THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



175 



POULTRY. 



Causes of Roup in Fowls. 



In ttie treatment of fowls one disease must not be 

 mistaken for another. For Instance, the name of 

 "chicken cholera" is applied quite frequently to 

 many ailments that are simple, or merely disar- 

 rangements of the internal or^iins that may be easi- 

 ly remedied by a change of diet or place. Koup is 

 the worst aflliction of the poultry yard. It may be 

 pronouucotl the root of all disease. It proceeds from 

 tlie simplest causes, as a sudden cold contracted 

 from a current of air or undue exposure. At one 

 time the writer sold a coc'k for breeding purposes In 

 April. He was a fine bird, and had been kept under 

 cover with a southern glass exposure, and was not 

 accustomed to the outside atmosphere. The conse- 

 quence was a' sudden cold, proceeding from the 

 change and neglect received. A few days later a 

 note was received from the customer conveying the 

 information of the fowl's illness, further remarking 

 that he was unfit for us^-, as he was diseased. All 

 animals suffer greatly from change of home, not 

 only from the ditt'erence of treatment and feed as 

 well as quarters, but also from home-sickness. 

 Bowls suffer from the same cause. But this was a 

 case of downright cruelty. The fowl had not been 

 hardened. 



When shipping fowls, or selling them, without 

 having been seen by the purchaser, every particular 

 concerning the treatment of the birds should previ- 

 ously be forwarded, so that accidents and sickness 

 may be avoided. This is only just and honorable, 

 more especially in the spring of the year before the 

 fowls are accustomed to the outside atmosphere. 

 When purchaserj see the fowls this is unnecessary, 

 as they are able to take notes when visiting the pre- 

 mises, and act accordingly. No censure, when such 

 is the case, can be attached to the seller, in case of 

 failure in the purchaser. Fowls also suffer greatly 

 from transportation. The fatigue of the jonruey, 

 unnatural position, and irregula ity of feeding, 

 largely serves to disturb the equilibriujn, and they 

 fall a ready prey to colds, which, if neglected, run 

 into roup, which in the advanced state is incurable. 

 It assumes many forms, and isofteutimes, no doubt, 

 termed cholera. It should be avoided, as the worst 

 distemper that afflicts our domestic birds. It may 

 be advancing by slow stages and unobserved, until 

 the victim is much reduced. At other times it puts 

 on a more acute, but not so dangerous appearance. 

 On the arrival of fowls from long distances, care 

 should be exercised in the first feeding. It is natu- 

 rally supposed that the fowls are fatigued and hungry 

 and will greedily devour what is set before them. 

 They should have soft, scalded, easily digested food, 

 and be placed at once in warm, comfortable quarters. 

 If this precaution was always taken there would be 

 less cause for eomplaint and less censure of the seller. 

 Bad food will also produce what is termed chicken 

 cholera. 



The poultry business Is a great and still Increas- 

 ing one. A country place is not stocked without 

 them and to keep them in health and profit is no 

 small undertaking. It will not do to allow them to 

 shift for themselves altogether. The garden and 

 fruit as well as flower beds, will suffer, hence they 

 must be controlled in their movements. Constant 

 close confinement will not answer. Still fowls will 

 thrive and be profitable if confined during the larger 

 half of the day, but they must be supplied with all 

 the requirements of nature, and fresh, clean water 

 must be given. Fowls often get run down, and re- 

 require a change of food; especially laying hens, 

 which are large consumers. Giving the best care 

 daily will keep them from eating feathers, and pro- 

 mote health and activity. If the weather be cool, a 

 little pepper may be given, but do not give too much 

 to hens that are laying eggs for hatching. In that 

 case they arc apt to be unfertilized. Before doctor 

 iug fowls be certain bf the difficulty, as much dam- 

 age is done by administering doses for a disease that 

 may not exist at the time. 



Gapes in Chickens. 



