The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-08-06
THE POULTRY YARD.

Fowls are fond of milk, and will col :
sumo a great deal of it if they have the
chance, and it is good for them Thickened
or "lobbard" milk is their delight, and til {
is food as well as drink.
The neglect which attends the usual
care of poultry is one great reason why So
many people find poultry Improbable
Fowls which haYe to shift for themselves
are not likely to return much money for
their owners.
Fowls should be moderately fed at first
after long journey, and with soft food.
When half starved from long abstinence
there is danger of oyer eating il allowed al
they want. Shippers of fancy fowls should
provide food for them on the passage, and
then this danger will be partially oLviated.
"A certain poultry writer says that fowls
should "never have wheat, rye or oats sown
for forage" but fails to tell why. One who
has sown good deal o. grain for this very
purpose is unable even to guess why this
practice should be condemned. Fowls are
themselves pretty good judges of what is
good for them.
"A victim of the chicken fanciers says
he set punctured eggs, half boiled eggs and
all sorts Of bad eggs at two dollars dozen.
In one instance, he got nothing from a
dozen Houdan eggs in another two mon
grels from a dozen Plymouth Rocks, and
then when they hatched-which they did
sometimes all would have impure marks.
Keep the hen house clean il you desire
your flock to be profitable and to escape all
diseases. First Of all, do not leave a pile Of
droppings to ferment and accumulate. Keep
them supplied with clean water, broken
shells, gravel, vegetables, fresh meat now
and then, and plenty Of other things which
they like. Keep them clean and well fed
and they will be healthy.
The watering arrangement for hen
house should be something which fowls can
not get in with their feet. The patent
earthen fountains are good except that they
break on very slight provocation, or freeze
up and burst in winter. A trough so guard
ed that the fowls can only reach the water
with their bills is admirable, and much the
same arrangement is useful for soft feed.
Caponizing young roosters is often very
profitable, but only experts should attempt
it. These must gain there defines first by
close observation of the fowl anatomy, then
by practicing on freshly-killed chickens,
and then by lessons from professional. An
inexperienced operator cannot safely be
tolerated. Give all such a wide berth. Ex-
perts do their work at ten cents apiece, we
believe.
For profit don't keep old fowls year af-
ter year, except for extraordinary merits.
| Some few old hens are famous mothers, and
are worth keeping sn that account some
times. But as a rule work them off in two
years or SO.
"A dozen eggs that weigh 8 pounds can
be considered good weight. We sometimes
read of such eggs, and because thers is more
"merit" in them than in ordinary eggs they
should bring more money, yet some people
say eggs are eggs"
"A Georgia rooster had call from a
hungry eagle lately, and departed with him
on an mrial trip, much to his owners
Bereavement But after three days absence
he returned on foot with only slight wounds.
The next time he sees an eagle he will
probably know him at distance.