THE FEATHERED FANCY.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15989, 25 August 1917, Page 12

THE FEATHERED FANCY.

(srECIALLT WRITTEN rOK ' r TEE TKESS. ') j (Dr Silver Dun.) Chickens do not require food ' u r ihiriv to i'crty hours after hatching. "Water or :ailk r/.av be given. The first l'ocds cause nvr.cli thought to the amateur, who is afraid he is no: giving the right tning. Faneicr> s.ro in the habit of gn in.j for a few days hard boiled egg mixed with breadcrumbs or oatmeal small seed*-. such as canary, millet, hemp, and linseed, etc. "With these foods I have net mucn fault to lina except ou account of expense, ana toe cniciieu-raiser on a large scale must, try some otner and iOOti, I Xae narrt boiled egg for chickens ami ' lor canaries » s vi;i > vuu litnei'-u-s, una wriLuia as a uie, ki c iauL-u. x>ut X tue rav. iu,.s.eu With tae uiwuti-amua o liiw. is useu. Xua 14,1 C - is lucre uaiurai and more eaaaj tuen a uartl one, lieuoe x au.ocaie tue raw, ii any. U'-iere tue nen is loading two chicks niuuu u.ev v/iu l«c«s up «"« bu ". ul ftceasr. -u.u very uttie e.so is uuuuea ..l nroi. \> iieu tue v aie «rou««u aiunyiaiiy u;e ra.v mixea wiui some luea., may »e aivuu ir aie pitittlui ii uol, dripping or soup mi.ned with tuo "iw a state wiii do. Houio mai.o a caue o me ir-'tcure, bake it in tue oven, -no. tuen er.immo it up. J-'his is a goou reed: Alter a 'couple ct ua y s J . 1 wneat and niaiae, ana a te\. Qa .>° iate- whole grain will cio. niceiv breen !ooci choppeu nno and fine grit must not be iorgovten.

Most bn'd-keeuers have queer p-°* tions about ieect. Most of tiiem thinii rice is a splendid food, and that biau cannot be up to much. As a matter of fact, few of the feeds given to poultry have a better nutritive ration than bran. Owing, however, to the husk one must not feed bran alone. One part bran to two parts .P all right, and if the bran is scalded so much the bettor. Ac to rice it is in much favour with so£ ' »is f uid=d if -,»31 mothers, and a rew ... Hsihlv a- s ric°; istcqSy recomrico is but a poor food for poultry, therefore cheap, damaged, or interior rice is still less desirable. Tho day-old chick affords a splencud means for beginners to stack £Sf Mr J. B. Morrett, thousands of chicks arc being hatched this season. A friend of mine piudcslumselfoii pot," vras my reply. tlw aswjrsd V i fwi wbby fowl. not built tor Mr rcadonj m «l«ct. inc layers, should tako no . The sweating lien is a great trouble Affi »»d bo ca^of more air let into them, but a. vou & SM 1 'Sweating.' so called, is brought about by tho chicks suffering from d^ caused by improper feedmg. iho crcmcnt, therefore, being liquid, can not be dealt with by the hen. iH© heat from her when sittmgcauscs moisture to riso, and the young, o«ethcr with the breast-feathers of the Son. presont an appearance like snouting.' "To sum up the situation: Remove the cock bird, and the hen will carry out her maternal duties in a natural manner. Do not give green food until the voung aro a week old, and then bo sure that such green food is quito fresh and free from wet. Put a pinch of maw seed or a very small portion of crushed hemp with the egg-food, so as to attract the hen to this portion of tho menu. If the youngsters are fed by the hen with a large amount of eeod in their early days it upsets their digestion and causes diarrhoea, which in. turn causes 'sweating.'''

This afternoon Mr J. B. Merrett's Poultry Institute, Gordon Avenue, bt. Albans will be open to the public. This is a splendid opportunity to see a good poultry -plant and a host of ohickens, and to iioar addresses by tho Government poultry experts, Messrs Brown and Cussen. Visitors will be shown over the plant at 2 o'clock, and at 3 o'clock the Government poultry experts will give addresses. The displays of poultry at our spring agricultural shows are indeed poor, and nono more so than seen at Addington. Indeed, it is years since thero was a display of poultry at the Show Grounds. Tho chief cause is that tho season is not suitable to poultry fanciers. This will apply less to the utility side, and the Utility Club, now the idea has been hatched, should go on with tho holding of a show in conjunction with the great fixture in November of tho Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association.