Middletown transcript., 1908-07-18
FARM NEWS AND VIEWS

Feeding chickens .decayed or spoiled
meat, is said to be prolific cause of
'limber-neck."
Stale bread soaked in milk until soft
and then sqeezed sufficiently dry to be
crumbIy makes a good feed for little
chicks.
Scalded bran is good feed for hens; it
contains mineral matter which they need
and in which many grains are deficient.
A few drops of turpentine mixed with
cornmeal and fed occasionally to young
chicks, is said to be a good prevention
for gapes.
The balancing up Of the profit and loss
sides in the poultry yards depends al
together upon the summing up OF the
little things.
Scattering the grain food among the
straw and chaff, always on the floor of
the pens, keeps the poultry, especially
the young ones active.
If the droppings are allowed to accu-
mulate the odors that arise are unwhole.
some in the extreme and will cause roup
as well as other diseases.
Ducks grow very rapidly, and one en-
gagged in the duck business can turn his
money over quickly if he will 60 into the
business in systematic manner.
Poultrymen should not fail to change
their methods with the changing of the
season.
If the hen-house roof leaks in winter,
the egg profits will leak out as fast as the
winter leaks in.
A hen is on the roost almost half the
day, and it is to make her comfortable
during that half.
Keep cuIIing the flock. eating or selling
the culls, and don't forget to order new
birds for breeders.
When you want to eat a fowl, do you
always select the well.deyeloped ones
and leave all the scrubby ones to breed
from? This method would soon develop
lot of scrubs from the best flock on
earth.
Have the drainage away from, not to-
ward. the hen-house. Except for drink
ing purposes, the less chickens come in
contact with water the better off they
will be.
Winter drafts in the poultry quarters
may do more injury to the birds than the
winds whistling through the trees would
do to fowl roosting outdoors; but do
not shut poultry in building without
any ventilation.
Chickens make a poor combination
with turkeys, ducks or geese, when all
are fed together. There is some advant-
age in having different kinds of fowls,
rather than to increase the flock OF chick.
ems to large number, but it is unwise to
feed or water all kinds together.
A horse in good condition can exist
about twenty-five days without food,
so long as he has plenty Of water to drink.
The hen that lays three eggs a week
will pay double the profit of one that
produces but two eggs.
Dairying implies a prosperous COM
munity of wide-awake, up.to date farm
ers. All not belonging to latter class had
before entering the field.
Turkeys, the night before killing,
should be given ne food but plenty of
water. This leaves an empty craw, clean
interestines and makes the dark meat
comparatively light.
Farmers who live where there is an
abundance of gravel provide no gritty
material for their fowls. Now, fowl al
ways selects the hard substances with
cutting edges. Give piece of glass to a
fowl and when it is Voided it will be
found as smooth and polished as though
done by machinery. The grit is intended
to cut more than to grind the food. II a
flock has had the run of field there will
be but little sharp material left, and they
will not swallow the smooth gravel ex-
cept as last resort. To test this matter
pound some broken glass or china and it
will be noticed that the fowls will swal-
low the pieces with avidity, although
they may be at liberty on gravelly run.