An f-xperlenced chicken raiser cures his chickens 

 ofthe gapes in the following manner: As soon as a 

 manifestation of gapes in his fowls appears he con- 

 fines his chickens in a box, one at a lime, sufficiently 

 large enough to contain the bird, and places acoarsc 

 piece of cotton or linen cloth over the top. Upon 

 this he places the pulverlzcillime and taps the screen 

 sufficiently to cause the lime to fall through. This 

 lime dust the fowl Inhales and i.« made to sneeze, and 

 In a short time the cause of Ihr ga[ es Is thrown out 

 in the fqrm of a ellmy mass or masses of worms 

 which had accumulated in the windpipe and smaller 

 air vessels. This remedy he considers superior to 

 any he ever tried, and lie seldom falls to eflect a per- 

 fect cure. He has abjured all these mechanical 

 means by which it is attempted to dislodge the en- 

 tozoa with instruments made of whalebone, hogs' 

 bristles, horse hair or fine wire, alleging that people 

 are quite as certain to push the gape worms further 

 down the throat ofthe fowl as to draw them up." 



Common Sense in the Poultry Yard. 



Common sense is too often uncommon sense, and 

 there is more truth than novelty in this sentiment in 

 its application to poultry keeping. It Is not my in- 

 tention to criticise nonsensical ways, but to show 

 ways sensible. 



The "poultry" that everybody keeps are techni- 

 cally designated "Fowls," or "Barnyard Fowls." 

 As a rule they are kept in small flocks, fed chiefly 

 upon what no farmer misses. On most farms a flock 

 of 13 to 40 hens will pick up a living without receiv- 

 ing a particle of grain from May to October, includ- 

 ing both months. Their food consists of insects, 

 seeds and grass or wqfds; they need fresh water be- 

 sides. What wonder it is that fowls thus kept are 

 demonstrably more profitable than any class of 

 stock, or any crop on the farm. 



This is the best way to keep fowls, provided they 

 can be induced to lay where their eggs can be found 

 while fresh. To accomplish this a house of some 

 kind is needed, where the fowls may be shiit in oc- 

 casionally for a few days at a time, so as to make 

 them roost and lay in convenient places. If fowls 

 can roost in the trees, lay all over the farm and 

 "dust" themselves in the road, they will almost 

 surely be healthy, lay a great many eggs and keep in 

 good condition. Besides, every now and then a hen will 

 unexpectedly appear with a brood of ten or a dozen 

 chicks, hatched under some bush where she had 

 "stolen" her nest and done her hatching. That is 

 all very well, so far as the hen is concerned, but no 

 one wants it to happen. We wish the hens to lay and 

 set where we can put what eggs we please under 

 them for hatching— and, what is still more import- 

 ant, we wish to be able to collect the eggs for use or 

 for sale daily. Afresh eggis a joy, adelight, a good 

 gift of Heaven— a ''perfectly good" egg is an abfiml- 

 nation. An egg, to be fit to eat, or for sale, must be 

 fresh beyond a peradventure, and utterly untainted 

 with a suspicion of having been brooded or weather- 

 ed. For this reason It is a most untidy thing to use 

 natural nest-eggs. The nest-egg, after a while, is 

 almost surely gathered, and of course is not " right." 

 — American AgricuUitrist ■ 



Onions for Chicken Cholera. 



A correspondent of the Poultry Yard thus de. 

 scribes his new remedy for chicken cholera: "While 

 our neighbors for several miles around us, have lost 

 nearly all their chickens from the so-called cholera, 

 ours are in fine condition. They were attacked with 

 the premonitory symptoms of the disease, which 

 seemed to be endemic here, but wo cured them and 

 have no trouble with them since, having accidentally 

 found a cure. Cut up onions with food, and admin- 

 ister once a day for several days, afterward once a 

 weet will answer. Also mix a little giound ginger 

 with their meal, once every day or two. We also 

 give them a little salt every two or three weeks, 

 which we deem highly necessary, and, above all 

 things, keep watermelons, muskmelons and cucum- 

 bers away from them. The tops of celery cut up 



with their food will bo found beneficial, and they 

 appear to like it very well. Do not got these state- 

 ments mixed up. The onions and ginger only for 

 cholera, the remainder constant attention. Too 

 much whole corn we have found Injurious; we give 

 meal of this only once In three or four days. Kaw 

 onions and a very little ginger against the world 

 for curing cholera. If the disease has not been al- 

 lowed to run too far. We endorse heartily the raw 

 onions and ginger, but have never found melons in- 

 jurious. Last Summer we raised, lu an amateur 

 way, nearly three hundred chickens and turkeys. 

