Keeping Poultry

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 46, 6 October 1887, Page 3

Keeping Poultry

Oats; wheat, barley, rye and buck wheat, are all good food, when given a little at a time. Beware of overfeeding dry wheat. Three years ago the wri er lost several fine pullets befor the cause was discovered. They were cropbeund, as they had been

given all the wheat they 'could- eat at 0 .cc. They were confined, had but little exercise* and drank water freely, so the wheat .swelled "before it could reach the crop/and choked them to death Soak: wheat or Oats. in water over' ''nighty or -allow only a, 'Bmall spoonful to each hen at a feed. One quakof corn or Other gain is a good daily allowance for eight birds, given ih two "nieals: ■ Add'gra'ss/ cabbage jor other green thin gs, - and scraps . -from the --table/ -Golden^ millet is ;ohei- ofthe best of feeds, for chicks.' ■ Fre/ quently the most difficult work of the! (poultry i. man is that rof ridding the premises: of- yernlihi .Most persons do .Uot become aw are: of . .the _ presence of' ■ vermin until the .little red .mites are seen in myr^ds. There, can easily be. "destroyed/ "by., using proper methods, tthe gr<?aj/ scourge of poultry is not the mites but ' the large body-louse ; that hides at the base of the feathers, on the head and neck..' As they are, only found thereo n the foVrls, an examination, of the quarters does . -not . reveal them, "when they may be T busily at work on the birds. When . the . hens i secern to drop apparent j cause, the chances are ithat a close' examihatipnion their heads and necks ' will rep veal swarms of these lice.. A liittle . chicks especially, those that .feather 1 very rapidly/ such as' Dorkings, Games( apd Leghorns/ will soon succumb to .'the large .lice, and often the cause will be asbribed ; tbpsohiethihg' else. - Tb prevent liee'dn' fowls,- the best thing is; the dust-bath, which must consist of fine dry clay * or 'coal aishesi If the quarters are kept clean; the, hens will prevent the attacks -of tiie lice by dusting, but when once the lice put in au appearance, the poultryman'is compelled to take active measures, as the libe must be fought until not a single one remains. Kerosene -must hbt be used on the' bodies of the hens,' as /it Will sometimes "> kill them. >-.-: For the large body lice/first grease the heads nbcksj and vents with a mixture made by adding a tea-spoonful of crude petroleum to every gill of laird. v Use it warm,, as it will spread well. ,Th.en dust liie hens well with Oaliforhiah 1 or Bersian Insect Powder.. Repeat this every third day; ahd dust eviry por-f tion of the body, but do not "grease* the 7 body— only the head, neck and' vent.' • ■••"'•'■ ■- ' ; ' '■ ■ -"''

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EORGE,