Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1900-12-15
Poultry hslefA

season will DO that held In Chicago
Ian. Il to Is. Il will b In the new
Coliseum building that has been
erected on tho site OF the old Liboy
Prison Museum. Doubtless the nnes'
birds from all the other shows IN tns
surrounding states will meet Al tnis
place, and 1t 10 expected that poultry
men will come from all parts OF the
country to gather what lessons they
can from the exhibition.
Many deaths OF chicks In ineubators
are caused by overcrowding. and Often
tho poultry man or woman does not
suspect the cause. On going to the
brooder In the morning the several
chicks are found dead. The chicks ~
night. especially. II the night Is cold,
will crowd to the center for heat. anu
In 90 doing will lie on and smother
those on the inside. The remedy y
to give a little more than enough heat
and that will make the chicks spread
out and avoid crowdinS,
There In a vast difference between
the man that makes speciality OF
poultry raising and the man that
raises a few hens for family uso only.
as to the methods that each must en-
ploy. II may fairly be said that the
divergence Is at the beginning. The
specialist must first study his market
The market OF the amateur Is 20 near
that he does not need to study II. as
be IL not afraid Of rivals. The spo-
eiAllst must be an accountant. but tho
other eares little whether he makes
o. loses he wants the products fresh
For this reason the amateur may sue
coed where the specialist would be
sure to fail. But for all OF that tho
amateur poultry raiser Is the creates,
facto- In the poultry world. both be-
cause he Is the most numerous and be-
cause he Is the most independent
Some men have enthusiasm enough
TO begin In the poultry business but no,
enough to continue. in the face Of OBJ
stacles. We knew Of one young man
with little money tina, started In the
poultry business as side issue. He
built a large poultry house. as we re-
member II. about 80 feet long by Is
wide. When the writer saw IL II was
empty. the owner having tried his hun
dred hens in II and met with disaster.
On Inquiry It was found that the ana
teur poultry raiser had also tried an
Incubator, but he had given IL up
after one attempt to hatch chickens
with It. He said they Matched out well
enough. but as soon as born almos,
they would start on a run and after
going few yards would fall over ap-
parently In a III and die. The trouble
with this young man was that no had
not the perseverance to keep at the
business till he had learned the les
sons necessary TO make success pos
sible.
We may expect to see the south some
day become the leader in the produc-
ton OF poultry. The rate OF progress
OF that region In th.J direction will
depend to a great extent on tho In
crease OF railroad facilities. The ell
mate OF the south Is such that one OF
the great obstacles to poultry raising
IN the north does not exist there. The
mlldness OF the climate makes IL pos
nbie TO obtain eggs during all the
year and to change tbs times Of egg
production so that the supply will be
greatest Just when 1t Is least in the
north. In fact, we may expect the
time to come when the north will pro-
duce the summer eggs and the south
the winter eggs. with an equalization
OF prices. In time the storage of eggs
In the no. n will become a thing OF
the past, the eggs from the southern
hen keeping prices at too low an aver
age during winter to make storars
profitable. OF course this change will
take place only so fast as the south
ern farmers become educated and
grasp their opportunities.
Grass as a poultry feed Is, We be-
lieye. not fully appreciated. Where
the owner OF fowls must keep them
yaruod during the entire summer and
where 1t Is not convenient for him to
raise special crops. such as rape. for
them, he should figure on the feeding
value OF grass. All fowls consume a
great deal of green material and often
consume 1t so close to the ground that
tho roots OF the grass are destroyed
Pasturage for the fowls should be IA
certainly provided as for any other
farm stock. And II should be pro-
vided In sufficient area to give them
good feeding grounds at all times and
without being fed too close. To get
the best results from such area the
sod should be an artificial ono do
veloped on ground that has been previ-
ously cultivated and fortified. Tho
plan Of enclosing only thin native sod
10 not good one, as It does not pro-
duce enough heritage to pay for tho
work Of enclosing It,,