Evening star., 1914-04-18
Good Hatch of Chickens,

We are considerably encouraged as
to chickens. From the 11S eggs we
had left in the incubator after testing
out the infertile ones. We Matched nine
ty-two chickens. Four of them plainly
hadn't vigor enough to live so I made
an end of them at once Seven others
have since died. leaving eighty-one, the
most of which We ought to raise. barring
accidents. They are lively little things
long they make the chaff and litter in
the brooder house fly. scratching for
cracked grain. Something went wrong
with the brooder lamp Tuesday night.
and Wednesday morning there were five
dead chicks uder the hover. They might
have been saved had the heat kept up,
but Mrs. Lewis, who raises all her chick
es artificially, says We shouldn't worry
as they probably lacked the vigor neces-
sary to make profitable layers or breed
ers. To lose eleven of ninety-tw chicks
l am told, is below the average of NOR
tality, SO if We have no further serious
| losses We shall have no cause for COM
plant.
I put $50 more eggs in the incubator
Tuesday, white Leghorns this time.
These are due to hatch May 8. and by
filing the incubator again at once we
can get off another hatch before the end
of May Leghorns hatched any time be-
fore June /, they say, should be laying
before Christmas. Six of the twenty
four hens We bought from Mr.. Brown
are setting on White Plymouth Rock
eggs, the same breed as those Of our
first incubator hatch. but from a diff
ferent farm. II these hatch as we'll as
| these in the incubator did. We should ge.
at least fifty livable chicks. making 13O
get sixty-five pullets. Two incubator
| matches of 80 White Leghorn eggs should
give US $50 livable chicks. or ninety pull
| let's. 1t looks. therefore. as if Jane would
nave something more than 80 pullets to
lay eggs for her next winter. This num-
Der may be increased somewhat. as any
| hens that want to sit between now and
May 10 will be given White Leghorn
eggs.
| This is not so many hens as Jane had
| hoped to have, but as many, perhaps, as
We can afford to raise and provide hous-
| Ing accommodations for. 1t will cost
| about 90 cents each to raise the pullets
| to laying age. and it will cost about s1OC
| to provide a house for them The present
! chicken house is large enough for only
| about forty hens. so accommodation will
| have to be provided for more than a hun
dred III buy the lumber and do the
work myself during vacation, hiring a
| man to help me for a few DAYS I've
| been using saw and hammer a lot latel,
| about the place and am getting to look
upon myself as quite carpenter
Pen Ready for Pigs.
| oHe oi the JoDS completed this week
is pigpen. to house the two little pigs ]
am to get from Mr.. Brown next week. /
had intended using the old pen, but when
| | started to get it ready it was in such
! hopeless condition that I didn't have the
| hardihood to ask respectable well bred
pig to call it home. The pen built is in
a new location. and have the posts Sc,
for fence that will inclose three apple
| trees. This will give them shade. and
| the apples that fall will be saved from
| going to waste. The lumber for the per
| cost me only $40. 1t is nothing fancy
but it is substantial. has good floor
and will be easy to keep clean
am going to keep as accurate books on
my pigs as possible. There will be nc
way to estimate the refuse and defective
| vegetables they will get from the garden
but I'll keep track of all the feed / buy
and the corn with which | finish them of
next fall.
With a horse. pigs and chickens. the lit
tie place Will begin to seem something
like a farm. a little later Jane is going
TO set two hens on turkey eggs, and il
she succeeds in Matching and raising some
of them. Sunny Knoll farm will be g
mighty cheerful place along about next
when | was a boy what romantic ap
peal there was in the picture of the farm.
er going out. accompanied by his son, az
in hand to kill the Thanksgiving bird
There has never been a Thank sgiving st
far as | can remember, that | didn't 81
down to turkey, but none ever tasted 81
good as | shall expect the one We shall
have next November to- raised on ou
own place. and fattened on corn 1 grew
myself We shall certainly have to invit,
some friends out from the city. just Il
make them green with envy. I hadn
| intended growing any pumpkins, but