The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1908-04-08
POINTERS FOR POULTRY BUYERS.

TWIN EMO Ton FSOL NJ DO En9'
"Have you ever purchased a sick
fowl in. market and served 1t to the
family for Sunday dinnerY'
Certainly not"
"Have you ever selected a sick chick
en- from your own flock and served 1t
to the minister Of your church, the
guest of the familyT
What a shocking idea! How dare
you insinuate such horrible thing?'
well, dear madam, we are not here
to insinuate, but to tell you kindly that
there are many housewives who pur-
chase fowls under the impression that
all are healthy. With them 1t is sim
ply a question OF age and weight and
| Juicy tenderness. There are others,
however, who have placed a ban
against dressed poultry and who put
every live fowl through strict exam
nation before dressing 1t for the ia
bie."
We come to the reader of this arti-
Gle with a few pertinent points for
purchasers of poultry They may save
a doctors bill. We watched farm
er's wife dress Plymouth Rock for
dinner.
How can you tell when a chicken is
healthy" we asked.
81 always kill the hen that's laying.
| take her Off the nest. A laying hen
is always healthy"
"She was right" you say.
But listen. They don't keep hens on
nests In meat markets, and roosters do
not always lay. People eat two-thEds
rooster. According to her rule, the
nonprofit payer would always drone,
and the lousy, skinny old cluck would |
always get the Ratchet.
1.-The hen that lays is the hen that
pays"
Does 1t pay to kill the layer when
eggs are 80 cents dozen? Egg farms
aren't meat markets The laying hen
Is not always well.
A good neighbor persisted in killing
a hen that had chronic diarrhea.
We said, Bury her"
''Not a big fat hen like that. She
lays. We will have her for dinner"
No; you wouldn't be guilty Of such
thing. We believe you but you
might sin against the family health
through ignorance. Let us give you
some pointers for purchasing and Sc
lecting poultry.
COMBS, SHAPE.
Do not select male bird with a flop
comb. Hens combs often turn over
naturally, but ROSTERS flop comb is
an indication Of weakness or disease.
A males comb may be misshapen
and turn, but you can quickly detect
this, as 1t will have thin base or a
fold In front.
A lousy ROSTERS comb often turns
down, and he gets lanky. Flop combs
In little roosters often come from head
lice.
Do not buy fowl with loose comb.
When chickens comb pulls back
from the beak you will generally find
yellow liquid underneath.
Just be nervy enough to lift the fowi
and smell Its beak. 1t will not be
sweet violets." 1t will be catarrh or
'oup, and you will never forget that
'mell. You will likely notice a yell
ow liquid running from the nostrils,
md this proves that the fowls head
8 clogged with yellow bloody matter.
These troubles come from colds, and
'ou will find their victims In nearly
very shipping crate that Is exposed to
vintry weather.
Don't buy chickens with scabby,
notify noses.
COMBS, COLOR.
Don't eat chickens with dark combs.
hey are generally daubed up behind
nd have cholera, diarrhea or sour
rop. If the comb is white, 1t Is scurvy: I
yellow, 1t is jaundce. II the comb
scaly and the feathers are Off the
eek, 1t Is favus If the head and eyes
re swollen, 1t Is cold or roup. If the |
cad has yellow topped sores, it is
hicken pox. If the throat has white 1
atches, 1t is diphtheria. .
MISCELLANEOUS.
Chickens with scaly legs are objec-
enable. Large swellings that bulge
p between the toes Is bumblefoot.
ook out for gangrene or blood poison. !
The hen that drags a big sack behind
oes not carry dozen eggs, as you 4
oppose. 1t is likely cheesy tumor
Avoid turkeys with white. black or {
vollen heads. Geese and ducks with !
mber necks are unfit for use. Do not
'lect table birds haphazard. The {
ear combed, bright eyed, sprightly, !
BOD feeder, with few exceptions, Is
Ie bird ct for an epicure, '