POULTRY SORATCHINGS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 323, 8 December 1888, Page 5

POULTRY SORATCHINGS.

! "'Sand in "Fowl-houses.— Ifc ia a good idea', to scatter plenty of gravel and sand ,in the - lyard, while a good-sized box of v fine^sif ted, >!t grayel. can**, be . put ,- ;?intp . corneridfc thef yard)- ! *=The< floor- of «the' nou&e,, should be kepb well sanded, to make the , work of cleaning" it easier and to prevent*, it from becoming vyet { arid 4 foul. * The sand seems' to' cut and , separate th4' droppings/' perYnittinpf'tKe moisture to es- *■, cape more readily. Sand should be sprinkled liberally over fcho laying-house floor as well as where the fowls roost, for it is conducive fco cleanliness here, as well as in other departments. ,'..;-/• ; >

Variety op Food — The Scientific Farmer , says :-'• Hensi like a variety of foo'd, -'besides all kinds of grains,- raw. 'or boiled (better * Ijoiled), , and niashed boiled- potatoes,., r They are fond of chopped cabbage and onions once or twice a ' weeld, and when they cannot- 'get)' gras's' 1 they will eat quite freely 'of finely cut hay. They are not iond of burnt bones, because the fat and marrow are burnt out ; but raw bones chopped into fine pieces* they will* devour greedily. Animal matter, either i manufactured or home-made, is also very essential to their health in winter, and profit." , , , ! •

Advantages of Cross - breeding. >'— A writer in the London Live Stock' Journal claims the following advantages of cYosS' 1 bred poultry as stock for the farnler : — 1. Crossbred chickens are less liable to disease. 2. They grow rapidly. 3. Individuality is not wholly lost by cross'- ' ing. 4. Tho' laying qualities of several breeds, and of poultry generally, ' will ' be improved by crossing. 5. Crossbred fowls will, as a rule, attain a greater size than it pure bred. An additional ' point lor English poultry-men is 'made oi" the fact that damp soil, which is fatal to the Dorking — the favourite English breed — would not militate against the produce of a cross with that breed. 1 ' ' '

Always Hungry. — Some hens seeinto be' always in a state of hunger. No matter if they are as fab as seals they will run to their ' owner when they see hini coming with, a' pan of corn. This is only a matter' of habit/ * If they have been accustomed to being fed afc certain hours, and are familiar with the voice of their master they will run to him. for \ " more" and if the inexperienced owner >vill feed them they will always eat. The result is that they become very fat and fail to lay, while Che owner, supposing, thati be - (- cause they appear to be always hungry, he does not feed enough, doubles the quantity ' of food allowed, and adds to the difficulty. f !A. hen is not always huncrry because she fol-/ lows Ihe feed box. — Mirror and Farmer. ' ',. '

Lime-water for Eggs. — At the LondonDairy and at the Birmingham Fat Stock, Show, during the last two years, prizes have ' been offered for the best preserved eggs, says an exchange. These as well as many ' private tests, have shown that the lime- , water system is, all things considered, the best. A pound of lime should 'be stirred with a gallon of water, and the , eggs, perfectly fresh, immersed there--in in barrels or jars. This , excludes air and any other germs that might > cause mildew or mould, and prevents evaporation, so that the contents of the egg are not reduced in bulk. It is important to ha.\e a consideralbe excess of lime to replace any that may become carbonated. The vessels containing the eggs should be kept in a cool, well vent ilated place. The above is the system we have always advocated and frequently explained in The Farmer. *