Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1912-03-08
Chicken Chat


who was also an incubator manu-
facturer and an expert in the science
or incubation, promoted an organiza-
ton, composed largely of farmers
and small poultry breeders. to finance
him in building and stocking a large
poultry plant. This plant was prac-
tically dead loss, in spite of the ex-
| perience of the man at the head of
the organization. A lady who visited
the plant told us that the place was
so greatly overstocked, she failed to
see how success could have been ex-
| pected, and added that there WASH t
a blade of grass or other green stuff
to be seen.
The story of this plant is only a
| repetition of the story of the majority
of the poultry plants which start out
on large scale with the idea of max
ing oceans of money with chickens
Money can be made with chickens,
but the bulk of the poultry products
have always come from the farms.
and it is to the farmers that the
money will go if the chicken end of
the farm is given the attention il
requires. If farmers will only rea-
lie that the hen requires about the
same ration as the dairy COW, and
feed her accordingly, instead of let
| ting her eat corn with feeding cattle,
4 and if they will give her a comfort
able, well-yentilated house, and keep
it clean, they will make more money
and make it easier from chickens
than from COWS or from crops.
Chickens are often considered a
nuisance by the farmer. Usually be-
cause he doesn't provide a place for
them, and, naturally, finds them
every place. This liberty has been
the salvation of the farmers chick
ems if they had been closely yarded
as we'll as heavily fed, their chances
for profitable life would have been
poor. Since number of birds are
| lost each year from overlooking. it
| might be we'll for the farmer who
feeds cattle to begin yarding the
chickens, and by controlling the feed
get better results. This means more
work in some respects. and less in
others. Yarded chickens are under
the control of their owner all the
time; he can feed them whatever he
deems best, and can gather all eggs
laid without tedious searching for
nests.
Poultry runs, however, must be
kept in sanitary condition. If the
runs are small and bare. they should
be scraped clean once a week, and
whenever the conditions seem to re-
quire it, half an inch or so of surface
ground should be removed, and a
load of coarse sand or gravel thrown
in. Some people spade up the earth
each day, keeping the soil loose.
Whenever the poultry run has a bad
smell, it should be thoroughly cleaned
and renewed.
If double runs can be arranged,
leave one to grow as a grass crop
while the chickens use the other, and
the work of caring for the runs is
simplified. Grass or rye grown in
poultry runs should not be allowed
to grow long; long grass may cause
crop binding, and is sure to hold the
droppings, making the grass unfit for
food. If the chickens do not eat the
grass close-cut it, thus enabling
them to get worms and insects from
the ground, and permitting the drop
pings to be washed in and absorbed.
Chickens must have green food.
Waste lettuce and cabbage leaves
thrown into the runs make a cheap
feed, and are as wholesome as if har-