 Bushels of melon rinds and Imperfect melons of both 

 kinds were thrown to them dally and eaten eagerly. 

 Over-ripe cucumbers and seeds of muskmelons 

 were likewise devoured. Wc had no losses from 

 any disease. 



Food for Fowls. 



A writer In the Country OentUman discusses the 

 subject of flavor In fowl's flesh. Among other re- 

 marks he says: That breed has something to do with 

 it may not be denied, but that food has more can 

 be safely credited. Fot>d not only affects the flavor, 

 but the quality and quantity also. Fowls that are 

 fattened on corn alone produce not only a sweet fla- 

 vored flesh and plenty of it, but the fat Is apt to be 

 ody, and possess a strong, unpleasant odor. This Ifi 

 in a great measure governed by the breed. That 

 small fowls are superior where quality is desired Is a 

 decided fact; but where quantity Is the desideratum, 

 irrespective of other qualities, the larger fowls may 

 be cultivated, especially the Asiatics. Buckwheat 

 makes fine, white flesh, but nothing flavors It like 

 ground corn and oats intermixed equally, and scauld- 

 ed or moistened sufficiently with either milk or water, 

 but not enough for the milk to run. This should be 

 given I'resh each day, and not allowed to sour or 

 ferment. Fowls require good, sweet food. Musty 

 meal or moldy grain are always unsuitable. For 

 table use, where a flne flavor is desired fowls should 

 be confined in clean quarters, and be fed on whole- 

 some food for at least one week before slaughter. 

 Where fowls are confined In small compass, some 

 absorbent should be used to neutralize the drop- 

 pings, otherwise the flesh will become tainted from 

 the disagreeable odor arising therefrom. For this 

 purpose there is nothing better than air-slaked Ume 

 or unleached wood ashes, where there Is sufficient 

 ventilation. 



Feeding Chicks for Rapid Growth. 



In order to secure rapid growth in the young chicks 

 it is the common experience of all successful breeders 

 to feed them often, say every two or three hours 

 until they are three or four weeks old, and at longer 

 intervals as they grow older. Very young chicks 

 cannot consume enough at one time to last them half 

 a day, as their crops are small; their rapid growth 

 of flesh, hone and feathers, and habitual exercise 

 demand material proiK)rtloualeIy nourishing and ac- 

 tive to develop a vigorous constitution. The food 

 should be of the very best, but not necessarily strong 

 and highly stimulating, but of a kind and quality 

 that will cause a healthy growth. Some breeders 

 feed chopped meat to their chicks very profusely 

 from the shell upward. But this practice has its 

 attending evils. A little fresh meat a few times a week 

 in the absence of insect food, is good ; but If fed too 

 freely to the tender birds when young oflcu brings 

 on weakness of the limbs, etc. In addition to their 

 regular diet of grain, green onion tops chopped flne 

 and mixed with their food is highly relished, and 

 will be found conducive to their health. Thick sour 

 milk and curds of milk make an excellent food. 

 Pepper and ginger, with a little salt occasionally in 

 their soft feed, will give to the chicks a relish for 

 their food, variety being absolutely necessary to the 

 highest state oi health and the most rapid growth. 

 Chickens confined in coops or limited runs, so that 

 they can get no food except what is furnished them, 

 mu.'il be supplied with good food, scraps from the 

 table, bone meal and vegetables In variety, as this Is 

 a law of their nature, and should not be forgotten by 

 those who expect to be successful In rearing poultry. 



