PRICE ONE DOLLAR Western Poultry Book by MRS. A. BASLEY TELLS YOU WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT THE CHICKEN BUSINESS FROM FIRST TO LAST WITH Questions and Answers Relative to Up - to - date Poultry Culture Published by MRS. A. BASLEY Los Angeles, California THIRD EDITION PRICE ONE DOLLAR The Segnogram Press Los Angeles 1912 INTRODUCTION In the hope of helping beginners and others of my friends in the poultry business, and in response to urgent requests for a book on poultry culture from my pen, I wrote a small volume three years ago. The whole edition was sold in a year, and on account of the interest taken in it and the demand for some- thing more, a second edition was issued. This edition is now exhausted and a third edition is now offered, with additional chapters and up-to-date in- formation on breeding, tireless brooders, and other new features in the poultry industry. The book is a synopsis of many chapters of my "Woman's Work in the Poultry Yard" and other talks on poultry, and embodies the personal, practical experiences I have been through myself in many years of pleasant work in the poultry yard. Its object is not necessarily to urge anyone into the business, but to encourage and help beginners and especially newcomers, not back East but on the great Pacific Coast and in the Western States, where conditions differ materially from those in the East and where there is an increasingly large demand for both poultry and eggs ; where the poultry business is about as profitable as any that can be undertaken and a good living may be made in the pure air and sunshine by any industrious man or woman. Having for many years been lecturer at the Farmers' Institutes in the Extension Courses of the University of California, for four years instructor in poultry husbandry at the poultry school of the University of California, and having been editor or associate editor of four agricultural magazines and sev- eral other newspapers on the Pacific Coast, many questions have during this time been propounded to me relating to the poultry business, its difficulties, the troubles of poultry raisers and the ailments of fowls. Some of these questions will be found in this book with the answers to them, also remedies for the dis- eases or ills of fowls in this climate. Hoping and feeling sure that my little book, which is the only book deal- ing with the climatic and other conditions "Out West," may prove a help to all its readers, I am, Very cordially your friend, gCI.A319559 SEP 4 White Winner Orpington Hen. at Los Angeles. Phone 54451. Utility Fancy HI • White Wyandottes US K1HS White Orpingtons Eight years of breeding showing, and winning at Los Angeles and other big shows in California prove the high qual- ity of my stock. Careful attention given to the utility qualities and vigor of my birds. Prices of eggs for hatching : Utility matings $3.00 per 15 eggs Special matings 5.00 per 15 eggs Extra special matings 10.00 per 15 eggs K '»- ^Arthur W.JHuskins 713 Waterloo St. Los Angeles, Cal. THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN A Poultry Magazine Worthy of the Name. Valuable to the Fancier And to the Utility Man. Up-to-date — interesting — And decidedly worth while, Not only to the man with poultry But to the Stockman, the Small Farmer, Fruit and berry raiser, The maker of the home garden And the housewife. It grows in favor with every issue — write for sample copy". THE RURAL CALIFORNIAN 115 N. Broadway, Los Angeles. r, CAMPINE Silver and Golden THE BUSINESS BIRD EVERLASTING LAYERS THE COMING THE FOWL ON PACIFIC COAST STOCK AND EGGS IN SEASON. WRITE WANTS N. E. LUCE 748 Ottawa Street Los Angeles QUALITY White Plymouth Rocks A SPECIALTY The GRANDEST UTILITY and FANCY Breed on record today. They are the Big Winter Layers, quick growing, and make the finest Broilers of any breed known. E. S. LAWYER Yards : Alhambra, Cal. Office: 519 Germain Bldg. Los Angeles, Cal. "Big Ben" First Cockerel, Watsonville, Cal State Show, Oct. 1911. L. M. GRIDEFVS "BIRDLAND" (Trade-Mark) Importer and dealer in Song and Fancy Canaries, Talking Parrots, Birds for Aviaries and Collections, Goldfish, Aquaria, Cages, Seeds, Foods, Remedies, etc., of Every description and the Best Only. Ornamental Land Water Fowl, Dogs, Squirrels, Monkeys, Etc. Come and see them. No admission fee. 130 1-11 Central Avenue. Phone Main 3451. Our City Store: 216 Mercantile Place. Tel. Main 2169. Los Angeles, Cal, Mrs. A. Basley Copyright 1912 by Mrs. A. Basley TABLE OF CONTENTS Common Sense Poultry Houses 9 What Variety to Choose 18 Eggs for Breeding 27 Eggs for Market = 30 Sprouting Oats 34 Feeding Problem 35 Sample Rations 43 Feeding Alfalfa 47 Breeding-in-line 49 When to Hatch 56 Fertile Eggs 60 Testing Eggs for Incubation '. 62 Natural Incubation 65 Artificial Incubation 70 Care nf Brooder Chicks 75 Firfeicrfs Brooder 80 White Diarrhoea in Brooder Chicks 82 Vigor : 84 One-Day-Old Chick Trade 88 Broiler Ranches 93 Summer Work 90 Trap-Nest 94 Grit and Gizzard • 98 Pests of Poultry Yard 101 Diseases of Poultry (Roup) : 104 Town Lot Fowls : 108 Moulting Season Ill Value of Economy 1 1 5 Preserving Eggs 119 Capons ., 122 Turkeys and How to Raise Them 126 Ducks and Their Varieties 139 Geese 149 Pheasants ■ 152 Guinea Fowl 153 Canaries 155 Basley Formulas 159 Questions and Answers 161 Cause and Cure of Sickness 162 Lice, Mites, Ticks and Worms 180 Feeding in General 185 Egg Question 191 Hatching with Incubator and Hen 194 Yard Room 199 Mating and Breeding 200 Miscellaneous Questions 201 Turkey Questions 206 About Ducks and Geese 21 1 CLASSIFIED INDEX A Acute Indigestion 169 Age for Mating 200 Air Puff -•- 162 Airing Eggs in Incubator 194 Alfalfa for Food - 47 American Class 19 Analysis of Hen and Egg — 32 Analysis of Beans 44-45 Animal Food - - 186 Analysis of Foods and Grains -—36-37 Apoplexy 162 Artificial Incubation 70-74 Asiatic and English Classes - 21 Aylesbury Ducks -- 140 B Bad Meat 186 Balanced Ration 36-110 Bald Head 163 Basley Formulas 159-160 Beans, Feeding 43 Bedbugs 101 Beef Scrap - 186 Beet Tops 186 Blind Chicks 163 Blood Meal 186 Blood Spots in Eggs 192 Breeds and Classes - - 18 Breeding-in-line, etc. - 49-2C0 Breeding Chart I. K. Felch 53 Breeding Chart Mrs. F. Metcalf 55 Breeding Ducks — 147 Breathing Difficulty 168 Broiler Ranches 93 Broilers, Ration for - 39 Broken Glass and China for Grit -189 Brooders, Painting 202 Brooders, Fireless 80-199-204 Brooder Chicks, Care of 75-198 Broken-Down Hens - 205 Bronchitis 107-162 Buff Orpington Ducks 143 Bumble-foot 162 Burglar Alarm - - 200 c Canaries 155-158 Cancer - - - 163 Canker 105-106-163 Cannibalism -164 Capons 122-201 Capons as Mothers 124 Catarrh 104-165 Cat and Hawk Proof Coop 151 Caponizing 122 Castor Bean Bushes 201 Charts for Breeding 53-55 Chicks Dead in Shell 194 Chicken Pox :... 