Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-11-18
Helena, Montana, Thursday, November IS, 1880
Poultry Yard Notes.

The poultry yard is an indispensable ad.
junct to the farm, and, if reasonably well
managed, will always prove q profitable in.
vestment. We have known farmers who
paid their grocery and butcher bills with the
regular returns from the sale of eggs These
two items form so Large q part of the ex-
penses on q ranch that the example is worth
imitation.
| Fowls of all kinds prefer wide range, and
are healthier than when confined to a limited
space. Turkeys arc the worst of the whole
| tribe to wander, and in thickly-settled
| region often cause trouble between neighbors
| by their rambling habits. If chickens are
| kept in narrow limits their food must be
stimulating and the yard and buildings kept
| Clean. Every beam and board, even to the
| rem0test corner of the yard, should be white
washed heavily. This makes it very un-
pleasant for the various parasites which in
fest such places. Let the whiteWash run
into every crevice and angle when applying
it. If possible, have some shrubs or fruit
trees in the poultry yard for shade and shell
ter. Stir the surface of the ground OCCASION
ally, so as to bury the germs of disease. Let
the waste of the garden, trimmings of plants,
weeds and surplus vegetables be thrown over
the fence into the poultry yard. They will
pick it over hour after hour, thus gaining
occupation, exercise and no incOnsiderable
amount of nutriment. With these precautions
poultry can be kept in small yard without
the slightest trouble '"ft' ss,..
Some-and, indeed, most persOns-feed
from the ground, scattering the food in every
direction. There is then general scramble
and futter of wings; loud, eager haste and
struggling; the food is trampled into the
dirt, and the strongest fowls get more than
their real share. Feeding troughs, protected
by Stats placed with spaces sufficient to allow
the fowls to eat, but not to trample the food,
are much the best way OF arranging the mat
ter, and will be found to cause a great saving
of food
The state Of health Of your fowls can gen.
orally be determined by the appearance of
their combs. If these are of high red, the
birds are strong, healthy and well kept. If
they are dull red, or ashy grey, or pale, the
fowls are sick. When yon observe that one
of the chickens is losing the distinct color of
its comb, separate it from the rest of the
flock and q We it extra attention. The red
color of the comb of a laying hen Is more
glowing than is that of hen which is setting
or moulting but little observation enables
one to distinguish the latter from the color
produced by disease.
The Poultry Ne,cs gives some timely notes
respecting Matching operations, which should
be concluded by the end of May, for chickens
Matched later do not do well. Watch the
little chicks closely and see that disease does
not secure foothold. Keep them sheltered
on foggy, cold or rainy mornings Do not let
them wander in wet grass or weeds, for if
chilled and damp they soon die. The acci-
dents which befall careless people in trying
to rear young chickens can mainly be avoid
ed by keeping them sheltered and warm in
sunlit hooks, with plenty of suitable food
and pure water.