POULTRY NOTES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11060, 23 September 1903, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES.

By " Brahma."

FEEDING CHICKS.

This branch of the poultry raising is •without doubt the most important, for if neglected 'in this at all their future is ruined, so that -every care should be taken, with >a view of assuring the future of them. Unlike the adult fowl, a chiok cannot be made .too f-at; its rapid growth will coun-teract-that. Loss of time through careless or injudicious feeding can never be made up and, whatever the object is, they should always be carefully fed. For .the first twentyvfour hours at least Ifcey do not need an y |oo4*-«iS-the yolk .absorbed in hatching ror the first day or two teed on Hie fol-lowing.:—Hard-boiled egg.cnOpped fine, or stale bread alone, or coarse -oatmeal. > From the third day:— Bran, mixed with a little crushed wheat or maizej the bran tends to keep the chicks from becoming too costive. Supply green food of any kind; such as cabbage,- lettuce, etc., well chopped up. Keep up the grit supply for .chickens;--? thpv need plenty of it. ;*- ! Their drinking water should be carefully? ■watched, and kept fresh and clean. Al-pa&B-throw an old piece of iron4iso fountain; it rusts and prey^EnVipto;'^apid growth, which usually results HnMeftweaK- " ness. rS't" ■-' •?" » Chicks do net eat much 'atia'-tiiiie, but they eat .very often, and tbferefolfe must have a constant supply. ? \v" o-'-. - Skimmed milk is very goQ,ct fer-< chicles, bat it cannot always be spa^&dT ('*>>: ; -'>; Meat scraps, suet, pieces «%i?tii6iled 'TOgc tables, mixed up together, SrMg^hem-itilong > well. *j {. yy^' " 7I have noticed that in-'a' 1 gVetftmany columns written -a great amount of space is' de<voled to what occurs in certain poultry' yards in America, Germany, and othe** countries, and so frequently have these paragraph^ appeared of late that I could : not. help thinking it is a pity correspondents do not. relate some facts that occur among the many breeders in this country, and let us have something that will be interesting to onr amateur breeders, something that will be of -use to them in the management of their iowls. Many authorities advocate the use of Brahmag, Cochins, and Langsttans' for sitters, Jj«t I S-do'Am>fe"favoTrr thenr/on" "accouflt" of their" clumsiness, and because of their heavily feathered feet> this latter remarkdoes not apjily so much to the Langshan as to Brahmas' or Cochins.. If you want a good sitter, in my- opinion yoU "must use the clean leggeci- fowl, and as to .what breed is best to- use,?! coiiteud you must b.e in a position to ju^g6.:b.y flie-.st^le^f the hen and ■ her manner/offsitt^n^pai^he'nestyarid also the way' in %bifah.^e -takes- youif approach to the nest., TSiese aife all to, be' considered in choosng a |xroody hen> : sd^ypu anust use your own judgment. iJ;% . ' "I ,*-. / I have known' somFbreederf -who have gone as far as to'niake-a helftturkey drunjc, so^as to brn? her on broody, and it is done as7f bllows :"' When the nest of eggs is ready the turkey is caught and about a tablespoonful of whisky poured down her throat. She is then placed on the eggs, where she .will sitfor about a day,' and this is done ''every day for about three days, when it will be found that' in eight out of ten cases the turkey will come off and ori again regularly every day until the brood i'snatc'he'd. -' " • Should your 'hen desert the eggs during the period of incubation do not think for a moment that they are of no" further use. The main thing to be remembered fg that" as long as you are in the third week, the eggs will hatch, even if they ftave 'remained uncovered fdr two or three hours. 1 had airrexperience of this myself- fbhen a hen T had sitting deserted her egg's on the second day of the last week and- the eggs were- cold for nearly twelve' hours be^orc I was able to secure another' broody hen, and then I got eight out of thirteen eggs, and fine strong chicks at that. " "' ~ I do i not favour -cooping up a lien with a batch of young chickens, for I contend thatit is not until the chicks get about a week old that- the" hen begins to" lead them through the-long grass and' thus causing a chill, and t'henf follows death. Therefore, if when- about a week old the hen is confined to the coop, chickens will do very well if properly* attended- to, and the coop kept free from lice^'- • A couple .ojf- red mangolds mashed up arid thickened-; with a few\haftdMs -of bran or' pollard- makes "a= fine feed for the morning, but corn of some description must be given for the evening feed". I "think I might say wheatiff about 1 the bes.t;.'ithat is my ex-pe-f?en&7-antfrOnd they lay' better on being, fed with wheat than with • any other corn. • •'• „,*'• " .-. Look 'out- for the •adyerj^seflfeht convening a meeting of those' interested in forming a Poultry- Sotjitjtyin .WaSganui-. The date will be advertised next -wpfej, ""'