MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 



Shipping Young Chicks Do you 

 think I can order eggs incubated 31 

 miles from here and have the young 

 chicks sent by stage with perfect 

 safety? 



We are feeding corn of our own 

 growing which is quite musty. I have 

 been afraid of it, but so far cannot 

 see that it has hurt them, although 

 yesterday a hen sat around all day 

 droopy like. I wondered if the" musty 

 corn affected her. 



Last summer I brought into the 

 house some small chicks that seemed 

 about to die, and seeing they had lice, 

 I dusted them thoroughly with bu- 

 hach. The lice soon dropped off of 

 them, but the chickens died. Can too 

 much powder be put on them? Mrs. 

 C. S. 



Answer Chickens could travel a 

 thousand miles before they are twen- 

 ty-four hours old, if packed in a box 

 carefully. That is, of course, before 

 they are fed. Last year I sent some 

 from Los Angeles to Berkeley. They 

 were out 36 hours, but arrived in per- 

 fect condition, all vigorous and ready 

 for their first meal in their new home 

 nearly a thousand miles away. 



Musty wheat or corn is very un- 

 wholesome for chickens. Buhach 

 would not kill the most delicate chick- 

 en or turkey, but is death to all in- 

 sect life. The chickens were doubt- 

 less dying before you powdered them. 



Castor Bean Bushes I have been 

 thinking of planting castor bean 

 bushes in the chicken yard for shade, 

 but was advised by a neighbor not to 

 do it, as the beans would drop off and 

 if chickens ate them they would be 

 poisoned. Would like your advice, 

 please. The bushes grow quickly and 

 make good shade, so would like to try 

 them. Do you think it would be O.K. 

 J. H. S. 



Answer Castor beans are poison- 

 ous to both ducks and chickens if 

 they eat them, so I would advise you 

 to plant something else. Get cuttings 

 of fig trees, about ten inches long, 

 bury the whole length except one 

 inch, water well, and you will have 

 shade in a few months and fruit in 

 two years. I find figs excellent in 

 the chicken yard, and the chickens do 

 not eat the leaves and bark. Would 



advise your planing also other fruit 

 trees, such as plum, peach, apricot. 

 The chicken droppings fertilize these 

 trees and the quantities of fruit you 

 will have will soon repay the trouble. 

 In the meantime you might plant 

 sunflowers. They make good shade 

 and their seed is excellent food for 

 the chickens. 



Capons Will you kindly give us an 

 article on capons? What is the de- 

 mand for them, if any? What do you 

 think of the difference in profits be- 

 tween them and broilers? If there is 

 any truth in the statements published 

 in regard to capons in the Eastern 

 markets, they ought to be money- 

 makers here. Am fitted for the busi- 

 ness, but desire more information in 

 that line before attempting much. I 

 think the R. I. Reds would make extra 

 good ones, and I should like market- 

 ing mature birds instead of those a 

 few months old. Capons for the 

 Philadelphia market have to be a year 

 old to command the best prices. 

 H. J. K. 



Answer Capons bring a good price 

 now in Los Angeles, especially if you 

 can make a contract with some of the 

 large hotels for them. This you can 

 only do by having a large and regu- 

 lar supply. The price last year was 

 from 30c to 35c per pound, which is 

 a paying price. Broilers pay about 

 as well when you take into considera- 

 tion that you can turn them off at 

 eight weeks of age. This would be 

 your better plan, as you are limited 

 for space and you would not have 

 the expense and trouble of carrying 

 them for another ten months. I 

 would advise you to sell as broilers 

 all the young males you do not wish 

 to keep for breeders. This will give 

 you more room for the pullets and 

 you need space to have your pullets 

 develop well for the fall and winter 

 egg market. Capons are, undoubted- 

 ly, money-makers for those who have 

 plenty of space, and where food is 

 cheaper than it is here this year. Per- 

 sonally I found that capons did not 

 pay as well as roasters. These were 

 young roosters that were about eight 

 months old and that I milk fed. I 

 found I had to keep my young males 

 until I could see how they would de- 

 velop. I began by caponizing, but 



