The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-03-29
Suggestions to Beginners.

Suggestions to Beginners.
Having had some experience with
poultry, / thought i would give
your readers a few hints on the sub
ject which might be of value to them.
To those contemplating starting
in the poultry business let me ask,
do you have natural taste or fond
ness for chickens? that is, do you
delight in caring for and handling
them? If so,- you will succeed.
Don't give up at trifies but stick to
it and you will come out all right.
If you are merely going into the
business because you read about a
boy clearing $50 in a year with 90
hens, thinking all you have to do is
to let the hens run the business and
you count the money, my advice is
to go at something else, for in SIX
months some huckster will have all
your fowls at half value and you
will take a solemn oath to slick
the fellow who made the statement
about the boy. The statement il
all right, as it can be done easily
providing you take care of your
fowls, watch, study and supply theil
wants. One hundred fowls is
enough for one acre of ground, al
| though more can be kept if man
aged right. Select high, dry locali-
ties for your poultry houses, as
dampness brings on canker, roup
and other diseases. Instead Of
building one large, expensive house,
build several small, cheap ones; will
give plan below.
The best feed for laying hens is
wheat; corn is fattening, wheat pro-
duces eggs.
Again let me say, study and sup
ply the wants of your fowls and
they will net disappoint you. TO
day break them lot of shells, old
dishes or bones; you will be sur
prised to see how they relish such
things. Tomorrow give them 8
shovelful of ashes and charcoal;
next day (if winter time) give them
q feed Of raw cabbage, ap-
pies, onions, or turnips. Do not
settle down on any'kind of feed A
good cold-weather feed for morning
is scalded corn meal, fed warm, with
a smart sprinkling of cayenne
pepper. For supper feed good
sound wheat. Do not feed more
than they will eat. Keep them a
little hungry and active; it is better
to underfeed them than overfeed.
Always keep gravel within their
reach. Last, but not least, do not
crowd too many together, or disease
and death will be the result.
A great many ask ''what variety
and how many fowls shall l keepP'
Some people could successfully keep
10000, and then again, one old hen
would be a burden to others; all
depends on the man. 1 would adj
wise any one wishing to keep but
one variety to get Plymouth Rocks.
If more than one, Brown Leghorns
and Houdans. It is truthfully as
serted that a B. Leghorn pullet will
lay 100 eggs by the time she is one
year old; so one can see that is the
variety to keep for eggs. To new
beginners let me say, "start slowly"
If you are breeding fancy stock,
a dozen fowls will supply you with
ali the eggs needed for Matching
purposes the first year Shut each
variety by themselves the first of
March, If different varieties have
run together, do not save eggs for
Matching for three weeks. Hatch
your chickens as early as possible;
it is not only the early bird that
gets the worm, but it also does the
best in every respect. Your neigh
Dor, hearing you have some fancy
fowls, will drop in and kindly (?)
offer to trade some of his common
eggs for some of yours, so just to
get start, you know, not thinkin g
Tor caring, perhaps), that your few
fowls have cost $22 or $40, and that
it would be no advantage to you to-
trade for his cheap stock. To all
such say firmly, but kindly, "my
eggs are for sale at same prices 1
have to pay other fancy breeders
for came quality of stock" That
generally settles the question for all
time.
l give below my plan for building
cheap poultry houses, with breeding
pens large enough to keep "a fowls |
The house, Sx16, is built as follows: |
Set three posts in line facing south |
east, rising 5 feet above ground; on
top Of these, even with the outer
edge, spike 2x4 scantIing; within
xix inches of the bottom notch same
,ize scantling into the post, also
mother half way up. You now
lave one side ready for siding
Prepare other side came way, cut
ing posts Is inches shorter to make
all for roof which can be made
By laying one course of
'oards, then a layer OF tarred paper,
astened down with narrow strips.
The pens which should be 5OxI0
eet for II fowls can be made from J
efuse lumber or strips from plan
1g mill, by driving stakes about 5 1
set apart and mailing strips length {
Use, p inches apart; top of pen |
an be covered with same material, I
8 it takes less lumber to cover '
lem than to build a fence high e
nough to keep the fowls in, es- 8
ecially if they be Leghorns.-F.
in Ohio Farmer. C