The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-04-13
Matching and Rearing Of Chickens.

ems may now engage our attention for
Wnlle. have spoken on this suo
Ject before, but wish to say something
tnat is especially suitable for farmer
poultry-keepers, writes d. L. Orr in
new York Farmer. The subject of
natchlng and rearing is one that is GER
talnIy very important as the quality of
the stock depends upon it, and think
the majority of farmers are lacking in
the knowledge or else careless. In
H1dny places this is usually left to the
women or the house, and where they
are intelligent and anxious to make
their poultry pay no one could be more
suitable. In many places the farm
hand has this part of the work to do
after all his other work is done, and
IN that case the poultry gets no care
at all. There is no valid reason why
every farmer should not himself know
now to manage his poultry as well as
his other stock, and then he can have
personal supervision over it and see
that it is properly and thoroughly done.
Matching on farm is usually done in
a very loose manner. One or two hun
dred hens are allowed to run with
about half a dozen cocks and when
Matching season begins eggs are taken
without any choice and set until suf-
ficent number of chickens are Matched.
The result is: Many eggs unfertile,
many chicks die on account of weak
germs, and of those raised many
amount to nothing, owing to the man
agement. Often is the case that they
are Matched out so late they do not
lay before spring. have previously
suggested there should be a selection
made of the pullets and hens that are
known as good layers during the win
ter, and these should be mated with
pure-bred, not necessarily prize win
ners. The Leghorns, Minocras, or
Wyandottes are very good varieties to
get. If table fowls are what you want,
get a good male of breeds such as Ply
mouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Langshans,
Dorkings. These are also very good
for laying stock. In selecting hens II
is not always the biggest hen that is
best adapted for table purposes. Get
the plump, good breasted, fine-boned
hen. Having made the selection for
egg or table purposes, each cock should
be penned up with about eight or ten
hens. This should have been done be-
fore, but it is not too late yet. The
smaller or more active cocks, such as
Leghorns or Minorcas, may have II
hens, the larger cocks, eight is plenty.
1t is better to mate cockerels with hens,
hox
that this will give better results. This
breeding-stock should have place by
itself, with runs for exercise. Poultry
netting can be had now for 81 roll
of two-inch mesh, six feet high, and it
will pay to invest in a few rolls. These
birds as separated and mated should
be kept this way till the breeding sea-
son is over Matching should COM
mence in February and be over about
May LIST. 1t is not profitable to hatch
them out in June or July, as they
would cost more than they are worth.
The breeding pens may be broken up
in May, and all the fowls run together
on the farm. This will make them
strong and healthy; the few months
of confinement will not hurt them.
Give the breeding hens good run on
grass, if you can; this will make the
eggs more fertile. Many think the
sitting hen is best left to herself, to
make her own nest as when they lay
away or steal their nest and hatch
their own eggs they usually come off
with a fine brood Of chickens. But
this is not always the safest plan,
especially if large number Of chick
ems is needed. 1t is best to supply the
hens with nests in an old barn or out
house, away from the other fowls,
tborohv not hainp mO1eSted