The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-07-03

ture is apt to interfere with the egg
supply. If sudden cold snaps come,
try to neutralize them by making
the hen house a little warmer, let
ting the sunlight in, and by giving Il
little extra food of the stimulating
sort.
Thousands upon thousands Of
ducks are raised every year without
more water than is necessary for
their drink. Young duck are less
liable to disease when raised in
warm dry quarters than when
allowed to run at large and spend
I much of their time in the water. A
good way is to set the egg under
hens.
1t may not be generally known
that all kinds of feathers are salable.
The demand is increasing, and most
country merchants will take them
and sell them upon commission.
The fowls must be picked dry, and
the feathers kept clean and in good
condition. Keep separate the coar
ser ones, as well as those of different
kinds of fowls.
If no estimate be made for labor,
an egg can be produced for about
half a cent. The profit would be al
ways good if all the food went to-
wards egg production. Moreover,
eggs carry from the farm but little
of the nutritious elements of the
soil in proportion to the value.
The smaller breeds, such as the
Hamburgs, Leghorns and MinOrcas,
] nj, ., |.
if not Matched before April The
larger breeds require longer time
in which to grow and feather, and
should be out of the shell as early as
possible. All this bears upon the
egg basket next winter.
Pekin ducks are profitable, both
as market fowls and as egg pro-
ducers. They lay about u dozen
eggs yearly, and by good feeding
can be made to weigh five pounds
when 10 weeks old. A good grass
run is the one thing needful in order
to grow them with profit.
Give geese an enclosed run, which
they can have to themselves. They
will thrive upon good grass past
ure, but they should never be per-
mitted in field where there is any
other stock. They foul grass quick
ly so that horses and otGer stock
will not eat it.
In order to have young turkeys
make the quickest growth early in
the season, before there are plenty of
insects for them to feed upon, they
should be kept in an enclosure where
they can be fed often. There is no
better food for them than sour milk
curd, made like cottage cheese eX-
cept the seasoning.
Always provide young turkeys
with pure water to drink, renewing
it very often, in shallow vessels, so
that they can get out alright if they
get mas they most likely will.
They will drink before they are old
enough to need any food. They can
not stand run in the grass even as
well as can young chickens.
You can raise a few dozen chick
ems about the house cbeaply, and
have them in good health; but you
can not use this as a basis upon
which to figure upon into the thou
sands. AS we increase the numbers
we increase the per cent. of loss by
disease, and that very greatly, often,
and the need of care and attention is
more than proportionately increas-
ed.
Even in summer hens should have
little grain. Even if too fat to lay,
as usually supposed, little cracked
wheat daily will increase their vlgor
and health without tendency to
fatten them futher. A diet of in
sects, with grass, is not very nourish-
| ing,