:.::-:,,P''m:^ ;;:u':;i|| SR Jaa Author Title Imprint. l«— t737!J-8 4* < \ '^ o g^iiiiis lit 3 4,isiii -ON POULTRY RAtSING. PUBLISHED BY THe F'anciers' I^eview, Chathcim^, N. Y PRICE. 23 CENTS. ENTKKED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONSRBSS, IN THE YEAR EIGHTEE:^ HUNDRED AND NINETY- ONE, BY THE FANCIERS' REVIEW, IN THE 07FICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AT WASHINGTON, D. C. FIVE HUNDRED ()\JtSl\OHS AND AHS\lltRS\ ON Poultr^^ I^aisin^. ' y^ \ o^ji\sjr-'^- A Book of Practical, and Authentic Information in the Form of Questions and Answers on Various Subjects, as Feed and Care, Diseases, Eaas, Incubators, Buildings, Etc. With a Cl^apter or} Turkeys, Geese & Dacks. SEP 7 1891 CHATHAM, N. Y. Tl-^e Fcinciers' I^eview. - *X.<^ 1891. SF4^1 QONTENTS. I. Feeding and Care. II. Diseases. III. Eggs. lY. Incubators. Y. Buildings. YL Miscellaneous Queries. YII. TurKeys, DucKs and. Geese. Introduction. In presenting this book to the poultry fanciers of America, we make no claim for orig-inality. We have collected the questions and answers from various sources believed to be authoritative, and while many of the cjuestions with the answers have been re- written and condensed, in the main they are as we find them in the columns of the poultry press and poultry books. We are especially indebted to the following- named journals: "The Poultry Keeper," edited by Mr. P. H. Jacobs; the " Farm Poultry," edited by Mr. P. H. Hunter; the " Poultry Monthl}^" edited by Mr. B. Holmes, Jr.; the " Poultry World," edited by Mr. H. H. Stoddard; the "Fanciers' Journal," edited by Mr. J. H. Drevenstedt; the "Fanciers' Monthty," edited by Mr. C. H. Harker and the "Fanciers' Review." Also to Felch's " Poultry Culture " and Stoddard's " Poultry Diseases." They are all recognized authorities on poultry matters and we gladly accredit them with whatever of good, practical " poultry sense " there may be in the book. Nor have we attempted to ask all the questions that might be asked by those who are launching out in the poultry business. We do not claim to have exhausted an exhaustless subject. It would require more pages than are found herewith to ask and answer in completeness all the questions that might arise in this connection. However, we have selected about five hundred of them and we present them to the fraternity of amateur poultrymen, particularly, in the hope that they may find in them much of practical worth. The Publisher. Si CHAPTER I. FEEDING RND CARE. /. Carhoiinvfoiis Foods Please give a list of tlie foods which are uarijjuaceous and of those which are iiitroarenoiisi. Which of the above are for bone and feathers and which are for fat and muscle? Carbonaceous foods are the grains, with fat of any kind, as well as potatoes and other starchy foods. Nitrogenous foods are milk, meat, beans, clover, and the grasses. The nitrogenous form bone, feathers, and muscle. The carbonaceous form fat. All foods, however, are to a certain extent, both carbonaceous and nitrogenous. 2. tlreeti Oat.s aiitl Ryt'. — Is green oats as good as clover hay for liens, and what time ought it to be cut. Is rye good also. I believe if it was cut when green and well cured, it v.-ould make a good feed in winter for hens. When j^oung grass, rye, or oats are cut before making much growth it is vv-atery and contains but little nutrition, too much of such food causes the hens to have .■^cours. Many persons have been dissap- pointed in confining their fowls on young rye as an exclusive food. It is excellent as a dietary food, but all very young grass is mostly water. We do not advise cutting such for winter use, but if oats are grown and the crop cut when the grain is in the milky stage, the nutritive matter, on its way to fill out the grain, will be arrested in the stalk, so that, when cured, the whole stalk (with the grain) if cured, stored in the barn, and cut fine with a cutter, will make excellent food for the hens. The oats should be cut green, just as the seed heads begin to form. :i. Sitifui'-Cinic Srol, i^tc. — What proper- ties are claimed in sugar-cane seed, and with what grain does itcompai'e best— wheat or cornV Will sweet skimmed milk answer theiilaceof fresh meat for young chicks? How miu-h milk should I give to'lOO chicks per day? It approaches more to wheat than to corn. We have no formula of its ingredi- ents at present, but it is more nitrogenous than corn. The skimmed milk will not take the place of meat, but is excellent. Give any amount they will drink of the milk. 4. fJiifiiKj (Hill J'^ffiUnt/ C?o(V'*'. — V/heu should clover be cut. and do you make it in liay or pack it away in boxes while green? Do yoii steam it before feeding? Clover should be cut when the blossoms begin to turn brown. It is then at its best with the seed-making material stored up in the stalk. It can be siloed in boxes or barrels, but probably the most convenient way of keeping it is to make it into hay, and when wanted to feed run it through a hay-cutter or clover-cutter, cutting it into about half-inch lengths, and steam in a closed vessel. Siloed clover is no doubt better if it is perfectly siloed, but we would advise any one inexperienced in siloing to experiment with a small c[iian- tity first, making hay his chief reliance. Some poultrymen fill a huge keltic vviih clover, pour on a couple of buckets of hot water, and having a slow fire under it to keep up the steaming and bring to a boil, then stirring in meal and shorts to make a mash. Excellent results are also ( blained by simply cutting up the clover into a Five Hundred Questions and Answers. iirkiii (jr tub, pouring boiling hot water onto it, letting it steam (covered closely) all night. This, fed clear, is very like the grass biddy gets when running at large, and is an excellent green food. a. J''ceou ad- vise the feeding of fowls three times a day, when they are enclosed in yards, during the winter months, wlvn the days are so short? Yes. We advise feeding three times a day all the year. The fov.-ls are less likely to get starving hungry and then overeat if they have three meals a day. Another advantage is that all are likely to get a share, as none will be so selfish as to drive a weak sister av/ay (she may crowd her one side, but v^fon't persistently fight her off) where there is not a long interval between meals. Another (and great) ad- vantage is that it favors feeding a variety. /.I. Sim Tloirir Seed. 1.^ Ave sun tlmver st>eds good i'eed for poultry? Yes. Feed a pint, three times a week, to 12 hens, and they will be found excel- lent. Would not advise feeding them in warm weather. They are very rich in fats. Five Hundred Questioks and Answers. Ht. Vef/efablex for Tl'hitcr. — I wish to devote a portion of my gai'den to raising some vegetables to feed to my poultry next winter. What would you advise / Cabbage and turnips; getting a good winter variety of the former, drumheads or sure heads; and the purple top strap leaf turnips. These can be sown as late as July, where early peas and early pota- toes have come out. Clover hay cut fine and steamed, is far superior to cabbage, turnips, etc. It seems to be exactly the thing wanted ; the cabbage, etc., being a makeshift. IT. Flaxseed Meal.—VsouXA you advise feeding flaxseed meal totowls which are laying? I fed some oil meal to them, and soon after they quit laying. We feed a little flaxseed meal, and only a little, — say a pint mixed into a barrel of meal. Probably it was fed too liberally, which caused the checking of laying, although the check may have been due to another cause. 18. Hi-oom Corit Need.— Tell us whether broom corn seed is good for poultry or not. If good, how often should it be given? It is excellent. Feed every other day. by pouring boiling water upon it and covering over tight. This restores it to its fresh condition, much as it was before drying. It can be fed clear, for a midday feed, or mixed with shorts and meal in a mash. Some breeders cooic the clover in a kettle and mix in a mash as though it were vegetables. Any v/ay that gets the clover to the biddies is good. •i2. Bouc ilXfCf/.— Please tell me how to feed bone meal to the cliiekens: v.-hat propor- tion to feed to pullets and old hens. About five per cent., or a handful of bone meal to about five quarts of combin- ed meal, shorts, etc. We believe it much better to feed a little regularly, than to feed a larger quantity at one time, and then none for a time, for the reason that the fowl's system can only assimilate (take up) a small amount, and the excess would l)e lost. It is trme of many kinds of food, and for more kinds of an'mals than fowls. lit. FeedhKj Ten Hens.—l have ten hens, Laeed Wyaiidot'tes. 1 can teed them but tiiree times a day. — mornir.g, noon and night. What in your judgment sh()-ood stoves, which ccjntain the ccal of the wood, ansvv'er about tho eam.e purpose that char- coal does. :iO. eiorrr 11(11/, llects, m<- Is clover ensilage good for laying iiens ni the winter? Is it better than clovei' hay cut fine and fed? Can it f/e fed to younp: chicks without injury, pi-o- vided it is sweet? Are sugar beets a good winter food for fowls in confiument? Clover ensilage is excellent for fowls in winter: it being more succulent than cured hay: it makes a better feed. Young chicks will receive no injury from it if fed intelli- gently. The beets make a very good win- ter relish. 6'/. ('hfircoal.--\\ha.t are tlie benefits to be derived from feeding charcoal? One of the most valuable features of charcoal is that it has a very important cleansing influence on the fowl's system and is especially valuable when fed to lay- ing hens during the breeding season, or in fact, at any time of the year. They do not have to be forced to eat it, as many are led to suppose, but w^ill eat it of their own accord quite greedily, and seem to relish it, and it is really wonderful to see how much th'-y will devour when they have the opportunity, and especially when 3''. Moiv 3litcli (iraiii. — Kow much grain sh<_uld be .given lo hens for dinner and supper? It is impossible to say. One breed, — for instance, Plymouth Rocks, — will eat twice as much as another, say Leghorns or Hamburgs, The only general rule is, — feed what will be eaten up clean and quickly. If any food is left in sight half an hour after feeding they had too much and should have less next lime. We give each pen of 15 fowls nine or ten handfuls at a feeding, but then, hands differ in size: your 14-year-old boy may give one of his handfuls to each bird, or 15 handfuls where you give 9 or dd. We must use judg- ment as to how much to feed, and aim to give just about enough without overfeed- ing. 33. Feeding Chlchs. — What is the best feed to give j'oung chicks, say until the.y are four or six weeks old? Is there any danger of over-feeding chicks of that age, or is it jiroper to keep a dish cf cracked wheat or corn before them all the time? Is sweet milk, buttermilk or curds good for chicks? In fattening chickens for market, what kind of feeding gives the best results? Mixed food, say wheat and cracked corn, (as soon as they can eat it,) with mashed potatoes. Also a little meat three times a week. We do not think you can feed growing chicks to>3 much. The sweet milk, etc., is good if fresh, but must not be allowed to remain until a change occurs. Plenty of cracked corn and mashed potatoes are good for fattening chicks. Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 34. Lmgth of Cut Clover — "Would you please tell me what is the proper Itngth to cut clover? For fowls do not cut in lengths longer than half an inch — the shorter the better. 3.T. Food for Lit/Jit I!r. Fmnlgation State the best plan of fumigation. Take a small furnace, or stove pot, or an iron kettle, into which place a pound or two of crude roll sulphur, broken up. Close the doors and v.indows (during the absence of the fowls in the forenoon), and set the contents of the vessel on fire in the centre of the floor. Shut the house up tight and leave it to smoke a couple of hours. This will finish the vermin com- pletely, for the time being. Then open all the windows and doors for subsequent thorough ventilation, and your fowls will realize the benefit of this cleansing for weeks afterward. 41). Feeding for If'iiiter I^aijinij. How may the best ivsults be obtained in this matter? It will not conduce to winter laying if the hens are closely confined during the winter, and fed on grain principally. The poultryman must keep in view that the nitrogenous element is the most important, for it is the nitrogenous (albuminoids) m.atter that is the most difficult to obtain. Excess of grain allows a larger proportion of the carbonaceous matter than is suffici- ent, and, unless they are so situated as to permit of plenty of exercise, the hens will not lay a fair proportion of eggs. The "balanced ration" is the ration for hens as well as for cows, and it is the cheapest. Any ration that contains an excess of any particular food, will be fed at a loss. The safest plan is to feed a variety, for then fewer mistakes in feeding will be made, and the hens will be better supplied. 41. Feeding for Fattening. —\\\ie\\\sthQ proper time to begin U) feed lov.-is for fattening? Fattening must not be begun until the Five Hundred Questions and Answers. fowl has attained its full growth, before this, in fact, you cannot fatten well, al- though of course all extra food that will be digested is never lost. The pullets are best taken before they have begun to lay; the male birds when their tails begin to turn, that is when the two sickle feathers begin to top the straight feathers of the tail. The average age will be four months in summer and five to six in winter, but will be early according as the previous feeding has or has not been judiciously generous. 4'i. Fecdhuf Mixed Grain. -Would you advise feediug grams uiised or separately? We long ago gave up feeding mixed grains, as a little observation showed that a part of the birds rushed about and gobbled all of one kind, leaving the others to take what was left. If you feed wheat and corn mixed, part of your fowls will eat corn only and will grow inordinately fat. The others will eat wheat only and will lav eggs. 43. Green I'^oods. — We often speak of .ereen foods. What would you class under this head'' The list comprises grass, and grass seeds, green corn, cabbages, clover, pur- slane, young beets, garlic, onions, leeks, lettuce, turnips, pumpkins, apples, kohl rabi, carrots, etc. 44. Saner Krant.—Hov,- shall I proceed to make a batch of sauer kraut for winter feetl for fowls? Cabbage is considered by many the best article, but is more expensive than some other kinds. It is apt to get too wilted for winter use, and it has therefore been re- commended to put it down in the form of sauer kraut. This is prepared as follows: Line the barrel, tub or jar with cabbage leav'cs, and put in finely shredded cabbage in a layer three inches deep, well pressed down and sprinkled with four tablespoon- fuls of salt. After five such layers have been put in, press down hard with a piece of board cut to fit the inside of the barrel and to thus press on the whole. Repeat the process until the barrel is full, pressing- down every four or five layers. Cover with leaves, and press it down -.vith a heavy weight. Let it ferment three weeks, then skiiT), and cover w^ith water. Keep in a cool dry place. 4S. Ilas/i for ft) n1 try. — ^^^^at ingredients are best to use m a poultry" hash? It may be made out of meat boiled and minced, mashed potatoes, wheat bran. corn meal, and oat meal, with a- slight sprinkling of bone dust, salt and cayenne, the whole mixed with the liquor the meat was boiled in. Chandlers' scraps soaked over night in cold water and afterward minced, may serve in the place of meat. 4<>. Wet /'>>«^. At 20 cents per dozen for eggs (as an average price) a hen must lay 10 dozen eggs a year, to give a profit on the feed, and when the estimate is made for a whole flock the probability is that nine dozen fggs per year will be nearer the number. Green bones, cut (they cannot be ground), contain meat, oil and phosphate of lime. The bones also contain a considerable proportion of nitro- gen independently of the adhering meat. Five Hundred Questions and Answers. cartilage and marrow. As thej^ differ in composition from grain, a proper com- | parison is not easily made between the two, especially as much depends on the kind of bones, and the amount of meat adhering to them, and whether it is fat or lean. Bones are more concentrated food than grain, about one ounce of cut bone being considered a fair allowance for each hen per day, or about 23 pounds per year. The bones alone are not sufficient, as the fowls will need also grain and green food, but bones may assist in reducing the quantity of grain required. Grain is not a complete food either, and in feeding bones, or other food, the allowance of five pecks of corn is reduced in proportion to the amount of other food given as a substitute. The value of the 23 pounds of green bones depends on the locality. I buy them from the butcher at two cents per pound, but probably could not get them at all if there were strong competition to secure them. The labor of grinding the bones is also an item, but cut bones just as they corne from the mill, and as fine as sausage meat, are now on the market, in small boxes, at five cents per pound. At this price the 23 pounds w'ould be valued at $1.15, which would be cheaper than corn at $1,875 ^^^ ^^'^ pecks. The bone being more concentrated (containing less water than corn) is really more valuable, bulk for bulk, than corn. Leaving out the labor of grinding, the bones are valued at 46 cents. This estimate is made for a year's supply of corn and of bones. It must not be overlooked that bones alone will not answer, while the same may be slated of corn. Five pecks of corn a year is an allowance of about three ounces per day to each hen. , By reducing the amount of grain to i| ounce, and the amount of bone to half an ounce, the proportions will be fair, but of course, in feeding, it is to be considered that the hen requires less help in the shape of feed in summer; green food is also a factor, and the condition and breed of the hens are very important considerations to say noth- ing of the fact that appetites differ, and that individual characteristics must be observed. 4S-03. 