1906. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
545 
BAD AIR FOR CHICKS. 
Can some one tell me what is wrong with 
our chickens? They stand and droop their 
heads almost to the ground; then they sit 
down and can walk no more. It sems they 
are weak in their back. Last Winter we fed 
whole mixed grain morning and night, and at 
noon. Warm mash with cracklings every 
day, hut noticed nothing wrong until Spring. 
York, Pa. d. k. 
This inquirer does not give much data 
upon which to determine the cause of his 
trouble with the chicks. I imagine that 
the coops and yards are not kept clean 
and that the cause is unsanitary condi¬ 
tions. 
If this man will get his nose down 
within two inches of the floor or yard 
where these chicks stay, and take a good 
smell, and then remember that the chick’s 
head is down there all the time, he may 
see what ails the chicks. A yard may be 
an inch deep with chick droppings, and 
while it is dry no great harm be done; 
but let a shower come up and wet that, 
then the hot sun shine on it, and the 
stench would be unendurable. It is aston¬ 
ishing what a difference it makes if the 
droppings get wet. In the little yards 
attached to the brooders in my brooder 
house I was compelled to make wooden 
platforms on which to put the water pans. 
I found that if the ground -ot wet there 
was a very bad odor, which was not 
noticeable at all when it was dry. Stale 
chick feed—carried over from last year— 
has been found to be one cause of mor¬ 
tality among chicks. C. K. Graham, Prof, 
of Poultry Culture at Storrs College, 
demonstrated that. It isn’t “weak backs” 
that ails these chicks, and it may not be 
unsanitary surroundings, though I am 
inclined to think it is; it may be that 
they were not “well hatched,” or that the 
parent stock were not in good condition; 
but the action of the chicks as described 
looks to me as though they were poisoned 
by bad air. geo. a. cosgrove. 
HEN SURGERY WITH A RAZOR. 
When we first moved out on the farm 
Papa gave me six chickens for my own. 
I took all the care of them from the time 
they were first hatched out. They had got 
to be great big chickens, almost big 
enough to lay, when one day I saw one 
of them acting queerly. She would walk 
all around the yard, put her head up in 
the air, and kept opening and shutting 
her mouth. I knew from a description 
you have given us so many times that it 
was what you call “crop-bound,” and 
your correspondents always said that the 
best thing was to give them hot milk 
and knead the crop. Well, I sat out 
under the apple tree all the afternoon 
and gave the hen hot milk and kneaded 
the crop, but it didn’t do a bit of good, 
and when Papa came home that night, 
I asked him if he wouldn’t take his 
razor and cut it open, so as to save the 
hen. “Not much,” said he, “but I will take 
the ax and cut her head off for you 
if you want me to.” Well, I knew that 
if he did that it wouldn’t be my chicken 
any more, and so I said no. The next 
morning after he had gone to work I 
went out in the yard, but the chicken 
wasn’t any better, and I got Mamma to 
hold it, and I got Papa’s razor and I 
cut her neck open right over the crop. 
It bled a little bit, and it made me shiver, 
but I thought if I didn’t do it, my chicken 
would die anyhow, and it couldn’t any 
more than die if I did. After I made the 
first cut, then I had to cut the crop itself 
open, and then I took a hairpin, but it 
was so solid I could hardly make any 
impression on it, but I got it started, and 
then I took a little iron spoon and 
cleaned it all out, then I washed it all 
out with warm water and then took a 
needle and some white silk thread and 
sewed it up. First I sewed up the crop, 
and then I sewed up the outside cut 
also, just as neat as I knew how. When 
I got it done that hen was so glad she 
jumped up right in my lap. It got all 
well, and is a big hen now and lays a 
good egg, and I thank you for the in¬ 
formation which was given in your paper 
which enabled me to do this. 
A farmer’s daughter. 
R. N.-Y.—This is vouched for as a true 
tale—but we should prefer to keep the 
razor locked up! 
