The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-05-30
For 1.-THE UNION. -
HEN WISDOM.

The Plymouth Rocks, as most of us know from
experience, are one of the most hardy of domes-
tic fowls. They can stand more cold and ex-
keep only one variety of fowl the Rock family
will suit the several demands best, as they are
fine early broilers and moderately good layers.
The hen is much like machine. We furnish
the grist and she does the grinding and gives us
the toll. 1t is not SO much the quantity as the
quality and how 1t is put into the hopper that
determines the result. If you are getting an
abundance of eggs and your chickens are grow
ing like weeds, then keep right along with your
way of feeding and never stop to listen to what
your neighbor has to say.
When the time comes to sit your hen see that
she is first well powdered and set on nest of
wood ashes covered with nice mat of clean hay.
This will enable her to sit out her three full
weeks in comfort and the result will be fine
hatch. Put your sitting hens in some room to
themselves where they will not be disturbed by
the other laying hens which cause SO many eggs
to be broken and thus lessen your profits at the
end of the year. The leaking of the bung hole
will prevent the barrel from filling. Just so
these little losses effect the grand total of your
profits when the end of the year comes around
more.
Now when the chickens begin to hatch on the
twentieth day confine the hen until the hatch is
over. Then take out the little chicks and grease
each one on the head and under the wings. Cut
away all the down from around the vent. Put
the hen and chickens in q nice large dry coop
that is well ventilated. Give the hen some
whole corn, water and grit, but do not give the
chicks any food for three days, as they do not
them sick. and sick chick is usually dead
chick.
just before the chicken is Matched it takes
into its abdominal cavity large unassimilated
remnant of the yolk of the egg, and then the
abdominal walls close overthe point where it is
taken in. The yolk sack is within the body and
connected with the intestines by narrow tube,
through which its contents enter into the intes-
tines, where it is digested and absorbed; BY
reason of this supply of food which the little
fellows bring into the world with them they
need no other food for the three days. Much
fod
prevents the absorption of the yolk. The chicken
must be given time to digest this food brought
into the world with it or all kinds of evacuation
troubles will ensue. 1t is a mistake to ever give
the chickens hard boiled eggs when, as you
know, it has been obliged to exist on the yolk
alone during the time of incubation. We have
all seen enough of the usual fatality accompa-
nying the use of any kind of wet mashes, more
properly termed messes. You might just as well
give this kind of stuff to new born babe as
little chick. A dog can eat rough on rats, then
drink pan of sweet milk and IL will not kill
him.. Still you could not recommend it as
steady diet for dogs just because this one did
not die. So it is with the baby chick just out of
the shell. Some people will recommend you to
try cornmeal, hashes, stews, Johnnycake, in fact
anything that is new. For the first week feed
nothing but some baby chick food and keep clean
water always before them. After the first week
give them fine cracked corn and later on mix in
some wheat. You will be astonished to see how
they will grow and how few will die from natural
causes.
Every chicken raiser knows the sign when his
chicks have the gaps. They stand around in dis
consulate little punches eating nothing, growing
weaker from day to day, and as the gap-worm
grows they are finally suffocated. Many hun
dreds of these little fellows die from this cause.
have found that by spreading the poultry
yards three inches deep with sand and using the
Douglas mixture in the drinking water that this
much dreaded disease has almost disappeared
from my flock. But whenever you see case
catch the bird, stretch its neck out well and
twist morse hair, dip it into turpentine and in
sert it in the windpipe; give it several good
twists and pull out The turpentine kills all the
small worms that you are unable to extract with
the hair, This operation is very exhausting, SO
afterwards give small spice pill and few drops
Of water which will revive the patient at once.
If you are using yards where the chicks have
run for many years it is wise to sprinkle the
ground slightly with air-slaked lime and rake it
in we'll so that the hens cannot eat it. The gaps
are a thing unknown on new soil. Some people
believe that the fishing worm is the real cause
of the trouble, but think it is subject upon
which there still remains many doubts. The
master eye is always needed to be successful
nI,inl.an raiair,nL II1.,-