Las Vegas optic., 1914-03-27


IN this inclosure made nests Of boxes
and barrels, set on the side, and filled
with straw | almost closed the front
OF each with brush and sticks, The
birds made only two or three attempts
to fly over the fence and get away.
Then it was necessary, Of course, to
round them UP and drive them back.
Often the older guinea hens would
nest in the poultry house with the
chickens.
There is an old time belief that If
you put your hand in a guinea nest
the hen will abandon it. This is a
mistake. But am tempted to believe
Madam Guinea can count as high as
three. If at least three eggs are not
left in the nest from day to day she
is likely to move. II many eggs are
left in nest all the hens are likely to
use that one nest. When a hen be-
comes broody put her in a coop
about two days and she begins laying.
The eggs require 26 to 2S days to
hatch. Sometimes the eggs are chip
ped "a hours or more before the chicks
emerge. The eggs have quite thick
tough shell and find it helps mater
tally TO sprinkle eggs and nest with
tepid water three Of four times in the
last week Of incubation.
The chicks should not be fed for S6
hours after Matching. After that they
should be fed frequently but in small
quantities. When raised with chicken
hens the young guineas must be
watched closely for lice the first few
weeks. After the fourth week they
require little attention, except to be
housed at night If allowed to range
they will come up at night with crops
so well filled that rney need not be
fed. After the chicken hen has left
them they will not harm the garden,
and the number Of bugs and grass
hoppers they catch is amazing. They
grow rapidly. Young Matched in June
and July will be well feathered before
cold weather and will be ready to
market as squads in October and No
vember
The meat Is dark and very tender
1t has delicious gamey flavor. The
squads may be broiled or fried; the
older fowls roasted. At city hotels
they are served for $3.50 each, or 81
a half portion.
While guineas do not grow to Sot
very large, there is very little waste
to them. They weigh not more thar
four pounds when full grown. The
feet, head and bones are very small
The cocks are a trifle larger than the
hens and have cry more shrill.
Altogether, have found guinea'
more profitable and desirable thar
anything in the poultry line. They
are fine foragers and require less feet
and attention than chickens or tur
keys. They are hardy and not sus
ceptible to colds and roup, Lice anC
other parasites do not seem to abound
on them as on chickens. They are
fine watch dogs" giving shril
warning cry if anything unusual comes
near them day or night.
There is a white guinea that is be
coming popular just now, but / pre-
fer the old fashioned speckled kind.
think it is prettier and perhaps lit
tie harder.
Since the laws relative to the com
cercial use of bird feathers have be
come SO stringent, there is a growinl
demand for feathers from barnyart
fowls. Recently l was talking with Z
buyer for a wholesale millinery house
and he wants to arrange to buy m!
guinea feathers this fall Probably th'
price win not be large, but 1t will pay
for the small trouble Of saving ant
curing the feathers. We in the coun
try must look for profit from the by
! products.