206 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



Testing Out Infertile Eggs — I note 

 in the paper an advertisement for an 

 egg-tester which claims that it is pos- 

 sible to test out the infertile eggs be- 

 fore setting. Will you please tell me if 

 you think this is possible? — Mrs. T. 

 F. Y. 



Answer — The advertisement which 

 you mention was misleading. The way 

 in which it tested the eggs was by float- 

 ing them with the instrument in water; 

 if they proved heavy enough to sink to 

 a certain depth it showed that the egg 

 was rich enough to support the life of a 

 chick, should there be a germ in that 

 egg. The machine could not show 

 whether there was a germ in the egg, 

 consequently it could not show if the 

 egg was fertilized or not. The little 

 germ is so infinitesimally small that it 

 would make no appreciable difference in 

 the weight of the egg. 



Packing Eggs for Hatching — Will 

 you kindly answer the following: 



1. How long can one keep eggs for 

 setting. 



2. How is the best way to ship eggs 

 for setting so they will not get broken? 

 —Mrs. C. D. D. 



Answer — 1. You can keep your eggs 

 three weeks or even more by turning 

 them every day, but you must remem- 

 ber that the longer you keep them, the 

 fewer will hatch and they will not be as 

 vigorous chicks as if the eggs had been 

 fresh when set. 



2. You can now get egg boxes made 

 for packing eggs for expressing, or you 

 can pack them in common slat baskets 

 or peach baskets. I really prefer the 

 baskets. I put a layer of excelsior in 

 the bottom of the basket, then wrap each 

 egg in a piece of newspaper about six 

 inches square; set them little end down, 

 packing excelsior between them, then 

 put a layer of excelsior on the top, and 

 cover with burlap, sewing it into the 

 basket with twine. Mark plainly, "Eggs 

 for hatching, handle, with care." In the 

 many thousands of eggs I have sent 

 out, only two baskets had any broken 

 eggs. 



TURKEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 



Tomatoes for Turkeys — I am feeding 

 my turkeys a small ration of ripe to- 

 matoes. Is this a proper food for them ? 

 — W. F. G. 



Answer — A small amount of ripe to- 

 matoes will not do your turkeys any 

 harm. They are very fond of them, and 

 it will benefit them, although there is 

 very little nourishment in the tomatoes ; 

 the acidity seems to agree with them. 



Turkeys Have Chicken-Pox — What 

 is the matter with my young turkeys, 

 and what shall I do for them? All over 

 their heads and bills there are lumps 

 forming like warts. Some of them have 

 just a few, while others have their 

 heads covered with them. The turkeys 

 are about half grown. They are not 

 penned up and have plenty of green al- 

 falfa. We feed wheat and meat scraps 

 occasionally. — Miss M. M. 



Answer — Your turkeys have chicken- 

 pox. The cure is to apply carbolic salve 

 or carbolated vaseline. In three days 

 bathe the affected parts with warm 

 soapsuds in which are a few drops of 

 carbolic acid, and again apply the salve. 



Add a little sulphur to their food. This 

 will hasten the cure. They should be 

 cured in a little over a week. Be sure 

 to separate all the fowls affected from 

 the flock. This will prevent the spread- 

 ing of the disease. 



Dr. Haring of the University of Cali- 

 fornia recommends to paint the spots or 

 warts with iodine twice a week. This is 

 rather a severe treatment but a sure 

 cure. *■ 



Turkeys Lame — Will you kindly tell 

 me what to do for my turkeys? My 

 early hatches did fine, but of the late 

 hatch, four of them were troubled with 

 stiff legs, one died, and one got well, 

 but the other two are still lame, the 

 knee joints are swollen and kind of 

 pink color. Their . appetites are good. 



— K. C . :'iW 



Answer — Your turkeys have rheuma- 

 tism. This comes from their liver being' 

 affected, by cold or damp weather. Give 

 each of the affected turkeys a small 

 liver pill, followed by a one-grain qui- 

 nine pill every day for a week. Bathe 

 the knee joints with the following: One 

 cup of vinegar, one cup of turpentine, 



