POULTRY COLUMN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 13, 31 August 1911, Page 8

POULTRY COLUMN.

METHODS AM) SiSiT-uS. (By Rev. E. B. Tf.mtiau in “Poultry Mom !il\.”) This is a day and aye v.hon new ideas are being ' presented in every phase of life’s work. New devices are being placet! on the market to lighten labour or l.n nmke better the work being clone. Tlie vacuum cleaners, electric attachments for almost everything from curling the indies’ hair to cooking pancakes right on the dining-room table, material with which‘to ceil the walls of your house instead of lath and plaster, in fact things innumerable might ho mentioned. If you were to go into the Held of mechanics von would find the same tiling/ true on even a larger scale. It has even dominated the poultry business, and new ways and methods arc being employed to a large extent by progressive poultry men. There are on the market to-day several distinct methods of poultrykeeping. I say distinct—they are as to name, yet all work on certain general principles. • Now you will notice one tiling in common with all systems and methods, and that is that they all enjoin cleanliness and good care. Many of those ways of poultry keeping insure good care with cleanliness because of the smallness of the houses. The writer lias been keeping poultry by one of these methods (the Philo system) now for three years with excellent results. It has been a growth ,however, for J was unwilling to accept any new method without first trying it on a very small scale and even then not giving in until I had enlarged gradually. This season I raised all my chickens with fireless brooders. I did not have a heated brooder in use, although had one on the place. I did not find it necessary, as the chicks thrived from the very first. I had some early March hatches and the weather was still cold, but the chicks prospered so well that the idea of a broodar with artificial heat was not to be thought o';. Some of the chickens were not. taken from the brooder bouses nihil they were ready to lay and to be put in other laying houses . Many of the pallets began laying when they were a few days over five months old. While tliis is not record breaking, it. answers all purposes, and if I can get the pullets to lay every year at five months i will he satisfied. These puljets’ eggs are at the present writing, October 12th, bringing me 40 cents per dozen, for but yesterday 1 toolc ten dozen to market and received that price in cash. It takes but a small basket to hold ten dozen, and it. seemed like robbery to take $4.00 for that basket of eggs. Undoubtedly other modern methods of poultry raising will produce good results; I cannot say anything against, them as I have never tried them, but this one thing 1 do know, that the modern ideas of poultry keeping such

as are employed by the system I have mentioned will bring greater results with the beginner than the old way of doing things. There is no question about it, for 1 have seen it tried out hero in my own village. Several who had none or little cxpeiienco with poultry raising took up tins way of poultry keeping and have had excellent results. One doctor in particular who had'never kept poultry before started in with incubator, small brooder coops, tireless brooders, and in fact a complete equipment and went to work. To-day he is as enthusiastic about the system as anyone could be and has the goods to show right in the small houses in the rear of Ids residence. His pullets are laying at a

great rate and ho is abundantly satisfied with his first year's experience with poultry. Now there are some things in connection with this way of poultry work that will show why there is apt to be such good results, especially with tlio beginner. In the first place because of t’ne small space in the brooder coops there must 'oe cleanliness. You can see that there is need of now litter at a glance, and the one who is at all attentive to the wants of his little feathered family will change the litter and keep the place clean. Then there is a place for everything. A hopper to Ire kept filled with wheat bran. A water tank in a certain place in every brooder coop, and this is to' be filled several times a day. There is a dirt side that must bo spaded every day or two and grain raked in. AH of these things become second nature in caring for the fiock and nothing is neglected. Neglect is the thing that spoils the plans of many a slothful poultry man. Neglect would kill every chicken raised by any plan or system, but with poultry kept by this intensive system the keeper knows that care and attention to details must be given. Results are what count. Another doctor in ray own village hatched out witli a lion about eight little chicks. He constructed one of the brooder coops and put his little fluffy birds in the tireless brooder within, and with but little experience with did kens, ho grew them day by day till they were large lino matured birds. His neighbour, an 1 old-timer at tiro business, had chicks hatched much earlier but nothing as large could bo s?.cn in his yaids. Progressive methods, no matter whose they aio, should bo employed in same measure on every poultry plant. If will pay yon to get tlie books of several systems. Pick out what yon con use and what you can adapt to yonr own wink. Progress and success go hand in hand. N.Z. ETi Id TV POPi/mV (HEIRS COMPH'ITI i O N. F u. I Ag. H. H. Robinson, 15.0. (29) ... GGI Missus Bi adley (27) ... ... 5*7 T. Kennedy, S.\V. ... 538 A. R. Browne (35) ... ... 491

Herat.'uinga Poultry Co. (30) ... 477 Vv. Nixon (31) 474 A. R. Browne (31) 4<3 Bcrotaungn Poultry Co. (2i) ... 4j2 E. Hall, 13.0. (27) 451 A. E. Wilson. W.W. (31) ... 4G3 A. Tisch (32) 463 T. Collins (31) 43.1 T. Fro they (33) 137, T. Kennedy, W.W. (33) ... ... 435 T. W. Hal pi n (33) 429 N. Solomon (28) ... ... ... 427 Vcrrall Bros. (29) ••• *22 J. W. Green (31) 419 Rangiuru Egg Ranch (31) ... 11l Ducks. Herotiumga Poultry Co. (21) ... .1.10 W. Knight (32) 631 A. R. Browne (38) ... ... <125 P. J. Keller (35) 484 T. I)owi:liwaite (27) ... ... 375