3IisefTJ(ini'ous luqniv'iv.s. What shall I feed moulting hens? (Give variety of food. Meat twice a week. A teaspoonful of linseed meal in the grain daily.) Is buckwheat bran good for chicks when wet up? (Yes.) Are refuse crackers good for fowls? (Excellent.) How will it do to feed fowls with bran, mixed v/ith potatoes? (It is excellent.) Is bran, corn meal and ground feed, mixed with water, good for a morning feed ? (Yes.) Is pop- corn equal to corn as food for fowls and chicks? (Yes, better, as it contains more nitrogen and phosphates.) Is stone coal and cinder from the stove good for laying hens? (Of no value except for the hens to pick over for grit.) Would crushed cuttle bone (same as used for canary birds) be of any benefit to chickens? Would it be a substitute for ordinary bone? (It is of no value.) Is the small, white clover as good as the red for use in feeding poultry ? (Yes; it is fully equal to the red.) Is the refuse from a distillery good for chickens? Rye is what they use. (If fed moderately it is excellent.) Should buck- wheat be fed whole or ground ? (Either mode will answer, but it is usually fed whole.) How could a person keep green clover enough to feed 400 chickens all winter? (You canncit well keep it green without the use of a silo.) Is brewery grain injorious for hens to eat? Also cracked acorns, which the}^ like so much. (Not injurious, if fed moderately.) Is let- tuce good for young chickens, or will it make them sleepy and dumpish? (Excel- lent.) Will cotton-seed meal, if fed to fowls too much, cause the eggs to fail to hatch? (It is fattening.) Is water cress good for fowls? (Yes : excellent.) CHAPTER II. DISEASES OF POULTRY. ROUP. "W. Vale says: — It is a well-known fact that exposure to cold and wet will cause— 1. Roup, as, more correctly stated, will produce acute inflammatory action, result- ing exudation, eventually embracing the entire surface of the membranes of the nose, mouth, throat and windpipe. If this exudation is not speedily checked it degenerates into pus, which is the dis- charge present in the last two stages of roup, and is the only mode in which this disease is disseminated. 2. In this stage, termed diphtheritic roup, the exudative membrane becoming permanent and pressing upon the sub- jacent tissue, acts as a foreign body, causing ulcerations to appear on the sur- face. These ulcerations are the so-called "cankers." 3. This condition arrived at, there is a stagnation of the nutritive processes, "the blood becomes impaired, scrofula and liver disease supervene. These conclusions have been arrived at after studying the disease for three years, during which time diseased fowls have been experimented upon killing some at the various stages and dissecting them. They are easily cured in the first stage, curable in the second, and not worth curing in the third. The following will be found to be un- equaled treatment for all stages of the dis- ease, combined with nutritious, soft food: Fills. — Sulphate of copper, half grain; cayenne pepper, one grain; hydrastin, half grain; copaiba, three drops; Venetian turpentine, q. s. In pill night and morning. Lotion. — Sulphate of copper quarter ounce, dissolved in a pint of rain water. To wash out the mouth and nostrils if required. The simplest means of preventing their drinking water acting as a means of spreading the disease is to add a little tar water to it, prepared by stiring about one pound of tar in two gallons of water and decanting off the clear water as required for use. — IV. Vale Roup, says Stoddard's " Poultry Dis- eases," is a disease of the lining membrane of the beak, extending, however, to the whole head and throat, through the tear duct to the eye, and finally affecting the whole constitution. In fatal cases death ensues on three to eight days after the specific roup symptoms show themselves, and cases not treated are generally fatal whenever the malady appears as an epi- demic in its severe form. After death the gall bladder and liver are found full of pus; the flesh has a bad odor and is soft, slimy and spongy, especially about the lungs. There are many other names Five Hundred Questions and Answers 15 under which this malady is often described; j erally swollen, though not always. The swelled eyes, diphtheria, sore head, hoarse- I blinded fowl can not see to eat or drink, ness, bronchitis, asthma, snuffles, canker, ' and this hastens the fatal end. The dis- blindness, influenza, sore throat, quinsy, I charge has a bad odor, and this is the one etc., but some of these conditions vc\2iy\inost distinctive syinptotn oi \.\\&xc>wt^. The exist even when roup is not present. The I clogging of the nostrils also seriously causes of roup, like the causes of cholera, i impedes the breathing. In all this, there do not all need special enumeration here. Anything that lowers the tone of the fowl, bad food, bad housing, lice, bad ventila- tion, filthy houses, etc. A very promi- nent cause, however, is exposure to cold and wet. So prominent is this, and so marked is the commencement of the dis- does not seem to be any trace of special poison; it is like a typhoid influenza. One of the best means of detecting the approach of roup is to lift the wing of the suspected bird and see if there is not a spot there where the feathers are smeared with a discharge from the beak, which has rub- ease at the beak, that it might almost be j bed off when the bird has put its head called malignant catarrh, ind it is possibly I under its wing at night. Also invariably nothing more. Influenza in the human j look at the nostrils and see if they are being sometimes assumes a distinctive 'clean and free from the slightest clogging, form, and fowls are sometimes destroyed | Go the rounds at night with a lantern and by colds alone. Roup, therefore, is most inspect your birds. Listen then for rattling common in autumn and winter and where or sneezing. fowls are exposed to wet, cold draughts' Treatment — First and foremost, put the and damp, sunless quarters. The disease diseased fowls by themselves, if possible, is contagious, from contact with the dis- each one separately, and as to cleaning, charge, either when a diseased fowl etc., proceed exactly as recommended in touches another, or when a "veil fowl gets the treatment of cholera. Take all pos- the discharge through the drinking foun- sible means to prevent any of the discharge tain or otherwise. It can also, if brought coming in contact with any other fowl, into contact with the human eye, or with which renders thorough purification of the a wound or an abraded surface on the drinking vessels, etc., necessary. Some hand, cause serious inflammation, so that preparation of carbolic acid is good for caution is needful in handling the fowl. this purpose. Give warm, stimulating Symptoms. — It may come on suddenly, food, house in a warm, dry place, with a or slowly, with previous signs of general sandy bottom. Various plans are fol- debility, moping, etc. The first signs are lowed for the internal treatment of the those of catarrh or cold in the head, dry sick fowl, most of which are often suc- cough and dull wheezing. Much fever; cessful. A mild purge at the beginning, the fowl drinks eagerly. The comb and as for instance a spoonful of castor oil is wattles majr be pale or dark colored. The advisable. German Roup Pills are highly cold grows worse. There is a yellowish recommended. In addition to the above, discharge, thin and watery at first, which some stimulants, such as mustard or pul- grows thicker and thicker, and fills — in verised ginger in pills as large as a pea, severe cases — throat, nostrils and eyes, given thrice daily, with cayenne pepper in the latter being closed and swollen even to the food and water. The rule for pepper the size of a walnut and the sides of the \ in the soft food is to season as strongly as face may swell up. Pustules form all if for human food; in the drink, make as about the head and in the gullet, and dis- | strong as your own "pepper tea. ' Dr. charge a frothy pus. The crop is gen- : Bennett recommends, thrice a day. a pill i6 Five Hundred Oiikstions and Answeks. of the size of a hazelnut made of equal parts of pulverized sulphur, powdered charcoal and new yeast. To this must be added the mustard, etc., stimulants. Powdered charcoal should be added freely to the soft food always in this disease. It purifies the digestive organs against the foul matter in the throat which the patient is obliged to swallow. In any plan of treatment, if the disease runs several days the purge should be repeated. Besides the dosing, the eyes, throat and face must be carefully attended to. "Wash the head thoroughly with castile soap-suds," or better, with Labarraque's Solution of Chlorinated Soda, mixed with two parts of water, several times a day if there be much discharge. If the throat be clogged ivith the secretion, clear out and use the chl. sod. here also, applying it with a camel's- hair brush. The swelling of the eyes may generally be reduced by patient bathing, but sometimes an operation is necessary to remove the cheesey lump of hardened secretion. Simply open with a sharp knife and remove the deposit. Nitric acid, applied with a feather into the nostril twice or thrice, is sometimes used, taking off the old scab at each application. Do not be in a hurry to return the fowl, after recovery, to the flock; keep it on some tonic for a time. CANKER. It will go from one bird to another with wonderous celerity, and the fancier who finds it fairly started in his flock should immediately remove the sick fowl to a place by itself. Upon old hens, or upon game cocks after they have been fought or "exercised," if it breaks out it is very hard to cure. Unless the fowl be a really val- uable one, the process is so slow in remov- ing it that it hardly pays for the trouble it causes. Upon games old cockers use saline washes and alum water, frequently bathing and cleansing the disordered parts, oftentimes with success at last. An alter- nate washing of burnt alum dissolved in new rum and chlorate of potash in a rum solution is excellent. The sore places should be cleansed thoroughly every morn- ing and evening, and the canker removed daily. If taken in its very earliest stages the canker spots may be advantageously touched with a weak solution of nitrate of silver . This will burn off the sores if fol- lowed up before they get too soft and pulpy. Another remedy is to first remove all cankeros matter possible. Wash out the mouth and throat with water, then apply with a soft brush equal parts tincture of myrrh, borax and chlorate of potash till the sore looks clean, then dust with powdered borax till healed. THE GAPES. Canker shows itself upon the corners of the mouth usually, at first. Then the yel- lowish white spots appear upon the face and wattles. It spreads rapidly, however, and we have known cases where in thirty- six hours from its first showing the roof of the upper mandible, the tongue and the nostrils were completely covered with this offensive and troublesome sore. It should be taken in hand promptly, when first dis- covered. Tlje bird affected with canker ought not be permitted to remain an hour in the same pen or run with well fowls. Dr. M. G. Ellzeysays: — Gapes is caused by a collection of small thread-like worms in the windpipe of the chicken. To kill these worms a^nd not hurt the chicken is the thing to do. Coal oil of the cheaper grades is a more effectual insecticide than the refined. Take a small glass tube with a small rubber bulb, which apothecaries i-ell for a "medicine dropper," half fill it with coal oil, and inserting the tip into the windpipe, discharge the oil. The gapes are cured. A small oil can used for sew- ing machines will do in place of the medi- Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 17 cine dropoer. Operate as follows: Place mended. Camphor has been given in pills the size of a pea, with success. Alum the chicken back down, between your knees, and hold him gently; open his bill and draw the tongue out. Seize the lower mandible and tongue thus drawn out between the forefinger and thumb nail of the left hand. This will bring into view the opening into the windpipe at the base of the tongue, into which gently insert the tube and discharge the oil. Close the bill, and hold the head still for a few seconds. Then let the chicken go and he will cough, spattering some of the oil out, but enough remains to destroy the worms and they will be coughed up and swallowed. The gapes continue for a time after the treat- ment, but the rem.ed}^ will be effectual in every case if properly applied, and it may readily be repeated, if thought worth while, as often as necessary. After a little prac- tice it is very easily applied and always succeeds. The easiest treatment, says ''Poultry Diseases,''' is to put some carbolic acid of the clear, transparent quality into a spoon or metal saucer and hold it over a lamp. Dense, white fumes will arise. Hold the chicken's head in these until it is nearly suffocated. Or, shut all the affected chick- ens into a box and fumigate them, together, but watch them closely lest they be killed. Burned sulphur fumes will also do very well for this purpose. The vapor of spirits of turpentine and C)f creosote are also recommended. Another method is to take a feather, which has been stripped of all the webbed portion save its tip, and dip it into spirits of turpentine or kerosene and thrust it into the windpipe and turn it around several times. Some of the worms will be killed, some will come out with the feather, some will be coughed out at once; catch on a sheet of paper and burn them all. The opening of the windpipe is easily found at the base of the tongue. As the subject is very important, we add still other methods of treatment recom- and sulphur in the form of fine powder, blown dowrt the throat, will destroy the worms. Lime in the air will also effect the purpose, and may be applied by put- ting the chickens into a box covered with fine muslin and sifting fine lime through this, but not so fast as to smother the chicken. Another method, by some deemed doubtful and dangerous, is to pinch the chicken's throat; this will crush the worms and cause them to loosen their hold, when they will be coughed up. CHOLERA. This name is given to a disorder of obscure origin and character, which has proved itself to be one of the most rapidly destructive known to poultry keepers. Anything that tends to lower the consti- tutional vigor of the fowl will render it liable to an access of this disease. Un- wholesome food, given at irregular periods, impure and stagnant water as a drink, exposure to the weather or to the depressing heat of the sun without shade, all of these causes, so readily enumerated, increase the liability of the fowl to this disorder, as well as to many others. Among the causes most prominent in fostering the disease is, it is agreed on all hands, an over-crowded condition of the coops. In the first place such a con- dition of things is directly depressing to the fowls ; in the second place the bad air makes good soil for the development of poisonous " germs," if any such there be. Cholera has been known, however, to attack flocks that are not kept in houses at all. Such cases can be explained by the fact that fowls thus kept are generally badly protected from the weather, and besides this, they really crowd together at their roosting places, which are sure to be tainted by an accumulation of droppings. Five Hunured Questions and Answers. Cholera seems also to be more prevalent ■ becomes heavy and fast, the crop fills with in very hot and in very dry seasons.- It is thought to be infectious, but the infection does not seem to travel very far. I'ov.ds roosting near fowls sick with ■•Cholera will catch it, but whether from them or from their droppings does not appear. This is the gist of the grounds of the statement that ihe specific poison which produces cholera is generated locally on premises where the disease exists. J, i'!:it>iis.— The organ most changed is the //Trr. This is found enlarged, dark green, full of dark blood, congested and usually tender; it can easily be crushed in ■'♦.he hand. The j^izzaj-a! is softer and some- times much smaller than natural, and contains half-digested food. The c-ro/> and iii/t's/i/ics are often full of sour, fermenting food, and u'cerated, and the intestines are much inflam-.-d and "sore,"' that is, exccu'iated The testicles have been fc-und much altered. The condition of the liver m>w is the main thing to be ncted. Cf course, you will find the brain, nerves and lungs p.iure or less congested, full of darker blot;d than usual, and the heart perhaps enlarged. The blood is darker and thicker than usual, and this condition together with that of the liver, are thought by Dr. Dickie to exist in no other disease. The liver is not only the organ the most altered, but apparently it is the one attacked first. Symptoms and Diagnosis. — The disease must be made out before death, rather from its sudden epidemic character than anything else. It comes suddenly in some cases; a fowl well to-day may be dead to-morrow, and a whole flock may be thus rapidly carried off. The discharges are thought by some authorities to be decisive. mucus and wind; at last the food is not digested, the eyes close, and in a few hours the fowl dies." There is weakness, sometimes extreme, at the commencement of the disease; the fowl may even be unable to stand well. It does not plume itself, and has a general sleepy, moping appearance. At a later period, the dark, thickened blood ma}' turn the comb and wattles dark, or may readily flow through them, so that they become pale. There is much fever, great thirst, and a rapid, weak pulse. Cramps may occur. The fowl may die from the digestive disturb- ances, or apparently from paralysis of the heart or lungs, caused by the poisoned blood. Tri'alment. — You cannot save the lives <;f all those attacked, neither will the same treatment that is good in the North suc- ceed in the South. Remove your whole flock at once to clean quarters, if possible to some gravelly site that has never been used before for stock, and see that they are healthily housed there, and in all regards in a healthful condition. Separate the sick from the -well, and if it were possi- ble it would be well to have every hen, especially eziery sick hen, have a place apart. This is practicable enough with some valuable pets. The following is the treatment of the sick fowl recommended in the \'aluable treatise of Dr. Dickie; "Fowls that are too sick to eat should have every four or five hours a pill made as follows: Blue Mass 60 grains, Pulverized Carriphor 25 grains, Cayenne Pepper 30 grains, Pulver- ized Rhubarb 48 grains; Laudanum 60 drops. Mix and make into twenty pills. When they have had time to act, give half a teaspoonful of Castor Oil and ten drops These are mild at first, are yellowish of Laudanum to each. Let them drink green, " or like sulphur and water," be- scalded sour milk, with a gill of Douglass coming thinner, greener and more frothy Mixture for every twenty-five head, a day. as the disease goes on, and never stopping | The treatment ought to change the until tlie fowl is dead. "The breathing ; character of the evacuations and make Five Hundred Questions and Answers, 19 them darker and more solid. When this happens, and not before, give them alum water or strong white oak bark tea to drink, and no other drink." This will tend to check the discharges. DIARRHOEA AND DYSENTERY. 