Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-15

fancy eggs to q discriminating trade will
do we'll to consider the reasons for these
attractions.
without farm animals-cows, pigs
sheep and poultry-the greater part OF
our enormous cereal crops would be as
worthless to us as q bar of gold to a
drowning man.
No habitation Is complete without sun
light. In poultry buildings the aim
should be to have the sunlight flood every
part Of the interior. IT is the best germ
icide.
The incubator matches hundreds or
thousands of eggs, while the hen matches
from II to IL. The incubator is run on
a few gallons of oil or ton of coal
while the hens energy measured in eggs
which she fails to lay by reason of her
being on the nest. would run into hun
dreds of dollars.
DESTROY DEAD CHICKENS
All the disinfectants in the world are
useless, and spraying, whtewashng and
cleaning go for nought If the carcasses
| Of dead chickens are left about the prem
| ises. Cremate or deeply bury them.
| Cooling the Matching eggs is just as
| important as turning them. The cooling
| process not only exposes the eggs to
| fresh air. but it causes the contents to
| contract and thereby draw through the
| pores of the shells fresh supply of
oxygen, without which the embryos could
| not develop.
Drinking fountains are certain to be-
come Shiny and insanitary unless they
are scrubbed periodically.
In purchasing an incubator. among 9TH
er things consider what your requirements
may be next year or two years hence.
The 30o-egg machine needs no more la
Dor than the 100-egg machine, and very
! little more fuel. You don't have to flll
the egg chamber to bring OFF a hatch.
| Twenty years ago If one had advocated
brooding chicks in flocks of from 300 to
| 1900. the nationality of such an exponent
would have been sharply questioned. The
idea seems radical to some people to-
day. but the brooder stove has proved It
to be entirely practicable.
| Certain breeding schemes are said to
| produce preponderance of pullets. Ex-
perience shows. however, that the gen.
eral average for a period of years Is
"ffty-flfty." cockerels and pullets.
| 1t is safe to ship baby chicks any dis
lance that can be covered in 4s hours
| transportation.
| Late afternoon or evening is the best
| time to remove chicks from the incuba-
tor to the brooder. Darkness helps to
quiet the little fellows and to keep
them from exploring their new quar-
| ters.
TO TELL SEX IN GUINEAS
Sex in guineas is distinguished chiefly
by their calls. The male has little to
say. and his cry is harsh. nervous
clicking sound. The hen has the pre-
ponderance of vocabulary. The we'll
known "portrack" or "to-quick" Is ut
tered by the female only. The sound
''che-e-e'' "tc-ck'' is typical Of both
sexes. The hen seldom screeches like
| the cock bird.
| The leaks on a poultry farm, a gen.
oral term for accidents. mistakes, care
lessness. ignorance and family practices.
may not invoke as much interest as the
subject of profits. but the two are so
closely affiliated that. il we would have
| the latter, we must continually search
! for the former. And, finding the leaks,
we must adopt measures to check them.
Sparrows are notorious grain thieves.
The incubator can be operated any
wherein the barn, attic, cellar, loft,
lor or In a tent, according to some ac-
counts. Be that as it may. experience
| has shown that the best location is
where the atmosphere is more or less
moist, where the temperature is to a
great extent uniform and cool and where
1t is possible to obtain plenty of venti-
lation These conditions are seldom found
! outside Of a cellar or basement, hence
| the popularity accepted idea that incu-
bators must be run in such places
SHADOWS BRIGHTEN CHICKS
Carrying a lighted lantern into the
brooder house at night is almost certain
to throw the chicks into a panioky state
Of mind and may result In trampling.
The shadows cast by the lantern are
/ the fearsome things. If you must have
| artificial light, contrive to make the il
| Elimination indirect. Stand the lantern
outside. below a window. so that its re-
| Election and not the direct rays OF light
enter the brooding compartment.
Too often feathers are a neglected by
product. 1t pays to save them, espe-
clally white feathers.
From four to six weeks IL the time
required TO brood chicks with artificial
heat, although the season of the year,
climate, health of the brood and how
| fast tho chicks feather out are the de-
termining factors. really. The brood
| should have temperature Of about 80
| degrees for the first week; then grad
ually reduce this heat to 20 degrees for
the second week. IS degrees for the third
week and so degrees for the fourth week