The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-19

| confine the hens and allow the ducklings free range, as the hens are apt to wander too far away with their broods.
 After the ducklings have ben confined to the incubator for A to 36 hours after matching, remove them to the brooder
 and give them their first feed. The trooder should be operated at a tempera-
 ture of about 95 degrees F at first and
 gradually reduced to so degrees or & de grees within a week or ten days The
 temperature may be reduced quite rap
 idly, depending on the season of the
 year. Aim to keep the ducklings com fortable.
 In many of the southern and southwest
 ern states fowls and chicks are often infested by a species of flea, commonly known as the stick-tght' flea, because Of it's habit of sticking to one place on the bird instead of moving about like fee
 and mites. They are usually foun.s in clusters on the comb, wattles and around the eyes. Chicks, when infested. often die quickly. old fowls, whle usually strong CT and more resistant, will cease laying or nearly so, and sometimes die as the | result of the attacks.
 'Stick-tight' fleas breed in cracks and crevices of brood GOODS and poultry houses, and dry animal or vegetable ref- use. but not in damp or wet places. Therefore, to get rid of them it is neces- sary to clean and spray the houses and runs thoroughly, as well as to treat the birds, say poultry specialists. Grease the comb and wattles of the fowls and chicks ! with a preparation of kerosene and lard'- l i part kerosene to parts of lard-belng very careful not to use too much of
 the mixture or get any of it in the birds
 eyes or on other places where it is not l necessary, as it may cause injury if used |, too freely.
 ! Clean and spray the GOODS and houses 1 thoroughly the same as for poultry
 mites: also wet or spray the yards or
 runs, especially such as dirt floors or | ground underneath board floor. with Q | solution of salt and water, which helps
 to keep the ground moist and prevents the fleas from breeding.
 The size of the hen house should be governed by the size of the flock From
 40 to 50 seems to be about as many birds
 az are safe to keep together. With flocks of this size from to , square feet Of floor space should be allowed to each
 bird This will suscce in most cases where careful attention is given to clean liness and ventilation. If the fowls are kept in smaller flocks more floor space
 to a bird will be needed.
 In sections where the climate is so mild that it is unnecessary 10 keep loWiS coH- fined except for few days at time less space to bird should be sufficient
 The smaller breeds being more active and restless, require about as much room as
 the larger breeds.
 For the greatest amount of floor space
 for the least cost a building should be
 souare Other things being equal, the
 nearer square house is the less lumber
 it will take, according to poultry specrai-
 sts of the department of agriculture
 However, it is sometimes out of the ques-
 ton to build large house square. A building should not be so wide that the
 sun cannot reach the back of the house. otherwise it vii be damp Fourteen feet
 is a convenient width. Build the house
 as low as possible without danger of at
 tendants pumping their heads against the ceiling, for the low house is more easily warmed tran a high one.