The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-03-20

(Note.-The Escambia County Poul-
try Association, recently organized In
Pensacola, Fla., proposes to do all pos
sible for the upbuilding of the poultry
industry in this section, and to aid all
persons interested in poultry in any 1t
can. This department of The Journal,
edited under the auspices of the Es-
Gambia County Poultry Association,
will gladly answer questions relative
to the care, management, feeding and
diseases of poultry.
Hold Fast.
The changeable poultryman seldom
succeeds. He thinks his neighbor's
breed better than his own and straight
way drops the breed he knows and
takes up one unknown to him. It's
Just another step to try third variety.
Let him do 1t If he must, but he will
be nearing the close of his poultry
career. What is true of stock is true
of methods and appliances. We know
men who follow the institutes and are
always writing down the rations adj
vised, and have a new formula for
mash and scratch feed about every
month from October to March. Lucky
for his poultry that lecturers need to
stay at home through the spring and
summer and practice a little hen
knowledge.
Did you ever get into the lumber
room" of poultry plant of ten years
standing and see the abandoned incu'
bators and breeders? We have, and
know that first class machines are idle
because owners were looking for some
thing new to be tried. There is a
sameness to an old machine, though it
does splendid work and we are led to
change because of our fickleness.
After all We say or think poultry
keeping Is a simple matter. We must
not make IL too burdensome for our.
selves or others. We need to know
something of feeds, of breeds, OF
houses, of Matching and brooding, but
we must not learn this from expe-
renee. Life is too short for any of us
10 try to do what all the others are
doing. We have one breed. one
method of care and feeding. We sue
ceed with our favorite Matching ma
chine. Why change If all is moving
smoothly?
Perhaps you have raised your little
chicks on cracked wheat and beef
scrap. You lose very few chickens and
the bunch is always bright and lively.
Why drop the wheat, and put cracked
corn In its place, because some poultry
writer tells you: "corn's the feed for
all ages of chicks?" Don't do it!
Your successful ways of doing things
along poultry lines are all right for
you. IL you want something new, try
putting more thought into your year
work with hens and chicks. Have a
plan and follow it. You have made a
success of what you have done. Don't
jump into what Is unknown
There is right as we'll as a wrong
way TO set hen. Many of us still
cling TO the old way of Matching, and
some OF us raise too few chicks to
bother with incubator and brooder
CT The starting point is to have a broody
hen. Not every hen that remains on
the nest at night can be depended
upon to cover eggs for the twenty-one
days OF incubation. Better let the
hen show you by two days and nights
of broodiness that she really means
business. Then get your nest ready
A box sixteen inches square on the
bottom Is none too big. Have the
front of the box open to allow the her
10 walk in on the eggs. Where the her
has to jump down on a nest full o.
eggs there is danger Of breaking par