The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1912-04-30
HOW TO RAISE
GOOD CHICKENS
judge Gray Gives His Idea On
Subject After A Long
Experience
WHAT THINGS SHOULDBEAyOIDED
Fancier Talks Of Breeding,
Feeding, General Care and
Marketing

| The chicken raising industry is
rapidly coming to the front in Red
wood county. The number of
breeders are increasing each year
and for the berefit of those who are
interested the Gazette has inter-
viewed Judge Finley Gray who has
had several years of experience and
who gives some valuable hints that
no doubt will be appreciated by
chicken fanciers who desire better
results.
The Judge thinks that probably
more people would engage in raising
birds but they are deferred by the
fear of losses.
Ten Causes of Loss
AS to the various phases of the
work connected with the industry.
the ardent fancier enumerates the
following ten causes for losses which
the average poultry man must guard
against. The Judge says, Too much
care can not be given to selecting the
breeding stock. A great many pou!-
try owners never change the blood
from one years end to the other,
simply picking out some of the best
birds, which leads to in-breeding and
thereby breaks down the vitality of
the flock. 1t pays to breed pure
bred stock that show vigor and SIAM
ina.
Next in Importance is the care,
housing and feeding. principally the
latter. Too many depend largely
upon the old corn crib instead of
giving varied diet and feeding bal
anced ration intelligently. You can
not get good eggs without pure food
and plenty of it.
Kick Out The Drones
In every flock there is a large
percentage of drones which should
be eliminated. The bees know how
to do this but in the poultry yard it
is up to the man with the hatchet.
Every successful and intelligent
poultry man should know how to
select the laying hen.
perhaps one half of the eggs are
not fortified and not fit to go under
a hen or into the incubator. This is
an important point and one should
be careful in the selection and also
the feeding, so that all eggs are not
only fortified but have the material
from which to produce a strong,
healthy chick
How To Market Eggs
"A great many raise eggs only for
marketing. This is where one Of
the greatest losses occur. Eggs for
marketing would be far better were
they not fertilized. Furthermore,
they should be marketed three or'
four days at farthest from the time
they are laid and they should be
dated. The day is not far distant
when the undated egg WILDE thing
OF the past, when the house wife will
demand that the egg be dated that
she may know whether it is stale or
not. If proper places are given the
fowls in which TO lay. and they are
yarded as they should be, there will
be no difficulty in gathering the eggs
and getting them to market while
fresh.
Probably one-half if not more of
all the eggs that go under the hen
and into the incubator never bring
out chick. This, of course is due
to great many causes. The ma
chine may go deaG. Biddy may leave
her nest and chill the eggs, animals
such as skunks. rats, ETC., may in
wade the nests, and a great many
other causes may occur.
The Critical Period
The critical time in the life of
chick is the first three or four weeks
after it leaves the shell. Past this
age, they are reasonably safe.
While mother instinct teaches /
the hen some things. it doesn't pre-
vent her from taking the chicks out |
in thee cold where they die off like
sheep. or, if being brought up in the
brooder proper care is not given to
them the first few days.
The chicken house, if the prem
ises are not kept thoroughly clean,
gets in its work, not only on the lit
tie chicks, but on the hens as well. /
Watch tho hon ho,,c<