POULTRY-KEEPING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5018, 25 August 1926, Page 4

POULTRY-KEEPING.

ABOUT CHICKENS. SOME POINTS TO KNOW. Don’t think that because you haven’t a drove of chicks by the middle or end of Augus,t that it will be useless for you to try chickens this season. You will find September and October to be specially good hatching mciiths (says “Chick Raiser’’ in an exchange). Quite a good many depend upon the old hen as incubator and brooder. Usually the old hens are wiser on this subject than their owners, refusing to sit until it seems terribly late ; but don’t worry. The medium hatches, will not have much bad weather to contend with gnd will be, able to grow a? fas-t as weeds; they will be worth more than earlier hatches that have become stunted.

Late chicks, if kept growing rapidly, will be well matured before winter ; the pullets, should be laying by the first week in May, and this is very good work in the poultry line. It is more important having the chicks well hatched ; then give them the right sort of feed and care to induce a vigorous, steady growth. Poultry that ha.s stamina enough to stand all ordinary and some extraordinary ills, is the kind of poultry that pays.. To get this kind there must be a vigorous parent stock.

A cheap thing so many times scantily furnished or not furnished at all is sharp grit. It would seem that a thing so easily provided would be in con-, stant supply, but Quite often these are the very things left undone.

Wa,ter in fresh and constant supply is a thing that must be supplied if chicks are to do well, or if eggs are to be furnished as they should be. An egg contains- quite a large per centage of water, hence water must be supplied in plenty. Fresh buttermilk is recommended for diarrhora in checks, Some saying it will cure bad pases. That it is flue for growing chicks and laying hens I know, and as it is a, supply usually on hand on all ’farms it should be given freely. During hot weather use care in keeping vessels sweet, and in placing them in the shade.

Use fresh insect powder or tobacco dust, or a combination of! .the two, to rout mites from the sitting hen and their quarters. Have a separate pla,ce for the sittbrs« even if it is nothing more than a piano box fixed over them. Keep dust for a bath, whole maize,

fresh water, good grit, and either cut fresh grass or lucerne chaff in reach of the sitters-

Use good and plentiful nesting; th e n should ah ’egg become broken wash th 3 soiled ones .carefully in warpi water, removing the soiled nesting ajid making things as tidy as possible just as soon as the damage is discovered. Use quiet hens, and disturb them just as. little as possible ; the less they are bothered from any scourge the better percentage and the stronger hatch will be had. Fussing over and among the sitters will surely bling bad results-

Keep the little fellows warm and dry for 36 hours, a|hd don’t give feed or water until then. The smaller the quarters the cleaner they must be kept.

Do not sjmply throw water out of the drinking vessels and put ‘fresh water in, but wash the vessels thoroughly every time you change the water. —