164 Choosing Eggs for Hatching - 29 Colony Houses — - - 9-16 Comb, Discolored 165 Comb, White - 165 Common Sense Poultry Houses 9-17 Composition of Hen and Egg 32 Congestion of Liver - 171 Cold in the Head 104-164 Corns on Feet 162 Cough and Sneeze - 165 Crippled Chicks 194 Crop Bound 166 Crop Pendulous — - 174 Crude Oil 202 D Diarrhoea 82 Different Breeds 18 Dipping for Lice ----- 180-204 Diphtheritic Roup 105-167 Diseases of Poultry 104-162 Douglas Mixture : 159 Dropsy - 179 Dry Feed System 36 Dry Hopper Method 92-187 Dry Mash 187 Depluming Mites - 182 Ducks ----- - - 24-139-210 Duck Eggs versus Hen Eg?s 210 Ducks Need Grit - 98-145 Ducks, Died in the Shell 212 Ducks, Feeding for Eggs 211 Ducks, Weight - - 211 Ducks, Incubator - 210 Ducks, Indigestion r -210 Ducks, Muscovy 25-143-145 Ducks, to. Secure Fertility 210 Ducks, Rations for 145-210-211 E Economy in Different Ways 115 Egg, Analysis of — -"■ — - 32 Egg Bound - - 191 Egg, Eating, Hens - 193 Eggs, Testing 62-73 Eggs for Breeding - 27 Eggs for Hatching 29-191-196 Eggs for Market, How to Get 30-193 Eggs, Thin Shell 192-203 Eggs, 200 a Year 30 Exercise 31-187 Eyes, Swollen and Water 178 F Fattening Fowls 41 Fatty Degeneration of Liver 167 Feather Pulling 168 Feeding Chicks 38-39 Fattening Turkeys 137 Feeding Beans - 43 Feeding Problem 33 Feeding for Fertility 28 Feeding for Color 114 Feeding During Moult* — ----- -112 Feeding Ducks 144-146-211 Feeding in General 185 Feeding for Market — - - 38 Feeding, for Young and Old 187 Feeding, What and How 187-189 Feeding Turkeys , 128 Fertile Eggs - 60 Fleas ----- 101-181 Flea Powder, Cheap 102 Formula for Chick Feed - 105-150 Formula, Laying Hen Food 109-159 Formulas, Basley, Tested 159 Formula, Government, Lice 103 Formula, Govt. Spray or Paint 103 Feeding System - 185 From Far-Away Alaska -202 Fooling the Hen - 195 Food, Good and Bad for Ducks 210 Food Elements - - 35 Formulas, Feeding, etc. 205 French, Hamburg, Polish Classes 22 G Game Class - 23 Geese, Varieties - 25-150-212 Grain, How Much to Feed 189 Green Food -- 189-190 Grit and Gizzard 98 Grit, Starved for Lack of - 99 Geese, Hatching and Feeding 149-212 Geese, Toulouse 149 Guinea Fowls - 153 H Hatch, When to - 56 Hatching, Poor Hatches 194 Hatching and Brooding Ducks 144 Hatching Turkey Eggs 209 Hatching Ducks - - 144 Head Lice 181 Heart Trouble - 168 Helping the Hatch 195 Hemorrhage of the Oviduct 168 Hens, Rations for a Dozen 40 Hen-Pecked Husbands 202 Heredity 30 Hopper Feeding 38-92-187 Houses — - - —9-17 Houses, on Town Lot 1C9 How Many on Two Acres, on Five— .199 How to Make Nests - 65 How Much to Feed —189 How Long Before Laying - 203 I Incubation, Artificial 70-74 Incubation With Hens —65-197 Incubators, to Disinfect 83 Incubators, Trouble With 197-198 Incubation, Testing Eggs for 62 Incubator Chicks Dying - 196 Indigestion 196 Indigestion and Liver Complaint 168 Instrument for Testing Eggs 2C6 Indian Runner Ducks — - 142 Infertility 194 Inflammation of Crop - 169 Inflammation of Liver - 171 Insecticide - 103-182 Insects - - 101 K Kaffir Corn - .". 191 Keeping Eggs for Setting - - 29 Kerosene Emulsion — 102-159 Lack of Oxygen - - 194 Lame Hen 162 Largest White Eggs — — - 193 Layers - - - — 205 Laying Hens, Ration for — - 39 Leg Weakness - — 169 Lice - —102-103-180-181 Lice Eggs on Hens Feather 103 Limber Neck —170 Lime for Preserving Eggs - 121 Liver Disease .- -170-171 Liver Complaint in Turkeys-— v — 209 Liver Enlarged - 167 Liver Trouble or Poison 170 Location of Incubator 71 M Male Bird 28-205 Manure 204 Marking Chicks - - 68 Market Eggs ----- - 30 Market, Feeding for ----- 41-42 Mash Svstem ..........36-187 Mating 29 Mating and Breeding — 200 Meat, Bad - - - 186 Mediterranean Class 20 Millet Seed -' - 190 Mites - - 101-182 Mixing Foods -- 188 More About Turkeys 134 Moult - - —..Ill Mushroom Houses - - 12 Muscovy Ducks 143-148 Mildew Poison - 174 Methods of Feeding — - 36 N Naked Chicks - - 171 Natural Incubation —-65-197 Nests for Setting — 65 O Oats Sprouting - - 32 One-Day-Old Chicks - 88 Orpington Breeds - 22 Ovarian Tumor 171 Over Fat Hens - 172 Oriental Class 24 P Packing Eggs for Hatching 206 Painting Houses 26 Painting Brooders 202 Pekin Ducks - 141 Pendulous Crop 172 Pests of a Poultry Yard 101 Pheasants 152 Poison 173-174 Polish Class 22 Protecting Chicks 92 Proper Range 82 Preserving Eggs 119 Pip - 174 Pneumonia 175 Ptomaine Poison 173 Pullets Dying 167 Pulling Feathers 168 Q Questions and Answers 161 R Range - 82 Rations 38-39-187 Rations of Successful Breeders 40 Rations for One Hundred Hens 41 Records, Keeping 66 Rheumatism 175 Rheumatism of Feet 175 Roasters, Breeds for 26 Roosting, Teaching - 92 Rouen Ducks 142 Roup 104-175-177 Roup Remedies 105-106 Roupy Catarrh 104 S Sand Fleas 181 Scaley Legs 177 Scratching Pens 31-187 Selection of Breed 18-26 Setting Hens 66 Shipping Turkeys 209 Shipping Young Chicks - 201 Sickness, Cause and Cure 162 Skim Milk 190 Sneeze — - - - - 165 Soft Shelled Eggs 203 Sick Chicks - 166 Sore Eyes — — —178 vSpoiled Food 117 Spray for Houses 103-185 Spurs, to Remove 171-203 Stuck Up Behind 83 Stick Tight Fleas 181 Sudden Death 193 Summer Work 90 Swelled Head - 178 Swelled Eyes 178 Symptoms of Grit? Craving 90 T Tapeworm in Turkey 209 Teaching Chicks to Roost - 92 Technical Names - 202 Testing Eggs, for Incubator 62-63 Thermometer 63-195 Testing Out Infertile Eggs - ■- 206 Ticks 102-182 Toe Eating 178 Tomatoes 187-206 Town Lot Fowls 108 Trap- Nest _ 94 Tuberculosis 179 Tumor and Dropsy 179 Turkey Questions -—206 Turkeys - 26-126-204-206-208 How to Raise 126 How Many Toms - 209 Lame 206 Keep Separate 207 Over-fed Little Ones - - 129 Keep Liver Healthy 131 Chicken Pox 206-208 Greed Food, Lack of 208 Blackhead Disease 134 Liver Complaint - 135-209 Turkey Sick, Gobbler - 208 Turning Eggs - 72 V Value of Economy 115 Varieties of Ducks - 24-139 Vigor Necessary 84 Vent Gleet 179 W Warts on Comb and Eyes 164 Water Glass 119 Weights of Ducks 211 White Comb 165-179 White Diarrhoea 82 Whitewash for Houses 16 Wind in Crop - 180 Worms - 167-183-184-185 Y Yard, Plan of 109 Yard Room 199-200 Mrs. Basi.ev's Continuous Fresh Air House and Scratching Shed. PART I. COMMON SENSE POULTRY HOUSES The poultry business is one of the most fascinating as well as the most profitable, considering the amount of capital invested, in the -West.' The conditions here, however, differ so greatly to those in the East and other localities, that the ways of treating the fowls must also be different. The needs of fowls do not vary; the re- sources of the places do, and the success of the poultry raiser greatly depends upon adapting the conditions of the locality to the need of the fowls. Nothing is more important than the proper housing of chickens. The style of house a man builds for his birds will depend upon his means and inclinations. It is not always the most expensive house that gives the most eggs. In planning poultry houses and yards, two or three principles should be firmly held in mind : First, the house must have a liberal supply of oxygen, which can only be supplied by perfect ventilation ; secondly, it must be free from draughts and be dry, and, thirdly, be easily accessible to the at- tendant, not only for cleaning and spraying, but to enable one to handle the fowls when on the perches. It should also be large enough to avoid crowding of the fowls. The laying hens should be kept in yards in permanent houses, easy of access, whilst the young and growing fowls will do best on free range with movable houses, called sometimes colony houses. These give the best results. After many years of experience here, the writer has found that there are two classes of houses admirably adapted to the needs of the fowls and to this climate. These are called the open front or the "fresh air" house and the "mushroom" house. What is meant by an open front house, is a house enclosed on three sides and roof, with one side open to the fresh air. This style house can be con- structed as a separate and movable house or as a continuous and 10 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK W. G. Suit's Double Open-front Houses and Scratching Shed, Bandini Ranch. scratching shed house. A plain open front house without a scratch- ing shed attached, is used in many places as a colony house where fowls have free range or where they are kept in an orchard. The "mushroom" house is built tight on four sides and roof, without any floor, and is raised from the ground about twelve inches. Cuts of both of these styles of houses will serve to show their construction. A "fresh air" house that proved excellent and which I used for years on my ranch, was one hundred and twenty feet long and ten feet wide. It was divided into six houses with scratching pens. I also had another which suited me well. It was eight feet wide and a hundred feet long; besides that, I had twenty colony houses for the young and growing stock, and two brooder houses. The continuous house and scratching shed of which I give a photograph and part of ground plan were built of flooring, tongued and grooved. The other house was of boards, battened, and the colony houses of resawed redwood or of shakes. Some were of rubberoid or building paper. Many of the artistic looking house plans which may be found in poultry books were planned by men who never owned a chicken, and if built in this, or in any other climate, would be highly unsatis- factory. The plans here described have all been used either by myself or by successful poultry raisers. I have seen them all and can assuredly recommend them for -use on the Pacific Coast. COMMON SENSE POULTRY HOUSES 11 Continuous House and Scratching Shed. The houses I am describing are of the inexpensive kind, for so great is the variety of plans of houses designed for fowls that it would be impossible to mention them all in a short article. We will, E S ^ w «: h * 32 FT. Ool «* * 3 < z PQ < • w « £ % ° ■ 2 « W £ £ 5 g w ffi °, « u ^ < Q W pH o a o| < fin -S « .M .