212 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



geese out on the lawn, take the hen 

 away from them and put them into a 

 box in the woodshed or kitchen, if the 

 nights are cool, or if I am afraid of cats 

 or other marauders. They do not re- 

 quire heat after a few days, sometimes 

 not after the first day. It depends upon 

 the weather. 



Geese are the easiest of fowls to raise. 

 They are' a grazing bird and must have 

 a pasture of something green to graze 

 on. When young, they should not have 

 whole grain, but a mash of bran and 

 corn meal with a little animal food in it, 

 and always grass or alfalfa to graze on. 



Ducks do well treated in the same 

 way, remembering to give them a little 

 sand with each meal. 



Died in the Shell — I had two hens 

 sitting on duck eggs and the ducks all 

 died in the shell. The eggs were pipped, 

 but it seemed as though the ducks could 

 not get out. I dipped the eggs the last 



six days in lukewarm water once a day. 

 I opened two eggs and there was jelly 

 around the ducks. Could you kindly let 

 me know why and how it is, as I have 

 two more hens setting? — Mrs. C. F. N. 



Answer — Sprinkle your duck eggs, if 

 the weather is warm and dry, three 

 times a week after the first week ; let the 

 water be just as hot as you can bear 

 your hand in, and sprinkle it out of a 

 little sprinkling pot or use a whist 

 broom to sprinkle the eggs with as you 

 would clothes for ironing ; leave the 

 eggs damp for the hen to go on them. 

 This is better than floating them in the 

 water. Little ducks can be easily helped 

 out of the eggs and still live and be 

 strong; if they seem slow in hatching, 

 bring them, into the house and put a 

 warm damp flannel around them and 

 place at the back of the kitchen stove, 

 and I think they will then come out 

 without assistance ; if not, help them 

 out. 



GEESE 



GEESE — I have a few geese and just 

 lately they have started to lay; gather 

 from four to six daily. Do you think 

 by turning them daily I might save them 

 up for incubation? About what degree 

 should be kept up for them? I put 

 seven eggs under a hen. Would you 

 also tell me what should baby geese be 

 fed?— J. W. 



Answer — You can keep geese eggs, 

 by turning them every day, for three 

 weeks. They take thirty days to incu- 

 bate. The incubator should be about 

 102^4 for the first week and 103 after- 

 wards. Five eggs is plenty to put under 

 a hen. See instructions in this book for 

 hatching duck eggs in an incubator. 

 Treat goose eggs in the same way. Feed 

 baby geese the same as baby ducks for 

 the first week, gradually adding chopped 

 lettuce until at least half their food is 

 green food. Geese are grazing animals 

 and require plenty of green, succulent 

 food. They are very easy to raise and 

 do not require brooder heat more than 

 a few days. 



Toulouse Geese — First, I have a few 

 geese. I had eight Toulouse goslings. 



I fed them boiled eggs, bread crumbs, 

 oatmeal (dry), and sometimes clabber 

 cheese with a lot of fine cut grass and 

 young rye from the rye patch, as I have 

 no lettuce yet, plenty of gravel and a 

 pan of water, but they all die from a 

 week to three weeks of age. Now, what 

 is the cause and what can I do to raise 

 the others, as I hate to lose them so 

 bad.— Mrs. J. B. M. 



Answer — You feed your young geese 

 wrong. Geese are grazing animals and 

 need grass or young tender clover to 

 eat. Next time you have any give them 

 bran (three cups full) and corn meal 

 (one cup full) moistened with water, 

 with a teaspoonful of sand sprinkled 

 over it. This should be fed every two 

 hours, after the first day, when they 

 should have nothing at all to eat, they 

 should be turned out on the grass or on 

 a clover lawn. From the very first they 

 must have grass or clover to crop from. 

 After the first week leave the food 

 where they can get it all the time and 

 they will feed themselves without any 

 trouble. Geese are the easiest of all 

 fowls to raise. They must not have 

 water to swim in until they have their 

 mature feathers. 



