Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-01-12
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Is nO D. MISS SM93gM/TA
~ ~ LIZZIE O THOMAS N.Y.
JUST ABOUT CHICKENS

and covering il, they would have had leg
weakness if | had not given them over
head heat i'm the day and put it under
them at night. 1 had one brooder that
was made of tongued and grooved floor
ing four feet square, eighteen inches
high in the back and two and half feet
in front. This had square of window
glass on each side set i'm, south and
east the glasses could slide and wire
was there to allow ventilation. A ten
inch board that extended across the en-
tire front was on hinges and opened out
ward, this made a way for the youngsters
to run in and out on sunny days. L
could also ventilate from the top as IL
projected over and had a strip all around
like a box top. l would lift the top ALI
inch, insert something and have over
head ventilation and no draft.
Another made very much like it had
a hole in the middle of the floor, piece
of wire netting to keep the chicks from
getting burned and a regular brooder
lamp slipped under it. That one had
to always have the overhead ventilation.
And 1 believe it was about as satisfac-
tory as any lamp-heating arrangement
could be. Some of these. days ] hops
to have a coal or gasoline burner; lamps
are so uncertain that for the present
shall use hens.
Have you who have no green stuff
where your flock can run on it COM
menced your oats yet? They should have
a hot mash every cold morning, as well
as warm water to drink. Put the oats
on and put just enough water to cover
them; let the water boil, cut up a dozen
pods of red pepper for half bucket OF
water and mix with the boiling oats.
he
with wheat bran and half pint of cottol
seed meal / am supposing that your
flock has plenty of buttermilk. If not
get commercial meat scraps and some
ground bone. They can't get bugs IN
January.
Perdue university has a splendid bull
letin on. Poultry Conditions in Indiana"
and they report as the result of two
years work the following average pei
hen for each year:
First pen. Egg production, meat
scrap, 135 eggs.
Second pen: Egg production, skim
milk, 1885 eggs.
Third pen; Egg production, no meat
or milk, SO eggs.
In comparing the pens it was found
that for every 100 pounds of meat scraps
there was S24.22 cents return in eggs.
Meat scraps were then $3.50 per 100.
Now they are almost 81, but eggs arr
proportionately higher.
They got milk for 80 cents per 100
pounds Cbuttermilk), and the return i'm
eggs was s1.7S -on 80 cents spent
Are you begrudging your hens the
material needed TO MANUFACTURE eggs!
Then be sensible and sell your hens. II
is penny wise and pound foolish to feed
them nothing but grain and expect then
to lay many eggs.
Don't go to see a friend and because
she gets plenty of eggs think your sort
of hens are not good and sell them.
Yours may be as good as hers if yours
had as good treatment and surround
ings. l never advise any one to sell
and get Rhode Island Reds. l believe
that the Red is a number one all-pur-
pose fowl, but they have to be given
forming food, good quarters and
plenty of sunshine, exercise and close
attention to prove a good investment
Ny fourteen hens paid ffty-tive dollars
in baby chicks and youngsters for
breeding pens. The culls and ill-shaped
eggs, and those we ate paid expenses,
beside giving me a fine flock. I've four
beautiful cockerels, too young TO mate
and a two-year-old cock that | shall
sell to make room for some new blood
to prevent inbreeding; but these sales
will come i'm this years inventory, just
as five bushels of oats and as much
corn must be charged to them.
l did not tell you how TO sprout oats
because that's an old story; but it &C.
ours to me that two people in TuScum-
bia asked me the question yesterday.
Keep a tub with some oats in 1t, pour
warm water over the oats and let set
twenty-four hours. Then put them in
a box with plenty of drainage and set
i'm the dark. sprinkle the oats literally
every morning with warm water and
stir them about so that they may not
mould. After they sprout leave them
twenty-four hours and then set in the
light and they will soon be mass OF
roots and stems. Cut in inch squares
and throw to the hens and see them en-
10Y themselves. One inch is ample for
a hen. BY putting some oats in the
tub every day and having several fiat
boxes to put them in, you will soon
make a regular thing of the green food.
They must not get chilled, so keep
them in a warm place.
But this is enough about chickens
for this time. 1 hope it is needless
for me to say that the drinking water
needs permanganate of potash one or
two DAYS every week and if your chick
ems have colds dip their heads in cup
of water with the medicine in 1t and
hold it under till bubbles come up, only
the beak need be under the water, 1t
must go up the nostrils or inject IL
with a medicine dropper.
Faithfully yours,
LIZZIE o. THOMAS.
Tuscuuibia. Ala.