Evening star., 1915-02-14
Poultry Yard Notes.

As the Matching season is at hand
indeed. has already gotten under head
way-more attention must be paid to
gathering the eggs in order to insure
good matches. Eggs for Matching must
be gathered at least four times a day
duFin cold weather. They must not
be permitted to remain in the nests
until they become thoroughly chilled,
as the germs never regain full vigor
after being half frozen; indeed, in
many cases eggs containing germs that
were originally full of vitality fail to
hatch at all when the eggs have been
chilled in the nest before they were
gathered. Handle Matching eggs care
fully: never jostle them or give them
rough treatment. 1t is a good plan to
carry a basket half full of sawdust,
and to press the Matching eggs. small
end down. into this material, SO that
the eggs cannot roll around. Keep the
eggs in a dry, we'll ventilated cellar. at
a temperature somewhere between 81
and 10 degrees. If it is necessary to
keep them for several days before they
are placed in the incubator or under
the hens. turn the eggs half way over
every day. Do not wash eggs that
are intended for hatching; if the shells
are soiled, remove the spots with
soft cloth merely dampened in hot
water.
requisite for obtaining Matching eggs
of high fertility. Such feed may take
the form of sprouted oats. scalded al
falfa or clover, cut in short-one-inch
lengths and fed while moist and
steaming. cabbage or any succulent green
stuff. High fertility in Matching eggs,
and chicks full of vitality, can only
be obtained by the liberal use Of such
green feeds. supplemented with proper
rations of some form of meat, such as
beef scrap, meat meal, or cut green
bone.
The Woods open front poultry house,
which so often arouses opposition, and
is by some said to be i'll adapted to
cold localities. is less so than it sounds,
when the construction is examined. In
stead of having a front open except
for poultry netting Dr.. Woods uses
galvanized sandscreen of quarter-inch
mesh. The power of such fine sand
with rain beating in is far more than
poultry netting. is in fact a great pro-
lection and shelter. Made tight so that
wind blows. this type of house offers
good protection to fowls.
AS spring advances keep a sharp
lookout for mites and insect pests in
the henhouses-in the crevices of the
walls. about the roosts and roost sup
ports, and anywhere the pests may
lodge CT where the larvae may be de-
veloping. Spray all such places with
and their supports with 10 per cent
solution of crude carbolic acid, and
dust good insect powder into the nest
material.
At Storrs. Conn.,, where the fourth in
ternational egg-laying contest began
November 1. 1914. the use of coarse
beef scrap in the scratch ration has
been discontinued and an added amount
has been put in the mash. The meat
this year is Is per cent of the total
weight. The green foods used are
mangle beets four days a week and
sprouted oats two or three times a
week.
Have plenty of chaff. short cut straw
or other litter on hand for use in the
brooders when the young chicks ar
hovers will keep the baby chicks warm
and comfortable. and at the same time
will do away with the tendency to de-
velop crooked keel bones, an evil
hard floor of the brooder instead of on
a soft bed of deep litter.
A remedy for colds. which are not
infrequent in fiocks at this time Of
station as follows: Make liniment
of one part chloroform and
three parts Of cottonseed oil. For
rattling or difficulty in breathing the
birds throat should be swabbed much
the same as a child's would be for any
sort Of throat infection. In addition
the nostrils have to be wiped clean
with the same liniment, and a little
held over the nostrils in a soaked rag
will prove beneficial. as the hen can
inhale little. If washing the eyes is
necessary a milder remedy is needed,
as the chlorofor1n is too painful.
Record prices next fall and winter
are indicated by the immense number
of yearling and two-year-old hens that
are coming to market High prices
of feed of all kinds force farmers and
others to cut their focks down almost
to the. vanishing point. and this con-
dition. in the opinion of observant
commission merchants and
others. can not fail to cause unprece-
dented by high prices for eggs and poul-
try next fall and winter.
The Storrs station is again this year
trying out sour milk as substitute
for meat products in the ration. and
upon the careful experiments being
tried this time will be based a bulle-
tin. Two pens each of five different
breeds are being used to test the milk
as food. One pen Is being fed the
regular contest ration. 'and the other
pen the same ration except that the
beef and fish scrap are eliminated and
sour milk is substituted.