The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-05-22
THE HEN TRAVELS
BY SPECIAL TRAIN


The COW, the pig and the hen are
receiving special attention in high
circles now. Not many years ago
it was novelty to see fine cattle
transported in palace stock cars duly
padded and made comfortable. The
cow and the pig have both been dis
played on demonstration trains at
Blackfoot in recent years, and now
comes the hen on a special train
touring Idaho and Utah.
A generation ago it would have
been considered idle to talk about
having any of these things, but 1t is
within the memory of many people
now that poultry on the farm had to
shift for themselves, forage for most
of their food and roost in the trees
at night. On thousands of farms
the chickens were expected to pick
up enough food about the barnyard
to keep them, to snipe some kernels
of grain from the feed boxes of the
horses when they were fed, and in
various ways make themselves pest
besides being in some measure mere
scavengers. When a chicken was
wanted for dinner, somebody went
out and ran it down or dubbed it
and wrung it's neck On account of
these things the fowls were wild,
hens fluttered violently off their nests
when a person approached, eggs were
broken and wasted in the excitement,
and the widest of the hens hid out
their nests, with the result that the
eggs were sometimes discovered in
quantity, nobody knew how stale
they might be, and quantities OF
them were taken to market positively
rotten and dangerous to handle.
Under such conditions it was inevi-
table that children should grow up
without much if any respect for poul-
try products. And when it came to
building chicken coops for them it
was inevitable that many of these
young people should think it was
going to great deal of trouble just
for chickens. But if it resulted in
getting the hens tanned so they would
stay around the place and quit hid
ing their eggs out in the woods and
fields it was worth considering.
1t was out of such reasoning as
this that chicken culture began on |
many farms, and as the years went |
by a chicken coop was dignified with
the name of Chicken house." and il
was made with doors that were hung
on leather hinges-hinges made from
sections of discarded tugs from the
team harness and leather latch made
so the end with the hole in it could
be hooked over a nail to keep the
door closed Ventilation was not
needed, for the cracks everywhere
allowed the free movement of the
air. 1t was chiefly protection from
the wolves and hawks and was not
greatly different from rOOsting in the
trees
1t is far cry from the crude
chicken coop up through it's develop !.
ment into a chicken house with
board floor, tight doors and windows,
sanitary roOsts and nests that are q
free from vermin. 1t used to be an /.
accepted saying that if chickens were II
lousy they should have the dust bath
to combat the lice, and it was easy
to allow the chicken house floor to
become deep with dust and manure
Tor the sake of a dust bath. Dis
.inction was not always made be- Il
.ween filthy dust and clean dust. p
Millions of fowls have had their feed p
brown into such mass of dry filth n
md they grabbed it as best they Il
Gould, eating what would breed ty-
,hoid fever in the human family,
nd fowls became subject to dis al
ase'' The losses among diseased &C
owls were enough to pay for sani- u
airy measures and clean living that al
rean, delicious eggs. ue
Now we are advised that great adj al
ancement has been made in the Dy
lethods of raising poultry, of caring IN
Dr. them, great advantages come oe
rom proper selection of parent stock,
nd poultry products are more de- Ia
cious, more healthful and in so far iis
8 modern methods are followed, MI
lere need never be a spoiled egg in pc
nybodys kitchen. Many children III
row up without ever having know ma
dge of a stale egg. In this rather III
ew state where the poultry industry 60
new and undeyeloped it seems MI
lther novel to read the birthday "
ate stamped on every egg as one ne
ses them in the kitchen. But it pr
practical and is winning method IN
,ming into general use along with M
ap nests and records of the breed IN
g Of the individuals in the flock. 70
People travel in Pullman palace III
eeper with a porter to serve them. re-
here is preference for the lower 70
rths but uppers are very accept De
lie. When the special comes thru II
Iaho bearing the hen, bless her III
cart, she will be attended by num- oe
,r of professors whose sole duties 60
i'll be to see that she receives due nl'
tention at every town, is introduced lns
.operIy, that she has a comfortable tel
,rth, clean food of sufficient vari- d
" clean cool water to drink, and or
/ her wants supplied early. The .n
ain will arrive in Blackfoot on lrs
Lturday afternoon, June at three
clock and will remain two and
III hours, leaving on schedule as ne
did the presidents train when le'
came thru. 81
tut
IVTnGENIENT Oh