-.£0 CD "2 OK "'? S b 5 o < 12 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK therefore, consider only a few of the cheapest and most satisfactory small houses adapted to this climate. The first requisite in the house is pure air. To secure this the ventilation must be at the bottom. Some people think that the bad air ascends, but this has been proved a mistake — the foul gases descend ; the pure air and the warm air are lighter, and they rise and we want to keep them in, but if we have an opening for ven- tilation at the top or near the top of the house, we lose the warmth. A loss of warmth at night in the winter means a loss of eggs, or more food is needed to supply this loss. The ventilation should either be at the bottom, or one entire side of the house should be left open. j"lV5>fROOM M.OV3C V3£t> IN" CALIFORMav A Variety of Houses The accompanying rough little cut of a "mushroom" house will give some idea of the bottom ventilation. Houses like this were used by a successful poultryman. He made a light frame five feet square and five feet high. This he covered with canvas and the roof he made of rubberoid roofing. He left a space below of ten or twelve inches. These "mushroom" houses were tipped over every day to be sunned or cleaned. I improved upon his plan by making a door of one whole side, for I wanted to be able to handle my fowls at night without tipping the house over. Perches should be placed about twelve inches above the open space, and in case of heavy breeds, a small ladder or run board should be placed for them to reach the perches easily when going to roost. The advantages of such a house are its lightness and the free circulation of air without draughts on the fowls. These houses can be covered with matched lumber, shakes, canvas, burlap, rubberoid, or even common domestic muslin, which may be oiled or painted with crude petroleum. The open front house is admirably adapted to California climate. It is now meeting with favor even in the rigorous climate of the East, where poultry raisers begin to realize the value of fresh air without draughts, if they want to have vigorous hens that will lay COMMON SENSE POULTRY HOUSES 16 x 4-9 in. 13 4 -ft. Goodacre's "Make-sure" Coop. eggs in the winter time. I have been using the open front houses of various sizes for over twelve years, and can assert that they are the only kind I ever want to use. Another style open front house that I have seen and like very much is fifteen feet by eleven feet six inches, and is seven feet high at the back and four feet at the open front. It is constructed of rubberoid or malthoid and is almost vermin proof. It is divided in the middle by chicken wire, so form- ing either one house or two as required. The roof is first covered - ■ <*■•»-. i. Goodacre's Colony Coop, 14 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK with two-inch chicken wire to support the rubberoid. At the bot- tom of the walls, next to the ground, it is boarded up for about two feet all the way round; this is to keep in the straw, for all the floor space of the house is used as a scratching" pen. The sides and back above these boards are made of panels of rubberoid, nailed to light frames without the chicken wire. These panels are taken down on all fine days to sun and air the house. The panels are kept in place by large wooden buttons. The front is entirely open or only closed by chicken wire, except when it rains, then a burlap curtain is let down. The perches are near the back of the house, about six inches above the dropping boards. The dropping boards are made of the rubberoid on frames. They are four feet wide and are placed on cleats two feet from the floor. This is a double house and each side will hold from twelve to twenty hens. The above description is of the Hoffman house. /SIT. Hoffman's Combination Open-front House and Scratching Pen A cheap and substantial house can be made of two piano boxes. The simplest way to make such a house is as follows : Removing the backs of the piano cases, place the cases back to back thirty inches apart, on light sills. Use the boards which were the backs to fill up the thirty inches on the sides and roof; cover the roof with rubberoid or with oilcloth, and you have a comfortable house, that will hold about a dozen or twenty hens, at a small cost. The front of the piano box house should either be hinged so it can always be kept open, except during the rain, or it may be entirely dispensed with and a burlap curtain used to keep out the rain. The cost of this piano box house is about three dollars. Inexpensive Colony Houses An inexpensive colony house is pictured below. This house is of resawed redwood, four by six feet. It is light and easily moved. COMMON SENSE POULTRY HOUSES IS The front is" on hinges and it is always kept open except during rain, and when it is closed it only comes down six inches below the perches, leaving an open space of about fifteen inches across the entire front. Open-front Colony House Without Scratching Shed. Still another style of colony house and one well adapted for use in an orchard or in the colony plan has been in use for some years on a large poultry ranch in California. The house is eight by ten feet and two feet to the eaves ; all the framework, including the runners, is of two by three-inch stuff, and the walls and ends are of one by twelve-inch boards, shiplapped so as to avoid using bat- tens. The rafters are five feet four inches long, and three pairs are used ; a one by six inch strip is run all around the outside of the roof to form the eaves and also to make it tight ; eight pieces of one by four are used for sheathing, and the sawed shakes are close, so that there is no draught from that source ; the only opening is from the front, which is open at all times. The houses do not require cleaning, for they are on runners, and are slid along about fifteen feet each time. Thus they are on fresh ground and much cleaner than one could do it in any other manner. Goodacre's "Make-sure" Coop in Action. 