The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-04

OF high prices. Not too early though
when talking with a most successful
egg-grower last November he empha-
sized the point that not a few people
rushed the pullets too hard and got
them TO laying so early that they
moulted. and after that were little bet
ter than old hens. This however. is
the birds are fed too rich federation
they are quite likely to moult. and the
way to avoid this disaster is to feed
less meat and bone. add more Of such
as corn; sunflower seed, linseed and
cotton seed meal, ETC.. should not be fed
TO growing stock: with the reservation
| that corn is made a part of the ration.
the fat forming elements in the corn be-
Ing balanced by liberal feeds of green
food, wheat oats. etc, animal food in
the shape of beef scraps meat meal.
cut fresh bone. or the curds from sour
milk. Ia essential for good growth in
chicks. When there are but few chicks
they get the needed animal food in the
form of worms. bugs. insects, etc. but
IL goodly number of chicks are raised
there are not enough worms and bugs
to go around, and a substitute must be
fed II We would have the best growths.
1t is quite as important that the
chicks be kept growing steadily as that
they are Matched early. They will
take care to grow If the conditions are
their nature to. These conditions are:
First-that they shall be Matched from
eggs from strong. healthy stock. A
thin, watery egg, from hen that is
sickly, or out of condition, cannot
hatch strong bound-to-live chick.
The eggs must be right else the chicks
are Handicapped at the start.
Second. they must be kept free from
lice and mites. Chicks that are tor
tured and have the life blood Slapped
by vermin. cannot grow! The lice and
mites suck away the strength as fast
as the food supplies it. and not only
is the food-energy wasted. but the
chicks vehy frequently droop and die
The lice and mites can be- kept in sub
lection II we go at the problem Alright
Lice are always spread by contaminat-
ion, and IL we kill them upon the sit
ting hens. then keep the chicks from
coming in contact with other hens, we
may keep the chicks free from the
pests.
The life history of the hen-louse
has never been studied so far as we can
learn. and the best information tells
us that If sitting hen is thoroughly
drusted with a good insect destroyer
three times. about a week apart, she
will be free from lice of course the
chicks will be free also.
The mites. sometimes called red spid-
| er lice. inhabit the cracks and crevices
| of coops. nests and around the roosts
in the houses. These can be destroyed
by through cleanliness, and keeping the
| cracks and icrevices drenched with kero-
sene (coaD oil. Both lice and mites are
evidences of filth. and any one allow
ing the hens or chicks to suffer from
| them has only his own shiftlessness to
blame for it,
Third. give the growing chicks plenty
| of room in the coops. When crowded
into too small coops they perspire and
suffer from the heat to such an extent
as to lose at night the growth gained
during the day. 1t is surprising how
quickly chicks will double, and then
! double again, in size. A very few weeks
will do it. and then the flock that had
ample room in the little coop, is badly
! overcrowded. The remedy is to have
roomy coops. and then give the pullets
all the room by removing the cockerels
as early rs ii can be told that they are
to grow, and one of the best of aids &c
good growth is to give them ample room
| in the coops. and keep the cockerels
! off by themselves, where they cannot
| nag and annoy the pullets.
| icth llcHl IOT GROWTH. rms
subject requires an article by itself
and we discuss 1t in this number; but
one important point can well be taker
up here, and that is, feed enough, but
don't overfeed. Herein lies one strong
argument in favor of the dry-feeding
method. The chicks (hens. too), thai
have the food before them all the time
do not overeat, hence do not get set
backs from this sometimes great diff
Guilty. Having access to the food al
IAN times they eat when hungry. and
eat only what the appetite Graves. and
furthermore, they balance their ration
properly.-eating what is best for them
The whole story of getting eggs in
winter may be told in three short rules
First-Hatch the chickens early, but
not too early.
Second.-Keeping them growing SC
the pullets come to laying maturity be-
fore cold weather overtakes them
Third.-Keep them laying by good
| care and good food.
The whole story of getting eggs when
they pay the creamy profits. is sum-
med up in those three short rules-A
F. Hunter, in Elk.