THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



13 



little (newly hatched) chicks at the poultry shows, 

 and also at large bird stores around Easter. These 

 innocents were bought by fond parents for their 

 little tots, and carried to their houses in pasteboard 

 boxes. Without the proper brooder heat or the 

 right kind of food, these little chicks would be 

 slowly tormented to death, quite often, too, by 

 rough handling from the "cute baby." But it is 

 now not so. The Society for the Prevention of Cru- 

 elty to Animals has taken hold of the matter and 

 will no longer allow this uncivilized cruelty. 



Anything that will inflict needless pain, or make 

 the fowls uncomfortable, should be punishable. It 

 is surprising how many people, who otherwise are 

 kindhearted and good, will not stop to think that 

 their very acts are uncharitable and unchristianlike. 



Fresh air, sunshine and exercise are the best 

 poultry tonics. But fresh air does not mean drafts 

 in the house, nor does sunshine call for exposure to 

 hot suns during the summer. Our houses should be 

 so constructed that fresh air can constantly be pres- 

 ent to drive out bad odors and purify the atmos- 

 phere. The sunshine should be able to reach every 

 corner to destroy any germs that might be lurking 

 in dampness. The fowls should exercise by scratch- 

 ing, that they may cause a good circulation of blood. 

 The above are the three best methods in the poultry 

 doctor's art. 



Hardy parents beget hardy offspring. If we 

 neglect in this particular each succeeding genera- 

 tion will be more delicate. No fowls should be used 

 in the breeding pen that have had a case of serious 

 illness. No matter how sure we may feel that full 

 health has been restored, there is still some taint of 

 disease remaining in the fowl which will be inher- 

 ited by the young. Inbreeding has caused more 

 weakened constitutions than anything else we know 

 of. 



Some years back the poultry fraternity were 

 greatly alarmed over the ravages of "cholera." If 

 chickens died suddenly, or if they all of a sudden 

 became sick, cholera was blamed for it. Of late 

 years we hear very little about this disease, the rea- 

 son for which is that we have very few if any cases 

 of this dreaded disease in the poultry yard, and 

 nine-tenths of those reported twenty or thirty years 

 ago were not cholera, but instead a condition pro- 

 duced by a combination of indigestion and lice. 

 The poultry were fed practically nothing but corn, 

 producing on overfat condition, and the subject of 

 grit was never thought of. Consequently the food 

 being of a starchy nature, and not properly digested, 

 and the hen or fowl being in an overfat condition, 

 indigestion was sure to present itself. This trouble 

 coupled with lice and in those days the poultry 

 keepers were not so particular about keepinsr lice 

 at bay the fowls would succumb to "cholera" just 

 about as sure as the "good old summer time" came 

 around. It is a fact that genuine cholera cases are 

 almost as scarce as hen's teeth. 



erally, that are out of condition. In other words, 

 when the hen gets too fat, and also when there is a 

 scarcity of lime in the bill of fare the shells of the 

 eggs become thin. When being laid these soft 

 shelled eggs usually break and the hen thus ac- 

 quires a taste. It is always best to gather the eggs 

 several times a day so that there will be no chance 

 for breakage by hens crowding on the nest, or by 

 the newly-laid egg striking those already laid. 



For canker in fowls, the following remedy is 

 recommended: Mix 12 drops carbolic acid, one tea- 

 spoonful laudanum, 10 cents' worth sugar of lead, 

 5 cents' worth sulphate of zinc, and one pint of 

 water; shake well. Open up the nostrils with a 

 broom straw, and with a small glass syringe inject 

 into them the mixture, three times a day, and put 

 eight to 10 drops in the mouth. Feed soft bran and 

 give plenty of water. 



Here is a novel way for preventing fence fly- 

 ing: Take good strong string, and tie a knot about 

 three inches from the end; then take the end near- 

 est the knot and put it around the tip of the wing, 

 and tie a slip knot below the knot in the string, so 

 it cannot pull too tight on the wing. Then pass the 

 other end of the string under the other wing, and 

 have it just loose enough so that the chicken can 

 keep its wings folded naturally and tie same as 

 other end. After it has been on about six week* 

 the string may be removed, and your chicken will 

 stay in just as though it had never flown over a 

 fence. 



It is characteristic of the laying hen to be quick 

 in her movements, and more or less of a nervous dis- 

 position. When a hen is lazy, and moves about in a 

 careless, indifferent manner, she is pretty sure to be 

 a poor layer. 



An egg to belong to the strictly fresh egg class 

 should not be over three days old, in summer 

 weather, and a week old during winter. But in 

 either case they must be kept in a cool tempera- 

 ture. Heat very' quickly stales eggs. Crates of 

 eggs allowed to remain in the hot sun for several 

 hours will quickly change their condition. 



Poorly dressed poultry goes begging in the mar- 

 ket, while the supply of choice (fancy) stock is not 

 sufficient to meet the demand. In shipping to mar- 

 ket, all dressed poultry should be assorted accord- 

 ing to size and color, in order -to secure the best 

 returns. Small, poor, scraggy birds half dressed 

 bring prices in proportion. 



Egg eating is a habit that starts with hens, gen- 



A "large roaster" means a plump, soft chicken 

 of four or five pounds weight. The broiler weight 

 in March is one and one-quarter pounds each; in 

 April, one and one-half pounds; in May, one and 

 one-quarter pounds to two pounds. Old cock birds 

 have a special classification, and do not come under 

 the head of "large roasting" fowls. 