5. Too much green food may cause it. Mr. Tegetmeier preferred twice a day a pill of powdered chalk five grains, rhu- barb five grains, cayenne pepper three grains, to which in severe cases add half a grain of opium. Chalk, in fine powder, on well boiled rice will sometimes check it, without medicine. Six drops of cam- phorated spirit make a good dose, on barley meal. Restrict the drink, and put a little tincture of iron in it, or alum to check the diarrhoea. " Bone dust," Wright says, '' prevents diarrhc^a." A bad diarrhoea, with bloody evacu- ations, probably affecting more the lower part of the gut is called dysentery. A bad disease to cure. Give a dose of castor oil, and follow with laudanum, five drops every few hours. Rest is important in diarrhoea and dysentery, as well as an early diagnosis from cholera. If you are not certain put the sick fowl by itself, which is a good point in the treatment of all these diseases, as the fowl is less apt to be disturbed. For diarrhoea, the homoeo- paths use ipecacuanha: arsenicum, if a bad diet be the cause, and chamomilla ; each in doses every two hours. Diarrhoea, despite of treatment, may become very chronic. Try sweet oil internally. G. IndU/rstioit. — Give remedies for indi- gestion in fowls. Indigestion may produce either consti- pation, by causing inflammation, or diarrhoea or dysentery. It may be accompanied by fever or loss of appetite, and apparently pain in the stomach. The crop is sometimes swollen, and the liver may become seriously affected. It is sometimes due to cold, but is generally du; to too much or too stimulating diet. Cut down the diet to a little soft, bland food, limit the water supply, and give cut green grass. Five grains of rhubarb changed every fourth day for one grain of calomel is recommended by Wright in addition. It is going to be very difficult to detect disorders of the liver, but a "sickly yellowish look about the head and comb," with general inactivity is to be looked for. Dosing will do no good; calomel, one grain every other day may be tried. Indigestion in young chickens may cause depression of the breast bone. 7. ItJiciiDiafisiti, —What is the cause and cure for rheamatisnii' Rheumatism generally comes from ex- posure to cold wet, as by running in the wet grass in the morning, wet roosting places, etc. The malady is hereditary. The symptoms are leg weakness, stiff joints, or contraction of the toes. It may lead to a fatal inflammation of the heart. The treatment consists mainly in warm, dry quarters and good stimulating food ; a little cooked meat every day. Rub the legs well with hot mustard water, after- wards wiping quite dry. Half a grain of opium (a quarter of a grain for a chicken of three months), night and morning will soothe uie pain. 8. Lc(i Weahness. — My hens seem unable to move about on their legs. What ails them ? Fowls, especially cockerels that grow too fast, squat down on the ground. Sometimes there is also a deficiency of earthy matter in the bones. Bone dust may be freely used. Feed with substances which do not tend to fat ; wheat, barley, meat. In warm weather dip the legs in cold water twice a day. Internally may be given iron, three to eight grains of the citrate daily, or some form of iron and quinine. Hinton's recipe is sulphate of iron one grain a day ; strychnine one six- teenth of a grain, phosphate of lime five grains, sulphate of quinine half a grain ; thrice daily. Five Hundred Questions and Answeks. .9. Ileus Don't Xrfj/.— What is the matter with my hens.' They have not laid any eg-RS for three mouths, and I notice that several have one eye closed as if they had no eye on that side of their head. They probably have the roup, the closed eye indicating draughts over them. to. ])isch((ri.s('ff.sp.— What is the matter with my Leghorn chicks? The down comes off and leaves a scale on their heads. Have looked for lice. It maybe due to some cutaneous disease. Try anointing the head, once a day, with a mixture composed of ten drops carbolic acid, one teaspoonful of cedar oil and a teaspoonful of glycerine. .IS Cholera Rented tj. — How is 1 oz. of glycerine, 1 oz. of water, and ten drops of car- bolic acid for cholera? Dose 5 drops in 12 hours. It should prove very good. lit. AjH>2>le.ri/.—l have lost some chickens that acted as th(!)ugh they had a spasm. On examining them found the skin had tiu-ned a dark red. They were taken suddenly, and tried to stand on their heads. I feed a warm feed in the morning, oats at noon, corn at night. What is it? This was probably apoplexy — a sudden rush of blood to the head and rupture of a blood vessel there. The remedy is /rtfz/<'«- (ion. You have probably been overfeed- Five Hundred Questions amd Answeks. ing. Stop the corn and feed wheat and barley instead, and give steamed clover or some such bulky food instead of the oats at noon every other day. Above all make them 'cvork for their food by having them have to scratch it up. Exercise is one of the best preventives of disease. fiO. Tobacco for Mites. — I want a remedy for mites that will not liarm the egg under a sitting hen. Put tobacco refuse in the nest, and dust daily with fresh insect powder. 31. Treatment for Lire. — How can I get rid of lice on my fowls? First clean up the premises. Saturate kerosene oil over every part, especially under side of roosts. Dust fowls well with insect powder. Give them a dust bath. Grease their heads and necks with warm lard. Repeat this twice or three tim2S a week. It means hard work. Dip the fowls in a bath of carbolic acid (one part) and water 60 parts. An ointment of lard, sulphur and kerosene may be applied. Yellow snuff is recommended. Rub oil of fennel on head. Give tonics for debility. This disease consists of a white scurf or dust which begins at the base of the comb, and soon covers it all. It sometimes attacks the wattles. It is really a fungus growth, and most commonly attacks fowls that are kept in unhealthy localities and that do not have a good supply of fresh vegetables. Put sulphur and tar ointment on the combs. Give a dose of castor oil then a teaspoonful of powdered sulphur in the food every day for a week. 33. Scabby Leys — Please give a remedy for seabijy legs/ Mix a teaspoonful of kerosene and a gill of lard. Apply on the legs once a week, the mixture to be warm. 33. Colds. — Please scate what is the matter with cociserels or ciiiclteas when they make a noise at night wliile on their roost when drawing breath like a jjerson does when lie is gargling his throat. And what will cure it? It is due to heavy cold, probably caused by a draught in poultry house. Sprinkle a pinch of chlorate of potash down the throat once a dav. 34. Stiff Le{/s. — What is the cause and cure for my fowls? They have a kind of stiff legs; they raise the feet up to the Jjody when walking. It is caused by dampness, feeding sul- phur, high roosts, or causes not known. '.?.7. White Comft.— What makes thecomas of some of my fowls turn white, and what is the ti'eatment. 30. Troiibte irit/i < tr id act .—Whnt treat- mi=-nt should be given for iutlammatiou of the oviduct? What causes it? It results from taking cold or irom un- wholesome food, or food that is over stimulating. The symptoms are general feverishness, feathers puffed out, continual straining on part of the hen, imperfect eggs, etc. Remove hen from cock and give hen a grain of calomel with one- tenth of a grain of tartar emetic in meal, followed the next day by another if re- quired. 37'. Woriiis.—VChat shall I give for internal worms? Improve the general health of the fowl. Give a dose of castor oil, then follow with sulphur in food. 3S. Scaly Leij. — What causesscaly legs and 1 o V can the crouble I e cuied'' It is due to a small parasitic insect. Stoddard's "Poultry Diseases" says these insects, their cast off skin, eggs, and the overgrowth of the epidermis causes grayish white swellings on the legs which may ulcerate."' Apply an ointment t>f equal parts lard and coal tar. Vinegar and glycerine is also used. Some wash with a weak solution of sugar of lead in the morning applying ointment of creosote in the evenina:. 39. Jironch (7(.s.— How should bronchitis be treated? Bronchitis is an aggravated form of catarrh and a ccugh is present. After the fowl is put in a warm, dry place give Five Hundred Questions and Answers. sweetened water slightly soured with sulphuric and nitric acid. A stimulan"^ like cayenne or ginger will hasten recovery. 30. Worms in l^'ou- Is.— Will you please tell me how to rid hens of worms? Feed a tablespoon of the well-known worm-seed to six hens, three times a week. Anoint daily with one part spirits tur- pentine and two parts alcohol. 31. CJi ickeii Cholera.— WiW j'ou please tell me a cure for chicken cholera? Try a teaspoon of liquid carbolic acid in li quarts of water and give no other water to drink. .9,5. Powdered Sulphur Would it be grood pohcy to mix powdered sulpliur with the food for fowls? There is,sulphur in the eggs, so it is safe to presume that a little in their food would be advantageous; but we should advise feeding but a very little, as it is loosening, and opens the pores of the skin, making the birds liable to colds. 32. J'lii.— Please tell me the easiest and best way to take "Pip" off heus' tongues. Is the "Pip'" injurious to the hens? '"Pip" is an inflammation of the tongue and mouth, and causes a growth of a horny scale on the point of the tongue, which prevents their feeding. The scale should be removed with the point of a sharp penknife, and a pinch of powdered chlorate of potash be dropped into the fowl's throat and upon her tongue. Any disease is injurious. Others say the tip should not be removed. They prescribe two or three grains of black pepper in fresh butter daily to stimulate digestion, as pip is considered to oe caused by in- digestion. SG. Chieheii Iiijtfited.—l have a chicken whose skin is filled with air. At first I thought her a very fat creature, but upon examining her find she is soft as a spo; g •. What is the cause of it? It is probable that there is a leak in her windpipe, which allows a little air to escape into her body every time she breathes. Better take off her head and eat her whiL- she is in good flesh. 3,3. Sirolleu Ci'oj.).— What is the cause and cure of swollen crop? If the crop is soft and puffy it is known as "sour crop" and if swollen and feverish is difficult to cure; if hard, the passage to the gizzard is probably obstructed. Taken in time, either case is easily remedied. Put the fle to stand They I are hearty and eat as much as usual. I This is probably rheumatism, which affects chicks and fowls just as it does human beings, and is due to acid in the blood, or an acidulous condition of the blood. Rub the legs and feet with a good strong liniment, and feed warming, stimulating food; give them milk to drink. 34. Itiseolored Comb. — Please tell me what to do for discoloration of combs in Black Minor- ca hens. Color underside seems all right but upperside has purple or darkish spots near base of comb. 39. Med Mites.— Row shall I proceed to get the hen house free of red mites? The red vermin is the red spider louse or red mite. Kerosene kills them at once, and as their haunts are the cracks and crevices of the roosting poles, and the sides of buildings, nest boxes, etc., they are easy to destroy. If they are numerous Five Hundred Questions and Answers 23 go over the whole inside of the building with hot whitewash, sopping it on freely, so every crack and crevice is filled. Clean out and whitewash nest boxes, clean up the floor and put in fresh sand, and start all fresh and clean. 40. A FdU Tojffc— Will you name a good tonic for moulting hens? The moulting hens will be greatly re- lieved and assisted in feathering if given some kind of tonic, and one of the best is to mix together 20 grains of quinine, 20 grains of chloride of iron, 40 grains of red pepper, one pound of fenugrc-ck, one ounce of sulphur, and half a pound of salt. Put a teaspoonful of the mixture in s<)me kind of soft food, for every six henr, three times a week. Give meat occasion- ally, and feed mixed grains. iMoulting fowls take cold very easily should the weather change suddenly, and care must be taken to keep them warm and dry. 41. Croj) Hottud, ffohnhlt/. — I htvve a hen with chicks. Wlien she is held up by the feet, head downward, «atei' runs li-oiu her mouth. Sometimes this occurs when she leans over to feed. Please tell me what it is and the remedy. It is probably a case of crop bound, or of the obstruction of the passage leading from the crop to the gizzard. This would cause inordinate thirst, and hunger also, and she would eat and drink continuous- ly, to satisfy that appetite and thirst. Examine the crop by feeling, and see if the trouble is there. If the trouble is lower down, a dose of castor oil may reach it, but probably the hatchet is the better cure. 42. A Good Tonic. —I would like a pre scription for a good tonic. Tincture of perchloride of iron, 2 drachms; compound tincture of gentian, 2 drachms; lime water, 2 ounces: eggs beaten, 2 ounces; cod liver oil, 4 ounces. Shake thoroughly up into an emulsion, and give two tablespoonfuls three times a day. In scrofulous tendency or hereditary weakness the above is an excellent stock medicine, and may be given to young chicks in ten drop doses mixed with the food. It is often valuable in diarrhoea, and especially so during moult. 4,'i. Diarflmii in f. /< /c/.-.s'.— A good receipt for diarrhiea in young chicks al)0ut two weeks old is wanted. Ground saffron, i ounce, gentian i ounce, red pepper 10 grains. (3ive a thimble full twice a day. 44. JVi'^/jro. — Hens run about as if con- nrsed and didn't know wLn.-h way to tun;, if ■iuddenlj' disturbed, well in oiner respects. Wiiat •.s the matter ? It is vertigo; cause, tt o n~tich ijlocd, or too fat. Cure, keep her in a cool, shady place, feed sparingly, and give her occas- ionally three grains of ja.ap. J.'>. C(ttti rr/i. —Wiiiii is catarrh and how can it. be care!. I.Hiiif/Ifiss' M i.ttiife. — What is Doug- lass's JJixture ■/ Douglass' Mixture, one of the best poul- try tonics, is made as follows: Dissolve one pound of sulphate of iron (copperas) in two gallons of water, adding 2 ounces of sulphuric acid. (Handle the sulphuric acid carefully, as it is a deadly poison). Dose, I oz. to each quart of drinking water. Do not use this oftener than once or twice a week. S3. Frosted Comb Is there a cure for frosted combs '; A cure for frosted or frozen combs and wattles is equal parts of turpentine and sweet oil applied twice daily as soon as discovered. Glycerine is also good. !>S. Tent Gieet.—'^ily chickens, young and old, seem to be drooping. Tliey are fed whole corn, oats and wheat middlings They appear to be loose, also; examination shows a sore at vent, from which matter runs and a very dis- agreeable odor. Do you think the best cure is an axe ': It is impossible to guess the difficulty with the drooping fowls, young or old. It may be lice — a very fruitful source of drooping and debility; and it may be im- proper feeding and want of grit to grind the food. 1 he latter is one of the most frequent causes of indigestion and kindred troubles. Vent gleet is due to inflamma- tory action in the mucous membrane lin- Five Hundred Questions and Answers. ing the Cloaca, i. e., the chamber or pouch connected with the rectum, and into which is received the urinary and genital ducts. It is contagious. Administer half a teaspoonful of Epsom salts; bathe the vent with warm barley water, taking care to remove all incrustation; then inject twice or thrice daily one part carbolic acid to forty of olive oil, using a desert spoon- ful each time. On the third day com- mence with copaiba, giving three drops twice a day in a teaspoonful of linseed oil. The diet must be perfectly plain and un- stimulating, and so long as the disease continues the bird should be isolated. m. Insects ill Jifooili-r. —^lay I ask you how to remove the insects trom my chicks, three days old, now in a brooder, liatched by hens y Dust them with /res/i insect powder every day, and rub the brooder with kero- sene oil. Smear a few drops of warm lard on the heads and necks of the chicks twice a week. S5. Lice A {/a in. — What is wronfr with fowls when they stand with heads tlirown back on shoulders, and legs weak Wiil fowls when affected Avith lice show a difference in droppings. What is wrong with chicks when their th'oppings are yellowish and green ? A reply to all of the above is that there is a probability that your fowls have the large lice on the skin of the head and necks. Apply warm lard oil. Clean up the premises. Anoint with one part spirits turpentine and two parts glycerine. .f8. CrookerJ Breast iJojips.— What causes crooked breast bones r Crowding together. Also improperly constructed roosts. J>9. Jioil on Foot.— Please inform me how to cure a boil on top of the foot of a hen. It ex tends under her foot also. She can scarcely walk. It may be bumble foot, due to high roost. If soft, lance it and wash once a day with a solution ot twenty drops car- bolic acid in a gill of warm water. Keep it bound up with a soft rag saturated with warm mutton suet. OO. Sit»ii>toinsofInv.-ed by cod liver oil, are recommended ; the hatchet is surest. It is the work of a parasite. Anoint once a week with melteil lard. «6'. So7-e Eijcs. — My cliicks are troubled with soi'e eyes. Th.^y swell, run and stick to- gether, but after th.ey are washed and open they are all iii- also have diarrhoea. Probably the large tick lice are at work. Grease heads and necks twice a week, with warm lard. O.'i. Tiiiiioi- — About the 2M of February a sore al.Hjuc the size of walnut appeai'ed on one of my hen's necks. I tried several remedies, including cainphor and lai'd. coal oil, etc., but not beina: relieved, killed her. What was the cause of it ? It may have been a tumor, but such swellings are often due to the effects of roup, which remains in the blood, only to find vent in such manner. You did right to destroy the bird. 04. Tjftch of Gi'if. I had several jsullets sick, anil one died. Their crops were full of food, and quite hard. I fed soft food in the piorning. and grain at no(jn and night. AVhat is in their crojis had been thei'e several davs. A neighbor thought it was crop bound, but I don't think so many would be attacked at one time. ■ This is probably want of grit. The want of grit in the crop and gizzard is to a fowl what lack of teeth would be to us. A toothless person could h^ fed on soups, etc., and life sustained ; but 'twould be a profitless existence. What can biddy do when she has nothing with which to grind up the food in the gizzard? She simply starves to death. Lack of grit is one of the most f«-uitful causes of fowl ills that we have. ';,>. (Unisf of ScaUj Ia'(js. — What is the cause of scali-s on the legs of fowls, and what is the best remedy to remove them ': (SS. Cculit'i- — ?Iy hens have some kind of a disease. They choke, their mouths are filled with hard matter, and if you take it off it will bleed. Their eyes run matter They have canker. With a soft rag, on a stick, swab the mouths with a soltition made by dissolv- ing a piece of blue vitriol, as large as a chestnut, in a gill of water. Inject a few drops t;f kerosene in each nostril. «.'