Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1897-03-10
About Chickens.

the Gem Rural: "a great and gre
v Gus error in the management Of
poultry is to allow too many fowls to
mass together in restricted houses and
yards. Hens properly fed on a judi.
cious variety of food, kept IN flocks Of
from fifteen tie twenty five, give us the
most profit; in larger numbers the
timid are whipped and crowded out.
There are some in our yards if we did
would not get their share with the
balance, hence would never amount
to anything. We have what we call
the general Neutrality-suspicious. Ply
mouth Rocks and Bluffs. ] know one
Buff and some others that would go
hungry if we did not throw feed aside
for them, or oftener ! pick them up
and sit them outside of the house. If
they were not extra good sitters and
mothers, Matching every egg and rails
ing the chicks last season, perhaps |
would not like them as we'll Being
SO gentle | can do anything with them.
The other hens are very mean to them,
getting into the scratching bin, making
straw fly, ani 50 it is with some of the
male birds, the hens impose on them,
also getting the feed away from them
eating mucn faster, and not giving
them a chance, and for time cocker
els are so polite they will give all o
the hens until they have lost in condi-
ton, showing but little life or become
ugly, picking and trying to whip the
hens. If you have such a cockerel
take him and put him up by himself
for awhile, giving him extra care and
feed until you know he is not starved
to give him bad manners. We have
cockerels that we feed extra by letting
them out alone, or putt & them upon
a box they soon get accustomed to
what you want. As rule the male
birds do not eat or work half as fast
as the hens scratching in straw, and
it is in the straw we throw their grain
never failing to note the hens that are
kept under, either feeding them extr a
or putting them into another pen with
those who they can get along with, for
hens have their chums and friends.
| have noticed those who, when hav-
ing free range, will 90 away together,
while if they come in contact with
some on the way they will stop, quarrel
awhile, and come to blows using their
bills and feet, and no matter how long
these heus may be near each other,
one will be bess, and the whipped one
ever after hold her peace and do with
out meal rather than get whipped
II we handle poultry we must study
their disposition and not expect them
to show the sense of person. In
order to have them n success to us we
must keep them as near active and
happy as we can. Early in poultry cul-
ture | had hens who were fine layer
| supplied them with al kinds of food,
and one could see them sitting or
standing under some small trees much
Of the time pulling and eating feathers
until they had their necks entirely
bare, and such funny looking speci-
mems | never saw. 1t was laughable
but very aggravating. | had large
number OF young birds and | made up
my mind | would sell nearly all Of the
older ones which did reserving some
of the finest specimens, coping them
by themselves and giving them raw
meat hung up by string to pick at
Some of those same hens | own to-day,
that being six years ago, and they have
stopped the habit, but it is an easy
thing for them to acquire the habit Of
feather pulling when massed together
in large numbers"