16 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK The Two-Story House Among the hen houses, or chicken coops, as some people prefer to call them, that are being- used very satisfactorily west of the Rockies, must be mentioned the two-story houses. These are especially adapted to the "intensive" method of poultry culture, and for limited space. In conclusion, to quote Mr. Harker, "If every poultry keeper on the Pacific Coast would make his roosting nouses absolutely draught proof on three sides, yet leaving the front entirely open so that the fowls have an abundance of pure air, yet not to be exposed to a draught, the manufacturers of roup remedies would have to go out of business, for this disease would then be com- paratively unknown from Seattle to San Diego." jjl | f^«.. | _j | TiTI I I T* Jhed Foost.s £ Wire, W. G. Suits' Ground Plan of Double Houses, Bandini Ranch, Riverside, Cal. Painting the Houses For painting the houses I have found nothing better than the crude petroleum. I add to it for all my houses, red Venetian paint, mixed with a little kerosene or distillate oil to thin it. This colors them a handsome chocolate. Creosote stain of a dark green is also a very good color, harmonizing well with the landscape, and both of these are preventive of mites and keep their color well for several years. A good whitewash also is quite suitable. A cheap green stain is made of six pounds of yellow ochre mixed with one gallon of kerosene, adding lamp black until it is of the de- sired shade of green. I think that mixing the yellow ochre with the crude petroleum which you can get at the oil wells, without us- ing the lampblack, would make a very desirable green, but I have not tried it. Another good green can be made by mixing chrome green (dry) with one gallon of linseed oil, four gallons kerosene, and one gallon of water. The color is a matter of taste after all, and I am only describing the inexpensive methods successfully used. Here is a recipe for whitewash which is unrivaled. It will stand the wear and tear of the elements for a long time. Anyone by adopting the following formula cannot help attaining success : Into a tight box or barrel put five or six gallons of hot water COMMON SENSE POULTRY HOUSES 17 in which has been dissolved four or five pounds of coarse ground salt. Into this put a pail full of the best lime obtainable. The large lumps should be broken into quite small pieces. Immediately cover the barrel and cover with a heavy weight, in order to keep it in place when the lime is slaking, for the uplifting power of the boiling mass will be surprisingly great. After a few moments uncover and stir the mixture to the bottom with a long stick, then recover and keep closed for a day or two. When fully slaked the lime should be of the consistency of thick cream. When applied to hen houses or a fence, it should be thinned with water to the consistency of common paint. If too much water is used in slaking, the lime will be drowned and as a result the wash will be thin and watery. If not enough water is used, the lime will "burn" and granulate. If properly slake"d, the mass will be smooth and free from lumps. When applying the whitewash, dip out a sufficient quantity into a pail, then stir in a handful of cement. This will cause the wash to firmly adhere to the surface to which it is applied. It will be a dazzling whiteness and will "lay on" like paint. An excellent plan when whitewash is to be used about the hen house, chicken coops, etc., is to put in a liberal quantity of crude carbolic acid. This may be a lengthy description of the simple process of mak- ing whitewash, but anyone will find the recipe first class. The old- time method of slaking lime in cold water and applying the weak solution is very unsatisfactory. One Hatcher of the Gardena Hatchery, Containing Four Thousand Eggs. There are Twenty-three or These in the Building, Making This the Largest Hatchery in Los Angeees County. WHAT VARIETY TO CHOOSE "Poultry for profit" is the slogan. We are all looking more or less for the "almighty dollar." Every week, almost every day, I am appealed to for information as to which breed is the most profit- able. I can and often do tell which breed I have found the most profitable in the twenty years I have bred, but I cannot decide for another person what his or her likes or dislikes may be, nor can I tell what poultry will suit another's location or market. That, each one must decide for himself or herself, and then get the best of 'that breed to start with. A hint as to what to start with may help some of our readers. First of all, study your market, decide whether it requires a brown or a white Qgg, and choose accordingly ; secondly, decide what you will do with the surplus chickens, although this may seeni like counting the chickens before they are hatched. Will you sell them as broilers and fryers or use them as roasters or capons? Thirdly, it is always a good plan to look ahead and choose a breed with a prospective value and demand — one of the breeds that may be rare in your neighborhood, or one of the newer breeds, such as the Orpingtons, Campines, Faverolles or Anconas. Choose a breed for which there is likely to be a large demand for eggs for hatch- ing and for breeding stock. Or else take one of the best old breeds that you know will make you money from the start. Whatever breed you decide upon, get the best of that breed, and from a re- liable breeder. Different Breeds A brief review of the different classes and breeds of domestic fowls may be of use to beginners. There are a large number of breeds in this country suitable to any branch of the business, with all colors of plumage and size. Some especially adapted to the farm, others to closer confinement, as on the city lots, and still- others — like the beautiful little bantams — adapted to lawns and front yards. WHAT VARIETY TO CHOOSE 19 The American Class The American class consists of what are called the dual-purpose fowl. That is, they are good for market as well as excellent layers, so when their day of usefulness in the egg basket is over, they can end their existence on the table. This class gives us the Barred, Buff, White, the Partridge, Silver Pencilled and Columbian Fly- mouth Rocks, the Silver, Golden, White, Buff, Silver Pencilled, Black and Columbian Wyandottes, the Single and Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds, the Buckeyes, the Black, White and Mottled MwHBg^jags*^ "^aSSm^skkr?-:-':'' . Blue Ribbon Rhode Island Red Pullet. Javas, and the American Dominique. Of the list no doubt the Barred Plymouth Rock is the best known and most popular ; it may be said to lead the American class. Next to it in popularity is the White Plymouth Rock. This breed led in numbers at a late show in Madison Square Garden in New York, which is a sure indication of its popularity. The order of the rest might be given as follows: White Wyandotte, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Wyandotte, Buff Plymouth Rock, Silver Wyandotte, Partridge Wyandotte, Golden Wyandotte, Buckeyes, American Dominique, Black Java. The standard weights of the above are as follows: All of the Plymouth Rocks, cock, 9 l / 2 pounds; cockerel, 8 pounds; hens, 7^ pounds, and pullets, 6y 2 pounds. All of the Wyandottes, cock, 8^2 pounds ; cockerel, 7y 2 pounds ; hen, 6y 2 pounds ; and pullet, 5^ pounds. The Rhode Island Reds, cock, 8y pounds; cockerel, 7 x / 2 20 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK White Wyandottes Prize Winning Pen oe A. L. Jenkins, Sebastopoe, Cal. pounds; hen, 6 J / 2 pounds; pullet, 5 pounds. Buckeyes, half a pound heavier, except pullets. The Javas are of the same weight as the Plymouth Rocks, and the American Dominiques, cock, 8 pounds ; cockerel, 7 pounds; hen, 6 pounds; pullet, 5 pounds. dm Barrred Plymouth Rock. The Mediterranean Class In the Mediterranean class we have the Single and Rose Comb WHAT VARIETY TO CHOOSE 21 Brown, Single and Rose Comb White, Black, Buff and Silver Duck- wing Leghorns; the Black and White Minorcas; the Blue Andalu- sians, the Black Spanish and Mottled Anconas. The Mediterranean class is particularly well adapted to the cli- mate of California, which greatly resembles that of their home in the old countries. In point of popularity and merit, the kinds might be classed as follows : White Leghorn, Brown Leghorn, Black Minorca, Blue Andalusian, Black Spanish, Rose Comb Brown Leghorn, Rose Comb White Leghorn, Buff Leghorn, White Minorca, Anconas, Silver Duckwing Leghorn and Black Leghorn. The Black Minorca, White Leghorn and Black Spanish give the largest sized eggs'. All of the Mediterraneans have white shelled eggs. There is no standard weight to the Leghorns. They are small birds, weighing 3 to 5 pounds. Of the Black Minorcas the cock weighs 9 pounds ; cockerel, 7y> pounds ; hen, 7 l / 2 pounds ; pullet, 6y 2 pounds. The weight of the Andalusians are, cock, 6 pounds ; cockerel, 5 pounds ; hen, 5 pounds ; pullets, 4 pounds. The Black Spanish weights are, cock, 8 pounds; cockerel, 6y 2 