The sun., 1908-12-13

! chickens end tufkeys do not hesitate Il
let them Toost out Of doom during th'
Occasionally hawk win attack pea
cock, but have never known II TO get any
thing for its trouble. An owl. however
sttacking at night "a more dangerous
and for more than o year was 30 crippled
that we thought he would have to bt
killed. The experience did not ctirt
him Of sleeping In the top Of the tallest
tree. As soon as he was we'll enough tc
hy 80 high he went back again.
Last season. I lost one Of my finest
young Indian Cooks by fall from his
perch. II had been bitter night. First
there was q rain that drenched every.
thing and then hard freeze. The next
morning when went to look for my miss
ing bird found him dead under the tree,
He had evidently attempted 70 fly down,
but because his tail and wing feathers
we're frozen and could not be opened he
had fallen and been killed. That Is the
only grown fowl that have ever lost.
by en- owl none of them has been sick.
This healthfulneas among the grown
fowl 10 made up for by the dslicacy OF
the young. From the time they come out
OF the egg until they are able TO fly oyer a
ten rail fence they must be kept. from
going out In the Grass until the dew is
dry. II they are allowed TO get wet they
will droop around as II they had been
poieoned and there seems no saving them.
II, however, they are allowed TO run in
the grass after II is dry where they can
catch insects they will need almost as
little feed as the grown fowls. During
their first week give them four meals
day of chopped lettuce, hard boiled egg
and corn meal mixed TO q stih dough
with cold water. This is fed to them on
the ground After that first week begin
TO mix in little grain and only feed them
night and morning By grain ] mean
almost any kind. have fed corn, oats,
millet, wheat and barley with equally
good results. My father says that i
feed whatever can buy Of him for the
least money. and dare say he is right
The birds Iike ell kinds Of grain. 30 why
not give them that costing the least. since
aThe Java peafowl are not so hardy as
the India birds. They need and VIII
seek shelter during the cold months;
especially during rainy weather share5
the expense OF building house with the
brother who raises turkeys Tor the pur-
pose Of giving my peafowl q good warm
place TO roost in during the winter mon ~ tns
seems to find IL pleasant, The India
birds, cocks and hens. stick TO the tree
the year around. The only change they
make Ia in the summer, when they roost
in the oaks and naples, while In the
winter they 60 to thecedars and usually
under the most dense foliage.
Il am hoping some day TO have wnlte
peafowi. These are freaks and DO not
belong to one Of the two distinct varie :
ties any more than to the other. ihey
usually sell for about $50 pair and when
perfectly white are mlick sought aiter.
All of my orders have come from fanciers
or from people who want the birds Tor
display. The market IL said to be good
and the prices steady. especially for the
green Java birds, | have had no diff
fculty in placing my orders the veal,
before. but my father thinks 1t is as wen
to keep the flock down to ten hens and
sThe only opportunity we have had
to test the food quality OF peafowl was
when three Of my young Java birds wero
killed accidentally by an ignorant hunter
who saw them perohed in a tall tree and
mistook them for wild turkeys. He
killed all three and while he was not able
10 nav the cost Of the birds when he found
out his mistake Ire WIS honest enough
TO return US the dead birds. We ate
them and found them sweeter and more
tender than a turkey OF the same age.
MY mother insists that they were the
most delicious meat she has ever eaten.
was 90 busy thinking OF the money had
lost that I'm afraid ] couldn't fully ap-
preciate the favor