Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-11-06
FACTS FOR THE FARMER.
A CARELESSLY HANDLED FARM
INDUSTRY.
Raising Chickens II Usually Wholly Left to the
Judgment Of the Hen-CaFe Is Needed to
Insure Success - Household
Suggestions.
Matching and Care of Chickens.

Hatching and Care of Chickens.
Fannie Cassiday Duncan. in Ameri-
can Agriculturist, says a frst-class
chicken is the result OF careful selec-
ton. Its parents have been thought
fully chosen. suitably housed. wisely
fed and daily exercised. This all goes
to make favorable heritage for the
young chick; for the fine bird is pro-
duced in the egg, not in the raising.
Eggs for setting should not be over
two or three weeks old. Fresh eggs
not only hatch sooner than old ones.
out produce stronger chicks. I have
a large shelf nailed up in the COW
house adjoining the hennery which is
pierced with round holes. into which
are put the eggs for incubation. large
md downward. This is directly con-
trary to the usual custom. but l find
that to place the small end downward
causes the ''air-bubble" to spread, de-
tachiug it from its membranous lining,
and SO losing much of vitality to the
egg. The warm air of the stable,
moist with the breath of COWS. is better
for the egg than the dry air OF the
house. The sitter's nest. too. is safer
in situation not too dry. as dryness
and heat harden the viscid fluid of the
egg. often causing the loss of the chick.
Nests with sliding bottoms are best.
Into these put plenty OF clean straw.
we'll sprinkled with -four of sulphur,
being careful that the nest is not too
concave. Set only moderate number
OF eggs, especially for very early
broods. as the outside eggs are apt to
get chilled in the inclemment weather
OF early spring. and since the good hen
turns her eggs every day. each egg is
liable to become an outside one.
The young chicks usually break the
shell in twenty-one days. though cold
weather. stale eggs. the condition
OF the mother, and other circumstances
may cause - variation. For the first
twenty-four hours the chicks do not
require any food; and they do actually
DETER without it. After that, for
about two or three weeks, hard boiled
sggs, chopped fine, with oatmeal and
bread crumbs are given. During this
time food should be given very liber-
ally--five or six times day-giving no
moro at each feeding than they will
eat up clean. Very young chicks can
not consume food enough at single
meal to last for several hours, as their
crops are small and their growth is
rapid. After they are three weeks old
they may be fed different varieties of
food; it pays to give cracked wheat. or
rice, bread crumbs, cabbage chopped
tine, meat, raw or cooked, and meal
wet with milk. AS the chickens con-
tinue to grow, more and coarser food
should be given. The more rapidly
they grow the moro bone-making ma
terial there shonld be given them.
Broken oyster shells answer the pur-
pose as we'll as anything.
An infiexible rule on our place is to
kill all chickens that show decided
want OF vitality. It is the poorest
economy of time and patience to at
tempt to coddle weak or sickly chick
ems. Ii the illness is temporary, the
fowl is kept separate few DAYS. II
not, of goes its head, and the garbage
box is its tomb. In this way the fowls
that are kept are the healthiest and
strongest Out of these again are
selected the best specimens for the
winter. The rest are killed and eaten.
The chicken farm has been in exist
ence for five years. and in that time
there has been no epidemic of any
Kind among young or old. no roup,
cholera. paralysis. or other chicken
disease. A hen is never kept after
the second seasons laying.
Why Butter Does Not Keen,
In reply to letter from a cor
respondent the American Agriculture
list gives advice to prevent butter from
fading and losing its quality. but as it
was not informed how the milk was
set, tho cream cared for how long the
cream remains unchurned, etc., its
answer cannot be very definite.
1t cannot be the feed. as butter color
Is used; 40 the butter fading must be
looked for elsewhere. II the butter ia
packed in small crooks. the glazing Of