134 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



August, 1913 



Bits for Beginners. 



The reason why luauy lowls will 

 not sit steadily on the eggs en- 

 trusted to them is just — vermin. A 

 stitch in time saves nine and a 

 dusting of insect powder applied 

 with equal promptness may save a 

 great deal of trouble. 



There is no better safeguard 

 against illness and the troubles of 

 chickenhood than plenty of exer- 

 cise, whether they are raised on a 

 few square feet or»a few square 

 acres. As good birds have been 

 reared on the one as the other. 



Never overcrowd a foster mo- 

 ther, many deaths are due to this. 

 Always put fewer chicks in a 

 foster mother than the number the 

 machine is said to be capable of 

 holding. Observe scrupulous clean- 

 liness ; the only safe plan is to 

 clean out a foster mother every 

 day, and this rule applies to ■ coops 

 also. Dirt and disease always run 

 cheek b}- jowl. 



When water is given to chicks it 

 must l>e good. It must bei fre- 

 quentl\- renewed, and when there 

 is much sun it should be placed in 

 the shade. Sun warmed water is 

 very bad for chickens. A drijik of 

 milk is a fine thing for the young- 

 sters, but never leave it standing 

 in the runs, and be sure and scald 

 all the drinking ves.sels that have 

 had milk in them, or diarrhoea 



may result. In anv case, all the 

 vessels should be wa.shed daily. 



Incubators innst be watched 

 carefully. Run a machine for at 

 least a dav before trusting eggs to 

 it. If it keeps au equable temper- 

 ature for 24 hours it may be trust- 

 ed to continue, but inust still be 

 watched with care. Be sure to 

 have a couple of spare capsules 

 or even more if necessar)'. Many a 

 good hatch has been spoilt for 

 want of this. A capsule may 

 break down, but in most cases it 

 can be remedied without any seri- 

 ous conseg'iences having resulted if 

 the new one is at hand. 



Be careful to avoid chilling, the 

 eggs whUst airing them — a prolific 

 source of dead in shell. Do not 

 have cast iron rules as to how 

 long eggs should be aired,, such as 

 five minutes for so many, days, 10 

 mini'.ites for so many more, then 

 15,^ then 20, etc. Use your com- 

 mon sense. So much depends on 

 the weather. Judge by the touch. 

 Never go away from the incuba- 

 tor room when the eggs are out. 

 If they feel cool enough place them 

 bacK at once, never mind the regu- 

 lation time, and whether it is 

 " up " or not. 



When eggs are aired for long 

 periods during the end of the 

 hatch, anv draw fitted incubator 

 gets verv; cool by the drawer being 

 out so long, and frequently takes a 

 long time to get its heat up again. 



It is, of course, a good thing for 

 the incubator to air, but remem- 

 ber that in the natural state, 

 when a hen goes off her, nest for 

 food, and the eggs cool, it does 

 not take, her a long time to heat 

 up again. Her heat is at cnce 

 applied to the eggs again, and it 

 takes a very short time for them 

 to return to their former Temper- 

 ature. ' It is well to remember 

 this, and it is advisable to have a 

 dummy front made to fit into the 

 the aperture of the incubator short- 

 Iv after the drawer is withdrawn. 



One often sees good fowls beaten 

 at shows by others much inferior 

 on account of being put down in 

 ])Oor condition. They mav be 

 l>adly wa.shed or out of sorts, and 

 in either case it would have been 

 far better to have not shown them 

 at all. When we show fowls in a 

 dirty condition, we alone are to 

 blame, and we have no cause for 

 complaint if they return hiome 

 cardless. 



Fowls require a balanced ration 

 in order to produce eggs. They- 

 require a certain quantity of food 

 to be taken into the system to 

 keep up the constitution and to 

 supply heat, the balance or sur- 

 plus food going to make up that 

 which is produced. Poultry should, 

 therefore, be fed that class of food 

 which contains the ingredients ne- 

 cessary to make up the egg. 



Lucerne is one of the very best 

 foods }'ou can give to laying hens, 

 for many reasons. It is bulky. It 

 contains the proteinsi and the 

 carbo-hydrates in excellent propor- 

 tions for the nourishment of the 

 fowl. It is rich in mineral con- 

 stituents. Compounds of lime 

 are abundant, such as are required 

 for shell formatioti. 



Do not allow the fowls to gorge 

 themselves, as it makes them la/y. 

 A hen should be active — always 

 busy. Such are the best layers^ 



Fowls lay better in spring, than 

 in summer. The reason for this is 

 that they are able to get the pro- 

 ]>er kind of food which goes to 

 make u]) the egg. They get ani- 

 mal food in the sKape of grass- 

 hoppers, worms, grubs, flies, etc. 

 If, therefore, you feed the same 

 kind of food in the winter as they 

 thcmsehcs gather in the sumjner, 

 and have a warnv, comfortable 



Sargenfri Poultry Yards, 



EAST PAYNEHAM, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



WE SrEClALiZE ABSOLUTELY on WHITE LEGHORNS (heavy 

 laying strains) and breed on strictly scientific lines, iising only 

 SINGLE-TKSTIvD, PKDKtRIvED LA YERS as breeders, always keep- 

 ing in view the STAMINA AND CONSTITUTION of the birds, 

 hence, we are able to transmit a high STANDARD OF PROLIFI- 

 CACY from one generation to another without lo.sing either VIGOR, 

 (JR SIZI'v of bird. Those breeders desirous of improving their strain 

 should try a little of the S.-\RGI'*-NFRI blood, for our foundation 

 stock was imported from the famous AMERICAN WICKOFF strain, 

 and we are therefore enabled to sup])lv quite a different line of l)lood. 

 NOTIC— Eggs sittings from our ROSEWORTIIY COMPETITION pen, 

 won 2nd prize 1912-1913, 42/. Other pedigreed pens, 2i7-. 



Stock for Sale. 



C. J. CHANDLER, Proprietor. 



