Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-11

may well be used as breeders next
spring. provided the males are kept
segregated and the pullets are not un-
duly forced for winter laying. 1t APP
pears to be fact that peculiarities Of
markings; etc. are transmitted more
strongly by pullet and cockerel breed
ing than by the use of fully matured.
two-year- fowls in the breeding
yards. This fact Is attested by the adj
dition in poultry show classifications OF
"cockerel- bred" or "pullet-b bred classes
in almost all breeds.
1t is generally true that better re-
suits are to be had II cockerels are
mated with mature hens. and cocks
with pullets. than II cockerel 10 Sc
lected to head a breeding yard Of pull
let's of his age. However. II the fowls
were Matched yearly. so that they are
q full year old when placed in the
breeding yards. and II each individual
strong. vigorous condition. the chicks
Matched from such matings will be the
right kind of chicks-the kind that
have right to live and that persist In
doing 1t.
Many poultrymen hold to the belief
that the chicks from a mating Of ma
ture hens with cockerel will number
a larger proportion of pullets than
cockereis, and that pullets mated with
centage of males than females. A long
experience and repeated experiments
designed to test the truth of this be-
lief, or theory. however. has not con-
WINGED the writer that any difference
is to be noted in the long run. In some
seasons pens of hens headed by young
males have produced an overwhelming
proportion of male chicks. while oppo-
site matings have produced opposite
results. No matter how the matings
NM ho do n
long run nature attends to matters az
regards the proportion of the sexes
seeing to it that preponderance of fe-
males is produced for the simple rea-
son that that is natures way.
All young fowls intended for breed
ing purposes must have all the range
possible, in order to build up the con-
; stitutional vigor upon which the sue
cess Of breeding depends. The pullets
may be given range that is as free as
the limitations of space permit. II
there are corn fields, meadows. woods
and generally open farm land. give the
pullets the range of as much of 1t al
the other hand, are not to be confined
or closely yarded, but they must be
kept away from the pullets II both are
to do their best. Give the young males
as large yard as possible, with plenty
Of shade during the hot weather. and
animal food, gravel. grit. fresh clean
water and hard grain feed they need.
If red or crimson clover, alfalfa OIL
| other green garden stuff of similar
nature is sown in the yard where thu
cockerels are confined. SO much thu
better. If supply of growing greer
stun is not available. however. the de
| ficiency must be supplied with lawI
clippings. cut green clover. cabbages
etc. AS has often been recommends
in this column. frequent spading of the
yard, or portion of it, and raking II
oats, wheat, rye, barley and whole corn
will give the cockerels plenty of exer
else scratching for the buried grains
while the grains not unearthed viii
stun. By keeping the youngsters away
from the raked-in space until the
sprouting grain attains the height o.
two or three inches the problem Of &
ration of green feed will be solved
temporarily.
At this time of year. when vegetab le.
from the garden are fresh and plenti
full. small potatoes. outer leaves of let
tuce. radishes, tops Of radfshes ant
early turnips. etc, and even the Vinei
from which the early peas and beam
feed for fowls that have not free range
Fowls that are closely yarded will de
YOUR every scrap of such green stun
II the poultryman possesses a bone cut
ter. it is often worth while to run {
lot of small potatoes, turnips. beets
radishes and the like. together witt
outer leaves of cabbages. cantaloupt
rinds, etc, through the machine and re
duce them to coarse. juicy pulp. This
ground mass fed to young chicks give:
them a vegetable stuff they need. ant
the way they will clean.it up is proc
NJ tho ia Of that thew need and relish 1t
Numerous inquiries have come to thu
writer in regard to statement pub
lished recently. which was that thu
manager of the poultry plant at thu
District workhouse at Occoquan, va.
allows young chicks no fluid other thar
sour milk or butternilk for the first 81,
weeks after they are Matched. Man!
of the writer's have asked If 1t Is no
true that the chicks are given the SOU
milk in addition to drinking water
while others have asserted that chick!
given no water, but all the sour milk OF
buttermilk they would consume. woult
certainly perish OF thirst. The STATE
ment as it appeared In this column O
The Sunday Star recently was cO"itct
Chicks at the workhouse poultry r.: n
are given no water whatever until they
are six weeks old. but are given all thu
huttermilk or sour milk they can con
sume-whicn is quite a lot. After thu
chicks have attained that age they arr
given plenty of clean. fresh water. ant
the manager OF the plant states that Il
often requires several days before tn
chicks appear to learn to drink thu
water He also asserts that this plar
is responsible for the fact that out o.
more than 1000 chicks Matched az thu
plant this spring, not one has been IL
or has died Of any disease.
The following anecdote is going the
rounds of the agricultural journals
taken from the proceedings of q
farmers club held in 1858. in which q
member said: The opinion prevails
that to allow fowls to roos,
in a fruit tree will result in it's final
destruction. Is IT. on account of the
amount or nature Of the manure drop
ped, or for other reasons?" In reply
to this the speaker said: ut is hard to
tell what the cause may be. but nothing
is more certain than that IL farmer
allows his fowls no other place to roosi
than in his fruit trees. said trees will
bear little or no fruit. More than this
his cattle are apt to die in the spring
and they are always lousy: his hogs