POULTRY— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



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her head or not ; but the head will cor- 

 roborate your observation, if the under 

 bill is so stiff that you cannot bend it 

 down, and the comb thick and rough. 

 A young hen has only the rudiments of 

 spurs, the scales on the legs smooth, 

 glossy, and fresh colored, whatever the 

 color may be, the claws tender and short, 

 the under bill soft, and the comb thin 

 and smooth. An old hen turkey has 

 rough scales on the legs, callosities on 

 the soles of the feet, and long, strong 

 claws ; a young one, the reverse pf all 

 these marks. A young goose or duck is 

 distinguished by the tenderness of the 

 skin under the wings, the strength of the 

 joints of the legs, and the coarseness of 

 the skin. 



POULTRY, Canker in.— This disease is 

 indicated by the mouth and throat be- 

 coming filled up with a cheesy substance 

 of very offensive odor, which causes in 

 some cases a stoppage of the windpipe, 

 and death by suffocation. It is to be 

 treated successfully as follows : i. If the 

 fowl is not worth a good deal cut its head 

 off. 2. If worth saving, with a small 

 spoon and pincers, take out all the cheesy 

 matter, and wipe out all the slimy mucus 

 from the mouth, nostrils, and eyes. 3. 

 Prepare a solution of chlorinated soda or 

 chloride of lime. If the chlorinated soda 

 (Labaraque's solution) is used, dilute it 

 with one or two parts of water. Wash 

 the head, eyes, nostrils, mouth and throat 

 out thoroughly, using a soft swab with 

 one of these solutions, and in twenty 

 minutes, give the fowl a good feed of 

 chopped meat, mixed with bread soaked 

 in ale or spirits and water, and well 

 sprinkled with Cayenne pepper. Give 

 some solution of iron in the water, and 

 keep up the diet indicated until well. 

 Put the whole flock on a similar diet for 

 a few days, especially those having colds. 



POULTRY, Croup.— Try and remove 

 the croup membranes from the mouth 

 with a feather, and then touch the parts 

 with a feather dipped in a solution of 

 nitrate of silver, 10 grains to 1 ounce 

 of rain water. Feed no raw grain, but 

 well boiled oat meal or corn meal will be 

 excellent. Put half an ounce of carbonate 

 of soda in every quart of the water drank 

 by the chickens, and, if possible, change 

 their roosting-place to a new building. 

 If this last cannot be done, clean the 



place thoroughly, and wash it over with a 

 solution at the rate of an ounce of car- 

 bolic acid to a quart of water. 



POULTRY, Drooping Wings.— This, in 

 either turkeys or chickens, is caused by 

 vermin. To cure it, grease their heads,. 

 the under sides of their wings, and their 

 bodies under their wings, with lard or 

 fried meat fat, or any other grease. In 

 a few days their wings will be natural, 

 and their appetite and comfort will re- 

 turn. 



POULTRY, Fattening.— The fowls de- 

 signed for being fattened should be well 

 and liberally fed from the time they are 

 hatched. It is a mistake to suppose that 

 they can be kept low when young, and 

 got up to a great size by liberal feeding 

 when put up to fatten. The fowls so- 

 treated are stunted in their growth, the 

 bony frame-work becomes set, and they 

 never afterward attain a large size;, 

 whereas with liberal feeding they become 

 fit for the fattening-coop at the age of 

 about four months in summer, and from 

 five to six in winter. It cannot be too 

 strongly impressed upon those who are 

 desirous of obtaining poultry of first-rate 

 quality, that fowls are only in perfection 

 for the table before they have attained 

 their complete development. The cock- 

 erels should be put up when "their tails 

 begin to turn" — namely, just when the 

 two long sickle feathers or streamers be- 

 gin to top the straight feathers of the 

 tail; and the pullets before they have 

 laid. They may be either confined with- 

 in a small space or placed in a coop, in a 

 warm and rather dark situation, and, of 

 course, under cover. The fowls should 

 be separated from each other by parti- 

 tions in the coop, and no more space 

 ought to be allowed them than is neces- 

 sary to make them comfortable, without 

 allowing room for exercise. 



The fattening-coops should stand on 

 legs, in order to raise them to a conven- 

 ient height from the ground, so that the 

 dung may be removed daily; or each 

 may have a shallow drawer underneath, 

 being daily filled with fresh earth — an ad- 

 mirable plan — the fowls being very fond 

 of nestling in dry earth, and earth being 

 a deodorizer and disinfectant, it is most 

 conducive to their health. The most 

 scrupulous cleanliness must be observed, 

 in the case of fattening fowls; the troughs- 



