The National tribune., 1889-03-28
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
TIE THREE ESSENTIALS.

THE THREE ESSENTIALS.
To make hens lay and keep fowls healthy, |
there are three essentials: Coed warm houses,
cleanliness and proper feed. All houses should
be made to face the south or southeast. They
should only be high enough to allow of person
walking in Them They should be lined with
heavy paper, to prevent drafts. There should
be good slanting roof The floors should be
about foot higher than the surface outside so
as to prevent dampness. Cleanliness is as near
goodness in the poultry business as anything
else We have our hen-roosts two feet from the
ground and broad platform under them. The
droppings at night are thus caught and the next
morning when we feed we shovel them up. We
whitewash the roosts and platforms in fact the
whole house inside We remove all droppings
from the floor. All nests are cleaned out about
once week, and Kerosene poured in them, and
new straw replaced Everything is kept clean.
Visitors comment upon the neatness, and are
surprised at the absence of the odor so peeu-
liar to lighthouses One visitor last week was
struck at the cleanliness and innocently asked
us if our fowls roasted in that building.
Proper feed means whole volume. We like
a soft feed, slightly m0istened but not sloppy. 1t
is generally composed of bran, cooked vegeta-
bles, meat, scraps ETC., just whatever comes
handy. During the day, two or three times, we
bury grain and keep them scratching until they
are ready for their roosts. We give very little
corn. Cabbage is suspended about three feet
from the ground, compelling the birds to jump
for it, We change diet several times week
lust as often as we can. Our fowls are thus
4 too ct Nd
having cracked oyster Shells bone and charcoal
constantly before them, always have good
| digestion and healthy appearance German
TOM Telegraph.
POINTERS ABOUT MATCHING.
| Our experience has demonstrated that eggs
week old when set produce the best results
Never try to help a chicken out of the shell.
| Nature has so provided that strong chicks can
| break out of their prison, and those that fail
would only be weak and never amount to any
thing. Never put cold water in the moisture
1 pans. Water at los degrees is the proper tenn
perature.
In running an incubator put in the moisture
| after the fifth day. Before that time it is not
necessary. Increase it several days before the
hatch. After the eggs begin to pip do not turn
| them. In Matching with a hen, take her off
the nest each day for Is minutes, so that she
| can feed, water and dust herself, All eggs
| should be Matched by the 21st day. Those
coming after that are apt to be weak and die.
Where does the hen gain her moisture?"
| has often been asked u.s. We can't say; but
we have an opinion that she creates it, This
is our reason: Before she leaves the nest her
body, and consequently her eggs have been
| heated up to l02 or 103 degrees. When she
| leaves her nest and dusts herself in the cool
sand or dirt she cools down that temperature.
Her eggs cool only gradually, and on returning
her body soon records the desired temperature.
| The question that presents itself in consequence
so forcibly to me is, does not this heat and cold
produce moisture? We have reasons for
| thinking so, for there must be some circum-
| stances for controlling it, inasmuch as the
shells could coald not be softened in any other
way. But we do not lay this down as fact
1t merely occurred to US as we were brooding
over the matter Perhaps some of our readers
could add further light.-ETchaHge
DocToRING SICK FOWLS.
It never pays TO doctor sick hens. The time
lost is more valuable than the fowl. As soon
as we find any droopy fowl we at once remove
it to separate quarters and try some mid
remedy. If the bird grows worse, our next
remedy is the Ratchet. For roup nothing is
better than kerosene. We give tablespoonful
| once or twice day, according 10 the severity
of the case. For canker we take "spec" slice
it about like earth worms, and sprinkle liber-
ally with cayenne pepper and force down the
"
spoonful of castor oil. So we ran through the
wholelst Of ailments. We believe in simple
remedies. If these fail, then we close opera
tions.
We believe in prevention. We admit that it
is utterly impossible to entirely prevent sick
ness, but two-thirds of the ailments are caused
by neglect Drafts of air, easily prevented IN
the henhouse, cause roup. Filthy yards and
houses bring On cholera Food thrown on the
ground often bring gapes to young chicks.
Damp quarters cause rheumatism. Sloppy or
frozen food brings on diarIhea. Too much corn
is father to Indigestion Lack OF exercise
makes droopy fowls. Want of lime makes soft
she'll eggs and want of cleanliness counts for
many troubles which might otherwise be pre-
vented.
MATING STOCK.
In mating stock use as much common sense
as possible. If you have dark Plymouth Rock
hens you want a light-colored rooster The
same in all breeds. If you are breeding merely
for table-use, it of course matters very little,
but where one takes any delight in poultry, 1t
is just as easy TO have good even color as not,
Never cross black male on acknowledged fe-
! males; they produce white-skinned broilers-an
article below par in the market, yet undOubted-
, ly the best eating. The finest meal man could
wish to have is bird produced by crossing d
} Langshau cock Ola Plymouth Rock hens. Never
cross heavy male on light hens. Reverse 1t
, the result is better layers with no discount on
, the table. Use only healthy stock Never
mate pullets aud cockerels. Two-year-Old
birds are best. Hens and cockerels produce
, good results.
-Short-legged fowls have big bodies. Wha
? is lost in the legs is gained in the body, hence
more useful for culinary purposes
, - For sweled head and sores, battle the Of
, fected parts with equal quantities of vinegar
: and warm water
1t is a very nice thing to watch duckling
in water; but it is cruel, and often results il
s their death-that is, if the bird is yet in it
down. Keep them dry.
: = Ducks lay any time between midnight anC
. next day. They should not be allowed to rur
: at large until after the latter hour, or many o
! the eggs may be lost.
I - Ducks have no crops, and consequently
! should not be fed grain or very little of it
, Soft food, comprising liberal supply of cooked
! vegetables and meat scraps, tells wonderfully
# on the egg record.
= - DO not let the chickens out in the rain o
snow. Such exposure is the cause of more case
: of roup than anything else. Have your house
,. sufficiently large to accommodate your hocl
e without crowding 20
. When we gather our eggs we mark the va
!, | riety and date on each of them. When we neet
= eggs, we use those of the oldest dates. In thi
d way we always have eggs on hand that are sci
!; dom over two weeks old.