CAPE OF POULTRY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2341, 17 September 1880, Page 2

CAPE OF POULTRY.

A writer in the “ Rural Press” says : I never sit less than two liens at a time, and by waiting; a few days it is generally very easy to do this. Let me say rig'ht

here that if one tries, one can sit nearly all the eggs desired in one season in one or two weeks, and it is very little more trouble to feed and care for 100 young chicks than what will be with one or two hens, and then the chicks will soon all be up out of the way, and not come straggling on and take the best part of the day all summer to attend to them. By having more than one hen begin to hatch at the same time, I can lake the gentlest one off and put her in a nice, warm dry coop, and as fast as I take the chicks out of the nest I give them to her. Thus one hen can brood and care for as many as a number will batch. I give my hens cither 15 or 17 eggs. The last four I set I gave 17 apiece. They eaclr hatched out 15, and by giving 30 to caeli of the two they each have a nice brood, and they are over one week old and not one has died. This is a little better success than one need to expect always. Now, by shutting the other two hons'up a few days and feeding them well, they will begin to lay. if one lias a hen that wants to sit which they do not want to sit, if they will try this plan of shutting them up and feeding them well instead of starving them they will be pleased with the result. Instead of riming round perfectly useless for a long time they will begin to lay in a few days, as ours have done. I have no doubt that hard-boiled eggs would be good for young chickens. I never tried it. I use corn meal. Take a small quanlit}’’ iu a dish and pour boiling water enough on it to moiston it well. Then let it get nearly cold, and no barm is done if it gets entirely cold. I sometimes use cold water to mix it with, but I do not think it as good. Before feeding it to the chicks pepper it well with common red pepper. This is a great help in cold or damp weather, and seems to agree well with them iu warm weather. After the chickens arc one week old I begin to feed them with cracked wheat, which they will eat readily I sometimes use old wheat. I think wheat is the best diet for chickens of all ages, that is after they arc old enough (o eat it,and 1 have seen some cat it from the lirst. In using corn meal one lias to be careful and not mix too much, as if it sours it is not good for young chickens. I think when they are with the lien, that four limes daily is often enough to feed them each time cleaning out the dish, if one is used to feed them in. If the ground is hard and bare where the coop sets, I feed them on the ground, as a little gravel will not hurt them. Thuionly one dish is needed for each coo;) ; that is for water,which they need fresh and clean as often as they do food. The best kind of dishes for this purpose aio common tin plates or pie tins. Got (ho deep ones. Tney will hold enough water to last from time to time, and arc not deep enough to drown or even wet them enough to chill them. One might think these expensive, but if they arc taken care of and put away for next year when done with, they will last a long time. And if one is going to raise chickens they must have some conveniences. For grown chickens one should have in ihc yard troughs with slats nailed across the top to prevent tic chickens from scratching the wheat out; (ken never allow them to get empty. I know a great many think liens must not bo fed too much to have them lay well. But my experience lias (aught mo that there is no danger of feeding them 100 much on wheat. Last winter through the coldest, most unfavorable season for bens to lay, our Hock of bens fed in this way averaged 21 eggs to 30 hens every day. This spring, as our supply of chicken feed was getting low, wc lessened the allowance of feed daily and the number of eggs diminished accordingly.