pounds; hens, 6y 2 pounds; pullets, Sy 2 pounds. These lay an extra large, handsome, white-shelled egg. The Blue Andalusian has the unique distinction of wearing the national colors — red, white and blue — its plumage being blue, its face and eyes red and its ear-lobes white. The Asiatic Class The Asiatic class consists of the Light and Dark Brahmas, White and Black Langshans, the Buff, Partridge, White and Black Cochins. In point of popularity, they would be about in this or- der: Light Brahmas, Black Langshans, Buff Cochins, Partridge Cochins, Dark Brahmas, White Cochins, White Langshans and Black Cochins. The standard weights are : Light Brahmas, cock 12 pounds, cockerel 10 pounds, hen 9y 2 pounds, pullet 8 pounds. Weights for Dark Brahmas are: Cock 11 pounds, cockerel 9 pounds-; hen, %y 2 pounds; pullet, 7 pounds. Buff Partridge and White Cochins: Cock, 11 pounds; cockerel, 9 pounds; hen, 8y 2 pounds; and pullet, 7 pounds; Black and White Langshans; Cock, 10 pounds; cockerel, 8 pounds; hen, 7 pounds; and pullet, 6 pounds. The eggs of all of the Asiatic class are a dark brown. The English Class The English class is composed of the White, Silver-gray and Colored Dorkings, the Red Caps and the Buff, Black, White, Span- gled and Jubilee Orpingtons in both single and rose combs. The White Dorking weighs as follows : Cock, 7y 2 pounds ; cockerel, 6)4 pounds; hen, 6 pounds; and pullet, 5 pounds; Silver-gray Dorkings, cock, 8 pounds; cockerel, 7 pounds; hen, 6y 2 pounds; and pullet, Sy 2 pounds ; Colored Dorkings, cock, 9 pounds ; cockerel, 8 pounds ; hen, 7 pounds ; and pullet, 6 pounds ; Red Caps, cock, 7y 2 pounds ; cock- erel, 6 pounds; hen, 6 pounds; and pullet, 5 pounds; Orpingtons, 22 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK White Orpington, Owned by A. W. Bessey. cock, 10 pounds; cockerel, S}4 pounds; hen, 8 pounds; and pullet, 7 pounds. The French Class The French class is composed of the Houdans, Crevecoeurs, La- Fleche and Faverolles. The Houdans weigh : Cock, 7 pounds ; cockerel, 6 pounds ; hen, 6 pounds ; and pullet, 5 pounds ; the Creve- coeurs, cock 8 pounds ; cockerel, 7 pounds ; hen, 7 pounds ; and pullet, 6 pounds. The Crevecoeurs and La Fleche are favorites in France, but are rarely found in this country, as they are not popu- lar in the market here on account of their dark colored shanks. . The Hamburg Class The Hamburg class is composed of most excellent layers, of white eggs. They are the Silver Spangled, Golden Spangled, Silver Penciled, Golden Penciled, White and Black Hamburgs, and the Silver and Golden Campines. No weights are given for the Ham- burgs and Campines. The Polish Class The Polish are more of a fancy fowl. They are the White Crested Black, Golden, Silver, White, Bearded Golden, Bearded Silver, Bearded White and Buff Laced. They lay white eggs; no weights are given in the Standard for them. WHAT VARIETY TO CHOOSE 23 Best Bird at the Show. Silver "Campine." Courtesy of N. E. Luce.. The Game Class In the Game class we have the Black Breasted Red, Brown Red, Golden Duckwing, Silver Duckwing, Red Pyle, White, Black and Birchen Games. Peacomb Buckeye Cockerel. Mrs. Frank Metcalf. 24 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Oriental Class Are the Cornish, White Dark, and White Laced Red, the Black Sumatras, Black Breasted Malays, and Malay Bantams. The weight for the Cornish is : cock, 9 pounds ; cockerel, 8 pounds ; hen, 7 pounds ; and pullet, 6 pounds. Typical Pair Bronze Turkeys. Turkeys The most popular variety of turkeys is the Bronze; then comes the White Holland, another splendid variety. Among others we have the Black, Buff, Bourbon Red, Slate Narragansett and Wild. The weights for Bronze are : cock, 36 pounds ; yearling cock, 33 pounds ; cockerel, 25 pounds ; hen, 20 pounds ; and pullet, 16 pounds ; for White Holland, cock, 26 pounds; cockerel, 18 pounds; hen, 16 pounds; pullet, 12 pounds. Ducks The Fekin is "The American Duck" with its white plumage and heavily meated body. Their weight is as follows : Adult drake, 8 pounds ; young drake, 7 pounds ; adult duck, 7 pounds ; young duck, 6 pounnds. Another white variety, very popular in England, is the Aylesbury. Weight for adult drake, 9 pounds ; }^oung drake. 8 pounds ;• adult duck, 8 pounds ; young duck, 7 pounds. The colored Rouen have similar weights and plumage to the Wild Mallard, the drakes having bright green heads. Other popular varieties are the Indian Runners, both colored and white, called the Leghorn of WHAT VARIETY TO CHOOSE 25 Goodacre's White Indian Runners. the duck family, being rather small, very active and immense layers of fine white eggs. Then there are the Buff Orpington Ducks, the Blue Swedish, Black Cayuga, Colored and White Muscovy, Call and Black East India, these latter being more ornamental varieties. Geese Perhaps the easiest kept and noisiest of all our large variety of domestic fowl are geese, and where conditions are suitable, they prove very profitable. The Toulouse, a large, gray variety, and the White Embden, seem the most popular of the pure-bred varieties, and the weights for either variety are, for adult gander, 20 pounds; young gander, 18 pounds; adult goose, 18 pounds; young Toulouse goose, 15 pounds; and Embden young goose, 16 pounds. Other varieties are the African, Brown and White Chinese, Canadian and Egyptian ; these are either used for ornamental purposes or for crossing:. Selection of Breed Knowing the values and weights of the different standard breeds, the beginner will be enabled to make his choice, and have no trouble in finding the proper selection. Supposing egg production is the principal object, the beginner will have to decide according to the demand of his nearest market. Boston requires brown eggs, San Francisco white eggs, while Los Angeles seems to be content with either. If you are living near San Francisco, one of the Mediterranean breeds will prove the most valuable to you. The Minorcas, Black Spanish and some of the strains of White Leghorns lay the largest and finest looking eggs. One correspondent who asks for justice for the Minorcas says he has Minorca hens which lay eggs weighing nearly three ounces, and there were Leghorn eggs on exhibition in a late poultry show which weighed five eggs to the pound, but these were from hens "bred to lay." The Brown Leghorns and Hamburgs give many 26 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK e gg S — white eggs also — but smaller, which is an objection in a good market. Should broilers be the object, we should choose the White Wyandottes or White Plymouth Rocks. These latter are exceptionally fine winter layers. For roasters and capons, the Light Brahmas or any of the Plymouth Rocks are the favorites. If two breeds are wanted, we should personally prefer the White Leghorns and White Plymouth Rocks. The White Plymouth Rocks will give the winter eggs and the White Leghorns the spring and summer eggs in great abundance, although they may not lay as many eggs in the winter as the White Rocks- In the early spring the White Rock eggs can be set for early broilers and roasters, while the Leghorns are doing their heaviest laying, and in April and May the Leghorn eggs can be set for the following season's eggs. In this manner there will be a constant succession of eggs for market, and broilers and roasters in season. Always having something to sell means a regular income. Something to market at least once a week. A poultry and egg route and the reputation of having none but the choicest goods to offer is the secret of success. Mercer's Champion Cornish Hen. .Note the Large Breast. The Largest Breast Meat Fowe. EGGS FOR BREEDING Having chosen the breed which suits us best, let us talk on how to get the most out of that breed, for I think we are all agreed that if we keep poultry for profit, we want to make as much as we can out of it. Therefore, having got our fowls, we must treat them right. The natural instinct of a fowl is to make a nest for