Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-01
Poultry Yard Notes.

If the fowls are to be kept comfort
able during the hot weather see that
shade Of some kind is provided for them,
and see also that they are given fresh,
cool, clean water two or three times a
day-the latter will not be too often.
The water vessels should be placed in a
shaded location. so that the water will
remain cool for some time; exposed to
the suns rays the water will become
warm enough for a tepid bath in half
an hour.
Four stakes driven into the ground,
with a canopy of old burlap sacking
tackled to their tops will furnish a CRATE
full bit of shade if nothing better is
available. The stakes should be three or
four feet high. SO as to permit the free
circulation OF air underneath
A thicket Of sumac bushes growing in
the poultry yard makes fine shade for
the fowls The bushes may be dug up
in the woods or along the roadside
fences almost anywhere in this locality,
and bear transplanting well. Or plan
tation Of sunfiowers in a corner of the
yard makes fine shade, and also pro-
duces in the seed heads an extremely
valuable addition to the ration. A draw
back to the use of sunf1owers for shade,
however, is the fact that they attract
English sparrows in fiocks, the birds
frequently becoming serious pests
The best source of shade in poultry
yards is fruit trees, especially peach
and plum trees, which are of rapid
growth. few such trees properly
spaced in poultry yard will furnish,
in couple Of years. all the shade nee
essary, and in a year or so more will
begin to yield crops of fruit
The addition Of permanganate of pot
ash to the drinking water given to the
fowls becomes at this season of the
year even more necessary than at other
large a proportion of the chemical,
however; it should be made no redder
than a deep rose color, or the color Of
claret. A good way to measure the
chemical is to add just what can be
picked up on a silver dime to a gallon
of water. Or a saturated solution may
be made by placing a quarter Of an
ounce-costing about Is cents-in a
and dissolving the chemical. When de-
sired few drops of this strong solu-
ton is added to the drinking water for
the fowls, the use of the solution max
ing it easy to see when sufficient has
been used. If too much of the perman-
ganate is used it is likely to set up
Intestinal troubles, which are difficult
to cure.
Buttermilk for the fowls, as we'll as
the young chicks. is food and drink
combined. When it Is available it's use
cannot be too highly recommended; in
fact, the poultryman in charge of a
large flock in Virginia declares that
his. success in raising practically every
chick Matched and in maintaining the
health and vigor of the flock at par is
principally due to the fact that butter
milk is given the fowls from earliest
chickhood straight through. However,
in feeding buttermilk care must be
taken to scrub the vessels in which 1t
is fed thoroughly every day. The poul-
tryman referred to uses an ordinary
scrubbing brush and one OF the much
advertised cleansing powders. after
ward risings the vessels thoroughly
with clean water, and allowing them
to stand exposed to the sun and air for
a few hours. In this way they are
kept clean, sweet and sanitary, II not
properly secured and cleansed the milk
which adheres to the sides and bot
toms will putrefy, and when dissolved
in the new supply poured into the yes
sells will be likely to give the fowls
something closely resembling ptonalne
poisoning in humans.
Now is the time to prepare that patch
of crimson clover for a supply OF green
If patch of cowpeas is available. so
much the better. Turn the cowpeas
under, harrow the soil until it is hne
and loose, and then harrow in the
crimson clover It should make a hne
start before cold weather arrives. and,
although the tops will wither under
heavy frost or freezing temperature,