The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-06
BREEDING HAS MADE
A Perfect FOWL OF
FORMER JUNGLE BIRD

This is the season when men are d.
vided into two classes: those who
garden and those who grow chickens
AS far apart as the East and the West,
they meet equently-sometimes inl
municipal court. Because the chicken
Is jungle fowl, from the jungles of
Central Asia-from where 1t first was
taken and domesticated thousands of
years ago-to the back section of a
30-foot city lot is long journey. And
while the chicken has made the jour
! ney it hasn't lost it's jungle instincts.
Chickens crow and scratch for feed,
just as they did in the jungles. Hence
the disagreement between the fowl
owner and the gardener. Hence the
fact it is not always good policy to
attempt to grow chickens where there
are gardens. shrubbery, flowers and
well kept city lawns.
But it is a vastly changed chicken,
even over a few years ago. And far
Their out. where there is more room,
thousands of families are adding to
their incomes as well as enjoying
fresh eggs and fine meat because they
recognize the chickens jungle in
stincts must be considered and, in
pens and sheds, some of them fine
ment houses, grow great crops" Of
chicks each year
Changed BY Breeding
In changing the chicken from the
jungle fowl into the modern beauty
the biggest change has been made, of
course. by breeding, it was pointed
out by T. E. Quisenberry, middle
West poultry authority. Take the
Barred Rocks The beautiful profit
table chicken of that breed today is
the product of careful breeders who
set out to improve the old speckled
hen A few years ago the Rhode
Island Red was a mongreI fowl in the
shipping regions of Massachusetts
The Leghorn, a few years ago was
smaller than it is now and laid smaller
eggs But it laid many of them so
breeders set out to produce the larger
bird, laying a larger egg and more OF
them. The utility Leghorn of today
is the result. The three most popu-
! lar breeds in the middle West TO-DAY
: are those mentioned, according to Mr..
Quisenberry. Similar improvement
has been made in the other breeds.
Matching. producing better chicks
through modern methods, has greatly
increased the output The incubator
started that Caring for the eggs
properly. modern methods in handling
and the perfection of shipping details
has resulted in thousands of persons
buying baby chicks or buying eggs tc
be Matched in huge incubators at com
mercial hatcheries.
Feeding Important.
1t no longer is difficult, according tc
Mr. Quisenberry, to get the chicks
The difficult part is to grow them tc
usefulness after Matching. According
to one Kansas authority only four ou
of each ten chicks Matched reach
marketable age. Various factors are
blamed, but the most important, &C
cording to poultrymen, is feeding
Feeding the chicks too soon after they
are Matched is one almost universe
trouble Improper feeds are another
A chick doubles its weight in about {
week. 1t must have proper feed TO
such development Poultry experts
have found the proper mixtures AMI
they are now available to all chicl
growers, farmers as well as the sub
1rbanites using them.
No attempt is made to prevent tn,
hicks scratching; instead they are en-
outraged to. But the scratching il
lone in pens carefully fitted for tina
\ purpose in a litter usually of straw
which certain feeds are buried, 81
he hen will have to scratch to &c
hcm Thus what makes enemies o
ity neighbors makes better fowl