itself and raise a family of its own in the spring time. It never considers its owner's profit or loss ; therefore, to make it answer our purpose, to develop it into a money-maker for us, we must either change its nature or deceive it. We must let it imagine that it is the time of year for nest making and family raising. We must supply it with the conditions of springtime. Our own lives, are artificial and the conditions surrounding our domestic hens are also artificial, but we must, if we want success, copy as far as possible Nature's ways with fowls and follow Nature's plans. Eggs for Breeding. Packed Correctly for Shipment. In the spring not only do we want egg production, but we want good, strong fertility in our eggs. We want fertile eggs now, for are we not pre-arranging to have plenty of vigorous pullets to lay those high-priced market eggs next fall? Are we not anticipating sturdy cockerels to win prizes at next winter's shows, or to make toothsome fries or delicious roasts? Fertile eggs are now in order. How shall we get them? First, we must have vigorous and healthy parent birds ; we usually have healthy birds in the 'spring of the year, for the moult is well over and the ailments which prevail in the fall — colds, catarrh and sore throats, all classed as roup — have yielded to treatment, or the vic- tims are no more. The chicken pox, which also is a fall disease, has about disappeared, and the birds are in good condition. Vigor is Necessary Vigor is the first requisite for fertile eggs. To have vigor, the hens must have exercise ; every grain they eat should be scratched 28 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK or dug out of the straw or litter in their scratching pen. A hen that is very fat — over fat — will not have fertile eggs and will not have strong, sturdy chickens. It is neither kind nor wise to over- fatten your breeding hens, but they must be fed the proper food for fertility. How can we decide- what food to feed for fertility? Let us interrogate Nature again. The wild bird, the Gallus Bankiva, from which sprung all our domestic fowls, lays her eggs and raises her young only in the spring. She only has two broods of about thirteen eggs each, but those eggs are rarely infertile. What does she eat? Principally insects and the tender green grasses or small leaves, not much grain, for the seeds have fallen and have begun to sprout and grow. During the winter Nature has supplied the birds with grains in plenty, so they have put on fat to withstand the cold ; but now there are only a few grains left and the fowls are becoming thinner, yet Nature does not starve them, only gradually changes the ration and gives them worms and larvae, insects of all kinds, for the insect life has also commenced to pulsate and develop ; the buds are bursting, too, and the tender green appears and beautiful spring is here, pro- viding all the green food they can eat. How about our captive hens? In our bare back yards, with only the ration we choose to give them? Poor things ; they have a natural craving for the tender green, a wild desire for the succulent insect or animal food ! See, how they will fight over or scramble for the meat that is thrown to them, or for the head of lettuce ! They try to tell us in their own way what they require to produce fertile eggs at this season of the year. How to Feed How shall we follow their teachings? Increase the amount of their animal food and give the breeding fowls more green food. How shall we do this? Increase gradually whatever animal food we are now feeding until from 20 to 30 per cent of their daily food is animal food. The best animal food is fresh meat of some kind ; the scraps and bones left over at the market; this ground or chopped finely is the best I know of. Rabbits, squirrels, gophers, are all good fresh meat. If fresh meat cannot be obtained, you can get at the poultry supply houses granulated milk, dried blood, blood and bone, beef scrap and other animal food. The best green food is fresh-cut clover lawn clippings, green alfalfa, lettuce, cabbage and other vegetables. The Male Bird The male bird is considered as half the pen. The germ or seed of life of the future chicken is from the male. Be sure to have the male vigorous and healthy, and see to it that he gets sufficient food of the right quality. The male bird is often so gallant that he calls up his wives and they greedily eat all the best part of the food, choosing first the meat or animal part, which is the most necessary for fertility, and the husband, the father of future chicks, on which EGGS FOR BREEDING 29 so much depends, is half starved, becomes thin and light. Every male bird when being used to fertilize eggs should be fed extra, either in a pen or corner by himself, or out of your hand at least once a day. Mating In mating up the pens I have found the most satisfactory num- ber to mate is about eight or not over ten females of the American breeds to one male. From twelve to fifteen of the Leghorns or Mediterranean birds, and from six to eight of the Asiatic class to one male. Some breeders advocate using two male birds in one pen, alternating them day about, or three male birds for two pens, allowing one bird to rest every second or third day. I never did this, because I was keeping a pedigree of my fowls, and never found any necessity for it. Caring for Fertile Eggs Having the fertility assured, the next thing is to take care of the eggs from the time they are laid until incubation begins. Eggs should be kept in a moderately cool, quiet place ; not in a draught. I always imitate Nature and turn the eggs, just as a hen would, every day, keeping them in a box either in the cellar or a large, dark, but airy, closet. Some people keep them in fillers with the little end down, but I prefer following Nature's ways and leaving them on their side. To Choose Eggs for Hatching To choose the eggs for hatching I use an egg tester or I roll up a newspaper in the shape of a telescope, putting the egg at one end in the sun and my eye at the other end. If the egg shell is speckled or thin at one end, or has thin blotches on it, or is mis- shapen in any way, or if it feels chalky to the touch, I reject that egg, relegating it to the kitchen, for these eggs will not hatch. I also reject very small eggs, as they are laid by pullets or by over-fat hens, and if they hatch, the chickens will be weaklings. The very large eggs should also be rejected, as they may have double yolks, and these seldom hatch healthy chickens. Above all, never sell for hatching eggs those as described above. The best eggs are the egg-shaped eggs, with good, firm, smooth shells and not narrow waisted. EGGS FOR MARKET The hen in her wild state lays about thirty eggs per year. The farmer's average hen lays not over one hundred. On egg farms the average is 150, and some of the fowls of the "bred to lay" strains will average even more. There are 365 days in the year, and I do not see why a pullet that is fully matured, that comes from an egg-laying strain, a pul- let properly fed and cared for, should not lay over 200 eggs per year ; in fact, I have had hens that will do even better than that. I will admit that a hen will not lay 200 eggs a year without constant and intelligent care, and the question confronting us is, will the additional number of eggs pay for this care? Also, how shall we give this care and secure these results? You hear of heredity and pedigree in cows, in horses, in dogs. Heredity is as important with hens as with any other stock. He- redity has as much to do with the success of hens as the right handling. Heredity (or pedigree) and handling must go together. The two-hundred-egg hen must be "bred to lay." She must come from an egg-producing family. No matter how scientifically a hen is fed, or how well housed, you cannot make an extra fine layer out of one whose parents for generations past have been poor layers. It is impossible to take a flock of mongrels