Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-05
Select Breeders Which Are
Physically Perfect and
Free From the Taint of an
Earlier Disease
Hatching, BrOOding, Feed
ing and Housing All Influ-
ence Future Welfare of the
Flock
BY III. l.. Goodwin.
Fancier and Well-known Breeder
COPYRIGHT, 1916

A knowledge of how to avoid sick
ness in poultry is one of the most
valuable assets the pouItryman can
have: and, yet it Is. after all, very
simple matter. Only three things are
necessary to produce and maintain
this highly desirable condition, and
these three things are proper breed
ing, proper care and proper feeding.
WITHOUT a good foundation no
wv man would expect to build any
thing of great value. The health
and strength of a flock Of poultry
depend very largely upon its founda-
tion. In breeding or selecting the
stock from which to build up a flock
the greatest care should be taken to
start your strain from a line of ances-
tors which have been physically per-
feet and free from illness of any kind.
Like breeds like, and with strong
ancestors there is no difficulty in rails
ing a flock of strong young birds.
Filth breeds disease, and the greatest
care to avoid filth is necessary even
from the time the hen is set or the
incubator is started.
If one is buying his foundation
stock, whether young birds or old
ones, it is wise to be pretty sure there
are no germs of disease lurking near,
and great care should be used in max
ing your selection. If all is clean
about the place where the birds you
are looking at are kept, the chances
are that it is a good place to buy;
but If there are signs of filth every
where it is better to be cautious, for
where there is filth there is pretty
sure to be disease.
Disease germs do not often pene-
trate the oviduct and a fresh laid egg
is usually free from them, though
germs may be acquired under hen
in a very short time. Eggs rubbed with
a dampened cloth dipped in alcohol
will be absolutely free from germs,
and if then placed in clean incu-
bator or in a clean nest under hen
that is free from lice and mites will
hatch chicks that are free from dis
eases of any kind, for inherited dis
/ eases are rare and can be absolutely
| avoided by never using for breeding
| purposes hens that have ever shown
signs of sickness.
Feeding Governs Future Conditions
In the first days of the chicks life,
! even if they have been Matched under
I the perfect conditions just described,
/ there are two great dangers-that they
will be overfed and that they will be
come chilled-either of which is likely
| to prove disastrous. Although over
| feeding is not as dangerous as chilli
| ing, either is likely to lead quickly to
white diarrhoea, and the two condi-
tions combined is likely to result ia
| tally to the entire flock, or at least
| the greater part of II. But this does
not make it necessary to keep the lit
! tie birds too warm or to starve them
there is a happy medium both as the
/ feeding and protecting them from
/ cold. which is not difficult to reach
/ if one uses judgment and care. a
! little food often, removed before il
can become filthy or sour, water sc
arranged that they cannot get into il
and scatter it about, getting ii on
! themselves or the litter; coarse sand
| or fine grit for the digestive organs, Q
uniform temperature of 20 degrees oil
| thereabouts, and the little fellows have
all they need to make them thrive and
grow.
| 1t is not the purpose of this article
| to deal with the feeding of poultry
but it may be said that proper feed
| ing is of the utmost importance. This
means that the birds should at all
/ times have balanced ration suited to
! their age and condition. With young
/ chickens in particular it is necessary
I that they have everything they need
and nothing more, for they will often
I eat all they can get, whether they need
/ il or not. 1t is quite important that
| all food, either animal or vegetable
which has soured or become putrid
/ be kept away from them, and, indeed