The Newtown bee., 1879-04-01
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
seasonabIe Poultry Notes.


 This is an important month in the poultry yard> Many hens will be set and many chickens matched this month. Good coops will be necessary for the earlier brood, and if not now on hand should be got ready at once:
 Don't give hen more than eight or nine eggs at this time of the year. She may hatch more, but will probably not raise more than from six to eight chicks unless under more than ordinary favora- ble conditions. In May hen may have dozen or fifteen eggs.
 Hens should not be allowed to disturb the sitters by laying in their nests. Broken eggs and a bad hatch will re- lated in any other way, cover her with an empty coop, basket or box, being careful to have her come off every day for feed, water, exercise and dust bath.
 If you have not given the hens plenty of broken oyster shells you should begin to do it immediately. If you want eggs you must furnish material to make the shells. Where such material is not fur nished the hens may be seen picking at scales of whitewash on the fences or buildings, instinctively trying to find what should be given them every day. When brood is matching leave them alone until all are matched. It is useless to leave the hen on the nest longer than twenty-four hours after the first chicks hatch Those that are delayed longer than that are not worth much if they do hatch, and are apt to die in a day or two. If it is thought desirable to hatch them, put them under another sitting hen and remove them as soon as matched.
 Feed for young chickens is an import ant mattcl just now. Stale bread, moist ened with sweet milk, but not wetted, is very good feed for the first few days. When the chicks are week old they may be fed on crushed wheat, or oats, or corn scalded with water or milk-milll is best. As soon as they are able to swal- low grains of wheat or cracked corn they should have as much of it as they will , induced to eat. Give only a little at a time, but give it often. Never allow sur plus feed to lie around and get sour. Give fresh water three or four times a day.
 Our preference is for light Brahmas :: First, because they answer all purposes | for which fowls are kept. Second, n 1 four-foot picket or lath fence keeps them 1 from your neighbor's yards, garden and | choice over beds; from your own front yards and other places where poultry are not wanted Third, they lay in winter during cold weather, when eggs are scarce and high in price, bringing at least five cents a dozen more than eggs from the smaller breeds, and are the first picked out in market. Fourth, at three months old they make good broilcrs, being hardy, can be raised early in spring, when prices are high; their skin being yellow, looks better dressed than the Dale-fieshed Ones Fifth, all the nice marked ones command q ready sale among fanciers, single bird bringing more than three or four pairs of common fowls It has been said they are invet- crate sctter.s I wish they were, so as to raise early birds; the trouble is they keep laying too late in the season before want ing to set, and some lay all summer long, showing no inclination to broodiness. and when they do, are easily broken up by penning up a few days. Often when raising brood of chicks, the old hen be- gins laying when the little ones are no larger than robins- Cincinnati Times Useful Hints.