Poultry Keeping 243 



old stocking is drawn over tlie head of the victim, and the bird 

 held in the plucker's lap on a burlap apron; then the soft feathers 

 on the body are quickly and very gently removed; but those on 

 the side of the body which support the wings should not be taken. 

 Great care should be exercised not to injure the skin or pinfeathers 

 or pull the down. To grow new feathers quickly and resume laying 

 are matters which depend largely upon the condition of the bird 

 and the feed. The latter should consist of some 15 per cent of 

 animal food. 



Feeding Hens for Hatching Eggs. 



Should soft feed he given to the mothers of chicks intended for 

 broilers.^ How about dry mash? How would you advise feeding animal 

 protein? 



Cut out all ground feed, except perhaps a little wheat bran. 

 While you may not get quite as many eggs, they will all have good 

 strong germs and the chicks will stand forcing to the limit, while 

 if you force the egg output you reduce the vitality of the germs 

 and livability of chicks hatched. The only way to feed hens whose 

 eggs are intended for hatching chicks for broilers is to feed whole 

 grain and make them exercise for it, good green feed, or, better 

 still, sprouted oats, and feed beef scrap in a hopper all the time. 

 At first, while it is new, they may eat more than you would give 

 them but don't mind that they will regulate the quantity in a few 

 days better than you can. Get a good grade of beef scrap and keep 

 it in a hopper that will not let rain in or keep it under cover and 

 feed all the wheat and oats they require; if you are short on green 

 feed give them a bale of alfalfa hay to work on. 



A Dry Mash. 



Will you give a formula for a dry mash? 



Wheat bran, 500 pounds; middlings, 200 pounds; cracked corn, 

 200 pounds; charcoal, 20 pounds; alfalfa meal 200 pounds; bone meal, 

 150 pounds; blood-meal lOO pounds; meat cracklings, if ground, 200 

 pounds; ground oats or barley, 300 pounds. Give oyster shell separ- 

 ately and supply fowls with good sharp grit. 



Depluming Mites. 



My chickens are losing the feathers from their necks, some three 

 inches down the front and then extending around the neck. 



The loss of feathers is probably due to the depluming mite. 

 Dust well with buhach through the feathered portion of the bird 

 and apply carbolated vaseline to the bare skin and the edges of the 

 feathers where the insects work. Do this daily as long as needed. 

 When vaseline is not on hand, a mixture of coal oil and sweet oil 

 applied with a soft sponge squeezed nearly dry does as well. We 

 would advise that you make a general cleaning and spraying of j'our 

 poultry quarters, nest boxes, etc. 



