The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-03-01
Anticipating the Spring Hatches.

Anticipating the Spring Hatches. d.
Ny experience has been that the
nearer we keep to nature the better
success We have. l usually mate my
birds the latter part of February or
the first part of March, and commence
to set the eggs to hatch the last week
in March or the first week in April.
Even then, if the weather should be
very cold for the season or stormy,
the chicks Will have to have extra
care, or some will die from exposure
If allowed to run at large. Chicks
never do we'll if confined any great
length of time. The chicks must have
a great amount of exercise. The
mother hen should be confined, but
the chicks should have a free run.
The question is asked, Are early
birds as good layers as those Matched
a little later and pushed forward?"
have never had facilities for Matching
and caring for chicks earlier in the
season than about April l, but my
early birds were my best winter lay
ers.
| find that the number of eggs
placed under a hen should not be too
large. have used hens mostly for
Matching, and it is my experience that
can get great many more chicks
with thirteen eggs under hen than
with more. With thirteen eggs have
sometimes had every egg hatch, while
with fifteen or sixteen | would get only
seven or eight chicks. Where there
are so many eggs, some of them are
not properly covered and they get
changed about and in that way half
the eggs will be spoiled.
| keep my sitting hens in a room
away from the others. Each one has
her nest and number, and is confined
on the nest, but is taken off, fed, wa
tered and allowed a dust bath every
day. 1t is best to have the room not
very light, but we'll aired and dry
G. E. Thomas, Kandiyohi Co., MINI.
turkeys IN VINCE.
Turkeys do best housed in a shed
partly open to the south. Board down
from the roof to four feet of the
ground and one foot up from ground,
covering remaining three feet with
netting to keep turkeys in during very
severe and very stormy weather.
Place perches high with ladder for
them to go up on. In open country
they get frosted in open trees and on
top of buildings, and warmish wet
weather, followed by cold snap, in
jures them. Close confinement and
close houses for them to roost in
often causes roup and other diseases
of that character. Feed should be
given them in their shed only. They
will get considerable outside The
Protected Feeder, placed about fifteen
to eighteen inches high, is the best
device for feeding them in. gallon
bucket hung fifteen inches high is all
right for water They require but
little attention after they get able to
fly. Before that time they must be
protected from rats, minks, etc. We
have lost very few. A few by minks
while young, and few by thieves
after they were grown. Roomy, we'll
ventilated mink-proof coops are best
protection against former, and well
directed No. 10 shot against latter
Fred Grundy, Christian Co., ILL.,, in
Farmers Revie%
MaCTy UIros.
In the mating of birds care must
be taken that the fowls employed in
making up the breeding pens are of a
character adapted to the work they
are supposed to do. If man is mat
ing his birds for the production of
show birds it will be a mistake for
him to select good layers on the pre-
sumption that good layers and good
form go together. A high-scoring
bird is more than likely to be a poor
bird, provided that she is old, as the
act of reproducing puts the body
out of shape for the shows. Breeders
find that the best looking birds are
sometimes the poorest layers, and
that if they are to select birds for
breeding up strain of egg producers
it is necessary to take birds that are
not good producers of eggs. The man
that is trying to build up large flock
of egg producers will have to select
for breeding birds those that have
shown themselves great producers of
eggs. Yet we know that many that
are trying to get strains of birds that
will be more than ordinary producers
of eggs are depending on the score
card for their results.