Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1902-05-16

some good breeder who is working fO
utility pay him for his trouble and yol
viii find it will pay you. After de
Gliding on what breed you prefer, keel
your stock up to that high standard By
renewing your stock and culling on
the ones that are Off in color anC
; fern.
While / do not raise poultry on
very extensive scale, like 70 keel
: forty or fifty hens and five or sp
rcosters.
/ Every one who pretends to raise
/ poultrv of any kind must remember
that cleanliness is more essential than
anv other point. I try to keep my
houses as neat during the winter sea-
son as through the summer l hnd
There is nothing better to keep down
n,ites than a free use Of ashes. Just
ecatter All over the walls and on the
floor They do not add to the looks
of vour hen house; still l prefer the
ashes to mites
find that it is very necessary to be
systematic in your treatment of fowls
7 use wheat and corn as a principal
feed in winter with a warm mixture
of corn meal once a day, with a lit
tle red pepper Now and then there
is nothing better than oats as an egg
nroducer. l also feed part Of my crack
/ lings left from hog-kiiiing, and you
may be sure they enjoy them. | will
state right here that during that Sc
we're cold weather I did not lose
chicken and had more eggs than
needed for my own use most Of the
winter. feed my hens very little
after the grass comes out, as they have
such a free range I do not find it nee
essary to break up old dishes and such
things for them; they pick up plenty
Of grit.
Now comes the time for setting hens
/ have a long table on which 1 place
nv nest boxes. I prefer the boxes
made without bottoms so that as the
hen matches I can just slip the whole
nest off and brush the table nice and
clean. I have my grass gathered in
the fall after the frost. / find this
so much softer than hay OF straw. In
selecting my eggs to set I am careful
TO use only well-shaped ones. ! have
two boxes to keep my eggs in AS
7 pick them I put the ones not suitable
20 set i'm a box for table use. I gener-
ally set from fifteen to seventeen eggs
under a hen. and ! never set less than
two hens at one time. I prefer set
ting four. I use a great deal Of insect
powder on my setting hens. dusting
them about once a week; in fact.
have very little trouble with mites.
generally 80 to the hen house two or
three times a day for fear the hens
will get off the nest and the eggs be-
come chilled. When my chicks begin
to hatch I leave them in the nest un-
I'll I think they are strong enough to
take out. removing the shells as neces-
sary.
Now comes the care of the little
chicks Every one should have a run
for little chickens so as noe TO allow
them free range over the yard until
about a week old. I do not consider
It a good plan to feed young chicks too
much I have frequently lost a num-
her Of chickens from Indigestion, which
/ think is caused from feeding too
much corn bread. I prefer millet seed
as the principal feed, giving bread
now and then. When my chickens
are two weeks old I put a little grease
on their heads; repeat every two weeks
and you will not be bothered with lice.
Now here comes that dreaded dis
ease, gapes. Who knows what to do
for that? I suggest putting Just a lit
tie turpentine in their food about
once a week and a small piece Of alum
in their drinking water.
Now, in regard to the different
breeds of chickens, I suppose every
one has a preference, and I admit there
are a number Of good breeds but as an
all rOund-chicken I prefer the Wyan-
dOttes They are fine layers; the best
mothers ] ever saw, and I am sure
no fowl adorns a table to compare
with the Wyandotte. I have raised
several kinds Of chickens, but I think
YOU will agree with me in giving the
Wyandotte preference when I tell you
that have received 112 chickens from
122 eggs this spring, and still six or
seven hens setting.
I know I have kept you too long on
the subject of chickens, so I will now
tell you my experience with turkeys.
7 have never raised any kind but the
R~onze. Sometimes I am successful,
and then again I become discouraged
with trying to raise a fowl that has so
little sense as the turkey. However,
last year 7 set one hen on twenty-one
eggs and she Matched twenty turkeys.
and raised eighteen. SO you see now
feel encouraged to the extent that !
have five hens and a tom to begin
with this year. AS I always try to
have the best, I purchased a pair
fl ON John B. Ferguson.
Young turkeys require a great deal
Of attention 1 generally keep the
mother and little turkeys in an inclos-
ure about ten days, then I think they
are strong enough to follow the hen.
If I have plenty of eggs I give them a
feed of that at first Biscuit crumbs
in a little sweet milk is excellent for
them. To mix a little sand in their
feed is very essential. I do not advise
the use Of grease on young turkeys;
dry sulphur or insect powder is good
to put on their heads.
Now, in conclusion, say long live
the pure breeds. May the crow of the
cockerel peal forth in stentorian tones,
the glad cry of prosperity in the poultry
Yards and the musical cackle of the
improved biddy never grow less. May
her comb grow Tedder and redder with
every wave Of prosperity; and If we
will only do our part by her, she will