Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1887 — THE POULTRY YARD. [ARTICLE]

THE POULTRY YARD.

Comfort for Fowls. Do not compel domestic fowls to roost in trees. Aside from danger of being captured by owls and other enemies, the swaying of the branches upon which they are sitting will prevent them from getting rest, while in the severely cold weather, thus exposed, feet and combs are frozen and the bird is so benumbed as to make it impossible for it to be of much profit on the farm. Securely sheltered from wind and storm, and allowed to sit on a broad roost, feet are thus kept warm, refreshing rest is obtained and the fowl is much stronger, healthier and more profitable to its owner. Too Many Chicks for One Hen. No hen can raise chicks unless she can cover-them completely, and keep them very warm, and those who think it an economical method to take the chicks hatched by two hen and give them to one hen, will find put that it is a losing mode of doing business. It is better to give the chicks hatched by one hen to two hens, for then they will be well-cared for, and the loss less. We venture to claim, and are satisfied that we will be sustained, that if two hens (one having six chicks and the other ten chicks), with broods, be treated alike, the one with the smaller number will raise, (if not a larger number) at least a greater proportion of chicks to marketable age than the other. Poultry Soles. Cut cabbage leaves fine, and mix with your chicken feed. The best and most natural floor for a hen house is the bare earth. PouLTKYj to do well in close quarters, must be kept fr.ee from lice. Be sure to cut (he size of your flock dov«i to fit your accommodations. We know plenty of farmers and poultry-keepers who get no eggs in the winter simply because they keep a larger stock than they can care* for properly. There is no profit in it. The following, is a simple remedy for gapes: Feed the flock sparingly, keep a shallow dish with cracked corn in it, and over the corn pour a little turpentine. The fowls will go for the com, - not with particular relish, but they will soon lose the gapes. So far as experiment has gone the use of bromo-chloralum for roup has given more beneficial results than any other remedy. Dilute it with equal parts of water, and inject two drops in each nostril, twice a day, and four drops down the throat. Keep the bird in a dry, warm place, and feed on nourishing food. The medicine always gives the best results when the birds are kept warm. No sick bird will recover if exposed to cold.