St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-05-26
Poultry Notes.

per cent OF CulChtllS are sdNtu lIolu
the eggs of Leghorn fowls than per
haps any others. The shell appears to
be thinner, and the chicken is less
likely to be strangled in his little pris-
on. So says pOulterer who has had
experience with three patches of over
800 eggs each this season. That the
eggs of LeghOrn fowls are larger,
whittier and therefore more attractive in
market than most others is probably
unquestiOned, but their faults appear
to be that the hens themselves are
small and not inclined to sit except at
long intervals. Robert Ross of West
| Springfield claims to have Matched So
chickens this year from seven hens.
| They were all Matched in one day,
April 9, and at last accounts were do
ing well. This beats the incubator
process, by being SO much cheaper.
| The time of "A sitting hen is not worth
as much as man-power, and then a
natural mother takes care of her little
ones better than human ingenuity can
devise. The incubator chickens, that
have to he huddled around IA coal stove
and fed several times a day with
crackers and milk, do not look quite as
smooth and healthy as their natural
cousins. Experience proves that small
broOds do the best. A large number
of chickens together at night are apt
to crowd and suffocate each other.
Some deodOrizer under hen rOOsts is
"A very important matter, both tol
health and economy. Cover the drop
pings every morning with saw-dust
road dust, dry muck, plaster, dried
clay, or anything that will act as an
absorbent, and the dangers of cholera
will he slight indeed.
The art of capOnizing roOsters does
away with the worry over the sex ot
eggs. Experts can do this work for IL
cents apiece, and capons are of more
value than hens.
The objection to oil or grease to kill
vermin on fowls is that the birds are
for long time after its application il
a very uncomfortable and untidy state
We cannot recommend such an I'M
clearly remedy. Dry dust is much
less offensive and more easily remov-
ed, and fowls, young and old, should
have constant access to it.
Fumigation of the chicken-hOuse in
spring and fall is an excellent plan, as
well as the whitewashing process
Take small furnace, or stove pot, OF
iron kettle, into which place a pound
or two of crude roll sulphur, broken
up. Close the doors and windows
during the absence of the fowls in the
forenOOn) and set the contents of the
vessel on fire in the center of the floor
Shut the house up tight and leave il
to smoke for couple of hours. This
| will finish hn annhn1ntalN fhf
the time being.
The ground within fowl runs should
be thoroughly turned up with the
spade early in the spring and during
the season after the frost has departed
The same operation should be faith
fully performed ut regular periods, af-
ter the fowls eXcrements, that accumu-
late where the birds are confined in
small enclosures, are removed.
Hens eggs are said to hatch on the
completion of the 2lst day; but where
the eggs are fresh, the sitters attentive
and the weather warm, this period is
frequently reduced by several hours
We should think the brood likely t.
turn out an Indifferent one if, when
the eggs were placed under the hen al
rOOsting time, it did not present many
Clipped eggs at least on the evening OF
the twentieth day: and the next morn
ing the majority should he out and
strohg. The chickens are constantly
heard chirruping within their prison
some hours before the least sign Ot
their beaks is visible, during which
time they are at work on their cover
ing American Poultry Yard.
There is considerable room for the
expansion of the poultry business il
this country. We have imported with
in the past three months nearly half {
million dollars worth of eggs alone
The official figures are: 1896, 246 doz
en- of eggs, valued at S465, 554. Blu
then we exported all of 1886 dozen
valued at S432l, which still place.
S46I ,233 to the credit of foreign hens
At that rate, the year round, we shell
out nearly two millions per annum fol
a commodity that almost produces it
self.
When hens lay thin -shelled eggs, a.
the nOn-sitters are apt to do, or eggs
with no shells at all, it is not enough
to feed broken bones, oysters shells
and other forms of phosphate of lime
They must have heterogeneous food, il
connection with a considerable amount
of fat. One of the best and cheapes
. foods of this kind is the common crack
lings left after pressing out lard
Without flesh or fat, both the lime anC
phosphate in good wheat screenings
though devOured with avidity, do moi
seem to be assimilated so as to increase
the thickness of the shells. but Will
them there is visible improvement il
IA day or two, and IL very decided Ont
in less than month. OF course crack
lings must he fed with moderation
else diarIhea follows, and an undue i'll
crease of urea. My experience is thai
for the Mons itters and the production
of eggs, there is no food (the fowls
having ample range) equal to one sixth
corn, one-siXth cracklings and two
thirds clean and sound wheat screen
ings, with gravel and broken burned
bones ~ libitum.-[ Country Gentle
, man.
An acre may contain six runs eacl
for p fowls. On this basis an estab
lishment can he laid out of any deSir
ed size. Only half the land should b,
occupied by fowls in any one year
the other half to be farmed in corr
, and potatoes. On this plan the fowl
can be kept in health and thrift, and ;
large part of the grain to subsist then
may be raised on the same acre DR.
Dickie in Philadelphia Press.
One of the fallacies connected will
the raising of ducks is the prevalen
idea that plenty of water is required
r There are those, however, who man
age to raise large quantities of thes'
, water fowls and do not have more wa
ter, perhaps, than Il small, shallow
, pond in the barn-yard or sOmewher,
on the premises. Some breeders ar
very successful in raising ducks witt