Newark post., 1910-04-06
Poultry Department
Conducted by W. G. ANTHONY
Smyrna, ell.
A Suggestion Or Two For April

Every time hen has finished incubat-
ing nest full of eggs take out the
box nest and all, bury the eggs that
didn't hatch and burn the nesting ma
teria Let the flames lick i'll and
around the box to kill whatever insect
life may be there; then give the sun a
chance at it for few hours to sweeten
it. If you are using an incubator, al
ter hatch has been completed, take
everything movable out Of thrush
thoroughly, dsiniect and put out in
the sunAwash out the inside of the
machine with the same disinfectant.
Clean the lamps thoroughly-put in
new wicks and be sure there is no SCOT
anywhere If you have used the lamps
for some time boil the burners for a
Jew minutes i'll water to which enough
washing soda has been added to make
it feel soapy: your burners will be al
most as good as new. As a disinfect-
ant mix one gill of creolin or zeno-
leun with two gallons OF water. If
your eggs are not perfectly clean when
you get ready to reset, you may wash
them with this same solution This
isn't a bad thing to do even with eggs
that seem to be perfectly ACCEPTABLE
sort OF cleaning would put out of hr
ness, and that too to your advantage.
Ist In Matching my eggs in an in
cubator | have had trouble with the
inner skin being SO tough that the
young chicks do not get out OF the
shell. Can you suggest anything?
The trouble is due to lack of mois-
ture. Keep the cellar floor we'll sprin-
kled at all times during incubation. |
wet down my floors both night and
morning.
end. | am troubled with soft she'll
ed eggs. What's the remedy?
Soft shelled eggs are caused by too
much animal protein-too much soft
food--unbalanced rations-stimulams
and lack OF carbonate of lime. Always
keep crushed oyster shells where the
fowls can get at them when ever they
take a notion.
Avoid wet mash feeding when you
know it is balanced and never have it
to wet to crumble. There is less ten
the dry mash system of feeding is
practiced.
3. An excellent fattening ration for
broi'ers is diet OF cracked corn, beef
SCRAP and the following dry mash -
Corn meal, pounds; wheat middlings
e pc IN j. wheat bran, 1 pound; meat
meal, 5 per cent. Mix and keep be-,
fore the | rds all the time, as a dry
mash. D,n't do anything to stimu-
late exercl~e-give plenty d grit,
oyster shells and clean water. No
green food should be needed. Don't
force fer more than three weeks
Don't use any l:tter. Be sure that
every crop is tight full at bed time.
4th Although the rules of my incu-
bator object to any use of moisture,
1t has occurred to me as being one of
the reasons | do not have any better
matches. My incubator is in the cellar
ground floor but very dry. Eggs set
out OF doors under hens give excellent
resuits-about 90 per cent.-where
those OF the incubator do not give
over hall this amount The machine
runs perfectly, do you tlink it is lack
OF moisture?
4 and 5. The writer does not re-
commend sponges or waterpans to be
used III incubators. but doubts if if is
possible TO use too much water
wise. Never let your cellar floor get
dry. You may think you are using
good deal OF water to insure sucn a
condition, particularly if there is
furnace Ill any part OF your cellar. A
ooiier TOR steam heating plant will
sucf water out OF brick-just wet
the cellar floor where your ;ncubators
stand, and keep it wet Puddles in the
low spots won't hurt. But look out
Tor mould-be sure you have plenty
OF good ventilation Avoid drafts as
usual, and always
5th. How often do you feed your
chicks?
From five times a day to five times
a month 1t depends. State your con-
ditions, and III be more to the point.
Whatever you do be sure your chicks
go to bed full
9th. I've bee ntroubed ior wears
with gapes. | have plowed and lined
my chicken yards, but still am trou-
bled Can you suggest anything else
that might be the cau,e of thiso
! would suggest that you tackle a
new piece oi ground somewhere, if
YOU possibly can. However, well see
Wnat can be done without seeking
new pastures Chicks affected with
the gapes, or any suspected cit;cks,
should not be allowed to run with the
healthy. They should be placed in a
room having a clean dry floor, and
this should be disinfected every few
days by wetting the floor with 5
per cent solution OF crude carbolic
acid. Burn the bodies of those birds
which die, also any droppngs or lit
ter liable to contain cape worms, or
their eggs. Disinfect the drinking
cups with the solution mentioned
above. washing with clean water after
wards. For the protection of the
well. clean up the coops, pens and
houses where they have been-spray
thoroughly with the 5 per cent solu-
ton of crude carbolic acid Sprinkle
the ground with solution of one part
OF suiphuric acid in one hundred of
water
81, ~ 1.