The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-02-14
Winter Treatment Of Poultry.


sary that they should be supplied with
all the requirements of food, egg-shell
matter. cleanliness and care, to keep
them in a high state of health and con-
dition. Good feeding is all that is re-
quired by nature for egg-producing.
This substance is better supplied by
giving them sound, sweet food liberal
ly, than by any artificial condiment or
preparation sold for the purpose. The
high price of such preparations, how
ever good they may be, puts them be-
yond reach of the farmer to get prof
table return for the outlay. A triie
invested in few simple things, such as
pepper, pulverized charcoal, sulphur
and cayenne, answers all the purposes
of keeping the birds in health. Even
these should be used sparingly once or
twice week. When fowl is found to
be ailing, it must be separated from the
others and treated with proper medi-
cines for the disease. Such are now
pretty well understood by practical
breeders and poultry keepers.
Some years ago, hardly anything
could be done for a sick fowl; but care
and patience have found antidotes even
for the most stubborn diseases, which,
if taken before the bird sinks too
low, will generally effect cure.
A farmer, however, cannot afford
to spend much time on a hen,
though valuable fowls are worth the
trouble. Yet, when he finds any APP
pearance- of disease in his flock, he
must make an effort to stop it at once,
and not, as many will insist upon,
leave them to their fate. In most cases,
the spread of disease is easily prevent
ed, if taken in time. After removing
the diseased ones, little sulphur and
cayenne mixed in their soft food, tea
spoonful of sulphur and half as much
of cayenne to four quarts of food given
for two or three days, will generally ar
rest an ordinary trouble. The sulphur
should be stopped, but the cayenne may
be continued to be given as the birds
recover. Indeed, it may be given to
advantage once or twice week all
through the winter. Iron is a great
tonic for ailing fowls, when first noticed
to be out of condition. 1t is generally
used in a simple preparation known as
Douglas Mixture" 1t is sulphate of
iron Common copperas), eight ounces,
and sulphuric acid one-half fluid ounce.
These, put in bottle with a gallon of
soft or rain-water, are ready for use as
soon as the iron is dissolved. All keep
ers of poultry should have this and
other medicines on hand before any
sickness is discovered, so that no delay
occurs when promptness is required.
Of special diseases l shall treat here
after. have in former articles spoken
of disinfecting the house and the neces-
sity for the dust-bath, and of a supply
of bone and oyster-shell.
The food should consist more of other
grains than of corn. Although all
kinds of poultry seem to prefer corn to
other grain, yet corn has been proved
by great many poultry-men to be in
ferior as an egg producer to wheat,
barley, ETC., and occasionally to buck
wheat and oats. Corn may be given
sparingly with advantage, but corn
alone makes hens too fat and lazy. So
fed they lack animation and vigor, es-
pecially the Asiatic breeds, which are
more prone than other strains to this
fairness that seems to border on disease.
Their intestines become encased in one
mass of fat, and to stint fowls to any
given quantity of food, especially when
confined, is quite impracticable. Soft
food given once day in winter is very
beneficial, particularly during spells of
severe weather. 1t promotes laying.
1t should consist of ground grain, as
corn, buckwheat, barley, wheat or oat-
meal, varied at times with some vege-
table and animal food. make up
mine by boiling lot of potatoes or
turnips, pouring the hot water Tin
which they were boiled) upon some
meal in another vessel, with ground
beef scraps added twice week and a
little cayenne. Make this into stiff
paste. Mash the vegetables and add
meal enough to make this also into a
stiff mass. Mix them together and feed
when just warm. Most breeders recon-
mend this to be done for their morning
meal, but this will often keep the stock
waiting hungry too long. Have light
grain for them always, early every
morning, and feed with the soft food by
noon, if not sooner, and all the grain
they will eat for evening meal. Cor.
RurGl Nes0 Yorker.