lo Jan.. 1910.] Poultry Farming on Smdl Holdings. 23 



twenty davs loses its strength of porosity and is easy to break, being at 

 hatching time almost devoid of lime. 



Mention has already been made of the importance of a dust bath to 

 all fowls, as thev do not thrive well without the necessary cleanser, it 

 being their only means of keeping vermin in check. 



Marking Hens. 



It is quite impossible to tell the age of a hen, when she is past the 

 pullet stage (12 months). Farmers should know the age of all their birds, 

 as it will be found unprofitable to keep hens past the third year, unless- 

 for breeding purposes. Leg bands with numbers may be used when the 

 pullets arrive at maturity, and if records are kept, the identity of each 

 fowl can always be established. A good method is to punch a hole in one 

 of the four webs of the foot, each web representing a certain year. Punches^ 

 may be purchased from the leading firms in Melbourne. The hole is 

 punched very easily when the chicks are taken from the incubator or hen. 

 The whole of one season's chicks may be marked on the same web; the 

 following year mark the next web, and so on, so that no difficulty may 

 arise when disposing of the older birds, or when it is desirous to breed 

 from any particular birds. 



Diseases and Pests. 



Unless a fowl is valuable from a breeding point of view, it is doubtful 

 whether it pays to doctor. Time and drugs often cost more than double 

 the value of the affected bird. In very bad cases the best remedy is the 

 axe, and burning of the body. Should a valuable stud bird go wrong, 

 by all means persevere with it. First try to discover the cause. Possibly 

 it may be a crack in the house, causing a draught, or a badly-ventilated 

 damp or unclean crowded house may have caused the trouble. Rectify the 

 error, and isolate the sick one, to prevent contagion to others. 



Every poultry farmer should erect a suitable shed in an out-of-the-way 

 corner, distant from all other birds, and build facing the north-east, so that 

 as much sun as possible may reach it. The front should consist of a glass 

 frame, with ventilation at top, closed well round at foot, to prevent birds 

 from throwing out, by scratching, the germs of disease. The hospital 

 should be kept clean, and all droppings and feathers burnt, and afterwards 

 buried. Disinfect well with phenyle, Condy's fluid, or a carbolic solution. 

 A syringe should be kept for the purpose. 



There are two classes of poultry parasites. First, those that live 

 on the fowl's body, and drain the life out of a bird, and swarm all over a 

 neglected house. They get on the keeper's legs at times, and it is as well 

 they do. It surely should remind him that the syringe has not been used 

 for some time. Then there are the red mites. These hide under the 

 perches, and in cracks, and are often found where the perches have been 

 nailed. They attack the birds at night, and after having their fill, return 

 to their haunts. In the former case use insectibane, spraying well all 

 over the body of the bird. The red mites can be easily destroyed with 

 a syringe charged with kerosene, phenyle, or carbolic acid solution, say a 

 cupful of either to an ordinary bucket of water. If made weaker than this, 

 some of the vermin may escape. I find kerosene to be the surest destroyer 

 of all fowl parasites, including fowl tick. 



The old method of lime-washing the fowlhouse is not sufficient by itself. 

 Add crude carbolic oil or strong phenyle to the lime wash. Kerosene 