/. Tilt' riovidii rh;i .—\\\\&t will kill the Fliirida cliickeu Ilea r It is something like a Siiialltick. burying its head in the flesii around the eyes, on tlie combs, or wherever it can find a place aViout the head free from feathers, but it jumps like a flea. Try anointing the head with the follow- ing : Cotton seed oil or lard, one gill ; oil of peni y.oyal, one teaspoonful ; oil of sassafras, (ine teaspoonful. They are not easily driven off. 7<). iLutf rills. — Having some fowls affect- ed -with inflammarion of the bowels, or enteritis, would like to know its cause. Enteritis, or inflammation of the bowels, is a common disorder among poultry. It has so many symptoms in common with chicken cholera, is so rapid in its course, that many pr(;nounce it real cholera. Acute, chronic, dysenteric and mem- branous enteritis are the most common forms. Acute enteritis is a disease that Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 27 often attacks fowls occupying confined runs and uncleanly kept houses, or those fed on damaged grains, decomposed meat or sour meal and irritating seeds or plants. It is occasionally caused by surfeiting the fowls with improper food, indigestion, the rupture of an ovum and its escape into the abdominal cavity, sharp splinters of bone piercing some of the intestines, etc. The first period of the disease often passes un- noticed, especially where the poultry does not receive the closest attention. How- ever the first day the bird is dejected, loses its naturally healthy and cheerful appearance, and is without appetite. The second day the crop is found empty, the beak slightly opened, the mucus membrane of the mouth dry, the pulse quick and irregular, and the skin hot. From this time the symptoms become intensified as the disease preigresses. A diarrhoea is noticed from the first — the matter passed being at first nearly solid, then becoming semi-liquid and finally 'very thin ; serous, of a whitish, grayish, yellowish color, and a disagreeable odor. The course of the disease does not extend over three or four days, and unless its severity is mitigated, either by natural causes or proper treat- ment; the bird at this time indicates extreme suffering by agitating its wings, stretching its neck and frequently opening its mouth — death soon followint;-. 7J. Milter Cfop. — How is water crop dc- seribed anil how treated ? The symptoms of a bird with water crop is a poor appetite, but it craves and drinks water until its crop is distended and becomes sour. To treat, take a bowl of warm water, in which dissolve a quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda, and take the fowl's head in the left hand and with the body under the arm, holding head dt)wnward, with the neck distended, hold the beak open with the right hand and manipulate the contents of the crop down and out of the mouth. Then give a good dose of soda water ; a spoonful is sufficient. Manipulate as before, rinsing out the crop well and being careful not to irritate the crop so as to cause inflamma- tion. Coop the chick by itself, feed spar- ingly a few days with bread and scraps from the table, with a sprinkling of char- coal. Put five drops of nitric acid in the drinking w'ater. This will generally cure it. 72. J\if(i Tfoinxl — ■'Vbatare the sj-mptoms and treatment of tliis difficulty? The hen comes off the nest without lay- ing and walks about distressed, hanging down her wings. Sometimes she remains on the nest. Give a full dose of castor oi'. If this is unsuccessful, wash the vent well with warm water and then pass in an oiled feather, or better, inject an ounce of sweet oil. The egg is too large. This is more common with Polish fowls. Eggs have been known to accumulate here and form a large tumor. 73, Jferiiia — How shall hernia he treated in fowls'? Sometimes the parts which protrude may be returned by bathing them in blood warm water, oiling them and pressing back" gently. Feed the hen on food that is not productive of eggs, stich as rice or pota- toes, and counteract any tendency toward inflammation. 74, Sore Eyes — Have a fowl that has sore eyes bnt does not appear to have roup. What about her ? Fowls sometimes suffer from a tempo- rary blindness when they do not have roup. Make a wash of weak white vitriol, or alum water, or alum and camphor combined. CHAPTER III. ABOUT EGGS, 1 Cure for Curs Please let me know how to prevent my setter dog from eating eggs. Place blown eggs containing red pep- per where he can get them. It is not easy to cure such a dog. 2. About Jiarh S/uli.s.—Do all pure Light Brahmas lay a rlark brown ei^g ? Out of my flock of fifteen a few lay dark brown eggs, the others very light brown. Wliat other breeds are there that lay dark brown eggs ? Do any of the Plymouth Rocks lay them ? The Brahmas, both Light and Dark, lay brozvn eggs. Some are darker brown than others, and if you want a very dark brown egg you should hatch chickens from the very dark eggs only; by that means you could, in two or three genera- tions, get a strain that would lay all coffee colored eggs. The Cochins and Langshans — the Asiatic varieties, also the Javas lay brown eggs. There is a strain of Plymouth Rocks that lay a quite brown egg, some of them very dark brown, rang- ing from that to cream color. Have known of a White Wyandotte hen that lay an egg as dark brown as the average Brahma egg. So dark were they that a customer wrote us that we had put a Brahma egg into a basket of White Wyan- dotte eggs sent him. 3. Prescrrhifj With Hot V'ater. — I have recently seen a methotl of preserving eggs V)y placing them in a wire basket and drop- ping tljein in boiling water The party who gave this method, said eggs so served could not be distingiiisl'.ed after six months from fresh laid eggs. Pie kept them on the big end. Boiling water will hermetically seal the pores and aid in preserving the eggs, but will not prevent them from becoming stale in six months. Try it on a small scale hrst. 4. Average Production — How many dozen eggs will a fair hen average to lay in a year ? If he lays ten dozens she will do well. Eight dozens is nearer the average. S. Chnnge of 3taJe — How long after changing roosters should eggs be taken foi' hatching ? About one month. a. How Much Cold.— How many degrees of cold will eggs (that are being saved for hatch- ing) stand, and not spoil them for hatching [hu-- poses ? Should not be exposed to lower than 40 degrees above zero. An egg freezes at about 10 degrees above zero, which kills h aerm. 7. The White and Yolk — What makes the white of an egg so large and the yolk so small ? Due to greater amount of water. S. How Piwliiic— Please let me know ho,v man^^ eggs Leghorns, Black Spanish. iMinorcas. Hamburgs. Light Brahmas, Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes lay in a year on an aver- age ? The Leghorns, Black Spanish, Minorcas and Hamburgs, are usually credited with about 200 a piece a year; Light Brahmas about 100 to 125; the Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes about 150. Five Hundrkd Questions and Answers. 29 .*>. I'aching for Shipment.— \X\\a.t is the best method of packing eggs for shipment? In packing eggs, it is now universally the custom to wrap each egg in paper; this is an essential precaution. But in re- gard to the material used for filling in be- tween the eggs, man}- sorts are used, but all are not good. Some breeders use cedar and other hard wood, in the form of small chips, nearly the size of peas. This is bad, as being wholly wanting in elas- ticity. Of the sorts in general use, the chaff from a hay mow is least objection- able, as eggs packed in it frequently go long distances without breaking and hatch vv'ell. But in our estimation the \Qvy best material for packing, and one well adapt- ed to come into general use, is well dried sawdust, from hard wood; that from pine is objectionable, as there is a possibility that the turpentine contained in it may in- jure the vitality of the eggs, and therefore it is best avoided. As to the covering placed over the bas- ket, when the eggs and the final layer of packing are in, a piece of cotton cloth, cut to turn down and be secured on the sides, is the one most generally used. But we have a much better covering to recommend. Where cloth is used, the most customary way of fastening it is by using carpet needle and cotton twine, sewing it down with a few long stitches, through the interstices of the splints. Incredible as it may appear, we have seen baskets of eggs sent out by a breeder, where this cloth cover was secured by incks driven with a hammer, entirely around the hoop which formed the top of the basket. Inquiry brought out the fact that the eggs shipped by this breeder were almost a total failure in point of hatching. Any one who has seen the care with which a sitting hen or turkey, on returning to her nest, creeps upon the eggs for which she has so tender an instinct, feels that the harsh contact of hammer and tacks with valuable eggs containing the germs of life is not in harmony with natural laws. 10. Small ill Size. — ^Vliat will cure a hen of laying eggs far t so small for her size ? The trouble with such hens is that they are too old to be of any further use. Such eggs are sterile. When hens are young and do thus, the cause is generally high feeding, and a course of light diet will help the mat- ter. The venerable hen may have been useful in her day, but now she needs to be quietly seized, decapitated, dressed and sent away to parboil slowly for a few hours, then browned quickly in a hot oven. 11. Dijfrreiit Flin'ov.i —Can the tiavor of eggs be clianged by tlie feed ': To have eggs of fine flavor the hens should be fed on clean food. Fowls fed on putrid meat, decayed or decaying animal substances, will lay eggs not fit to eat. Proof of how the food affects the egg may be had by feeding a number of hens on onions for a certain period. The eggs will become so strongly tainted with the onion flavor as to be unpalatable. Where the farmer allows his fowls unlimited range, it may be said that it is impossible to contro their feed, but under no circumstances should the fowls be allowed access to filthy substances. 12. Soft-Slulh d Laijcrs.—l am just start- ing in miwmg chickens, and would like a little iuformation. My pullets have plenty of lime in the shape of plastering and oyster shells, but some of them lay soft-shelled eggs, and I should like very uuich to know what I should do to stop them. Without going into the discussion as to whether oyster shell and lime will prevent fowls laying soft-shelled eggs, we may say that the probable cause of your pullet->' eggs being destitute of the usual calcareous cover- ing is to be found in one of three directions : they are either too fat, do not have exercise enough or there is something wrong with the egg-producing organs. Some hens ob- stinately continue to lay soft-shelled eggs, no matter how they are fed or managed. And in such cases we can safely conclude that they are not perfectly healthy, and the best of all cures is a free range, with plenty of green food and exercise. Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 13. Should Tliey Kest. Does It injure eggs to ship tliem long distances ? and how long should they rest before being put in incubators? There is a foolish notion prevailing among some fowl breeders, that eggs which have been shipped a distance should rest a day or two before being placed in an incubator As soon as the hens are ready to set, or the incubator ready for work, place the eggs under or in at once; they will rest as com- fortably in either place as elsewhere, in fact, better; for everybody knows that the fresher the eggs the more chicks they will yield, and the healthier the chicks. The germ floats to the top of the egg, and will find its way there in a half minute, at the most, if revolved a hundred times an hour; and the yelk will find its place just as soon if it has not been broken, in which case it might rest a month or a year and never hatch We have tried numerous lots of eggs, travelling from 80 to 3,500 miles, and always found that the sooner incubation was started the better the result. 2^. Dark niicl White in Color.— Which breeds of fowls lay dark colored eggs y AVhieli lay white '/ ' Either of the following breeds will be found to lay dark, viz : Cochins, Brahmas, Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks or Langshans. Where eggs with white shells are wished, they will be produced by Leghorns, Minor- cas, Andalusians, Polands, Hamburgs, Games, Houdans or Dorkings. Where both are required, Plymouth Rocks or Wyan- dottes, with the Leghorn or Minorcas, will be found to fill the demand most satisfact- orily. 15. Some Q»jerjt»s. 1 . How long can one keep eggs for setting. without injury ? 2. Should they be turned; if so how often ? 3. What is the best position to keep them in V I. From one to two weeks if properly cared for, but the fresher they are set the better the results will be. 2. At least every other day. 3. Lying on the side. 26. Grrenfer F'rcxluct ion. —Can egg production be increased ? To increase the laying, every other day give one teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, pulverized, to one dozen fowls with their food. Keep hens free from lice. 17. About Imports. Can you give me some idea of the amount of eggs imported '/ Statistics show us that 17 eggs are annu- ally imported from France for every man, woman and child of this population, bear- ing in mind the large importations from Ire- land and other countries, and the large number produced here, proves the great im- portance of eggs as a national food. As- suming the population of France to be thirty-seven to forty millions and to be di- vided into families of five, for every single individual over 14 eggs are exported annu- ally, and the value of even the English trade exceeds i £ sterling for every six families in the nation. As a rule, egg production is the best part of the business where fowls are raised for market. IS. Ifow to T'est. When should incu- bating eggs be tested and how ': Eggs ought to be tested when seven days old. This is done by holding them before a candle or strong light, and looking through them, the hand shading the light from the eyes. If clear the egg is infertile, bu is quite good for cooking. If it is dark ill the centre, shading off to lighter at the edges, it is fertile. Two days before hatch- ing they can again be tested, but in water heated to 105 degrees, or as hot as the hand can bear it. The eggs containing hve chickens will be seen to jump about, while the dead eggs will either sink or float move- lessly. This water test will soften the shell and assist hatching. 10. C/fissif/cafion.— How are eggs classified in the market ? The Boston Chamber of Commerce has decided to classify eggs as follows: Extras, firsts, seconds, thirds and known marks. Extras shall comprise the very best qualities fresh-laid, clean eggs in season, put up in the best manner, where every condition nec- essary to place fine eggs in Boston market Five Hundred Questions and Answers. has been complied with Firsts shall com- prise fine marks of eggs such as come in carload lo's, or smaller lots, and are packed in fine order, fresh in season an^ reasonably clean, such stock as gives satisfaction to most c insumers. Seconits shall comprise all stock that is merchantable and inferior to firsts. Thirds shall comprise all poor stock in bad order, rotten, etc.; stock not con- sidered really merchantable. Known marks shall comprise such sorts as are well known to the trade under some particular designa- tion or mark, shall be of such quality as those familiar with the mark generally un- derstand it to be, in the season in which it is offered. Extra to pass at the mark must not lose to exceed one dozen per loo dozen, and firsts not more than two dozen per loo or one and a half dozen per barrel, if sold in barrels 'Jl. How tf> f^aeli in Jar.s.— Will you state a good method of packing eggs ': Slake a peck of clean lime, pour in si.x pails of water and drop in three quarts of salt. Stir until all is dissoK'ed; then let it settle and it is ready for use Pack the eggs in jars, pour on the thinner lime water, cover the jar with a cluth, and over this spread a coati' g of the thicker portion of the lime. The eggs will keep as long as you will wish them to. The jars must not be filled too full, as the water must never be allowed to get below the tops of the eggs. Each peck of lime will preserve more than a hundred dozen of eggs. A si.\ gallon jar will hold twenty dozen if rightly packed. The expense is very little, the jars will last many years, and the returns are sure and not far in the future. 30 Wash/nir Bt-fore Incnhntlon. — Is it not a good plau to wash eggs tiiat come from otiier yards, before incubation ? Before eggs obtained from strange yards are placed under a hen, or into a hatching machine, they should be car- fully washed with soap and warm water, rinsed in clean water, and wiped quite dry. If this is care- fully done there is not any possibility of in- juring the eggs; on the contrary, they will be in better conHition, as the pores of the shell have been freed from dirt We believe that disease germs may be conveyed in the dirt attached to the shell of an egg. Do not wash the eggs undl they are about to be placed in a machine or under a hen. We would suggest that it is advisable to lower the temperature in incubators during the last three days of incubation. Our reasons a:e based on the fact that the chick, for at least forty-eight hours before it chips the shell, has sufficient animal heat of its own to sustain life and hatch out in an outside tem- perature of less than 80 degrees. Therefore, during the last few days, there is evidently no need to keep up the usual high tempera- ture, which, we consider, is injurious to the chicks, and may account for many deaths in the shell. 2'J. Dry I'ncUiTiijr. Is dry packing as safe as moist packing for eggs? Dry packing for eggs is as safe as wet packing at.d much more convenient, but eggs must be kept from the air and turned twice per week or they will adhere to the shell. Pack in small boxes with light covers so they may be turned over without handl- ing the eggs. Use dry salt, dust, plaster, fine ashes, or meal and keep in a cool place, 40 to 60 degrees. By this means strictly fresh eggs may be kept from two to six months and frequently one, by holding them three monihs, will find a rise of 5 to 12 cents per dozen. Infertile eggs keep better than fertile ones. To sell eggs at 12 to 16 cents, as many do, is folly, and although preserved eggs du not look as well nor bring quite the price uf fresh ones, they may be depdded on and the process pay-. 