IM Keepbig of Soft bills in Cages 



On the Keeping of Soft Bills in Cages 



By Otto Puck. 

 Continued from page 115. 



The two golden rules of successful management are 

 CLEANLiNKSr^ and KEGULAKiTY in feeding. As "cleanliness 

 •comes next to godliness," I could not imagine a good bird 

 being kept in a dirty cage. I like to see them kept in stock - 

 ■cages, as nice and clean as you see them in show -cages on the 

 bench, and as a matter of fact always keep mine under such 

 conditions so that they make a little show of themselves, 'a 

 pleasure to me and I leel sure to them-.elves. As a healthy 

 mind goes with a healthy l>ody, so healthy surroundings must 

 keep birds healthy. There should be a place for every- 

 thing and everything in its place. Leave nothing to chance. 

 Malvc sure you have a good stock of all the various foods 

 on hand; nothing is more annoying than to run short of a 

 ■certain food just when you may want it most. By a good 

 stock I do not mean that you should lay in sufficient to last 

 you, say all winter, that would be a mistake, as some foods 

 might deteriorate. Buy enough to last you a month or two, 

 then you can make sure of getting the food in a fresh state. 

 Always keep your foods in a dry and airy place. Dampness 

 is fatal and breeds mites which destroy the food. Ants' -eggs" 

 and flies should always be screened to free tliem from dust, 

 also silkworm pupas and hempseed. 



Hand in hand with cleanliness goes Hygiene, .\lways 

 provide for plenty of fresh air in the Bird-room, and ventilate 

 freely without exjiosing the birds to a draught. Draughts 

 are very dangerous, and once a bird has caught a cold, it is 

 often very difficult to cure it, and here I may give a word 

 of caution. "When you buy a new bird, especially in the 

 autumn, when the nights get chilly, do not let it indulge 

 in a bath on arrival. Allow it to satisfy its thirst, and no 

 more; it will be all right next day. If on the other hand 

 the bird takes a bath, wliicli naturally a healthy l>ird coming 

 from a long Journey is most anxious to do on being liberated 

 from Ihe travelling box, in nine cases out of ten, the ]>ird, 

 if it arrived in the evening, will not be able to thoroughly 

 i\vy its phinra^;e ; some wet themselves through and through. 



