Atlanta semi-weekly journal., 1918-02-01
ANSWERS TO ENourRERs

me that l can help more people in this
time of conserving the meat supply
by answering through this paper.
Dear Mrs. Thomas: l am thinking
of getting an incubator and try selling
day-old chicks and eggs for Matching
Can eggs for setting be sent by par
eel post and how should they be PACK
ed? Where can / get the cases and
what will they cost? Will eggs hatch
that are shipped when the weather is
cold? | did not think that they would
hatch well if chilled. How early can
| begin shipping baby chicks and how
do you pack them? Any other informa-
tion on THIS subject will be appreciated"
AS to the first question l will say
that a chilled egg seldom matches, and
there is no way to say how early one
can begin to ship because seasons vary.
l have been waiting a month on four
settings and have no idea when the
wea ther is going to allow them to even
start If one buys before the last
of February it is on their own judgment,
not mine. Once a thousand eggs were
set to supply an Easter window display
in Atlanta. They set nineteen days,
were packed in warmed cotton and
rushed to the incubator in the show
window, thirty miles away. 1t seemed
to me that every one developed into
/
carefully handled The express COM
pany can be called on to settle for
baby chicks injured in transit, but not
for eggs. l positively refuse to send
any eggs by parcel post, except when
the buyer says she assumes the risk.
l have sent them a number of times
but il is a risk. The boxes cost TWEEN
ty-five cents for fifteen eggs. and then
postage is extra. That about doubles
he fIo4 NJ bat
makes.
For eggs and baby chicks 1 use the
common market baskets. For fifteen
eggs l use the small sizeC about
peck size. Line with several thick
nesses of paper, then real hay, of grass,
not sticks and sorghum. Wrap each
egg and twist the ends of the paper
hard, pack hay between the eggs. then
put a paper on top to keep the hay
steady, cut a piece of orocus bagging
and with a stiff bladed knife, the kitch-
en- sort, push the cloth between the
rim of the basket and the splints, let
ting it come over the edge, of course.
| generally have a bodkin and some
cord and run that up through some Of
the crevices so as to be sure For baby
chicks | line the bottom of the busket,
one side one end, so as to have no draft.
Then I pack the hay. pretty thoroughly,
make a round nest i nthe center and
put in the chicks. l use the same sort
of cover, pmitting the paper top. l us
ually sew the top at each end and at the
! handles. Always tie the handles to-
gether, then nothing can be put on the
basket. Pack the eggs firmly, if not
they will not be safe. ] have sent three
dozen in the larger baskets and only
three failed to hatch. Mark in large
clear letters eggs for Matching" and
be sure and let the owner know before
! hand the day you start eggs or chick
| ems. l have written to the express
agents when l was uncertain about the
weather. There are three cockerels and
six turkeys waiting on favorable wealth
er.
! wish you could Sc the littlefellows
! wrote about l can't tell when I've
lost any young chickens. Do not feed
them till they are two days old. Baby
chick feed is best for them, but l could
not get it for these, so they have had
rolled oats, the sort that hope you
enjoy at breakfast, only theirs is raw.
l give them buttermilk for their first
drink, and continue that the first thing
every day. Later in the day they have
water, and it is astonishing how much
they drink. Don't let them get chilled.
l put mine in a deep box, place it in
the sunshine and let them keep busy.
| dry a piece of eggbread, usually a
muffin I put il in the box and let them
peck out the crumb, 1t keeps them
busy and half of a muffin to four or fve
is plenty for their morning exercise.
After they are two weeks old parch
an eggshell brown and break it as hne
as possible and you'd be surprised to
see how soon it goes. They are old
enough then to begin to cut up some
/ N nDiOn the size of
your thumb is enough for dozen or
more
| Don't forget to put the vaseline, just
! the least bit, on the top of the head,
under the throat, and where the yolk
slipped into the little body lady
| wrote me last week that since she read
| that in this column she has not been
! troubled with heas on her young chick
| ems Don't use sulphur and lard. L
! know that it is more convenient, but
| l sold a man a setting of eggs, every
one Matched, he CREASED generously with
| lard and every one died-sulphur will
| surely kill young chickens. Hawks will
! soon be flying over your poultry yards.
/ Have your nux vomica ready and feed
| them in time. A teaspoonful to pint
| of meal will fill the craws of twenty
FIVE. The hens need none l find out
when the hawk decides to come. you
| Know Jney take Lle same Time CNCly
day. l let the hen and the hawk have
it out the first day, then | feed for Mr..
Hawk the next day just in time and
| if he does not get the chick 1 feed at
| that time until he does get one. then
| he surely dies. Nux vomica is a tonic
for any creature born, or hatched with
it's eyes open, so be careful and do not
let the dog you care for get any. And
| do not be afraid 10 eat the eggs or
chickens that are fed on it.
Eggs should be plentiful this year,
! they should be used literally to take
| the place Of meat that is needed across
the water. Don't substitute baking
powdar for eggs. it has no nourishmenr
| in it, Little children need bread made
with eggs and IL will help ward of
pellagra. Don't be afraid of corn bread.
put in plenty of buttermilk and eggs
and you will not need much meat.
Faithfully yours,
! LIZZIE o. THOMAS.
! Tuscumbia, Ala.
What Industry and Thrift Does
Dear Mrs Thomas: l would like to