23. The Heat Temperature. — V,'in you please inform me at what temperature eggs for liatclnng should be kept, and if it is best to keep theoi m the cellar providing it is warm enough ? Not over 60 degrees, if possible — the cooler the better. Turn them three times a week, half over. They should keep a month and hatch. CHAPTER IV. INCUBATORS AND INCUBATION. XJSKFUL HULES. Mr. P. H. Jacobs, in his Poultry Keeper, gives some rules which may be useful. Whenever you wish to ask a question about incuVjators look over these: — RULES FOR HATCHING. 1. Hatching chicks with incubator is a ivititer pursuit. 2. The hen seldom sits in winter, hence she and the incubator do not conflict. 3. Eggs in winter should not hatch as well as eggs under hens in April. 4. Hens that lay in winter cannot pro- duce as fertile eggs at that time as in the spring, for the cold season prevents exercise, the hens become fat, and the pullets are not as fully matured, while the male, if he has a frosted comb, suffers from cold, or becomes too fat, is unserviceable. 5. Eggs are sometimes chilled in winter. When you buy them you take many chances. 6. Do not use extra large eggs, or small eggs. Have all eggs of normal size, and of perfect shape. 7. In winter the hen will not hatch one- half of her eggs nor raise one-third of her chicks. 8. Do not be afraid to watch your incu- bator. It pays as well to keep awake all night to watch a hundred chicks hatch out as it does to keep awake to save a $5 calf from loss when it is dropped, and the chicks are worth more than the calf. 9. No incubator has brains. It will regulate, but cannot think. 10. When chicks die in the shell the chances are that too much draught of air came over them. When a hen is hatching she will fight if even a feather is lifted from her. She will allow not the slightest change of temperature, and she will hatch as well in a dry place as in a moist location. 11. Dry, warm nests in winter, and moist nests in summer, is an old proverb, hence the moisture depends on the season. Less is required in the incubator in winter. 12. Thermometers change. A ther- mometer may be correct one week and wrong the next. They should be tested frequently. 13. As the chicks progress in the eggs they give off heat, hence be careful of the lamp, hot water, or whatever the source of heat may be. 14. Too much moisture covers the egg and excludes the air from the chicks within the eggs. 15. No currents of air can pass through an incubator without a plentiful supply of moisture but in incubators that have no currents but little moisture is needed. 16. Do not labor under the delusion that a young chick is always dying in the shell for lack of fresh air, and that it must have as much as a young animal. 17. Do not take out the chicks until you Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 33 believe all are hatched. Leave the chicks in the incubator. If you take them out the heat will suddenly drop, and yoi^will also let in the cold air on the eggs, ^ever dis- turb the eggs 7vhen chicks are hatching. 1 8. Test your incubator with moisture, no moisture, plenty of air, and air shut off, as each incubator may differ from the other. 19. Eggs will be aired sufficiently when the eggs are turned. It is of no conse- quence to cool them, but this depends on circumstances. 20. If the chicks do not hatch out by the twenty first day your heat is too low. 21. If the chicks begin to hatch on the eighteenth day your heat is rather high. 22. Do not put eggs in at different periods during the hatch, and do not hatch ducklings and chicks together. 23. The same rules apply to the eggs of hens, ducks, turkeys, and guineas, as regards heat and moisture. 24. Never sprinkle eggs. It lowers the heat instantly, and sometimes kills the chicks in the shells. 25. If the incubator shows moisture on the glass do not open the egg drawer until It is dry. Cold air and dampness kills the chick, the heat bting lowered by rapid evaporation. 26. The reason why the hen \.\\dii steals her nest hatches so well is because you do not give her all sorts of eggs, such as large eggs, small eggs, and eggs from old hens and immature pullets, such as you put in your incubator. 27. Kick away the curious visitor just when your eggs are hatching. 28. Keep the incubator in a place of moderate temperature. A window on one side will make that side cooler than the other. 29. Don't expect to hatch without work. The man who expects to get chicks by trusting to the regulator to keep the heat regular does not deserve success. Work is required for other stock that need winter care, and the artificial hen is no ex- ception. 30. Begin with a loo-egg incubator, and learn, before you try a larger one. 31. No matter how much you read, experience will be the best teacher. 32. Have your incubator warm before you put in the eggs. 33. A child cannot manage an incu- bator, all claims to the contrary. Incu bators are not toys. Don't turn over a man's work to a boy. 34. Let the bulb of the thermometer touch a fertile egg. 35. Without A^rtlficifd ITcfit.— Two weeks heuce I wish to remove chicks then twenty-five days old from indoor brooder to enclosure out- side. Will It be iiraeticable without artificial heat? It would be very risky, as most chicks at that age are still unfledged; conse- quently liable to be chilled of a cold night, or in a cold storm. We do not like to move out our chicks till they are about six weeks old, and it was so cold through- out the first half of May we didn't move any out till they were almost eight weeks old. 30. Turning l^Uifs. — How long can eggs be kept good for hatchitig? Should they be turned daily, and should they be kept in a close room ? The fresher eggs are when set the better; but they can be kept some weeks, four t(; six, if carefully attended to. They should be kept in an even temperature of about 45 to 50 degrees (a dry cellar is best if not too cold) and should be turned (by gentle handling) every other day. 37. Moisture — If I keep a pan of water in my incubator, and wet sponges under the egg- drawer, (which has a cloth bottom) is there any need of keeping wet sponges in with the eggs? No. The water pan alone is sufficient. Incubator managers use much less mois- ture than a few years ago, and are ex- perimenting towards still less, some ad- vocating none whatever. In our 600-egg machine, instead of putting in the four moisture pans at the start, and having 34 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. moisture all the hatch, we put in two pans | No. Not if they are handled carefully only for the last week or ten days, and ! and not exposed to cold air too long. If find it ample. Some that we know put in no moisture till the iSth day, and then ■only a wet sponge in each tray. 3S. San-dust, rfc.—'W'ha.t material can I se in place of sawdust in an incubator. Bran or chaff of any kind of grain, will 30. WIh-ii to Staff Iticahator. - How ■earlj- can I start an iuculjator. and will I have to 'keep it \\'lLere it won't freeze, or would it be better to let the hens set and take care of the chicks that early - October is usually the time to begin. It should be in a place of moderate tempera- ture. You cannot use hens that early, as they may not be broody. 40. A 4ns for a 4iXi egK hot wati-r incubator. Is it necessary to have the tank pi'oportionateiy largi'r tlian a IHO egg incubator? To estimate the capai ity allow four square inches for each egg. Hence tank for 400-egg incubator should be 1600 square inches or 40x40 inches. If preferred it may be about 35x45. or of any shape desired. 4t. -Kf/f/.s Too Hot. — If eggs get too hot in an incubator should they be sprinkled with warm \\ater to cool theniV Are eggs roasted if tlie beat reaches 110 degrees? Eggs that are too hot can be cooled by sprinkling them with warm water; but great care must be exercised, or they will be cooled too quickly by the rapid evapo- ration of the water. A good way to re- duce the temperature of both incubator and eggs is to put from a pint to a quart of cold water into the tank, drawing off a similar quantity of hot water from the cock, and open the egg chamber door for a couple of minutes; then close it two or three minutes, and repeat. In this way the temperature of the egg chamber is re- duced gradually, and the eggs don't get chilled. 4'i. Ilandliufi jE,V/j/*.— Does it do harm to liandle the eggs, such as testing them, or chang- ing them from one machine to another after they liave been in the incubator three days? testing eggs in a cool room it is well to warm a couple of blankets folded to be a little larger than the egg-tray. Cover the untested eggs with one warm blanket and spread the other over another tray, and slip the eggs under as fast as tested. In this way chilling the eggs can be avoided. 43. Too Much Moisture.— Can I get too much moisture in the machine? After the eggs had been in three days I set two baking pans of water under ihe egg trays and sprinkled the e ZIPS twice a clay. Yes. Especially if it is put in by sprinkling. Here is probably the cause of your failure, — the constant chilling twice a day to which you subjected the eggs no doubt killed the germs; some early, others when half grown, and others which were hardier and stronger, survived nearly long enough to escape. The pans were enough for moisture! 44. Teuijterature for Hatching. — Will eggs hatch with a constant temperature of 100 to 103 degrees? Yes. But the hatch will be delayed and the chicks weakened somewhat. The nearer the temperature is kept to 103 de- grees, the better. 45. Hen's or Duck's JE(/{fs Are the conditions the same with incubators m hatching duck eggs as with hen eggs? That is, shall I keei^ the same moisture and heat in the incuba- tor for the duck eggs as for hen eggs. The conditions are the same, only the duck eggs want but little moisture the first three weeks. The temperature required is the same. 40. Ko Gasoline Stoves. — Do you think a gasoline stove could be used to heat an incubator with success? We think gasoline unsafe, and would not like to recommend its use. 47. Moisture in Brooder. — Does brooder require any moisture, and how much' Should have none, be dry always. The brooder should Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 35 4S. Tf'Sthif/ Tlit'Vtnotnetcr. — I want to test my thermometer, cao I do it correctly by placing it under a hen's wing? Yes; but try it with several hens. 49. ZPnpatented Incubators. — Have I a right to build an incubator and infringe on patents if I do not offer it for sale"? Can I build a hot water incubator, heat it with a lamp, and not infringe on patents? I wish to regulate it by the expansion of the water in the tank. You cannot make a patented article even for your own use. You can make and sell any incubator that is not patent- ed. 30. Heat at 106 Degrees Will it do harm to have the heat rise to lOG degrees in an incubator after the eggs have been in three days or more? Yes. Any rise or fall of temperature from 103 degrees will do harm. The greater the variation the more harm. It kills the weaker germs and doubtless tries (weakens) the others. .%1. How Much Moinfiire. — How often, how much, and what time should moisture be put in a two lamp incubator? Capacity, 200 eggs for chickens. The measurement of moisture is im- possible. Water evaporates more rapidly when warm than when cold. Everything depends on how much air flows in, the temperature, stage of incubation, cubic inches of space in incubator, etc. No one can know how much moisture to give. It can only be determined by observation durins: the hatch. 53. Ruffled Feathers. — What is the cause of incubator chicks being ruftled in feathers? Some act as if benumbed, stretch out their necks, and lay down. May be due to several causes — bottom heat, lice, dampness or insufficient heat in brooder. ,53. Cellar for an, Incubator. — Will a damp cellar do for an incubator? Yes, it will be an excellent place. In a damp cellar you will not need any mois- ture pans in the machine, as the natural moisture of the cellar air will be sufficient. 54. Sponges, e*c.— Which method do you suggest for applying extra moisture in an ine u- bator. Wliat do you believe to be the best ma- terial to use for bottoms of egg trays? Place extra sponges, dipped in hot water, here and there in the drawer. Mos- quito wire netting. 55. Hen's Eggs and Goose Eggs. — Will it do to put goose eggs and hen"s eggs in an in- cubator at the same time together? We do not think the results will be satis- factory. .'tG. No Test for Fertility.— Do j'ou know of any egg tester by which you can tell a ferti- lized egg before putting in the incubator There is no way of knowing if an egg is fertile before being used for incubation. tJT. How Hot or Cold. —Please inform me how hot or cold it must he in the incubator to spoil the eggs? Lower than 40 is injurious, and 116 for an hour will spoil them. These are ex- tremes. 58. Brooder House. -How many chicks would a Ijrooder house 50 feet long and 12 feet wide accommodate? Could I heat it with a stove ? Five hundred if it was divided into 10 apartments of 5 feet fjy 8, leaving a 3 feet walk on the north side. That would give you ten hovers which would accommodate 50 chicks eich. You would want a stove, with a water-jacket and outflow and re- turn pipes for the hot water. A simple stove will not answer. You want the heat where it will keep the chicks warm, and hot water pipes are the thing. .79. TTJien to Turn Eggs — How about turning eggs once over daily, or half over twice a day ? They should be turned half over only, to bring the cool side up to the heat, and we think it wiser to turn twice a day. One incubator maker advises turning three times a day, but we are satisfied that twice a day is sufficient with ours. 60. Chicks Dead in Shell. — I am using an incubator and liave had very good success until recently. Now I find many full grown chicks dead in the shell. What is the cause? Too much heat, probably, although it is not certain that it is the fault of the in- cubator; the same thing happens some- times with hens. It may be the fault of 36 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. the hens laying too rich (fat) an egg, and the chick growing too large for the shell, and cannot turn himself to break his way out. This is liable to happen where fowls are lazy, and have little exercise. 61. Chiclis in JB rood er.— How long shovild chickens be kept in tlie brooder before they can do without artificial heat? Until about six weeks old, but it de- pends on the season and weather. <>3. Jjiine in, JBrooder Jlonse. — Will air- slaked lime, used freely in my brooder house, injure the chicks? No: it will do no harm. Dust it freely over every part. 63. Sand on Floors. — In brooder houses with board floors do you consider it best to put sand on the floors, or not? It is better to use sand. C4. Size of Brooder Souse What should be the size of a house in whicli to raise 75 to KX) chicks to three pounds? and will a house built of rough boards, and covered with good roofing, be warm enough? A house IOXI2, divided into 2 pens, 6x lo, will do very well. A brooder will com- fortably accommodate 50 to 60 chicks till six weeks old, at which age they should be graduated from the brooder to a house not freezing cold, but comfortable enough, A well built house, covered with roofing, will do nicely. CHAPTER V. POULTRY BUILDINGS. 1. Chief Rcquiretnents. — Being about to erect a poultry house, what are some of the chief requirements to be observetl? For economy's sake, the .walls should not be carried up too high from the ground. The inside of a fowl house need not be over seven or eight feet high at the eaves, on either side, with a " one third pitch" above this for the roof. If the building has only a "shed" roof, or one slant of covering, the back wall may be three to five feet high, and the front seven or eight teet from the sills. In all cases look well to the means of having the building thor- oughly ventilated, when desired. An open- ing in the ridge for this purpose, or one at both sides of the house under the eaves, is best. Have a screen, trap-door or slide, inside, that may be raised or shut at will, conveniently. Nothing is more surelv conducive to good health , in your poul- try, continuously, than affording them pure air to breathe. In confined premises, where there is no opportunity for the rapidly accumulating foul air within to escape, chickens or adult birds cannot thrive. The breathing over and over of this impure atmosphere generates disease inevitably; and the careless or inexperi- enced breeder discovers "roup," "sniffles," " swelled head," "pip," and a score of other so-called fowl diseases among his stock, most of which are fairly chargeable for their origin to this neglect regarding proper ventilation. Fresh air, clean water, varied food, and all the range you can give the birds in good weather, are chief requirements toward their health and thrift. Of these, pure breathing air may be counted as among the very first im- portant requisites. 2. Jtootn in Winter. — How much floor space should 20 fowls have for a winter house? A house lOxio feet should accommodate 20 hens in the winter season without crowding, as they can, at this season, be together with less inconvenience, but the fact is that the more room the better. It is not how much room on the roost is re- quired, but how much room on the floor should be given, as that is where the .hens are to work and scratch. If the hens have access to a covered shed in which to exer- cise during the day it will not matter, on cold nights, if 30 hens be allowed to roost in a house loxio feet, for they will get more fresh air than can be kept out, in the winter season. The rule of ten is a good one for calculating the space requir- ed which is, in summer, to allow 10 hens in a house loxio feet, and allow them a yard 10x100 feet. In winter one-half that space will answer. 3. House for Four Jireeds. — Will you give directions for arranging a house for four different breeds? I do not want the building to be over 12x16 and it is to hold 30 of each breed. 38 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. The size of the building that you name is not more than half large enough for the number of birds that you wish to put in it. To have it convenient you should take a hall 3 feet wide off the north side, putting up a nice net partition so that the birds can be seen and fed and watered from the hall. This will leave you a room gxi6 feet which should be divided into two rooms each 8x9 feet and each should have a sash — an ordinary house window in the south side, and 10 or 12 fowls is plenty for each room. 4. Chaff, Sfrniv, etc.