Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-09

flock
One OF the worst things to contend
with in the brooding of young chicks
win mems is lice. Most hens have lice.
ana II the old brood hen has them
morning Is more certain than that she
I WIN very quickly pass them on to the
Snicks. Lice do not trouble the old
smaller than she is. but with the little
| chick IT Is different 1t does not take
many lice on young chick to kill it.
The best treatment" for lice on lit
Tie chlcks is to kill the lice on the old
men before she matches the chicks.
Chicks are so delicate they do not
Withstand much doping. but. Of course.
II you have been so careless as to let
them get infested you will have to do
! something. Lice do most damage on
the young chicks head, hence this is
the part usually treated. A very small
| amount of lard or vaseline spread over
! the top of the head will kill the head
| lice.
Chicks must be carefully protected
| from enemies. There are no rules for
! this, each brooding place being a prob
lem In itself and each recurring diff
ferent solution. The principal thing Is
to anticipate the trouble IL possible
and take precautions early enough to
prevent the enemies from getting a
start. Prevention. aside from saving
some of the chicks. is much easier than
| trying to cure. Be on the lookout for
rats. crows. hawks. weasels etc. about
| the place and take measures that will
keep them away from the chicks or
Keep the chicks away from the enc
mics Enemies to poultry will be more
fully discussed in another lesson.
Wet grass is fatal to chicks IL the
old hen is allowed to drag" them
| through it. While the grass is wet
| in the morning or after rains the hen
should be chained--that Is. if she is in
the habit of running around in grass
tall enough to hurt the chicks
Newly purchased breeding stock
| should always be guaranteed for sew
eral days after arrival The birds may
have been in perfect health upon de-
livery at the railroad station of their
| previous owner. but the exposure that
frequently occurs during transit is
quite apt to cause diseased conditions
! that might menace the health of the
| entire home flock.
! Extra care and attention must be
given to the early broods of chickens
such as TO feed them often and see
that they are well protected from cold
and tsorms. but you will be well re-
paid for this extra trouble when the
| fall and winter shows come, for it is
/
| that carry off the blue ribbons.
| To hatch well. hen must have a
good nest If she has to jump down
| some of the eggs. Fix it SO she can
| get on from the side. Use some soft
! straw, hay or like substance for the
nesting material. Be sure It's clean
and free from mold You will not
| want to give the chicks any of the dis
eases caused by molds. If you are not
| sure it is clean, give it a thorough
spraying With some disinfectant and
let it dry out before putting it in the
nest. The eggs. while in the nest
nest is too deep the eggs from the out
side will roll on the top of the others
in the center and then those underneath
cannot get the proper heat. If the
nest Is too fat the eggs will roll apart
and those on the outside will be toe
cold Be sure there are no corners left
just outside the nesting material, for
the eggs to roll into. 1t pays to spend
plenty of time arranging the nesting
material. Too many hens are set on
poorly prepared nests.
Feeding sitting hens is rather simple
matter. Keep fresh water before them
and feed them regularly. 1t Is prob
ably best to keep some feed where they
can get 1t whenever they wish. Corn
| ana wheat or elmer gram dlOHe Is oil
| the sitting hen requires. All she needs
is some heat and energy producing food
which contains only enough protein to re-
pair her waste tissues. II you give her a
stimulating feed feeds high is protein
are usually considered stimulating feeds),
she is apt to get into laying condition
again and leave OFF sitting.
Do not put too many eggs under one
hen. Too many persons take a chance
l frxrr
hen. thinking they will get a few more
chicks If the extra eggs alone were az
fected it would not be quite so bad; but
| the whole nestful will be treated alike
and is constantly changing their positions.
The number it Is safe to set varies with
the size of the hen, season of the year,
| size Of the eggs and value of the eggs.
Naturally. a small hen cannot cover SO
many as a large one. a hen cannot keep
so many warm during cold weather as
during warm weather. she cannot cover
the same number of large ones as small
ones. and naturally one would not care
to trust many very valuable eggs with
Der of eggs is usually used in setting
hens. This may be due to superstition,
but it is also partly due to the fact that
thirteen or fifteen eggs fit the nest better
About thirteen eggs in winter and from
fifteen to eighteen in summer would be
about right for a medium sized hen on
medium sized eggs.
1t is important that some kind of
green food should be supplied when the
hens are confined. Almost anything
succulent will serve the purpose 1t is
not desirable to depend entirely on clo-
yer and alfalfa in winter. Cabbage.
rape. mangels, potatoes, turnips or
even ensilage should be provided flor
variety. Little attention need be given
to supplying the hens with grit while
on the range. In winter or when in
confinement. grit in some form should
be supplied. Lime is also needed for
shell material. For this purpose oyster
shell is excellent.