POULTRY JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 3, 4 January 1896, Page 3 (Supplement)

POULTRY JOTTINGS.

In email runs where fowls are confined ib is well during the fine weather to thoroughly dig over tho ground, and a patch should be kept broken up by stirring twice a week to provide a dusb bath. The turning over of the top strata, which has become contaminated, helps to purify the yard.

Where largo numbers of chickens are compelled to range on limited enclosures jjir-Blacked lime should be used liberally. Scatter ib late in the evening, after all the chickens have gone to roost.

If you have failed to get eggs something is wrong with your egg machinery. Perhaps you are ab fault. If you have nob « little time to devote to the hans, how can you expect them to devote much of their energies to you ?

When chickens are seven or eighb weeks old tho sexes should be separated, and the cocka pub by themselves where they may have the benefit of a large yard, and have nothing to do bub to thrive and geb ready tor the market?

Pure brad chickens bring the besf results, bub as bhey breed so fast, pure bred males will soon grade up the flock, Like in the dairy business, the improved appliances bring success—the incubator, the well ventilated poultry house, proper food, and tho care and strict attention of modern poultry keeping. By attention 6o proper methods there are very few animal foods which can be produced ab so small acosb in proportion to its selling value as poultry, but the fact is that under our ordinarily careless methods it often costs more to get a fowl ready for market than ib is worth. The cost is seldom considered, because it is given out in smaH quantities. It pays to f^ean oub tho coops every day, provided the droppings are carefully proeorved. The droppings begin to deteriorate a9 soon as they r6ach tho floor.

Ib is the appearance of the goods that aolls them. Nico large, fat, plomp, white turkoyp, ducks, fowls and geeso always command oubsida pfices. Variety actually cheapens the cosb of fsedinj;. There ia nothing co expensive as a pure grain food. The more varied we can mako bhe ration the more egfre we will get and the healthier fowls we will have. Lucerne hay ia cheap, and leb this form half of the morning mash. There are chaff cutters on che market especially adapted to cubbing fine (in J-in lengths) for poultry. Then there i 3 the loose fine parts which libber up the barn floor, where hay is thrown down for the horses. This is composed of the loaves, seeds and heads, and, whijn the long portions are removed, given the be«b of feed. The green tops of all vegetables in cummer give another excellent variety when chopped up fine. There is scarcely anything that is raised on the farm thao ia nob suitable for fowls. Hay, vegotablee, oven peas and beans, and nil grains, including sorghum seed and kaffir corn. Sorghum seed, kaffir corn and wheat Diako thd best of feeds to ecatitor in the litfcor. Tho smaller tho seed the better, for ib will moro readily bury itself in the litter and requira more work on the part of bhe hens to dig ifc out.— Exchange.