Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-06-11


good satisfaction with the exception
that so many chicks die in the shell,
nearly so per cent. They seem to die
about the 18th day, or just before alb
sorbing the yolk. | am not using
any moisture in the machine, keep
a fairly even temperature, am using
home-raised eggs and from perfectly
healthy stock.
If you can advise me what to do 1
will certainly appreciate it.
Yours respectfully,
f. w. LEBEN.
ANSWER.
Your experience is like that of
great many others. and this is one of
the hard propositions to solve in ar
tificial incubation The manufaetu-
rer of the Incubator that you are
using can tell you more about this
than | can, unless I knew what kind
of Incubator YOU are using. Some
machines need moisture from the
very BEGINNING and do not need any
ct the last part of the hatch. On
the other hand, some machines need
moisture at the last part of the
hatch and none at any other time.
Therefore only the manufacturer OF
the machine who has mad experience
with same can give you this informa-
ton. Write direct to them and carry
out their instructions as near as pos
sible. You can only tel by watching
the air space in your eggs II they
need moisture or not. The trouble IN
this damp climate is that it is a hard
matter to get them to dry down
enough TO hatch well. A good airing
on the 18th day usually does the eggs
more good than anything you can DO
for them.
AbbeyiIle. Ga.-Will you please give
me some help on raising Indian Run
ner ducks. 1 have six Matched ten
DAYS aSo and they are all dead but
one. I gave water only for 30 hours,
then dampened oatmeal FIVE times per
day and plenty of water, not allowing
them to get wet. Then twice day
equal parts of bran, corn meal ana
shorts with a tiny bit of dried beef
scraps and would chip green rye and
rape for them, of which they seemed
very proud; the other three feeds
oatmeal. kept them with hen free
of lice. They would die suddenly, only
seem not well for short time.
Any advice you give / will certainly
appreciate as / have several to come
off soon. note some say stale bread
and milk Do they mean corn bread,
and sour or sweet milk?
Yours very truly,
MRS. P. L. LITTLE.
ANSWER
The little ducks should have some
thing to eat as soon as they are
strong enough to be removed from the
nest, that is, when they are about 80
hours old they should he placed in
good dry comfortable coop with plenty
coarse dry sand on the floor. The
first fed they have should be some
light bread soaked in sweet milk.
This should not be fed to them soft,
but should have the milk squeezed
out of il and should be fed in
pan or a plank just what they will
eat up every two hours and when
they are eating water should be
placed before them. AS soon as they
get through eating and drink small
amount Of water the water should be
removed and only given them after
each meal If you can not get the
bread, equal parts of bran. shorts and
corn meal win answer the purpose.
If the bran is very coarse 1t should
be sifted. After the second or third
day a small amount of coarse sand
should be sprinkled over the bread or
the mixture. They should not have
any beef scraps or blood meal until
they are one week to ten days old and
no green feed until they are fully
this age. then it should be very tender
and easily digested.
1 feel confident that the trouble was
caused from your little ducks eating
something coarse or something that
was too large for them to digest
Of I'VE
which is large and tough and hard to
digest would cause cramps and would
kill them while so young.
With this treatment l see no reason
why you should not succeed with your
ducks as we have the very best results
in feeding ours this way
VIII you please give me some infor-
nation as to my rooster. He acts like
he is crazy and at times has fits. They
last him about five minutes and his
comb looks sorter pale. He has been
this way about three weeks. He is
a very fine Rhode Island Red.
l will appreciate 1t very much IL
you will please give me some infor-
nation through your semi-Weekly
column.
Yours very truly,
E. B. PAULK.
ANSWER.
Often a bird, from some nervous af-
lection will become affected similar to
the one you mention. They hardly
ever get over this trouble, and 1t is
unwlse to breed from a bird with this
defect. If he has been in this fix for
the time you state / do not think II
would be advisable TO attempt to cure
him.
Griffin, Ga---Please oblige me
by answering the following ques-
tions: What is good mixture
for painting roost and nest where
hens are to be set TO keep mites