POULTRY—DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



»73 



CHICKENS, CatB Catching.— When a 



cat is caught in the act of catching chick- 

 ens you can cure her effectually by tying 

 one around her neck, and making her 

 wear it for two or three days. She will 

 never again touch a chicken. 



CHICKEN CHOLERA, to Cure.— The 

 following is a good cure : 



Take of Alum 2 ounces. 



Resin 2 '* 



Copperas......... 2 " 



Lac Sulphur.... 2 " 



Cayenne Pepper 2 " 



Pulverize, then mix three table-spoonfulls of 

 the powder with one quart corn meal, and damp- 

 en for use. 



This quantity is sufficient for twelve 

 fowls, and may be used either as a pre- 

 ventive or cure. For the first it should 

 be given once or twice a week. 



DUCKS, Convulsions. — Give to grown- 

 up ducks four grains of pepper, mixed 

 with fresh butter. 



DUCKS, to Fatten.— Give them oats, 

 meal and barley. This feed puts on flesh 

 rapidly. Shut your ducks up in a good 

 coop, with no run-way. They must have 

 no exercise, for that gives health, not fat. 

 Feed them with bran, oats, oat-meal or 

 barley-meal, cooked; put in a shallow 

 vessel ; give gravel water, cabbage leaves 

 or a sod of grass. Some feed Indian 

 meal, and proceed with the cramming 

 process; but this is unnecessary, as young 

 ducks will eat all the food put before 

 them, and in that way cram themselves 

 without assistance. Let whatever food 

 you give them be cooked and fed warm. 



EGOS, SofUShell.— This is caused from 

 deficient supply of lime and an excess of 

 soft and animal food. Give with the feed 

 more plaster, pounded oyster shells, grav- 

 el, rubbish, etc. 



EGGS, Brooded, Cooling off — An inqui- 

 ry is made of the German Poultry Jour- 

 nal whether eggs brooded upon and al- 

 lowed to become cold can be hatched ; 

 in reply to which it is stated that, from 

 extensive observation, it has been shown 

 that eggs which have remained cold for 

 two days or more may even then be suc- 

 cessfully brooded, and that the nearer to 

 the period of the escape of the young, the 

 longer may this cooling last. It is, how- 

 ever, necessary that at least half of the 

 brooding period be passed, as, if eggs are 

 left too long in the first half of the pe- 

 riod, especially if this is repeated many 

 r8 



times, the embryo will, in almost every 

 instance, die. In the second half of the 

 period the chick is already so far formed 

 that a prolonged cooling is not especially 

 injurious to it. It is also established 

 that eggs thus cooled require a longer- 

 time than usual to come to maturity. 



EGGS, to Choose for Hatching. — In our- 

 experience we have found that we had 

 the best success by using eggs of a fair 

 average size, any unusually large or small 

 ones being rejected. Some hens lay very 

 large eggs and others very small ones. A 

 fat hen will in nearly all cases be found 

 to lay small eggs, which will produce 

 small and weakly chickens. 



Absolute size in eggs is, therefore, of 

 but little importance. Round short eggs 

 are usually the best to select. It is said 

 that very large eggs, especially if much 

 pointed at the small end, are sure to breed 

 birds with awkwardness in style of car- 

 riage. Rough-shelled eggs should not. 

 be chosen, as they usually show some de- 

 rangement of the organs, and are often' 

 sterile. Smooth-shelled eggs alone are- 

 proper for hatching. Those who have 

 been close observers of the fact claim that 

 it is a farce to suppose that the sex of the 

 bird can be determined by the shape of 

 the egg. 



EGGS, Sex of. — We have heard some 

 parties say that eggs containing the 

 germs of males can be told by having 

 wrinkles on the points or smaller ends,, 

 while female eggs are perfectly smooth at 

 bot h ends , 



GUINEA FOWLS,— The best way to • 

 raise and keep this fowl is to procure 

 some eggs of a good stock, hatch them 

 under a small variety of fowl, such as 

 game foul or bantams ; when the chick 

 appears, fkeep them under cover wheie 

 they can have plenty of air and dry grav- 

 el; feed them frequently — at least once 

 in every three hours. Begin by giving, 

 them eggs and milk made into rather a. 

 dry custard ; toward the end of the first 

 month add to the food a little oat-meal 

 mixed with milk, and as they grow older j 

 give them boiled vegetables, small wheat 

 and potatoes. 



GEESE, to Manage. — The goose lays 

 from ten to twenty eggs before sitting,, 

 and when she is well fed and attended 

 to she will lay and hatch three times in a 

 year. She begins to^ lay early in March,. 