— -I wii^h to put some- thing ou the floor ol; my hen house to throw feed on. in order to make the hens scratch for it. If chaff cannot be had will not shavings answer, having them three inches thick on the floor? Yes, if broken fine; or you may use cut straw, which comes in bales. 3. JPnrfifions.— Before I build my poultry house and yards, I would like to know, if I would have much trouble with my fowls fight- ing, if I should make the lower part of the parti- tions of wire netting? Have the bottom of boards, two feet high, as they will pick each other through «. Vent nation. —What is the best mode of ventilation? The proper way to ventilate is to run a shaft 4x6 inches inside from within 4 inches of the floor up through the roof and to a height of 2 feet above the highest point of the roof, putting on a cap to ex- clude rain and snow, and leave side open- ings for a draught. <". Earth Floors,— What do you think about earth floors in poultry house? Many prefer them. Use the most mel- low soil you can procure. Loam is bet- ter than sand; the drier it is the better. If the air in your hennery is full of dust aris- ing from the hens scratching and wallow- ing, then you may know that the premises are thoroughly disinfected. Especially is it beneficial to have an ample quantity of dry earth under the perches. The dust from fine, dry loam which settles upon the nest boxes, perches and every part of the woodwork tends to keep off vermin, so that in some cases no whitewashing is necessary. Be sure by all means that the bed of earth which forms the floor is higher than the ground surrounding the building, so that the surface water when there are thaws and rains will not run into the building. As an additional precau- tion, surround the building with a shallow ditch communicating, if possible, with lower ground in the vicinity. 8. A Stone WaUctl House.— WhaX would you think of building the walls of a poultry house of stone and mortar? I intend to build a house 15x100 feet, and as I am a stone mason by trade I can build it of stone foi' about half what the lumber would cost me Stone walls laid up in mortar and ce- ment would make an excellent house, only that care should be taken to build it in mid-summer so that it would get thorough- ly dry before frosts come. It would be greatly improved by fastening strips of furring to the inside, abotit three feet apart and then ceiling up. This would give an inch dead-air space to keep out dampness and frost, and make it much warmer. U. Small House. — In a house 9x11 feat can I ke«p twelve chickens Celeven hens and cock). Would tliat be too many hens to one cock to get fertile eggs? Yes, you can keep them in . that size house. There would not be hens. too many 10. House and iVfj-fZ.— How large a poultry house should I have to accommodate t\vi»iity -five laying hens? Would a yard 2 rods wide and 10 rods long do for that many hens? Would it keep them in grass if it was in an orchard? How high a netting fence should I have for pure Leghorns, or for a cross of Leg- horn on Plymouth Rocks? That number would do very well in a house 12x15 feet, and 6 feet high to eaves, but better in a house 12x20, divided into twQ pens 10x12, with yard divided in halves also. The size yard mentioned would be a liberal yard, and should keep in grass all the growing season. All the tetter if it is an orchard. A fence should be 6 feet for cither kind: although with a Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 39 liberal yard they are less likely to fly than if shut in a small yard. 11. Cotnenf Ffoor. Is cemeut floor good for poultrj'? If not, why? It is, but not as good as boards, as it is sometimes damp owing to condensation of moisture. 12. A 10.v40 House —How many Leghorn chickens should be put iu a house 10x40 feet '! Wouid Mce be more likely to trouble with lath nailed to cross strips inside of house, and straw crowded behind them to make house warmer: About 45. Lice would be likely to har- bor in the straw. double doors. I want to keep 3(1 Leghorns iu it this winter. How am I to ventilate it? Do not ventilate at all in winter except to leave the doors open during the day. At night the house should be closed, no openings at all. It will be harder to keep out the cold air than you may wish. 13. Let) IVeakiies.^ from Jioaril Jioors. — Will keeping old chickens on board floors cause leg weakness if they have proper food? Can young chicks be raised to market age in a room with board floor? It will not cause leg weakness. Chicks may be so raised but you should have a covering at night over them. 14. Heatluff ft I'oultry House. — What kind of heating apparatus would be best to heat a poultry house 'ii feet long by 20 wide, hall iu centre, cemented cellar G feet deep? Not any. It is very risky heating a poultr\^ house, because of the certainty of -overheating it, — keeping the temperature too high, and enfeebling the birds thereby. Fowls are clothed for cold weather, just as you are when you have on your winter clothing and an overcoat. In your office, presumably warmed to 70 degrees, you take off your overcoat and hat; biddy can't do that. She has to stay in that high temperature with her feathers on, and the effect upon her would be just the same as upon you if j-ou worked in your office with your overcoat on and button- ed up. You would get over-heated, and when you went out into the cold you would catch cold. Keep the hen house tight and warm, and you need no arti- ficial heat: if there are cracks and drafts, all the artificial heat in the world v.-on't help you. 10. lioartl Floor or Fa rth .—W'hUAi is better for the floor of a hen house, the grovuid, or a plank floor? Much depends upon the situation of the house. If the location is damp a board (plank) floor is imperatively necessary, as dampness micsi be avoided at all cost. If the location is dry, sloping so it is natur- ally drained, the ground is probably bet- ter: it is Nature s way, and it is much cheaper. 17. Orercroiftled. Ail of my fowls have the I'oup and are not laying enough to pay for the food they eat. I have 40) iu a house 20x73 feet. 6 feet high It is divided into four pens 10x20, each pen for 100 fcsv-ls. A man who puts 400 birds into space only large enough to comfortably house 100, is bound to have roup and kindred diseases. Overcrowding is paying a premium for diseases. If you will dis- pose of three-fourths of your stock, you will stand a chance of getting some eggs, but no onfe can get eggs under such cir- cumstances as vou detail. 13. VentUdting a C'eJtar. — I have a cellar, 13 feet wide and 22 feet long, two windows at west end and one window at east end. witu IS. Store in House.— Do I need a stovti in a wind-proof house to halve chickens iu good health and in laying condition, and for i-aising young chicks where I have brooders? It is probably better not to have a stove (or artificial heat) in a house occupied by laying stock: they will keep in better health without. It is « iser to raise the chicks in another house; or separate off a pen for them, keeping it warm. 19. Various Questions. — 1. How large a house for 100 hens? 2. Should laying room be partitioned off from I'oosting room? 3. 150 chickens in a house 10 feet high — are tliey too crowded? 4. How many roosters to 100 "hens? For permanent quarters, full grown fowls require five square feet of ground room per head. Thus 100 hens would need a house 10x50 feet — height is not so 40 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. important. 2. Not necessarily. 3- Yes, or very soon will be, if they grow any. 4. If for breeding, use one to each flock always. If for eggs only, and all in one flock, keep but one male — two roosters in any flock is one too many. 'JO. Pen for Lefflior >is.—Uow many Leg- horns cau be kept in a house Sk12 with yard 21x48? ' Divide into two apartments, each 6x8, and put a cock and 12 hens in each. 21. South or South East.— In which direction slioukl a poultry house face, to get the early sun's warmth? Some say south and some say southeast? The southeast direction is proper if the warmth is desired very early, but there will be less warmth from the sun in the after- noon. We would advise the southeast direction for the reason that the morning is the time the warmth is "most needed. 2'^. Tfiri-eil rapcr If a poultry house is lined with tarred pai)er, will that keep the lice away as well as if the inside was whitewashed? Tarred paper and whitewash only pre- vent lice for a while. Kerosene is the best agent to prevent lice. 2:i. Houses and Yartlsfor lOOO Fotrls. — On our farm we have a nice piece of land 4(K) feet wide by 2(10 feet deep. ^Ve have built 10 double houses, lis:^ feet, divided iuto'two pens, ]:2xl2feet each, with runs for each pen 20x~W feet. We wish to keep hXX) chickens. Can we put 50 in each half-house (Idxlii) with run JiOxSlX); or would they be overcrowded? Fifty fowls could be kept in half-houses of that size, but they would be terribly crowded, multiplying the liability to di- sease, etc., 'not to mention the disadvan- tage of some in each pen being crowded away from the food, and so kept at no profit. You will do much better to build another lot of houses, set them lOO feet from the others, divide your land into 40 runs 20x100, and haying 40 half-houses. You would make very much more propor- tionately, and, even then, we think you would do better (make more proportion- ately) with 20 in a half-house and run than with 25, with the advantage of sav- ing 20 per cent, of the food. 24. Poultry Netting, efc— How long will poultry netting last^l9 mesh? Are goodh em- lock pickets as cheap? How high should fence be to confine Leghorns? Ten years or more. Not if length of time of wear is considered. About 6 feet — higher will do no harm. 2.5. About Ohiss.—l want to put a hen house 1.5x16 feet square and eight feet high, with glass on the east and south sides, all the way f i-om the floor to the top. How will that do for 40 hens this winter? It is excellent, but do not use too much glass, as it keeps off the warmth at night. 20. ITi liter Ventilation. Is it necessary to ventilate in winter? Ventilators to poultry houses have done more damage to poultry in winter than anything else. If the air of the poultry house in winter is foul, some excuse may be made for the ventilator, but the severe cold seals up all sources of odor, and in a short time turns all liquids to solids. The poultry house can be amply purified and ventilated by leaving the doors and win- dows open during the day and using dry dirt on the roost board and floor as an absorbent, but the ventilator at the top of the poultry house should never be left open after cold weather s?ts in. Let your object in winter be to secure warmth first. Ventilation will take care of itself, and you will have more difficulty keeping the cold air out than to let it in. Additional Questions. — Is it positively necessary to have sunlight in poultry houses V (We should say, yes). — Should buildings always be ventilated? (Yes). — Do you favor building near pig pens ? (We do not). — Should buildings be on a foun- dation above ground ? (Yes, otherwise the surface water in heavy showers may make the floors wet and damp). —Should perches be movable? (By all means). — What style roof is most economical ? (One with only one side which extends to the ground). — Is wire preferable to lath for Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 41 partitions? (We think so). — Is a hall or passage way a necessity ? (It is decidedly preferable). — Is a two-story building ad- vantageous? (Yes; the roof costs no more and the upper story can be used for sitting hens and other purposes). — What ought a good house for 60 or 80 fowls cost ? (A good house with four pens can be built for fioo and perhaps less). — How much room should a dozen fowls- have? (About 12 feet square). — What is a good cheap style of roof ? (Roof boards of hemlock or spruce, covered with tarred paper and then shingled). — Where should the roosts te located ? (Out of the line of draughts). — What size should the roosting pole be? (A 2x3 inch scantling slightly rounded at top is good). — Are high roosts advisable? (Decidedly not). — What should be the size of ventilators? (About 5 inches square inside measure and run below roost plat- forms). — Should board floors be laid on or very near the ground ? (They should be at least one foot above ground). — What makes a good lining for a poultry house? (Tarred paper). CHAPTER VS. MISCELLANEOUS QUERIES. 1. Shipp'Dtff Coops.— 'Ro\\- many inches wide, long and high should a shipping cooi) be for one or two fowls? That depends upon the size of the fowls. We intend to give about a square foot of floor space to each, where we are ship- ping a number. For instance, a coop 2 feet wide by 3 long, contains six square feet, and will do very well for six fowls such as P. Rocks or Wyandottes; would carry eight or ten Leghorns or Hainburgs; or four or five Cochins or Brahmas. For height: — they should be high enough to allow the birds to stand erect without touching the top. Many breeders make a mistake in this and ship birds, especially cockerels, in coops too low. 'i. € ross-q iir.vt ion i iHj .-What breedshould be crossed on White Leghorn hens to produce a good laying fowl'/ Would B. P. Kocks do? What coJor would the cross be. and would they be non-sitters? B, P. Rock males would be too heavy to cross On White Leghorn hens; the cross should be light-weight male on heavier fe- male. Think you would find some diffi- culty in c7-ossir%g up a small variety like the White Leghorns from the female side. The color would probably be mixed, and they would be sitters, the crossing of two non-sitting varieties will produce sittters, the act of crossing seeming to develop that instinct, presumably latent until stimu- lated into activity by the cross-breeding. 3. Jl(itehinf) Huiitatns. — When should Bantams be hatched? Aigjst should be the latest month; July is a good limit to place; still, there is no great objection to delaying till August, if you are a careful manager. A secret in the breeding of this variety of birds is to keep them down in size. If got out early in the season, they grow finely all sum- mer, and are usually some ounces heavier at maturity, of either sex, than if bred in cold weather. 4. Eon Tester. — Eow can I make a good e:^^ tester? To make an egg tester to use with a common lamp, take pasteboard box about seven inches long and six inches wide and six inches deep. Cut a hole in the bottom big enough to fit the large part of a lamp chimney through. Next cut a hole about the shape of an egg, but rather smaller, in one end so that it will be opposite to the lamp flame when the tester is slipped over the chimney. Now cover the box outside with any dull, black cloth, so that no light can get through, and you are ready for business. Light the lamp, place the tester in position, and the egg over the oval opening in the side. Turn gently as you look, and its condition will be clearly ex- posed to view. 5. A Diiffihle V'li if eictisJi .—"WiUyou give a reciiie for a durable whitewash? Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 43 One-half bushel of good lime, five pounds rock salt, dissolve; one-half pound whiting, four pounds ground rice, boiled to a thin paste; one-half pound clean grease. Slake the lime in a tight box or barrel with hot water, keeping the box covered that the steam may not escape. Slake to the consistency of thick cream. Thin it when used, so that it will fltiw freely from the brush. If put on too thick it will flake off more or less when dry. The above is for outside work. For in- doors slake the lime as above with hot water, omitting the salt, grease and rice. Instead of thinning the creamy solution with water use skim milk. 6. Matinf) DarU and Light. — Which is best to mate, dark roosters aud htcht hens, or Ught roosters and dark hens, both for looks and profit, Plyniourli Rock hens. The light males and medium dark hens are usually preferred. /. While on Minnrvas.— 1)0 ^\Siii\i Minor- cashave any wliite on them? When very young some of the down is white. Adult fowls occasionally have a little whitc'on the plumage. 8. Sfoilevs .—WiW you please mform us the rulable amount of room it requires to raise one hundred broilers, in the winter? At Hammonton, N. J., one hundred broilers are raised on a space 5xS feet. 9. I'll/mouth Ji'oc/i.*.— What fowls were crossed to produce the Plymouth Rock? There were several crosses. It is supposed the result came from uniting the Cochin, Java, and Dominique. 10. Good Hatch. — What is considered a good hatch from 13 eggs? One more than half — hence seven chicks are considered a good hatch from 13 eggs. 11. JUdgc on Effg Shells. — Will you please tell me what causes a ridge around an eggshell? It is due to hen being out of condition in some manner, usually overfat. 12. Fall Moultinij. —Do fowls moult in the fall, or is it due to hue that my fowls are moult- ing now? Hens moult usually from August to November, but some moult at different periods of the year. 13. fVf7>oH.s.— How should capons be fed in the wintei- months? Do they need outside yards? How many can be kept in a building 15x3() feet? How much room will I need to winter 300. Simply keep them growing. Feed on any food they will eat, but do not get them too fat until near time of selling. A very small yard will answer — just enough to allow of some out door air and exercise. About 100 can be kept in that size build- ing, but they may be crowded more if building is kept clean and weather cold. It is usual to allow four square feet for each bird, or 800 square feet for 200. 14. Pulling the fs^iniaries—l have some Leghorns that iiy over the fence, and if I pull the primary feathers out of their wings will they grow in again all right? If pulled they begin to grow at once. If cut they do not renew until bird moults. 13. TJighe.sf Ef/ff JJc'CM*v?.— Please give me the highest record of a lieu laying eggs in one year. In England 2S0 is claimed, but we have no records, and cannot state. Be satisfied with 150. IG. Alnnit the P«?;.s7<.— Does apure White crested Black Polish get white feathers through the body when it gets to be two or three years old? The color should be black, with no white through the body: but it often hap- pens that aged birds show white feathers, as the tendency is to grow lighter with age. IT. Good Wh iten-as7i.— Please, state how to mix a good whitewash? Use I lb. flour paste, and one-fourth lb. glue to four gallons skim milk, then slake lime with it. IS. Leghorn Coinb.s.—How many points must any variety of Leghorn hens have on their combs, provided there are no side sprigs, or is it immaterial? Five or six — five preferred, for White Leghorns. We presume the same for the Browns, but the standard does not specify number. 44 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 10. V'Jiitr 31 hiorrns. —WiW you please give the origin of the Wliite Miuorcas? They are of Spanish origin, coming first from the island of Minorca, from which they derive the name. 20. lioJtoti O/'fjys.