Newspapers / The Carolina Union Farmer … / Feb. 13, 1913, edition 1 / Page 14
Part of The Carolina Union Farmer (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
J 'ry ■. - . .v' >” f- Page Fourteen THE CABOLINA UNION FABMER ] Thursday, February 13, 1913 Poultry Department Conducted by Uncle Joe, JUST CHICKENS. Poultry being more generally kept than any other live stock, the advant age of keeping good fowls should be more generally known and acted up on. I know that very many intelli gent farmers and villagers keep com mon or scrub fowls because they be lieve pure-bred poultry is only for those who keep fowls for recreation without any regard whatever to the loss of profit accruing therefrom. Thus they pass judgment upon good poultry. But the judges referred to are in mistake. Blooded stock is the proper foundation upon which to build our hopes of large profits. The majority of readers will agree with me in this assertion without argument, as their own experience has convinced them that more profit is obtained from pure-bred cows, horses, hogs, and fowls than from scrub stock of any kind. But lest some be still skept ical, let me state a few facts: Standard breeds lay more eggs. See records of the last egg laying con test with Wyandottes, Leghorns, Min- ocras, and Spanish with large records to their credit. Standard breeds lay larger eggs. See the size of eggs laid by Minorcas, Houdans, Brahamas, and others; also standard-bred ducks, turkeys, and geese. Standard breeds grow more rapid ly. Watch the growth of Brahamas, Rocks, Leghorns, Bronze, and White Holland turkeys and Pekin ducks. Standard breeds mature earlier. Leghorns lay at fohr months, and many of the other breeds at five months and six months. Standard breeds attain 'greater size. See Langshans, Javas, Cockins, Brahmas, and Orpington, and many others. Scrubs don’t weigh seven to ten pounds for hens and eight to thirteen pounds for cocks. Standard breeds are the best table fowls. Look at the breast develop ment of a Cornish Indian Game and all the Game fowl family, the deli cacy of the Wyandotte, the richness of the Red, and the toothsomeness of an eight weeks’ old Barred Ply mouth Rock with cream gravy. Standard breeds are the hardiest. If acclimated to the section of coun try, no native beauty or old blue hen can be healthier or withstand more rigors of atmospheric changes. Need I say anything on the score of looks? I think not, for we all have an eye appreciative of the beau tiful, wherever seen, and the great crowds lingering about a fine display of poultry proves that we do like the beautiful forms and pretty feather ing of pure breeds of poultry found in our country. If this were not true, if more of it were true, it would nevertheless be a fact that our farmers would be prof ited in dispensing with their scrub stock, if for this reason alone. We all know that we will care for that which we take pride in. If a man spends money for good poultry, he will, as a rule, attend to it properly— housing, feeding, etc.,—in most ap proved manner, and as a natural re sult the stock does well and makes good return. It is just like putting a new man on an old, run-down farm, putting new tools at the work, a new dog on the trail, a new top in the child’s hands, or a new gown upon the maiden; it all tends to put new life into the.thing, and new and bet ter results always follow. The farmer who now, as at any time in the future sees his oppor tunity and grasps it, will tie to standard-bred poultry. He will see that such is better for all purposes for which poultry is kept. He will see, too, that the wives, the sons, and daughters, even the hired man of the farmers who appreciate good poultry, are more enthusiastic in the work of the farm and more contented with their lot, and their work; seeing all this, he will get the standard breeds of all such fowls as are adapted to the farm. The Sitting Hen. The sitting hen must be protected from the intrusion of other hens if you make her sitting profitable. Broody hens insist many times upon sitting several deep. They, too, have fussy notions that are hard to com prehend, but they must be managed There is no other way. If left to sit where they please and go and come when they choose, soon there will be a nest of broken eggs, fouled nests and an entire loss. They should be caged in upon their nests in some manner, fed and watered daily and given an outing. I attend to mine in the afternoon. They eat and drinlc and dust and then return to business Where one has a large flock a room for sitting hens is the best arrange ment, with a small yard for exer cise. When chicks are hatched, coops should be placed on new ground, oth er than that used the previous sea son, coop floors cleaned and sides whitewashed, and then begins the work of rearing the chicks. Careful watch is kept, and must be for lice. They are the cause of more loss than anything else. People grow tired of the cry of “look for lice” whenever they ask, “What can ail my chick ens; I keep losing them so,” and are persistently met with the reply that the likelihood of lice being at the foundation of the entire trouble. Nine times out of ten all losses may be attributed to the depredations of lice upon young and old. Dampness and chill kill young chicks rapidly, but with a good mother hen, provided with warm, dry coops, the chicks should thrive. QUIZZES. Question: “I have some cock erels that carry their tails on the side. What makes them do it, and can I remedy it?” Answer: This is wry tail, and I would advise you to sell or eat them. Never breed bolrds with awry tail. There is no remedy that I know of. It is sometimes caused by hens step ping on the chicks when young. Question: “For some time I have been having trouble with my chicken-house being damp. The birds do not do well and seem to have colds most, of the time. The ground is a little low and I wonder if I had better move the house to higher ground?” Answer: It is certain that you will have trouble just as long as the house is damp. If the ground is very damp I would advise that it be moved to higher ground. Sometimes a place can be made dry by attention to drainage or maybe by filling in the floor of the house with gravel. Make it about six inches higher than the ground outside. Try the open front house. Question: “Am bothered with some of my hens being broody and cannot ‘brake them up.’ Want to keep them laying until March 1, and then begin hatch ing. What would you suggest?” Answer: It is the natural inclina tion of a hen to become broody after she has laid her first clutch of eggs. If you cannot stop them by shutting them up, would suggest that you con fine them in a snoall coop with a floor of slats. This makes them roost all of the time and they will soon stop sitting. Question: “My hens are pick ing the combs of each other. What can I do? I feed on good mixed feed, but they are mak ing a great deal of trouble for me?” Answer? This is caused by lack of animal food in some cases, and for want of exercise in others. I take it your fowls are yarded, and having nothing to do, get into^ mischief Make a scratching pen for them, and throw all grain feed in the litter and make them scratch. You might feed them some meat about twice a week. Question: “What breed do you think lays the best?” Answer: There is no best laying breed. It’s the strain more than the breed that are the best layers. Some strains of White Leghorns are great layers, while other strains of the same breed are poor layers. If you are after eggs, start in and build up a strain that will produce in quant ities. You cannot get the two hun dred egg hen at once, but by careful breeding you can soon attain it. It’s all in knowing how. Question: “Please tell me some good way to fumigate?” Answer: Burn sulphur in the hen-house. Put a few live coals in an old iron pot or other vessel, place the sulphur on this, and shut up the house or coop tight, and let it re main so for several hours. Question: “What color egg does a Rhode Island Red lay?” Answer: A brown egg somewhat like Plymouth Rock or Brahma lays. All non-sitters lay a white shelled egg, and sitters lay a brown or tint ed egg. Question: “I have a hen that is sick. Stands around in a UNIN—17 corner, eyes closed and feathers ruffled. Very light In weight and eats little?” Answer: This looks like inflamma tion of the intestines. It may be due to improper feeding, poisons, worms, lime or paint. Isolate the bird and disinfect the coop. Give one-tenth grain tablet of calomel three times dally. Keep warm and feed bread crumbs, boiled rice and boiled milk. Question: “How can you tell a male from a female after the ' chicks are eight weeks old?” Answer: The comb in the male develops more rapidly than that of the female and the sexes can usually be distinguished by the greater prom inence of the male comb, and, con trary to what the average amateur supposes, the tail of the female with chicks of this hge of ten shows great development. A little careful obser vation will soon give one the knowl edge necessary to distinguish sexes. Question: “What is the cause of spots and streaks of blood in fresh eggs? I sell a good many eggs to private families, and do not like to deliver such eggs. The hens appear perfectly heal thy?” Answer: It is not uncommon to get eggs with spots of blood in them, and I do not know of any way to avoid it entirely. The trouble is, no doubt, due to a slight irritation of the egg organs, resulting from exception ally heavy laying, laying unusually large eggs, or it may result from an over-fat condition. Usually only one or two fowls in the flock will lay eggs of this kind, and if the trouble per sists, I would advis^ you to find out which they are and remove them. This is the only sure way of getting rid of the trouble. Question: “What is the cause of sores coming on the legs of two of my best roosters just be low the spurs? After a time the sores disappear and the legs swell between the foot and the spur, but the birds do not go lame?” Answer: Your description of the affection is hardly sufficient to war rant rendering a definite opinion, but it indicates trouble of a rheumatic nature. Keep the fowls in dry, clean quarters where they will get a rea sonable amount of exercise and plen ty of green food. Anoint the af fected parts with carbolated vaseline or camphorated sweet oil. Give in ternally twenty grains of Epsom salts followed by thirty grains of carbo nate of soda (baking soda), in each quart of drinking water. BUCKWHEAT OAKES THAT HUS BANDS LIKE. The Woman’s Home Companion has been collecting recipes of the fa vorite dishes of husbands. A num ber of these recipes have been pub lished, including one for buckwheat cakes. It is said to be an extraordi nary recipe and is furnished by a wo man in Massachusetts: “Four cupfuls of warm water, 2 tablespoonfuls of molasses, nearly 3 cupfuls of buckwheat-meal, 1 tea spoonful of salt, nearly 1 cupful of Indian meal, and 1-2 cake of com pressed yeast. Scald the Indian meal with just enough water to swell it. When cool, add this to the buck wheat with the measure of warm wa ter; beat till all are well mixed. To this add salt, molasses, and yeast, which should be dissolved in a little water. Beat all together for five or six minutes, set in a warm place to rise overnight. A pitcher is very con venient to pour the batter from when making the cakes. Cover the pitcher containing the batter with a thick cloth overnight. In the morning beat well, and set the batter near the fire for a second rising. Buckwheats are not perfection without soda, which should be added whether the cakes are sour or not, but not till just before they are baked. When the breakfast is on the table, dissolve 1 even teaspoonful of soda in a little warm water, stir it well into the bat ter, and cook at once. Serve the cakes as quickly as possible from the griddle. Indian meal makes buck wheats , more tender than flour. They are much better made with milk than water.” The widow had just announced her engagement. “But, my dear Maria,” said her friend, “you don’t mean to tell me that you Intend marrying a man you’ve only known for two weeks?” “Oh, yes,’’ said the happy widow “I can easily overcome that objec tion in time. ^ hope to know him tol erably well after we have been mar ried a couple of years.” Avoid the public drinking cup. It is a germ vender.
The Carolina Union Farmer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 13, 1913, edition 1
14
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75