52 



SUCCESS WITH POtlLTR"? 



makes a valuable food. Hard-boiled eggs may be fed. from 

 the beginning, but, like milk, requires more skill than the 

 feeding of bread sopped in milk. On farms where screen- 

 ings from the various grains become really a by-product, 

 these form a cheap and efficient food for the little chickens. 

 Wheat screenings, especially, form one of the best foods, 

 particularly if they contain a considerable portion of good 

 kernels that have been cracked in threshing. Then, too, the 

 screenings contain a number of weed seeds that have soine 

 feeding value and are relished by the fowls. They not only 

 provide sustenance, but give variety, and this, in a measure, 

 improves the general health. 



"Brinking fountains require close attention. Small 

 chickens drink frequently and oftentimes with their beaks 

 loaded with food, which is left, to a, greater or less extent, in 

 the water supply. As dt is necessary to keep these fountains . 

 in a tolerably ■ warm atmosphere, they soon become tainted 

 and emit a disagreeable odor. This must not be, for all food 

 and drink consumed by fowls should be wholesome. Clean- 

 liness is essential to success in poultry keeping. The drink- 

 ing fountains must be kept clean. If automatic fountains 

 are used, great care must bo exercised in keeping them clean 

 and free from bad odors. Nothing less than frequent scald- 

 ing with steam or hot water will answer the. purpose. A 

 cheap, efficient drinking fountain may be made of a tin can 

 with a small hole in one end, near the side of the can, under 

 which is soldered a creseent-shaped piece of tin, formiing a 

 lip or small receptacle for water. If the can is filled witfi 

 water and then placed on its side, a small quantity of water 

 will run out of the opening and remain in this crescent- 

 shaped lip. As the chicks drink this water a quantity of air 

 will pass into the opening and a little more water will flow 

 out. This kind of fountain will keep before the chickens a 

 small quantity of water at all times accessible. By exercis- 

 ing care and keeping the fountain thoroughly clean, satis- 

 factory results are easily obtained from this arrangement. 



Brooders. 



"If one resorts to artificial incubation it will be neces- 

 sary to provide a brooder of some kind. It may be simple 

 and quit« inexpensive, or complex and costly. It is not 

 necessary to expend very much money in the construction 

 of an efficient brooder. It is necessary, however, to see that 

 the brooder is capable of doing certain things. -Some of these 

 requisites are .summed up in the following: It must be 

 warm. The little chickens require a temperature of from 90 

 to 100 degrees the first few days, and at all times they should 

 find it so warm in the brooder that they are not inclined to 

 huddle together to keep warm; If the brooder is automatic, 

 then the temperature may be kept quite even throughout the 

 iWhole floor space. If, on the other hand, the brooder is 

 heated from one side or from the top, and is not automatic, 

 it will be best to construct it so that certain parts of the 

 macliine will be very warm, in fact, a little warmer than is 

 necessary for the chickens, and some other parts somewhat 

 too cool. It does not take them long to learn just where the 

 most comfortable position is. They may be trusted entirely 

 to select the proper temperature if the brooder is of suffi- 

 cient size so that it is never crowded. A brooder constructed 

 on this plan will require less attention than almost any 

 other. It may undergo a considerable variation in tempera- 

 ture without overheating or chilling the chickens. 



' ' The brooder should be easily cleaned and so con- 

 structed that all of the floor space can readily be seen. In- 

 convenient corners are objectionable in brooders, in fact, 

 any corner is objectionable, but if brooders are constructed 

 cheaply it is almost necessary to make more or less corners. 



If constructed of wood, circular ones are somewhat more ex- 

 pensive than square or rectangular ones. The floor must not 

 only be kept clean, but dry. 



' ' Top or side heat is to be preferred to bottom heat, but 

 there must be sufficient bottom heat to keep the floor dry. 



"As chickens get a few days old, plenty of exercise must 

 be provided. On objection to many of the brooders in the 

 market is that the chickens are kept too closely confined and 

 not allowed sufficient exercise. It will be a matter of sur- 

 prise to many to learn how much exercise these little fellows 

 require. With the young chickens; as with the athlete, 

 strength is acquired by exercise, and above all other condi- 

 tions of growth, strength is the one thing necessary in €he 



Incubators. 



' ' The modern improvement in incubators has made the 

 rearing of fowls solely for egg-production quite out of the 

 question unless these machines a;:e used. No experienced 

 poultryman at the present time will undertake to rear fowls 

 in large numbers for the production of eggs and depend on 

 the hens that lay the eggs for incubation. The Mediterranean 

 fowls can not be depended upon for natural incubation. 

 Artificial incubation must be resorted to if these fowls are to 

 be reared in considerable numbers. 



"There are many kinds of excellent incubators on the 

 market. As with many kinds of farm machinery, it is im- 

 possible to say that one particular kind is better than all 

 others. Then, too, an incubator that would give very satis- 

 factory results with one individual might, prove to be quite 

 inferior in the hands of another person. What is best for 

 one is not necessarily best for another. It is advisable, be- 

 fore investing extensively in any make of incubator, to thor- 

 oughly understand the machine. If good results are ob- 

 tained, then additional machines of the same kind should 

 be p'urchased. Failures are recorded simply because" the in- 

 dividual fails to thoroughly understand the machine he is 

 trying to operate, or in other words, fails to learn how to 

 operate that particular machine to the best advantage. A 

 successful poultryman must necessarily pay close attention 

 to petty details. Not only is this necessary in caring for lit- 

 tle chickens and mature fowls, but also in the care and man- 

 agement of incubators and brooders. The whole business is 

 one of details. Excellent results are obtained by the use of 

 many machines now on the market when the operator of 

 tljese various machines is thoroughly interested. Poultry- 

 men have, for a term of years, hatched in incubators over 80 

 per cent of all eggs put in the machine. It must not be in- 

 ferred that this is an easy thing to do. A record of this kind 

 is attained only by close observation and good judgment, 

 not only in running the machine, but also dn the breeding 

 and care of the fowls to produce fertile eggs. 



Disease and Lice, 



' ' Disease and lice are the great obstacles to be overcome 

 in poultry raising. The house may be kept free from lice by 

 a liberal use of kerosene emulsion, and by whitewashing. 

 Whitewash serves a double purpose, that of ridding the 

 house of lice and making the interior much lighter. A small 

 window, with -the interior of the house whitewashed, will 

 make the building as light as a much larger window without 

 the whitewash. If the poultry houses are kept free from 

 lice, the fowls can usually be depended upon to keep them- 

 selves free by a liberal use of the dust bath. If, however, 

 body lice are found, they may be successfully treated by 

 dusting insect powder under the feathers in the evening and 

 allowing the fowls to remain undisturbed on the perches 

 after the treatment. 



