THE POULTRY YARD.

Shannon News, 21 April 1925, Page 4

THE POULTRY YARD.

VALUE OF EPSOM SALTS.

I have found that no matter what ailment the fowls are suffering from, necessitating different kinds of treatment, Epsom, salts given them in addition to the medicine they are taking, always has a beneficial effect. It is not difficult to see how this is, as the Epsom salts acts as a mild aperient, and thus helps to clean the disease out of the system. Each ordinary sized fowl should have half a teaspoonful of Epsom salts dissolved in hot water. It does more good if this is given to each bird with a teaspoon but, as • this is a somewhat difficult matter, where there are a number of birds, the, water in which the Epsom salts has been dissolved may be used to mix the soft food with. Ih cases of malignant comb disease or cuteritis twice this quantity of Epsom salts may be given with advantage. A Hen’s Best Age.

A hen is in her prime during her first two seasons, after which time, generally speaking, she does not pay for the food she consumes. I am referring, of course, to ordinary utility stock, whose eggs are disposed of for edible purposes. There are many highly-bred exhibition birds that it would pay to retain in a flock were they only to produce a dozen eggs in the course of twelve months. Birds of this description, however, are not included, as they belong to a class quite distinct fi-om ordinary utility stock. Upon many occasions have I visited farms where great dissatisfaction was being expressed at the scarcity of the egg supply due to the fact that old birds were being depended upon that were quite past their prime, and that should have been disposed of years earlier. Not only do old hens produce fewer eggs than those in .their first 'or second season, but the chickens hatched therefrom lack vigour and stamina, and are generally difficult to rear successfully.