244 
The Henyard. 
Skim-Milk For Hens. 
Will skim-milk, soured, take the place 
of meat scrap in a ration for laying hens? 
If so, how much should be fed to a ilock 
of 65 hens? Would the Philo system of 
brooders be a good one for an amateur 
to use to rear chickens? Will Alfalfa 
meal be sudicient green food for Winter 
layers? o. t. j. 
I do not think that soured skim-milk 
will wholly take the place of meat in ra¬ 
tions for laying hens, but it may replace 
the greater part of it if it can be had in 
sudicient quantity. liens may be given 
all that they will eat of it, but they 
should also have fresh water before them 
and not be compelled to make the milk 
their sole drink. By the Philo system, 
I presume that you mean the use of fire¬ 
less brooders; these are entirely practical, 
and while requiring more attention than 
heated brooders, give the best of results 
in careful lrands. I would not recom¬ 
mend attempting to follow any “system” 
in their use, but would learn the princi¬ 
ples of their operation and adapt them 
to my own system. I have raised hun¬ 
dreds of chickens with no other hover 
than an empty bran sack or two, and 
would ask nothing better after settled 
warm weather has arrived. Alfalfa meal 
does not replace succulent food like cab¬ 
bage or beets, but if these are not avail¬ 
able, steamed “short cut” Alfalfa is per¬ 
haps as good a substitute as any, and 
this or clover should be fed if it is prac- 
THE RURAL NEW-VORKER 
February 14, 
ticable to obtain it, even though succulent 
foods are also at hand. yr. b. d. 
Pigeon Questions. 
Will you give full information on rais¬ 
ing pigeons? I have a couple of llomer 
pigeons, but I cannot tell the difference 
between the male and the hen. p. R. s. 
Reading, Pa. 
Old fanciers claim to be able to deter¬ 
mine the sex of pigeons by feeling of the 
pelvic bones, but a beginner could hardly 
do it. The male usually struts about a 
female, ruffling his feathers and cooing. 
Consult some local pigeon fancier. If 
they do not breed soon try another pair 
if you wish to keep pigeons. Keep 
them supplied with plenty of fine mixed 
grain, grit and water. Provide boxes for 
nests. Tobacco steps, if available, will 
be used by them in nest-building and will 
help keep away lice. w. H. iittse. 
Mating Turkeys. 
I have two hen turkeys, one not six 
months old and therefore not old enough 
to be the best type of breeder, and the 
other a year older and a good layer, sit¬ 
ter and brooder. I do not want a gob¬ 
bler around, as he would molest my 
chickens. Would it be practicable to 
take my old hen to a gobbler at the be¬ 
ginning of the laying season, as I have 
read that a single impregnation is enough 
for a clutch of turkey eggs? G. s. ii. 
Ballston Lake, N. Y. 
l r es, turkey hens are frequently per¬ 
mitted to run with the male of another 
flock for a short time previous to the 
natural laying season and then removed. 
If they have mated with the turkey cock, 
their eggs will be fertile for an indefinite 
length of time, probably for the season. 
M. B. D. 
Care of Young Ducks. 
Will chickens and ducks hatched this 
Spring and Summer moult this Fall? 
My ducks are 14 weeks old, Indian Run¬ 
ners, and show no sign of curled sex 
feathers. I expected to sell the drakes 
as broiler ducks at 10 or 12 weeks old. 
When can I tell them apart? They are 
on range; should I put green food and 
sand in their ration, or will they now 
get it for themselves? They wander all 
around even by night; how can they be 
caught when necessary? They have out¬ 
grown the coop they were brooded in. I 
understand a low building is enough for 
them, but what about it being snowed 
under in Winter? Would it be feasible 
to enclose a small coop in a shed and 
have the top of same lift off so that I 
could get in to clean out the coop and 
get eggs without being exposed to the 
weather? I have several unused box 
stalls; would one of these make a good 
place to keep the ducks? How many 
square feet of floor space would you re¬ 
commend for each duck and how high 
would you advise making their house? 
Ballston Lake, N. Y. g. s. h. 
Ducks usually begin to moult and grow 
a new crop of feathers soon after the age 
of 12 weeks. From then till cold weather 
there are usually some in every flock that 
will be found with pinfeathers. For the 
most profit ducks should be killed and 
sold between the ages of 10 and 12 weeks. 
Curled feathers in the tails of drakes 
sometimes fail to appear. They are 
usually later than the change in the 
voices of the ducks. These develop a 
quack, while the voices of the drakes re¬ 
main at a higher pitch. 
