Middletown transcript., 1907-05-11
TEN IMPORTANT POINTS
Every PouItryman Should be Certain
That All Are Looked After

the most experienced poultry AoePeio "O
prone to make, and they arise frequently
not SO much from ignorance as from for
getfulness or force of circumstances. says
A. v. Meersch in Western Poultry jour
nal. Nevertheless, as all mistakes ia
poultry keeping are apt to prove costly,
it is no bad plan for the poultry keeper
to put periodically the following questions
to himself: (D Am I overcrowding my
fowls in any way? (2) Are my fowls
receiving any unsuitable articles OF diet
81 In my anxiety for eggs am l forcing
egg production to the possible detriment
of my breeding operations next spring.
{4) Am breeding from the pick OF my
stock only, taking care that no hereditary
taint of disease is being transmitted?
% Is my poultry yard in the highest
possible state of efficiency-viz, have
every reason to be satisfied with the way
nv birds are fed, housed and handled?
t6) Are my fowls overfed2 % Are my
fowl houses as free as they should be
from red mites, feas and other insect
pests? (S) Am certain that the fowls
water is the purest and is supplied regu-
larly in clean reoeptaclesf t9) Am !
reserying sufficient ground for chicken
rearing7 (lO) Is my stock of the sort
most suited to my needs-yiz, do l direct
my efforts to the elimination OF nongreis
and bad layersP
'Good weather for young ducks" is an
old saying applied to wet days. There is
not one bit Of truth in it, Nothing can
be worse for them than rainy day, The
silly things will stand with open mouths
gazing upward until they drown. During
a rainy period they should he confined in
dry, roomy coop. Be sure that they
have plenty Of dry chaff to nestle down
in during the night. Crowding them in
damp quarters will cause rheumatic and
other troubles. 1t is very satisfactory to
rear ducks in pen provided it is large
enough. If many are crowded together
in small place they are sure to become
stunted in their growth. 1t is not wise
to allow the ducklings with other young
poultry. The dueklings will gobble up
most of the feed, pollute the drinking
water and make themselves anything but
a pleasure to have around.
For body lice on chicks and fowls use
pure Dalmation or Persian insect powder,
Get the fresh ground unadulterated pow.
der from a reliable druggist. Dust this
into the plumage well down to the skin.
For mites or coop lice use either of the
following mixtures for painting roosts and
dropping boards: Dissolve in kerosene
all it will trke up of crude naphthalene
flakes or mix thoroughly with one gallon
of kerosene two fluid ounces of any good
coal tar disinfectant Apply this to roosts
and drop boards in the middle of the
forenoon, so that it will have opportunity
to soak we'll into the roosts and boards
aud dry out before the birds go to roost
Where beginners 60 wrong is not dis
tinguishing between ''poultry on the
farm" and poultry farmiIg." There il
vast difference. A poultry farmer
should derive his living solely from poul
try. Rent, food, labor, houses, repairs,
losses by diseases and thieves, such as
foxes, rats, etc, should all be paid by the
fowls. The cost must come chiefly from
eggs. as many fowls only sell for table al
the price of their food. "Fowls on q
farm" have the rent paid for by cows,
etc., and roost in cart sheds and the like.
There is no especial method of feeding
green cut bone to chicks. Put the bone
before them, and they'll do tile rest.
When they are in houses, spread the cut
bone along feed troughs. When the birds
are on clean grass runs, sow the bone on
the grass broadcast. They will 60 for il
so eagerly it will quickly disappear. Dc
not feed cut bone in hoppers. 1t will
clog up the hoppers and become tainted
Then look out for ptomaine poisoning.
Acorns are not valuable foodstuff fol
poultry, because they are deficient in
flesh forming elements, besides which
they contain tanno, which hardens mus.
cular tissues and to certain extent i'm
pairs the. flavor Of flesh and eggs-that i:
when poultry have many acorns. Fowl:
will rarely devour whole acorns. There
| EeEe te induce the hirds to dernnr them
it is necessary to kibble them or. to grind
and add them in limited quantities to the
soft food.
Always make it point to warm up tile
brooder several days before wanted fol
the newly hatched chicks-a week before
| if possible. This will give time enough
to note how much, if any outside changes
in temperature affect the temperature in
the brooder. Too much care cannot be
exercised in this particular. Irregnlarity
in the temperature of the brooder il
almost certain to work havoc.
The best preventive for indigestion and
dysentery both for chicks and laying
hens is one-quarter pound sulphate ol
iron and one-half ounce sulphuric acid
dissolved in one gallon Of hot water
Place in stone jar and set away to COO
and settle. Add one tablespoonful o.
this liquid to each quart of drinking
water. This is mild and effectua
remedy.
Don't keep your birds on too short
rations. Laying birds need q plentiful
supply Of food to do their best. We
don't believe that there are many birds
in this country that are oyerfed, and We
know of many hocks that We believe tc
be half ta.ved, says Reliable Poultry
Journal, and yet their owners wonder
why the birds don't lay. You cannot
get eggs in any great quantity unless you
| feed literally. Cost is about dollar 9
year per bird.
FL. B. Geer says that north of the Ohio
river and in the northwest May is the
best Matching month, bat anywhere south
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