and scrubs and get 200 eggs each a year from them, although good handling will greatly increase the yield of even mongrels. The different breeds require different handling, but no matter what breed you have, there are three essentials to egg production — comfort, exercise and proper food." Comfort Under the head of comfort comes first of all cleanliness. A hen that has lice, or fleas, or mites, or ticks on her cannot lay her full amount of eggs. You must help the hen in her efforts to make you money. Give her every encouragement to lay. Cleanliness every- where. A comfortable, enticing nest, rather dark, where she may stealthily deposit her precious egg. Renew with nice, clean straw once a month. Do everything to coax the hens to lay. If trap- nests are used, there should be enough of them so that the hens will not be kept waiting, for by keeping a hen off the nest she will frequently retain her egg until the next day, and will soon learn to be a poor layer. Cleanliness means a clean, sweet-smelling roost- ing place, where she may sleep undisturbed by lice or mites. Just think for a moment how in the human family a fresh, clean bed in a quiet room will court slumber. I have passed the night in an Arab's tent in Africa that was infested with .fleas, and my heart is full of sympathy for a hen that has to live in some of the mite- infested henneries I have seen in the West. Under the head of comfort comes freedom from draughts. A draught in this country will give human beings face ache, neuralgia, earache and a swelled face. It has exactly the same effect on hens. Influenza, swelled EGGS FOR MARKET 31 head, roup, always or almost always commence from a draught (combined with lice). Comfort means also pure, fresh air without any draught, and pure, fresh water to drink. Exercise You. know how in the human family exercise is recommended. Physical culture, gymnastics, Ralston exercises, Swedish move- ments, fencing, etc., and those who may be too feeble to exercise for themselves, pay others to rub, pound and knead or massage them to get the same effect. Exercise is as necessary for the hen as for the human being and more so, for the hen's exercise of scratching develops the egg pro- ducing organs and strengthens them, and hens which exercise lay many more eggs than lazy hens. If you have a vigorous scratcher among your hens, you may be sure she is a good layer. Exercise a hen must have to develop the egg-making organs. She absolutely must scratch if she is to make a living for herself and you. I consider a scratching pen as necessary for hens in con- finement as food. My scratching pens were twelve or fifteen feet long and eight feet wide, but in small yards I have made very satis- factory little pens by nailing four boards six feet long together, forming a square. The boards should be twelve inches wide and the pen filled with wheat straw or alfalfa hay or any good litter. I do not like barley straw on account of the beards, which some times run into the hen's eyes, nostrils, or mouth and cause death. Foxtails, burr clover and wild oats are all dangerous on this ac- count. I feed all the grain scattered over the straw and my hens scratch and dig happily all day long. The straw or hay is soon broken into short pieces and fresh straw must be added about once a week, and the whole cleaned out and used for mulching trees when the straw becomes dirty. This will depend upon the size of the pen and the number of hens using it. Proper Food What it is and how much to give. The scientists tell us that the proper food or the "balanced ration" is composed of one part of protein to four parts of carbo-hydrates. Before discussing this "balanced ration," let us interrogate Nature and find out how a hen balances her own ration. Let us take a hen as she comes in from foraging in the fields after a long day in summer. Let us kill her and examine her crop. What do we find? Grains of wheat, barley, corn, according to where her rambles have led her; bits of grass, clover and vege- tables; some bugs, worms and grasshoppers; here and there a bit of gravel and a lot of matter partially digested that we cannot recognize. The first thing that impresses us is that the hen likes variety, and the second thing that this variety consists of animal food (bugs, worms, insects), grains and green food. This is the ''balanced ration," balanced by the hen herself to suit her needs in 32 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK the summer time when eggs are plentiful. If we want eggs in the winter, we must, as far as possible, give the same conditions, the same variety of foods, with plenty of pure, fresh water, never for- getting that about seventy per cent of the egg is water. But to return to the "balanced ration." We know that a hen requires a certain amount of food to keep her alive and thriving; above that the surplus goes either to making the egg inside her or to making fat. The hen is an egg-making machine, but if you put into that ma- chine none of the elements of the egg, you cannot expect the ma- chine to turn out eggs. Therefore, the scientists analyzed the egg, and not only that, but also analyzed the body of the hen with the feathers, and discovered as follows : The very large number of different substances found in the hen may be grouped under four heads: 1, water; 2, ash or. mineral matter; 3, protein (or nitrogenous matter); 4, fat. The proportion of each of these groups alters with the condition of the hen. Water is the largest ingredient and amounts to from forty to sixty per cent of the weight of the bird. Ash or mineral matter forms from three to six per cent when the hen is not laying, and from six to ten per cent when laying. The group called protein constitutes from fifteen to thirty per cent of the weight. Fat seldom falls below six or rises above thirty per cent. The feathers are composed of protein and ash, the ash being largely silicate of potash and lime. The accompanying analysis of the hen, pullet and egg has been kindly sent to me by Professor Jaffa ; that of the egg was made by him at the University Laboratory of California. Analysis of Hen and Egg Typical Pullet in Capon, Leghorn full laying, Plymouth Eggs as Eggs, edible Hen Leghorn Rock Purchased Portion Water 56.8 57.4 41.6 65.6 73.7 Protein 21.6 21.2 19.4 11.8 13.3 Ash 3.8 3.4 3.7 .7 .8 Fat 17.8 18.0 35.3 10.8 12.2 Shell ... ... 11.1 Total 10C.O 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Composition of Hen and Egg Calculated on a Water-free Basis Protein 50.0 49.8 343 50.5 Fat 41.2 42.2 31.4 46.4 Ash 8.8 8.0 2.1 3.1 Shell ... 32.2 Total 1C0.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 It is interesting to compare the analysis of the hen and egg with some of our grains and poultry food. In all our grains are found EGGS FOR MARKET 33 more or less the elements of the egg, but they are not in the right or proper proportion for making the egg. There is usually too much of the fattening element in the grains and not enough protein or nitrogenous element, which forms the meat, muscle, bone and feather. This is the most valuable and most expensive part of the ration. In order to keep up the strength of the hen and have her produce the largest amount of eggs, it has been found that for every pound of protein in the food, she must have four pounds of carbo hydrates. This will vary slightly according to the heat of the weather and the needs of the hen. I would urge you to send a postal to the University of Cali- fornia at Berkeley, asking for the Farmer's Bulletin No. 164 on Poultry Feeding. This bulletin, by Professor Jaffa, is one of the most valuable bulletins ever published. It contains the analysis of the different grains, vegetables and meats and of most of the proprietary foods, besides formulas for the best rations. In Bulletin 140 of the Department of Agriculture there are some rules for caring for eggs for market which are good : 1. Use hens that produce not only a goodly number of eggs, but those of standard size. Such breeds are Plymouth Rocks, Wy- andottes, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, Orpingtons and Minorcas. 