The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-04-06
Breeding Poultry.

DTotuiuS TVuttTy.
A correspondent of the Marysville
Appeal is contributing a series of articles
to that journal upon the raising and the
care of poultry. We quote from, his notes
as follows:
There are but few secrets in breeding
fowls, and the most important one is that
of properly mating in order to produce
good stock. What is desired is good,
healthy fowls that will mature quickly,
and produce a large number of eggs.
These qualities can be obtained only by
judicious mating and proper breeding.
Select from among your hens the larg-
est, brightest and best formed ones, with
broad breast, short OF medium legs and
plump body, and have them as near of a
style and color as possible-the nearer
the better-and about two years old.
Then select in the same way young
cock, about one year old. Say about IL
hens to one cock-or less if not so many
are required. Put them in q yard or a
pen by themselves, where no other fowls
can get to them, and in one week the
eggs will be good to save for Matching.
These fowls should be bright, vigorous
and healthy, and entirely free from ver-
min, and if possible the cock should be
of different strain from the hens-in
any event not nearly related to each
other. The eggs from fowls mated in
this way will always produce good,
vigorous, healthy chickens that will, if
properly cared for, mature quickly and
be valuable; on the contrary, if eggs are
gathered promiscuously from a flock of
hens of all ages, sizes and conditions,
and where there are half dozen cocks
of as many kinds, you will find poor re-
suits and disappointment almost invari-
ably. In any event your fowls should
be mated to the best advantage You can
secure, and kept in pen or yard by
themselves while producing eggs for
breeding, as it will always pay you to
do SO, and the trouble is but little. In
case you are situated so you cannot do
this, it will pay you to buy your eggs
for Matching from some one who does
keep fowls so mated. Now then, we
will suppose that we have got some good
eggs for Matching, and we must prepare
for their incubation. First we take q
good-sized nest box, and either white
wash it inside and out or paint it thor
oughly with coal oil; then fill half full Of
clean straw or excelsior, and with our
hands form nice comfortable nest; then
sprinkle handful of sulphur over it.;
take colored pencil and mark each egg,
place them in the nest, and get your
hen; then thoroughly dust her with fine
sulphur, carbolic powder, or Persian in
sect powder, the latter being best. This
will keep her free from lice, Snd she will
stick to the nest. The hen will do better
if kept in secluded place, or room, sep
arate from the laying hens. After the
hen is thus provided for, you can de-
pend on finding some pretty little pets
on the twenty first day, as all the fertile
eggs will hatch on or before that time.
But do not hurry to take them from the
nest, as they should remain twenty-four
hours after coming out of the shell be-
fore removing or feeding. Nature has
so provided that there is always nutri-
ment in the shell, which is absorbed by
the chick to last fully that long. Then
by waiting they get stronger and can get
around with less danger of being trod-
den to death. When the hen and chick.
ems are taken away from the nest the hen
should be examined for lice, and if any
are found take Persian insect powder, or
carbolic powder, and dust her again
thoroughly. Hold by the legs, head
down, and rub the powder under the
feathers to the skin. Don't use sulphur,
as it gets in the young chicks eyes and
makes them blind. Now that you have
got them in coop or place that you can
feed them away from the flock of grown
fowls, get hard-boiled egg and chop
fine with knife, and feed them. and re-
peat this for two or three days. Then
give them dry bresd crumbs, cord bread
or boiled rice-only little at time, but
often--for one week; then give cracked
wheat and cracked corn occasionally, and
SO on, and changing the food from day
to day, in two weeks they will eat whole
wheat, Egyptian corn, etc. Never feed
young chicks on wet scalded meal or
-four of any kind. Always give the food
dry, or nearly SO.
WHY A TRUTHFUL MAN Sold HIS
HONEST HoRsE.-People's ideas of mo-