
brood from the approach of cats, or
what gives me the most trouble hen
hawks and it is better for both brood
and hen than to be shut in coop.
From the lst Of April until the lst
of August would turn every egg into
a chicken that | could; for there is
more money to be made raising chickens
from a number of hens than to keep
them for their eggs. | had one hen
this season four years old (Which is
one year too old to keep that laid her
eggs in nest alone, each litter that
she laid. Beginning the lst Of April
to keep account, she laid % eggs and
then wanted to sit ! set her on Is Of
her own eggs, of which she brought out
/ II and raised H. She left them when
about six weeks old, and then laid 81
eggs | set her on Is again, and she
brought out 10 and raised s, and left
! them when about six weeks old She
| then laid 10 eggs up 10 the LIST Of Octo-
Der. part of her chickens where sold
as soon as big enough to bring 80 cents
apiece, and calling the whole worth 80
cents each, would bring in 50 30
After let her loose with her chicks,
! she did not come to get feed much more
/ than half the time, so that the whole
cost of their feed think was less than
81. when raising for market, | always
sell as soon as the chickens are big
enough to bring 80 cents apiece or
more, if early in Spring--that is,
keep picking out the largest ones from
the flock Managed as | have done, |
think, to buy the feed, that / can raise
| 100 chickens at cost of not more than
80.
| have found that the White Sweet
Swcde turnip is good for big chickens
cooked and then mashed and mixed
with about an equal amount Of corn
meal. Mix in so that it viii he as
near dry rs you can. The same when
you mix potato mash-mix it too
thick to pour. Potatoes cooked and
mixed with corn meal think cannot
be beaten to feed tolaying hens. | can
get more eggs while feeding that than
anything else | ever tried | have
great faith in feeding cooked food to
poultry and swine.