Y'oung ducks should always have grit 
mixed with their mash. For older birds 
it may be kept in boxes. They will help 
themselves. If the old ducks have free 
range as long as the ground is bare they 
will not need much if any green feed. 
They should in any case be confined to 
a yard or house at night for protection, 
and to save any eggs that may be laid 
during the night or early morning. Coops 
are not advisable for ducks. A building 
with protection enough for all kinds of 
weather with good ventilation is best. 
Ducks can be “kept” in small quarters, 
but to-do well they ought to have about 
10 square feet for each bird. A few 
ducks might be kept in box stalls if 
they have a chance to get out into the 
sunlight and air during the day. A 
three-foot fence or partition will keep in 
most Indian Runner ducks. 
w. H. HUSE. 
Frozen Comb. 
I have a valuable S. C. White Leghorn 
rooster that had his comb and wattles 
badly frozen during the late severe cold 
spell. I have heard that it will spoil his 
usefulness as a breeder. Does anyone 
know whether this is true? w. L. 
New York. 
The freezing of the comb will not inter¬ 
fere with the usefulness of a male bird 
after he has got over the pain and sore¬ 
ness in the frosted parts. It is well some¬ 
times to cut the frozen portions away, 
and hasten healing by the application of 
earbolized vaseline in 5 per cent, strength, 
such as can be purchased at any drug¬ 
store. _ m. B. D. 
Poor Egg Yield. 
1. Is there anything missing in my poul¬ 
try ration? I have 60 pullets, Leghorns; 
they started to lay in October and were 
laying 14-15 per day; then they dropped 
to about five per day, and I cannot get 
them above that. They had a dry mash 
before them all Summer. My dry mash 
is 100 pounds bran, 50 pounds cornmcal, 
50 pounds middlings, 100 pounds short- 
Alfalfa, mixed oyster shell, beef scrap in 
separate hopper. Grain or corn and oats 
1 V 2 pounds each night and morning. I 
also give a moist mash in the middle of 
the day of stale bread, oats and dry mash. 
2. Am I feeding my cow right? I feed 
10 pounds per day of bran, cornmeal. 
and middlings mixed, and all the hay she 
will eat. j. j. 
Sparkill, N. Y\ 
1. Your poultry ration is all right, 
though one of the formulas frequently 
recommended in these columns would be 
a little better balanced. These formulas 
vary because not all poultrymen have 
access to the same feeds, and it is not 
essential that all fowls be fed exactly 
alike, or that any fowls be fed exactly the 
same foods at all times. The essential 
thing is that there be a proper propor¬ 
tion between the fat-making and the egg¬ 
making foods. It seems to be a particular¬ 
ly frequent experience among poultrymen, 
this year, that pullets that begun well in 
the Fall slacked up with the advent of 
cold weather, and refuse to begin again. 
It is possible that the prolonged warm 
weather of the Fall, followed by sudden 
and severe cold, is responsible for this 
condition of things. Your henhouse 
(12x20) is amply large for the number 
of pullets that you mention. 
2. Your grain ration for your cow 
would bo improved by substituting either 
gluten feed, buckwheat middlings, dried 
brewers’ or distillers’ grains, or cotton¬ 
seed meal, for the wheat middlings; 
though if the cottonseed meal is used, it 
would be best to use in the mixture a 
little less than one-third of this ingre¬ 
dient ; say, 60 pounds of cottonseed meal 
to 100 pounds of bran and cornmeal. 
M. B. I). 
IttacKellar’s Charcoal 
For Poultry is best. Coarse or fine granulated, also 
powdered. Buy direct from largest manufacturers oi 
Charcoal Products. Ask for prices and samples. Est. 1844 
R. VTacKKLLAR’S SONS CO., Peekskil), N. Y. 
MAKE HENS LAY"| 
more eggs; larger, more vigorous chicles) 
heavier iowls, by feeding cut bone. 
UAIIftl’C latest model 
nr, Alin O bone cutter 
_ cuts fast, easy, fine; never clogs. 
I Days' Free Trial. No money in advance. Boole free. 
IF. W. MANN CO., Box 1 e. MILFORD.MASS, m 
You Can Earn a Good Living 
Raising Poultry ———- 
: i - *•' j- j . - 
Cut living expenses—increase your income. 
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How to 
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1914 
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Chicks 
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1914 Model 
Incubator 
My Bel le City Now 
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