Poultry Keeping 325 



to a considerable degree subject to colds and catarrh. 

 These are germ diseases, that are especially likely to 

 attack fowls that have to roost in cold, drafty places. 

 People who keep chickens or other poultry under right 

 conditions will not be troubled much by having disease 

 in their flocks. 



Experiments and Observations 



1. Let pupils report the number of different breeds of chickens 

 in the community. Let them bring in a specimen of each for study 

 and comparison. Notice weight, color, legs, ear lobes, kind of 

 comb, color of skin, and size and color of eggs. 



2. Make a trap nest, following instructions in Farmers' Bulle- 

 tin 682. 



3. Draw a plan for a poultry house ten feet wide and twenty 

 feet long. Estimate the cost of materials necessary to build it. 



4. Make an egg tester as shown in Figure 264 and test a setting 

 of eggs about the seventh day. 



5. Set six eggs under a hen, one of the eggs being infertile. 

 Each day open and examine one of the fertile eggs to see what 

 progress has been made by the embryo. On the sixth day, exam- 

 ine the infertile egg. 



6. Preserve a few eggs in water glass. 



7. Under a magnifying glass, examine specimens of mites and 

 poultry lice. 



8. Observe a pigeon as it drinks. Other birds do not drink 

 in the same way. 



References 



"Poultry Management." Farmers' Bulletin 287. 

 "A Simple Trap Nest for Poultry." Farmers' Bulletin 682. 

 "Feeding Hens for Production." Farmers' Bulletin 1067. 

 " Natural and Artificial Incubation of Hens' Eggs." Farmers' 

 Bulletin 585. 



"Ducks and Geese." Farmers' Bulletin 64. 

 "Turkeys." Farmers' Bulletin 791. 