— Will you please say if there is sucli a fowl as Bolton Grays. The old Bolton Grays have now become the Silver Penciled and Silver Spangled Hamburgs. 21. Fatteninr/ C'orh-crelft.—'H.ow do you fatten cockerels from late hatch, Plymouth Roc It, I have a lot of them. Feed on plenty of corn, with soft food three times a day. 22. A Good r'i'OAS.— What do you think of crossing Plymouth Rock ^\ith Game, and are the}' as good as the i)iu-e bred Plymouth Rocks? The cross of Indian Game and Plymouth Rock will produce a grand table fowl, and cannot be surpassed. 23. The StfuxJa rd.— What is the book called the "Standard y" It is a volume prepared by a society of poultry men known as "The American Poultry Association." Its title is " T/ie Americati .Standard of Perfection.'''' It is not a treatise on poultry culture, but merely describes, point by point, each recognized variety of fowls. 24, Jionc. - 1 am a new beginner and want to ask if burnt bone is as good as raw bone? No. Burning the bone changes an animal food into a species of lime. Burnt bone is good, but a great part of the virtue has been destroyed in the burning, especial- ly the animal matter. 2.'>. Er/g Sftells for Fouds.—Ave egg shells good for fowls in winter? Yes, egg shells are excellent for fowls at any time, but should be smashed fine so as to be readily eaten. Otherwise they may teach the fowls to eat their eggs. All of the shells of the eggs eaten in our fainily are crushed fine and mixed into the mash for the fowls' morning feed. As some of the albu- men clings to the inside of the shells, it would be wasted if the shells were burned or thrown upon the manure heap ; by my method this albumen, as well as the shell material of the shells, goes back to the fowl's system to help make more eggs and shells. 20. JEathif/ I'liinj'Jiiii Seeds. — How do you account for fowls eating pumpkin seeds, getting giddy or drunk, and ultimately dying in that condition? It is not due to the seeds so much as overfeeding, the birds being fat, and sub- ject to pressure of blood on the brain, causing apoplexy. 27. Mutnber Males.— WiW one do with 25 pullets. Is good wheat at $1.0(1, cheap feed? Is clover hay cheap feed at $14 IK) a ton? How much wheat will 25 hens need at a meal? It is now claimed that one male with 30 hens is better than if with a smaller num- ber. Wheat is not cheap if we consider the nitrogenous and mineral matter, but cheap as a heat-forming food. Clover is cheap feed at that price. About a pint once a day, with clover for 25 hens. 2S. Rrcrrmetit oil Chic1,-.i.—'\\hat is the cause of the excrement of ineubafor-hatched chicks hanging on their posteriors and harden- ing there"'' Looseness of the bowels is the cause, but it isn't confined to incubator chicks. We have some hen hatched chicks slightly troubled that way. It hardens because the heat of the body dries it. It must be removed, else it will cause stoppage of the vent, and kill the chicks. The cause is variously, too sloppy food, uncooked (raw) meal-dough, a chill, etc. A remedy is to give dry food mostly, putting a /itt/e cayenne pepper in the moistened food, and scalded milk to drink. 29. liroUrrs or Ff/f/s.— Do you think there is profit in raising broilers (with hens,) or is there more money macle in selling the eggs? The egg is worth but one or two cents ; the broiler-chick, when he weighs a pound and a half, is worth twenty to fifty cents : the increase is food and labor. The dis- advantage of raising f^;-/)' broilers by hens Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 45 is that the hens will wean the chicks when they are four or five weeks old, and they may then be chilled and stunted. It is far better to have a brooder (or brooders) to put the chicks in after the hens have hatched them, then the hens can be reset. 30. Brooili/ ITcti — What is the best method of breaking up broody hens? Shut them in a pen by themselves, away from nests, two or three days. If you have a spare cock, or lively young cock- erel, put him in with them. 31. Toasted Corn.— I am feeding whole corn toasted, every other uight; will that make hens lay? Yes, provided you feed a variety of food also. Be careful, also, not to get the hens too fat. That's the great danger with corn. 33 Lni/inrj nftpf 3Ir>ulHng. —What time do hens generally begin laying after moulting? That depends upon how they have been fed previously. If fed for eggs, they will take but a short recess for moulting, some- times none at all. If the system is ex- hausted, the moult (producing a new suit of clothes) is a heavy drain upon a hen, and she may not get built up to laying vigor again before spring. 33. Stiy or JtaUe.- Isn't it cheaper and better for one lacking somewhat in room, to buy pullets at ten cents a pound for laying stock than to raise them ? No, a thousand times no! The pullets you buy at ten cents a pound haven't been fed for growth, and won't lay before spring, not to mention the swarms of lice you buy with them, which will still further handicap you. If you want pullets to lay while eggs are bringing high prices, hatch them in April, keep them growing from the first day so they will lay November ist, and then keep them laying. You can never buy that bird ! 34. Excellent Cross, — Please tell me what you think of a cross between the White Leg- horn and Light Brahma? What would be the advantages of such a cross, and should I use a Leghorn cOckerel on Brahma hens, or vice versa? The cross produces a bird larger than the Leghorn, and more active than the Brahma, the Leghorn, predominat- ing. Use the Leghorn male. The cross is an excellent one. 3.5. ChicTts fro7n A">»tff/? -Ef/f/.*.- AVill birds hatched from the small eggs be as large as those from the large ones pi-oduced by another hen? Yes, as small eggs do not mean that a hen will not lay them larger, but it is safer to breed from hens that lay large eggs uni- formly. 30 Jjitne, Gravel, Oijster Shells. — Is lime and gravel as good as oyster shells? Old plaster, broken muscle shells, and many other things are good to furnish lime material to fowls. Oyster shells are excellent, and so common and cheap, they are almost universally used. They can be obtained of dealers in poultry supplies everywhere. The price in Boston is sixty cents a hundred, and they are sold at retail as high as two cents a pound. 37. Forcitifj.— Please explain the process ot forcing as applied to raising chickens. It means simply to feed heavily and force them to grow. 38. Brown or White Leghorns. — What is the difference aside from color? Browns. Whites. TOO. 140. Weight of egg - - - 20Z 3QSg. 20Z. gag Food per day - - - - 40Z 336g. 40Z 38 Meat 6 mo. old - 31b iSoz 233g. 31b. 15 oz 223g Bone 6 mo. old - - 2lb 10 oz i4og. 2lb. 10 oz i4og, Wt. when hatched - i oz io2g. i oz 72g Gain per day; at first lO/g- g^g The Browns are said to develop faster than the Whites. In many places the Whites produce considerably more than 140 eggs per annum, and in this point the above scarcely does that variety justice, as also in the weight of the eggs. 39. Pullets for Broilers. — Would you I'e- commend me to get last year's hens, or pallets of this year, to hatch broilers, and for winter laying. Pullets (or a male) hatched not later 46 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. than April, would probably answer, but we think stock over one year old is better. 40. Ot'lgin of Leffhortis, — Where did the Leghorns couie from originally, and which is the original stock, the Whites or Browns? They came from Leghorn, Italy, and as both Browns and Whites were imported from there, between 1850 and i8jc, :t is impossible to tell which is the original stock. 41. Alfalfa.— Is &.\f&\ia a good substitute for clover as a winter food? Yes. Herd's grass is also good. Of course they are not so good as clover, but better than nothing. 42. liest Ch ick Food.— Let me know what to feed to young chicks of the breeds that feather fast, to prevent drooping of w ings ami in many instances dying. Also at what age to cut combs of cockerels of Game Bantams? The best food is bread and milk, with meat twice a week, and a variety of food. Cut the combs as soon as they show well, — when they are about three or four months old. 43. Profit in Jiantaiiis. — Do you consider fie raising of Hantams at all profitable? Are their eggs salable? Being small, the eggs are not always salable, but in proportion to cost of keep, (and size or eggs in proportion to size of fowl), they are more profitable for home use than any other breed. 44. Fine Jable Ji/rr?.— What kind of stock would result from a cross of B. B. R. Game cock and Brown Leghorn hen? The cross makes a fine table bird, and the hens grand layers. They will strong- ly resemble both parents. 45. Carbolic Acid — Is carbolic acid good in the water for chickens; if so, how much to the gallon? Carbolic acid is good for some purposes, but should not use it regularly, and then but a few drops to the gallon of water. Sulphur is good, also, in its' place, but use sparingly, as it opens the pores of the skin, and makes the birds liable to colds. 40. The liuiif/h ills. — What is the average number of eggs laid by a dunghill fowl in a year, with reasonably good care and feed? The average dunghill fowl doesn't get reasonably good care and feed, conse- quently doesn't average, probably over fifty eggs in a year. Good grades, got by crossing Brown Leghorn cock on Plym- outh Rock hens, have laid, with us, 175 eggs apiece in a year; but then, they were good stock, and fed for eggs. The average yield of eggs per fowl in the United States is a little below 100. 47 Dnnrjev of Mi.riiif/. — Would there be danger of mixing the breeds if I let B. B Game Bantams run with hens as large as P. Rocks? Most certainly. Bantam males have a great deal of gimp, and will serve the large breeds of fowls successfully. Your Bantam females would be all right and would breed true, but P. Rocks would be mixed. 48. Fit for Jiveeding. — At wdiat a,ge is a healthy Leghorn cockerel fit for breeding pur- po.ses? A Leghorn cookerel matures early, is serviceable when six months old. He 49. Three Cin.9.<:«»s.— According to utility, how should the various breeds be classified? The utility of the breeds can be divided up into three classes, as follows: First. For egg farming — Leghorns, Minorcas, Andalusians, Anconas, Spanish, etc. Second. For table birds, (roasted) — Brah- mas. Cochins, Games, etc. For broilers, crosses of lighter breeds on the above. Third. For general purposes — Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Houdans, Langshans, etc. For profit, a man can secure better re- turns by selecting according to the class in which he is interested. For instance, an egg farm would be a very slow concern run with birds from class second. Like- wise a meat supply could not be secured by class first. And where both are in- tended, and only a limited supply of each expected, class three will fill the bill. Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 47 so. Age of Fowls.— Is there any way to tell the difference in the age of a one year old hen and a two year old hen ? The hen has a more fully developed body, the legs are rougher, and some of them have spurs quite long. The older the hen the more likely the comb and wat- tles are rough or injured, while the general plumage is not as clear and bright as that of a younger hen, nor are the elder hens as active or sprightly. 51. Plafiter and 3Innnre. — Which is the best way to save poultry manure? Will it pay to buy land plaster to put under the roosts? I have board platforms under the roosts and scatter lime and dust, clean every few days and pack in barrels. Will it do to keep the barrels out of doors well covered with boards? Plaster is excellent and cheap. Omit the lime, as it causes loss of ammonia. Otherwise your method is correct. The manure should be kept dry, but the boards will answer if they do not admit moisture. 51. Golden, Wynndottes Which is right in Golden Wyandottes? I have hens yellow with black spots on, and black hens with yellow spots. The web of the feather should be black with yellow centres, but the hens vary very much in all flocks. 53. Whitetvasli, etc. — Please tell me the way to mix whitewash with kerosene oik It can be mixed in any quantity. Add a quart of kerosene to a bucket of white- wash, stirring well while adding the kero- sene. 5i. .1 Good. Tonic— WiW you give a recipe for making a good tonic? A practical poultry breeder informs the Poultry Keeper that he has repeatedly saved chicks and adult fowls, even after they were apparently beyond all hope, by administering a spoonful of a solution of what he thinks one of the best tonics known : For a chick take five drops brandy, two drops t-incture iron, and put in as much quinine as will rest on the point of a small knife blade, or we would suggest from one- half to a grain. For bowel diseases add two drops laudanum, or what is better, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of paregoric. doubling the dose for adults and lessening it for very small chicks. For colds, roup and such like, take one-half grain quinine, one grain red pepper, one of assafoetida, half grain opium, and three drops tincture of iron. One hour after give half tea- spoonful of castor oil, doubling the dose for adults. Should the chicks appear weak and droopy, with bowel discharges, put a pinch of quinine and a little tincture of iron in the drinking water. For a quick, active stimulant, when the chick is very feeble, take a drop of laudanum, a little red pepper, and two or three drops of brandy. Be careful to add a little water always, for fear of strangling the chick. 55. Cros.sitn^fo)- J^qsts.-I have Single Comb Brown Leghorn hens, and would like to cross them to improve their egg production and size. How do you think it would do to use a Silver Spangled Hamburg or Black Minorca cock? Can you name any other cross that would be better for eggs only? Crossing Brown Leghorns with either a Hamburg or Minorca cock would not increase the size, but would increase the egg production, as crossing one variety with another seems to stimulate the pro- creative organs, and thereby induce egg- laying. Probably there is no better cross possible for eggs. Of the two we should use the Black Minorca, as it is a single combed variety. 5G. JSTever Crowed. —I have two Wyan- dotte cockerels. They are over five months old and have never crowed. They are healthy vigorous birds. What i.s the matter with theur- Will they do to breed from? They are only slow in maturing, and will probably be of large size. They will crow soon enough, and can be used for breeding purposes. St. Partridge Cochins — Will you please give me a description of Partridge. Cochins What should be the color of the plumage, ear- lobes, legs, and should the leg and middle toe be covered with feathers in order to be full blood? Head red, comb single, earlobes red, neck red with black stripe down middle of feather, back same, breast black, tail black, legs yellow and feathered on out- 48 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. side to end of oilter toe — middle toe feath- ered. 58. Ei'cry Day iwj/cr*.— What breed of hens will lay every day. Some think that Brah- mas crossed with Plymouth Rocks will lay every day, and chickens come early also There is no breed of fowls that will lay every day. If one gets them to lay 200 eggs apiece in a year he does exceedingly well, and that is only an average of a lit- tle more than half an egg a day. The Leg- horns and Minorcas are the greatest lay- ers, and would be good for warm climate. Brahmas crossed by Plymouth Rocks would be good layers, greater than either of those two breeds pure-bred, but not quite equal to the Leghorns or Minorcas. 39. JBest for Capons. — What breed, or what cross, makes the best capons? In Mr. Dow's comprehensive little book on " Capons and Caponizing," we find " Any breed of cockerels can be greatly increased in weight by being caponized. The larger breeds, of course, make much larger capons than the smaller ones, but the latter are increased in weight in pro- portion to their natural size. — All things considered, the Plymouth Rock is the best breed to keep for caponizing, eggs, and everything although the Light Brahmas are about as good. A cross of the two would be better for capons alone. Some claim that the largest capons are obtained by crossing a Dorking cock on Brahma or Cochin hens. After doing this I should re-cross with a Plymouth Rock to get a full-breasted fowl with yellow skin and legs, and particularly a handsome plum- age. The matter of plumage is an im- portant one for capons for market, as much of it is allowed to remain on when dressed, and it adds greatly to the ap- pearance of the bird." 60. Corn not CJieajx'st. — Com is one cent a pound, oats a cent and a half, and wheat two cents; which shall I feed my growing chicks? Corn is the cheapest. Because corn is thirty-three per cent. cheaper than oais, and fifty per cent. cheaper than wheat, it by no means fol- lows that is the cheapest to feed, because here it must be measured by its ability to produce. One thing is certain, the ele- ments must be in the grain in order to produce the same in the animal tissues. A strictly carbonaceous food would not build up the albuminoids. Hence corn is more expensive in growing chicks than oats or wheat. It may form a portion of the daily diet, say perhaps twenty per cent , but not more, for beyond this it is not profitable. Oats whole and ground, wheat, cooked vegetables, an abundance of clover, and a small quantity of corn, should form the rations fed to growing chicks, and the quantity given must be in proportion to the needs of the creature. If a larger amount of corn or corn meal is fed, there is great danger of disturbances with the bowels. Its heating nature is apt to produce an inflamed con- dition of the lining membrane of the intestines. 61. Jilood on Eggs. — I have a hen which some time ago layed eggs that had several small clots of blood in the white. Since then she layed one of which the entire white had a bloody tinge, and a few days ago one was found to be all blood except the yolk, at least it was the color of blood. The blood clots are often caused by food, as raw meat, but in a majority of cases it is due not only to derangement of the digestive organs, but to weakness in the reproductive organs, the substance of the eggs being deposited as blood instead of the blood being converted into albumen, etc., as is the case when cows give bloody milk. 62. Crude Carbolic Acid — I wish to in- quire about carbolic acid. I suppose it can be bought in powder, in crystals and in solution. Which is the best way to buy it? How should the powder or crystals be dissolved? What proportion of water? I want to use it about the hennery. One tablespoonful of carbolic acid to a quart of slacked lime. Does this mean the acid in powder or solution? About how much should I pay for it by the pound ? It is sold in all conditions, crystallized and crude. Also as a solution. The crude F'lVE Hundred Questions and Answers. 