Chicken Notes. —We use all of our 
skim-milk for our chicks and like it as a 
feed very much, but we do not give it 
to them to drink as some advocate; we 
tried that some years ago and did not 
like it; they had bowel trouble, and we 
laid it to the milk. But by using milk 
to moisten the bread or meal we get the 
value of the milk with no injurious effects. 
We have about 2,000 little ones this sea¬ 
son, although our hatches were on an 
average with past years they were not as 
good as we had last year. We notice 
many have had the same results that wt 
have, and that good hatches were an ex¬ 
ception this year. We hear a few reports 
from those who have tried the gasoline 
colony system for brooding, and so far as 
we have heard all reports are that it is 
the “only way.” floyd q. white. 
Hens With Throat Trouble. — I think 
C. F. G.’s hens, page 513, can be cured. Take 
warm salt and vinegar and thoroughly bathe 
back and neck. Give something warm to 
drink*. Dilute one-quarter tdaspoon pain 
killer, alcohol or camphor in water and give. 
Next give one-half teaspoon kerosene. Wrap 
the hen in flannel, and if the weather is cold 
take her intp the kitchen, set her on warm 
cloth, covered with paper, which when dirty 
can be slipped out and more put in. A 
cloth or wire netting around a chair will 
keep her in. I also hold a vessel with boil¬ 
ing water with chlorate of potash, camphor, 
or any hot stuff, under bill and let the 
hen inhale it. Put a cloth over head so the 
steam will not escape. I think it is from 
exposure that hens get in that condition. 
Give some soft food and plenty of water. I 
spend much time in caring for my dear 
chickens and animals. olive Andrews. 
Ohio. 
A Chicken Problem. —One of our prob¬ 
lems in poultry culture has been the disposi¬ 
tion of the chicks when removed from the 
brooders when three weeks old. We are 
now putting into one house a small hot-water 
heater. The return pipe lies near the floor, 
under the dropping boards, which are about 
3% feet wide. A curtain, probably of tick¬ 
ing, will hang from the front of the drop¬ 
ping boards, thus confining the heat and 
keeping an equable temperature, which will, 
we hope, prevent the chicks from huddling 
together to keep warm, thereby killing the 
weaker and causing others to be stunted in 
their growth. How it will work remains to 
be seen. f. c. c. 
Maine. 
The Beef Trouble. —The western meat 
producers are of the opinion that while there 
may be some cause for complaint against 
some of the methods in the slaughter houses, 
much of the published criticism is detri¬ 
mental to all interested, being without any 
just foundation when considered by people 
who are familiar with necessary conditions 
about such industries. There is no doubt but 
that the whole campaign is injuring the price 
of beef on foot temporarily, at least, though 
we think If we are able to get a rigid in¬ 
spection law passed by Congress it will give 
greater confidence in our beef products, both 
at home and abroad, which will furnish a 
greater demand for beef and its products in 
foreign countries as well as at home. This 
would be greatly enhanced by better recipro¬ 
cal relations. geo. a. bateman. 
Iowa. 
Tortured With Eczema. 
Tremendous Itching Over Whole Body 
—Scratched Until Bled—Wonder¬ 
ful Cure by Cutlcura. 
“Last year I suffered with a tremen¬ 
dous itching on my back, which grew 
worse and worse until it spread over the 
whole body, and only my face and hands 
were free. For four months or so I suf¬ 
fered torments, and I had to scratch, 
scratch, scratch until I bled. At night, 
when I went to bed, things got worse, 
and I had at times to get up and scratch 
my body all over until I was as sore as 
could be, and until I suffered excruci¬ 
ating pain. They told me that I was suf¬ 
fering from eczema. Then I made up 
my mind that I would use the Cuticura 
Remedies. I used them according to in¬ 
structions, and very soon indeed I was 
greatly relieved. I continued until well, 
and now I am ready to recommend the 
Cuticura Remedies to any one. Mrs. 
Mary Metzger, Sweetwater, Okla., June 
28, 1905.” 
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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
409 PEARL STREET NEW YORK 
