Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1884-05-30
Questions Answered.
BY FANNY FIELD IN PRAIRIE rAKME.

BY FANNY FIELD IN PRAIRIE FARMER.
"Why are not chicks able to get out
OF the shells Its lining membrane
seems to be too dry and sticks to the
chick. You have gwen the reasons
the membraneous lining of the shell
dries, gets so hard and tough that the
chick can not pick its way through;
this happens because moisture evapo.
rates too rapidly from the egg. When
hens are set on the ground, evapora-
ton is slight and the egg remains in a
natural condition favorable to hatch.
ing but when set in "nicen nests in
the barn or poultry house artificial con-
ditions are introduced; the heat is
dryer and evaporation is more rapid.
To prevent this, put an inverted sod
in the bottom of the nest box, and
during the last ten days of incubation
sprinkle daily with water having the
chill taken off.
Here comes letter from a Nebras-
ka woman WHO asks lots OF questions.
She is disappointed because her hers
refuse to sit She says: ~ have
twenty hens. near y full-blooded Ply
mouths, that had no care through the
winter, hardly decent place to roost
IN. and were nearly covered with lice.
| have had house built for them, six.
teen by ten feet, with one end partl-
toned off for sitters; creased the hens
well with kerosene and lard, AMI used
carbolic acid freely about the roosts,
but they decline to sit and my hopes of
early pullets for winter layers are all
gone. The blame does not belong
to the house and the lice remedies as
you suppose. The house and care
did not get along soon enough. Ply
mouth Rocks are nor given to sitting
during cold weather, but if early pull
lets are SO managed that they will lay
during late fall and early winter they
will generally offer to sit along in Feb
ruary and March. 1t depends some
upon climate. March and April hatch
ed Plymouth pullets make good winter
layers, as know from several years.
experience.
Il have never raised chickens, but
having leisure and little capital l
would like to try if there is any money
in it, and come to you for advice.
have late start but still hope to do
something. "-Of course you can do
something's good deal, this year.
Your hens will offer to sit in time to
raise goodly number of chickens for
fall and winter market; some OF the
best pullets may be kept for late winter
layers. When the old hens begin to
moult this fall sell most of them, and
buy early-hatched pullets to take theil
places. No matter if they are not full
blood, with care they will lay well ii
winter.
My hens have the run Of the farm
, shall feed them at all this summer
| If SC, what should the feed be."-I
insect food is plenty they will pick W
t nearly their whole living; little obser
walton will enable you to decide wheth
r er or not they will need extra food
Oats and wheat screenings are tn,
, proper things to give.
. "Wollld you advise an incubator q
D Not this season, nor probably next
. After you have been successful il
+ Matching and raising the natural way
i. the time to try the incubator.
h "Will my hen-house be large enougl
il to winter fifty hens, and how man
v cocks should l keep IF the hen
!. are to be confined to the house from
e December first until the middle G
n March, the house will be too small, bu
l. if they can have the run of &. shed
IS where they can scratch and exercise,
|, house 6xIo will be large enough 70
D fifty hens to roost and lay in. Fo
!. that number of Plymouth Rocks yo
!. would need four male birds; but bette
n select dozen of the best hens, mat
e them with vigorous young cock, kee
/. separate from the others, and use the
IS eggs for Matching