Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-05-03
POULTRY.
Meeting Of the Lancaster Poultry Ass0cia-
atlon-DiscussiOn to the Best
M0de Of Housing and
EAA6lnG Fowls.

Lancaster A00OC10s
asl0n-DiscussiOn to the Best
Feeding Fowls.
The May meeting of the Lancaster coun-
ty poultry association, was held in the
room of the agricultural society, city hall,
this morning at 1Oa O'Clock.
The following members and visitors
were present ]. B. Lichty, secretary,
city; VIM. Schoenberger, city, Frank
Griest, city; Frank r. Dittenderffer, city
c. A. Cast, city; ]. w. Bruckart, Salun-
ga; John A. Stober, Shoeneck j. B. Esh-
leman, West Hempfield; Rev. D. c. To-
bias, Lititz; John Schum, city; H. II.
Tshudy, Lititz Charles Lippold, city u.
NJ. Johnston, city Jacob B. Long, city.
President Warfel being absent ]. A.
Stober was called to the chair.
The subject for discussion was . paper
contributed to the Germantown Telegraph
by VIM. T. Smedley, wherein the writer
gives some account Of his experience in
poultry breeding. Formerly his fowls were
left to shift for themselves, roOsting ON
fences and trees or in sheds as their in
stincts prompted them, and they were al
ways healthy. Imbibing the advanced
ideas of some noted breeders, Mr.. Smealey
erected an approved chicken house, with
plenty of light, ventilation, &C., and with
the doors and windows so arranged that
the cold could be thoroughly excluded.
The new arrangement did not work we'll,
1,1c c<1,S Oh I'll
and finally an epidemic set in that carried
| so many Of them off, that he abandoned
the new chicken house and turned the
iowls out of doors, since which time his
flock has not been troubled with any dis
ease.
Rev. Tobias took issue with Mr.. Smed-
ley, and advocated the careful housing and
feeding of his stock. He thought that
Mr.. Smedley had probably crowded too
many fowls into his chicken house, and
had not paid proper respect to feeding
them. He had no doubt that poultry re-
quired the same same care as other kinds
of stock, and would improve under intelli-
gent care and attention and deteriOrate
L
than so fowls should be housed together
| and that it was advisable to have even a
less number in single chicken house.
They should be literally fed with q
variety of food, but should not have a
| superabundance. There should never be
left within their reach more food than
they could eat.
Mr.. Tshudy agreed with Mr.. Tobias. He
believed it was all nonsense to say that
comfortable housing injured them. Over
feeding hurts them more than anything
else when they are housed.
Mr.. Bruckhart said that pure bred fowls,
| were more liable to disease than the COM
mon barnyard fowls-especially so far as
| contagious and epidemic diseases are con-
| cerned. High-bred fowls, like high-bred
people, are tackled by disease much more
easily than those who are accustomed to-
scratch for a living.
Mr.. LippOld cOncurred with Mr.. Bruck-
hart. 1t was especially noticeable that while
common pigeons are rarely attacked by
disease the fancy varieties are very subject
to them. If this were not so fancy pigeons
| would be as plenty and cheap as the COM
mon varieties.
Mr.. Schum and Mr.. Long agreed sub
stantially with Mr.. Tobias favored care
full housing. great cleanliness and careful
feeding, with q variety Of food and not too
much of it.
MIR. Stober from his own experience took
a somewhat different view He had ten
pullets and two cOckerels in an open pen,
1Gx1O feet, and he kept their feeding
troughs constantly filled with feed. There
was not single case of sickness among
them; while in his flock that was running
at large and were in measure allowed to
search for their food, he lost twenty by
cholera. He fed on corn, oats, wheat and
bran.
Mr.. Lichty read from Reitzers work on
poultry an account of Mr.. Leland's method
of breeding, which was to give hi. fowls
warm and dry quarters, especially in win
ter, and in very cold weather to build
fire in the chicken house. He found smoke
much better for the determination of ver-
min than carbolic acid.
Mr.. Long asked whether the prevalence
of chicken cholera among old fowls, rem
ders the young liable to contract the dis
ease-sOme breeders holding that the dis
ease will run its course among old fowls
without affecting the young ones
Mr.. Stober had lost s4OO worth of old
fowls by cholera, but never knew young
ones to be affected by it until they had
grown to the size of pigeons. If the dis
ease was in an aggravated form, however,
he would advise the removal of the young
ones from association with the old.
Mr.. Tshudy said that chicken cholera was
no rcspecter Of age it will attack and
kill the chickens from the time they are
two days old as we'll as those five years old.
He had himself lost stock of twenty
White Cochins, of all ages, the cholera
carrying off every one of them.
Mr.. Loug proposed the following ques-
ton for discussion at next meeting
What is the proper food for large and
small chickens in warm weather % Re-
ferred for answer to Mr.. Tshudy.
On motion the secretary was directed to
have insured the coops belonging to the
company and now stored at Mr.. McGrann's
park.