49 acid is the kind used. The liquid is of varying strength. An ounce of the crude dissolved in a pint of water answers for ordinary purposes. A lablespoonful of a solution of carbolic acid to a quart of lime will make the carbonate of lime. The crystallized is $i.oo per pound, the liquid saturated solution) is 60 cents per pound. Crude from 20 to 40 cents. 03. Value, of Kerosene. — Give us your estimate on the value of kerosene in the poultry yard. The many uses that kerosene may be put to in the poultry yard make it an almost in- dispensable article. For painting the in- side of nest boxes for sitting hens there is nothing equal to it, as it surely kills all ver- min with which it comes in contact, and pre- vents other vermin from entering the nest until it is entirely evaporated, which, if the crude oil is used, will give the hen ample time to hatch her brood. A few drops in the drinking water occasionally has a good effect upon the general health of the flock, and for colds or roup there is nothing bet- ter if carefully applied. 64. ShippiiiQ: liroUers. — Please g^ive the best way to prepare anc4 shij) broilers to New Yorlc in winter and summery Distance 1000 miles. Simply dry pick them, removing only the feathers, pack in barrels, and send by ex- press. In summer it is best not to ship so far. iiiK " The operation of dubbing is easily per- formed. The right age is when the chiclJood start to "rcjw out. A sharp pair of shears is the best instru- ment to use; trim the comb close to the head with one clip of the shears, and one clip for each wattle, and the job is done. The operation should be performed in the evening, after the fowls have gone to roost, as then the few drops of blood drawn will dry up, and the cuts be seared over before morning. Use no hot iron, grease, or wash of any kind, and the fowls will go about their business the next day, as though noth ing had happened. OS. A Worui-Iiitch.— How oan a worm ditch be made? Dig a trench 4x6 feet, one foot deep, then brick or cement it up. Put in four inches of bedding from the horse stable, then four inches of horse manure. Scatter on top of this some fine corn meal, scraps from the table, yeast and anything that will cause rapid fermentation. Lastly sprinkle about an inch of loose dirt, and oyer all put a tight roof so as to keep out sun and rain, but open at the sides. Soon the muck flies will take possession and lay their eggs. In a few days the pit will be swarming with maggots, making a rich feast for the chicks. 60. Dyiiuf Ui, the ShelL-Why do chicks die in the shell after pipping, and just before time to come out, and why so weak after hatch- ing? Due to too much moisture and opening the egg drawer frequently. When the moisture is plentiful the admission of dry air causes rapid evaporation and chills the chick in the shell. yo. Cvossinff liroilers. In crossing sitting and non-sitting breeds, wliieh woidd you use fcir the top cross? Also, what variety would you breed for very early broilers? The non-sitting variety should be the top cross, mainly for the reason that they are smaller and lighter. We cross Single Combed Brown Leghorn cocks on Barred Plymouth Rocks. If the reverse was done there would be danger of the heavy cock breaking down the wings of the hens. It is the prevailing opinion that a White Wyan- dotte cock on Light Brahma hens will pro- duce //it- I'est broiler chicks; although 50 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. White Leghorn on White Wyandotte would probably produce more quickly maturing jjroilers. Both these crosses would produce prolific laying pullets. of male should be erect, and that of the fe- male falling over to one side. 71. To Dilute CurOolic ^Iclrf.— What will cut crude carbolic acid so it can Ijo diluted or make it into a powdei- similar to wliat is sold at the stores' What is understood by crude petroleum, and where can it be gotten? Dissolve in warm water, and use the water for slaking lime. Crude petroleum is the unrefined article, and should be ob- tained at any drug store. T'J. Dropphif/ E{/s of Single combed Brown Ijeghorns, male and female, as they should be for breeders. Comb is single; has five points. Comb 77. Cro.'i.siHf/ for Ji(/{/s. — What kind of cockerels would you }>ut willi pure blood White Leghorns and Plymouth Ro(;k hens to i)roduce the Ijest fowls for eggs? Think we should put a White Leghorn cock with the White Leghorn hens, and a Brown Leghorn with the Plymouth Rocks. The Leghorns are the greatest layers of the well-known breeds, and can hardly be made greater layers by crossing another breed upon them. The egg yield of the Plym- outh Rocks can be increased i)y crossing them with the Leghorn cocks. 78. Ifcnthcr liotituj. — How ran feathei" eating be stopjjed? Catch the first fowl with feathers missing, or rather every fowl with feathers missing, and rub a little kerosene f)n all the feathers around the bare place. The next time biddy thief tries to indulge in forljidden treats she will get a nauseous dose, and will give up the habit in disgust. 7i>. Morth WoritiN. — Are earlli worms good for clucks? I dig up the ground in their yard and they eat a good many. Also, is meat- meal good to feed them? Yes; earth worms are excellent food for chicks; give them all you can. Meat meal (beef scrap) should be fed sparingly at first, or it will cause scouring. It is a good food — and some meat should be given them. SI. I'^or One Acre. — How many hens can l>e kept on an acre of gi'ound' for liouse anil yards? Can a man make a living from them if he spends all his time and aises all the ehicl'ens he can? AVliat kinds are best to keep and how many kinds? It depends on koio kepi, but the general estimate is loo hens for each acre. We think he can. It depends on circumstances. S'J. To I'^'itten yoirls. — How shuuld fowls be kept for fattening? Fowls, to fatten well, should be contined in a small space in perfect darkness, and kept perfectly quiet. When large numbers are confined in one apartment they are apt to (juarrel, and the strong to impose on the weak. It is better, therefore, to have but few in a place. To fatten well, fowls should Five Hundred Questions and Answers. 51 he fattened as rapidly as possible. Coarse corn meal scalded or cooked, with skim milk to drink, is the best diet we know of. For the sake of variety, wheat or cracked corn and wheat may be given occasionally. Coarse sand and gravel should be supplied freely; also granulated charcoal or the same pulverized and given in their soft food. For the last few days of the process a little red pepper may be added to sharpen appetite and aid digestion. They should be fed all they will eat, but the food should not be kept constantly before them, or they will become satiated. Fourteen days will suffice to fatten fowls, even if they were very lean when put up. When they are in good con- dition ten days will sufice. S3. Spupc for Ifoii^l. — How many sijuare feet to each fowl should be allowetly The rule is to allow a house loxio feet for ten hens, which gives each hen ten square feet. In the winter a greater num- ber of fowls may be together. The space applies to the square feet on the floor of the house only. The yard should be ten times as large as the house. S4. JTatiihiirijs. — I would like to know what kind uf Haiiiliiu-g's lay the moste^Ks, the Silver SpaiiKli'. (ioliii'U Spangle, or tlie IJlack Ham- liui-jj, aiiil is there any kind of Hamburg's than tlie tlu-ee I have named'/ There is no difference. The Ilamburgs are black, white, silver-spangled, golden spangled, silver-penciled, golden- penciled. S.'i Frozen Combs. — Are heiis with frozen combs as good layers as those not injured? If the coml)S heal they are not injured as layers. It is only during the time the comb is sore that that they will not lay. SO. Jfen.'i for Sit tin (/.—What hens are best forsittersy It is an error to choose the largest hen in the flock for sitting. Those of medium size are best for the purpose, as experience shows, and among those of the same size, those which make the greatest spread of feathers. In this respect the pure-blooded .\siatics are deficient, although what they lack in spread is made up m fluffiness, that is, in depth. Here, as in other points, benefit is derived from a cross. S7. Silo. —How can a cheap silo be made? A silo is simply a strong, air-tight box, pit or hogshead — in fact, anything that will answer the purpose — and ensilage is green food, such as grass, vegetable tops, growing corn,, or any substance that will be relished by poultry. For poultry a strong barrel or hogshead will answer. The green food should not be cut until it is near maturity, or it will be largely composed of water. If cut just before ripening, the elements in- tended for the formation of seed will be arrested in the stalks, and the ensilage will be more nutritious. Pass the material through a cutter to get it into half-inch lengths. Pack it close and tight in the bar- rel, and place the head of the barrel on the ensilage. The head should be just small enough to go down in^o the barrel. On the barrel-head place stones, or any kind of weight, so that when the contents of the barrel are compressed and sink, the head of the barrel will sink with it. As the con- tents go down, add more ensilage until the barrel is full. The heavy pressure will ex- clude the air, aud the contents can be kept in an excellent state of preservation. SS. The word "iiarrcf?. "— What do we understand by the woi'd '"Barred" when used as iu Barred I'ly mouth Rocks? It means that the plumage is marked with bars of darker color on a light ground. 8U. Brittle Eyg SJicll.s.—Uy hens lay eggs with veiy brittle shells; a slight pressun- will break tliem. Can I feed anything to them to toughen the shells? Yes. Crushed oyster shells, bone meal, broken mortar, etc. 90. Cifpoiiisinr/ Defined. — Will you kind- ly explain what caponiziug is? Webster defines caponizing as " castrat- ing a fowl," and a capon as "A castrated cock; a cock chicken gelded as soon as he begins to crow, for the purpose of improv- ing his flesh for the table." 91-114. Several Queries. Why- do hens lay soft shelled 53 Five Hundred Questions and Answers. eggs? (Too fat). — Would Leghorns crossed with Dorkings make good broilers? (Yes, excellent). — Do young Langshan chicks ever have white when first hatched ? (Yes). — At what age should chicks of the large breeds be allowed to roost wiihout danger of crooked breast bone? (When about three months old). — At what age should Light Brahma pullets begin to lay? (About eight months). — Are Minorcas non- sitters? (Yes). — Should pepper be given to fowls? (Sparingly). What makes eggs sometimes look " White-livered?" (It is on account of the feed. Give some fresh meat and clover). — What is " vulture bock?" (Stiff projecting feathers at the hock joint). — .Should all eggs from the same breed of fowls be of the same color? (Not neces- sarily). — How often should in-breeding be practiced? (About once in three or four years). — Will coal ashes take the place of road dust for a bath ? (Yes). — Is unslaked lime injurious to fowls if they eat it? (No). — Will pullets begin to lay earlier if a cockerel runs with them? (No). — How many fowls is enough to be kept in a build- ing 32x22? (I'ifty, in two pens of 25 each). — What will take frost out of frozen combs and wattles? (Glycerine put on three times a week). — At what age should a Wyandotte cockerel begin to crow. (Sometimes they crow when three months old). — Do pure- bred Wyandottes ever throw single combs? (Sometimes, but rarely). — If a rose-comb Leghorn cockerel is mated to singe-comb pullet what comb would the offspring have? (Some single, some rose). — Is the odor of fresh paint injurious to fowls? (No) — What is the usual price for incubator- hatched chicks a day old? (Ten cents). — Will hens swallow without injury, large pieces of bone? (Yes, as large as a bean or larger). — How shall I keep sunflower seeds in winter? (Simply in a dry place). — Is Houdan pronounced //ozydan or //fcilan? {Hoodan). CHAPTER VII. TURKEYS, DUCKS AND GEESE. 1. Turheys. — I have a hen turkey blind in one eye. Is there any special disease to be guard- ed against or wa it the result of an accident? It may be the result of accident, or due to cold from draught of air on that side. 2. Cold in the. Head. — My turkeys ai'e all swelled iu tlie liead under the eye toward the nose, and they sneeze. Can you tell me what the trouble is, and tl«3 cure'/ It is probably a cold in the head, caused by exposure to cold storms or draughts. Mix a teaspoonful of lard with half as much of each of pure ginger, mustard and cayenne pepper. When well mixed add flour to stiffen it, so it can be rolled into slugs half as big as your little finger. One slug is a dose for a hen, and two for a turkey. 3. Bou'vl Difficult!/. — My turkeys begin to mope when about two mouths old aod have a vit)leut attack of the bowels, but uot like cholera. Are never attacked uutil full feathered. It may be due to lice, cold on the bowels, or from some kind of food eaten. 4, Ifvtts to ft J)fff?^.-Howmany turkey hens ought there be kept to breed from one male:' Twelve. 3. Affe for Sreedinff PnrjiOs<:. Staniiard J'tirirfics. — How many varieties does the '•Standard" recOKTiizeV Six breeds. The l^ronze, White, Black, I'uff, Slate and Naragansett. Hi. Jif.^t «.v Jfivvf/M'.s.— At what age should breeders be .sek^eted? Do not breed from a yearling gobbler if it can be avoided. Hens should be two years old. 17. Wi-ifilit of lironr^<'n,—\\\YAl sliould J^ronze turkeys weigh? Males at six months of age weigh from 1 8 to 22 pounds. Females H) to 14 pounds. Mature males 30 to 40 pounds; females 18 to 22 pounds. IH. Whitf 7/o//(f»ronze. They are a good market l)reed. 10. Mittiu!/.— When should turkeys be mated? Not lat-er than the iniddle of January. yO. Nmnber for S^-ttiuf/.— How many eggs shoukl be jtUiced under a turkey hen? A good-sized bird will cover 20 eggs. 21. Hoir Oftfu to feed Turku.— \lo\i often shouki young turkeys be fed? As often as five or six times a day un- til three months old. After that two meals a day; give cracked corn, wheat, oats, but no whole corn until cold weather. 22. Trentnieiif of CliiUeil Tinhs — How may turks ehiUed Ijy rain be warmed? Put them in' warm water all but their heads until warmed, then wrap them up and dry them thoroughly l)y the fire. GEESE. I. Oeese as Jjtn/er.'i. — Wliicli kind iii'e the mt)st prolific layers? How many eggs will one lay the first year? How many the second? At what age will they lay the most, and how many will they lay that year? We do not believe there is much differ- ence in the laying qualities of the several breeds. Twenty eggs are a fair average the first year after maturity; but after that it may reach forty, as age makes but little difference after the second year. 2. For Feathers and 3f. To tell t/ii- Si:v.-Ra\Y cun I tell the sex of geese? The femal,e has a coarse voice, while that of the male is fine. The male is heavier on the neck, and more masculine in appearance. lO. M/Hti to Set Geiuse.—What is the proper time for setting geese? Geese should always be set as early as possible; the earlier the better. If they are out in May it saves trouble and ex- pense; it also insures succes. Both geese and turkeys have often second hatches, which make good table birds, but they are not good for breeders. It may be laid down as a rule — table birds may l)e hatch- ' cd at any time, but breeders should be those which are hatched early and have everything in their favor. //. Wlien to I'ick (ri->'.sc. — How many times a. year can geese be picked, andliovv many will yield a pound of feathers at a picking? Oeese can be plucked when the feathers are ripe, that is, when there is no blood in them. This can be told by examination only. If a plucked feather shows blood the feathers are green and must be left awhile longer. The number of times of l)lucking depend upon the condition and feeding of the flock. If well cared for they can be plucked three, and sometimes four, times a year. A pair of Toulouse geese are credited with yielding a pound of feathers, worth two dollars, in a year. /v. torn heat. If the laying stock have access to river will they do b(;'tter, the eggs lie more fertile, and ducklings stronger, than if they are yarded, with only water to drink? Top heat is better. The ducks will thrive better on the water but it will be more difficult to secure the eggs. a. Cholera. lioujt uu««7.:.s. - Are turnip- good for ducks? Grow a crop of turnips for ducks, i you intend to raise a large number. On the large establishments, where hundreds of ducks, are raised, a principal food for them is cooked turnips, with a small pro portion of ground grain. No crop cat be grown to better advantage than tur nips, and in no way can turnips be growi so profitably as to feed them to ducks 17. I'ekin Duclc.s us Daycr.s. — ArePekin good layers? The Pekins will often begin to la; when they are six months old, but for nex: year the layers should be from duckling; hatched in April, or the old ducks shoult' be retained. It is better to use ok' females with young drakes, if fertile egg; are desired early in the season next year Pekins grow very fast and mature early. When they begin to lay, they produce a large number of eggs before they cease. ^ IS. J'^ood for Diicklinff.'i. -What is tht best food for youug Pekin (hickliugs when first hatched? When they are very young is it best for them to have water to swim in, or oulj enough to drink ? * Feed the same as to little chicks. Feed nothing for twenty-four hours, then bread crumbs moistened with milk (or water), corn bread soaked in milk (but squeezed nearly dry) is excellent, also corn meal pudding. Keep the feed dishes clean and sweet by removing all uneaten food ten minutes after they have been fed ; othet- wise it will sour and then — good-bye duck- lings. Ducklings require a great Seal of green food, and grit should be supplied them. Give them water to drink, only. The most successful duck-raisers never let their ducks swim. l!>. Cai/tigas.— Describe the C&yug& duck? The weight of Cayuga ducks is from six to eight pounds when in prime condition. Good judges pronounce their flesh savory and sweet and equal to the other large varieties in this respect. The plumage of the drake is rich and glossy when exposed to the sun, bringing out the metallic lustre of green, with a blending of purple, on the back and wings. The head is small and slender; eyes dark hazel; bill black, or dark color; back U>ng and broad; breast full and deep; body long, round and plump; wings long; tail feathers hard and stiff, With the characteristic curl belong- ing to all of the Mallard species; shanks black or dark^ slate black preferred. wr uwiMijKtbb 002 866821