The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-11
Poultry-Kesp!ny in the South.

Articles on the advantages of poultry
keeping are very common, says Mamie
Cabel. of Virginia, in the american Agri-
cnLturiSt, but we rarely see any that speak
of the value of the fertilizer secured by
keeping them, which is by no means of the
least benefits we get from our hen-houses.
1t Is regarded as superior to guano for gar
dens, and it certainly is far cheaper. Hen
house manure has no seeds in it and that is
q great advantage over all other kinds of
homemade nanures. When the hen house
does not leak and the floor is on the ground
it can be obtained in nice order for putting
on plants and flowers by scraping it up
every day or so.
The poultry-house need not be cleaned out
oftener than once in six weeks provided that
dry clay, swamp muck, or dry land plaster
is plentifully sprinkled on the droppings
every two or three days, to absorb the in
furious gases. never feed my chickens on
the damp ground, but in clean feed-troughs,
SO arranged as to be perfectly accessible TO
10 their bills, but impossible for them to get
into with their feet. They have daily,
finely powdered charcoal and constant
supply of pure water. l have never had
healthier chickens than for the past year,
though formerly every May and June lost
large proportion of my grown and
young chickens with cholera. l find that
charcoal is a great help to keeping them in
II healthy condition. but l do not think it
cures cholera. | have made much more
from poultry than writers ordinarily esti-
mate, generally clearing $40 or SD during
the year, besides having chickens for the
table and using the eggs needed about
housekeeping in moderate sized family. l
buy all my feed, too, and have very little
| range for them, no grass or clover lots to
| run on. and any one knows what a help
| grass and clover are toward feeding them.
feed almost entirely with wheat screen
| ings and find them the best of food. My
| fowls keep in fine condition and lay
steadily That, too, in my section is the
cheapest food as get it from mill near
by at 20 cents per bushel. do not keep
more than sixty or seventy hens and find
| these plenty to give me employment, some
J profit, ard great help to the table, and
| there is also great pleasure, particularly
when the downy, pretty little chicks are
first Matched. Then it is so interesting to see
their growth. Every one knows what a
worry it is in feeding young chickens to
| have the grown fowls rushing in and snatch
ing the food from them aud knocking them
over. To prevent all this have a small yard
with the palings only far enough apart tc
permit only balf-grown chickens to slip
through; have gate to your yard, so you
can always feed young chickens in this yard
| keep water in pans or troughs always. This
yard protects them from dogs, hogs, or any
J other animal that may chance about, and
4 having once tried this plan l am sure you
| will never be without one. For the small
chickens. have feeding coop in this yard
with the stats so close together that only the
| little chicks can get in, otherwise the larger
| chickens will soon crowd out the poor little
creatures and they will not get enough tc
eat. Ny experience is, that it is most i'm
| portant to give them good start by hav-
ing feed where they can get it whenever
they want it, for the first two weeks, at
least; after that, feed them at regular times,
| making the times fewer as they grew older
and can forage better for themselves.
always keep my hens confined to the cooT
| for at least three weeks after the chicks are
Matched, leaving it SO that they can run in
| and out at their own sweet will. By this
time they are strong enough not to be hurt
| by The mother hens wanderings