The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-11-08
Poultry Kceaicg in the South.

Poultry kcepieg in the South.
A pourtryman writing from South
Florida, to the Successful Poultry
Journal, says:
The. first frosts nave touched most
of our Northern cities and soon shiv-
ering humanity will be seeking COM
fort in the sunny South. And we are
busy preparing to cordially receive
all who come.
We want them to find all the lux
uries hereto which they are accus-
toned.
So all raisers of the plump, tender.
well grown bcoilers or "fryers," as
we call them, are now preparing to
hatch every egg that can be spared.
During September yards have been
filed with eight Or ten newly mou1ted
hens and a male bird OF some good
breed for broner7 raising. We prefer
r.. l. Reds, as they earlY make plump
little fellows. with good yellow skin
and are very hardy. In two months,
if kept growing we'll, they are ready
for market, Weighing about two
pounds each.
Prices are best from January to
April. Any OF the American or Ash
attic breeds are good for broiIer stock.
The hens IN, these breeding pens
are we'll fed with mixed grains, prin-
cipally wheat and oats we'll scattered
in litter. They are on good Bermuda
grass yards, SO get plenty of green
feed. A good many eggs are brought
in each day, though many of our
neighbors complain that they find
mo eggs this time OF year.
If the hens are we'll managed and
well fed, there should not be this diff
ticulty in getting eggs, for we find
that those who are making a business
of broiler raising here, know they
must hatch these broilers in October
and November to receive the best re-
turns, are. moulting their stock early
by the Van Dresser method, and also
Matching pullets in February and
March that wilI-be laying in the fall.
With good fertile eggs and an in
cubator of one OF the best makes, by
the first of November the brooders
should be- full of downy little fell
lows, lively and happy. The incuba-
tor must be closely watched though,
during the hatch, for it is very apt to
run too high these warm days, and
the little chicks either cannot break
through the shell, or come out weak
and soon die OF. The lamp i N a hot
air machine should often be put out
entirely during the middle of the
day, and turned up we'll at night.
Good brooders are as essential as
good incubators. Beware OF one that
is not we'll ventilated, but one with
too great a circulation of air will be
hard to heat and the chicks will be
in great danger OF being chilled.
The former evil is greater here,
however. A brother poultry man who
has great success in raising little
chicks, rarely losing one, had some
little children visiting at his home.
In the afternoon they we're playing
about one. of the brooders, and know
ing no better, pushed the yentilating
slide entirely in. In the morning
the pOultrymGn was dismayed by
opening the sbrooder to find several
dead chicks The heat was all right
he fed nothing but a "baby chick
feed" he could not imagine. what the
trouble was till he noticed the closed
slide. Opening it at once, he lost no
more chickens IN that brood. On this
account breeders made for Northern
climates and working successfully
there, are death tra IS for brooder
chicks Is used in this section.
TIL difference between the temper
ature inside the brooder and the out
side air is not great enough to cause
sufficient circulation through the
small openings provided for ventila-
tors. We bought two such breeders,
which were highly recommended and
cost a good sum. We were inexperi-
enced then and could not understand
why we lost so many chicks in these
two when in those of another make
the little fellows were growing we'll.
After replacing q glass plate in >the
top of'the nursery chamber with some
fine wire screen cloth, the breeders
did fairly good work. But it is bet
ter to buy those that are especially
adapted to this climate. This, with
a good baby chick food of finely
ground mixed grains, pure fresh
water, q little charcoal, fine grit,
some green food and careful atten-
ton to regular feeding hours and to,
keeping the chicks out of wet grass
and sharp winds will raise from a
good hatch a fne lot of marketable
broilers that viii well repay for the
time and trouble spent. 1t is hatch
ing at the right season, keeping the
little. chicks alive and growing rapid
~, and marketing them as soon as
they are of broiler size, that makes
the business of broiIer raising such
a profitable One