2. Good housing, regular feeding, and, above all, clean, dry nests. 3. Daily gathering of eggs, and when the temperature is above 80 degrees, gathering twice a day. 4. Confining all broody hens as soon as they show symptoms of broodiness. 5. Rejection of all doubtful eggs found in a nest that was not visited the previous day. 6. Placing all summer eggs when gathered in the coolest place available. 7. Prevention at all times of moisture coming in con- tact with the eggs. 8. Disposing of young cockerels before they begin to annoy the hens. 9. The using of cracked and dirty eggs at home. 10. Marketing all eggs at least once a week or oftener. 11. Keeping all eggs cool while on the way to town or in the coun- try stores. 12. Keeping all eggs away from bad odors and out of musty cellars. 13. The use of strong, clean egg cases and good fillers. SPROUTING OATS By W. S. Willis The following method of sprouting oats has been kindly sent to the author by Mr. W. S. Willis, of the celebrated Arlington Egg Ranch. Mr. Willis has found the sprouted oats a splendid addition to the hen's ration, lending variety to the daily bill of fare and in- creasing the egg* output. Three quarts of oats will make a fine morning meal for 100 hens if properly sprouted. Place the grain in a pail and let it soak for twenty-four hours ; then transfer it to a box one foot square and six inches deep, with a few small drainage holes in the bottom. Sprinkle with water daily and allow the grain to remain in the box until the sprouts are from two to three inches in length, at which time it will be ready to feed. As it takes from eight to ten days to secure the proper growth, a number of boxes or compartments should be provided for the grain, keeping each day's allowance separate, and a new lot should be started daily. For larger flocks of course it is necessary to increase the size of the boxes — a day's feed for 600 hens, for instance, requiring a sprouting space of two by three feet. In all cases care should be taken not to have the grain over two inches deep when placed in boxes, in order to guard against heat- ing and mildew. The boxes should be placed in a level position and kept covered with a board or burlap, in order to keep the grain in a moist condi- tion. In cold weather the sprouting operations should be conducted in comfortably warm quarters, and warm water may sometimes be used to advantage in sprinkling the grain. Redwood is better than pine to use in making the sprouting boxes, being less liable to swell and crack when water soaked. Should it be impossible to get oats that will grow well, barley or wheat may be substituted, but it may be found necessary to stir the barley until it begins to sprout, to prevent fermentation. THE FEEDING PROBLEM The three essentials of egg production, the three essentials of profit in poultry keeping', the three essentials for vigor and health in fowls are — comfort, exercise and proper food. Let us consider (1) the proper food, (2) the methods of feeding it, and (3) recipes for a few tried balanced rations. Practical knowledge and skill in feeding can be acquired without Ihe study of science. Feeding fowls for good results is a com- paratively simple matter. Requirements in Feeding The food which a fowl consumes has three chief functions to perform: ( 1 ) to sustain life, promote life, repair waste and produce eggs; (2) to keep the body warm ; (3) to furnish strength or energy which is expended in every movement. The fowl is also able to store food, not needed at the time it is eaten, for future use; this store is chiefly in the form of fat, which serves as a reserve supply of fuel. Food Elements To supply the three functions in the life of a fowl there are three principal food elements : Proteins, carbo-hydrates and fat ; all of these are contained in the different grains and foods used for poultry. (1) Proteids (or protein), albuminous or nitrogenous matter. Protein is the nourishing matter, the principal tissue former, sup- plying material for bone, muscle, blood, feathers, eggs. Its latent energy can also be converted into heat and energy ; but it is more costly for such purposes than the non-nitrogenous foods. (2) Carbo-hydrates, carbonaceous matter, starches and sugar. Carbo-hydrates form the bulk in nearly all foods and are the prin- cipal sources of heat and energy. (3) Fats are found in almost all foods. They furnish heat and energy in addition to the supply from the carbo-hydrates. Fat also enters larg'ely into the composition of the yolk of the egg. All three food elements are necessary. The proper combina- tion of these three is called the "balanced ration." It is, in other words, a "complete" ration, containing in proper proportions the necessary food elements to. promote (1) growth, including egg pro- duction, (2) warmth, and (3) energy or strength. The needs of a fowl's system are not always the same ; it does not always need the different elements to be in the same proportions ; the ration prop- erly balanced or suitable for a growing chick would be unbalanced (unsuitable) for the mature hen. The food to be a balanced ration must be adapted to the present needs of the fowl. Many people find it easier to keep food values in their minds when they have seen a picture than after studying over figures in a table. A glance at a couple of foods to be compared, with the proportion of ingredients blocked out plainly, as they are here, 36 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN. POULTRY BOOK makes an indelible impression on the mind. One can see in a mo- ment where one pays for water in the foodstuffs and where one does not. When it is desirable to know the exact percentage of protein or carbo-hydrate that a food contains, it is necessary to refer to the table for ease of calculation. Material Water Milk 87.20 Skim Milk 90.60 Dried Milk 12.10 Cottage Cheese 72.00 Fresh Meat 71.00 Beef Scraps 5.00 Cocoanut Oil Cake Meal 14.08 Linseed Oil Cake Meal 10.93 Cotton Seed Meal 9.85 Soy Bean Meal 9.50 Gluten Feed 7.80 Beans, dried 12.60 Peas, dried 9.50 Barley, rolled 10.05 Barley, sprouted 55.50 Oats : 11.00 Oats, rolled 7.70 Corn, Indian 10.60 Rice 12.30 Rice Bran 10.55 Rye 11.60 Wheat, plump 11.50 Wheat, shrunken 8.30 Wheat, bran 11.67 Wheat, middlings 11.73 Wheat, shorts 9.85 Mixed Feed 10.57 Broken Crackers 5.90 Cabbage 90.50 Alfalfa, green 80.00 Alfalfa, meal or hay 10.95 Pumpkins 90.90 Methods of Feeding The question of how to feed and what to feed for the best results in egg production is the most difficult problem in poultry keeping, and has for some time been engaging the attention of the various Government Experiment Stations in this and other countries. The two successful systems in use at the present time are the Mash system and the Dry Feed system. The mash system is one in which a mash is fed once or twice a day. The foundation of the mash is bran, middlings, and corn meal or chops. It is mixed wet, raw, scalded or cooked. The dry feed system is when a dry mash is fed, consisting of the same ingredients as the wet mash, but dry. Dry feeding is used by many regularly, and is becoming more popular every year. In mash feeding the errors to be avoided are : Too concentrated a mash with too much meat or fat; too light or bulky, that is, Carbo-hydrates. Starch, Ash Protein Fiber Sugar, etc. Fat .70 3.60 4.90 3.70 .70 3.30 i 5.30 .10 15.10 58.80 12.40 1.60 1.80 20.90 4.30 1.00 1.00 22.00 7.00 17.00 59.00 3.40 3.85 17.00 4.36 19.51 9.53 42.12 10.40 4.50 30.70 8.89 37.95 7.03 4.86 47.25 3.19 22.64 12.21 5.60 44.40 4.35 28.44 7.70 1.10 24.00 5.30 51.20 10.60 3.50 22.50 4.40 55.20 1.80 2.90 24.60 4.50 57.50 1.00 2.92 12.00 2.30 69.63 3.12 1.18 7.00 4.26 31.14 .75 3.00 11.80 9.50 59.70 5.00 2.00 16.00 1.30 65.00 7.00 1.50 10.30 2.20 70.40 5.00 .30 8.40 78.60 .40 6.64 14.96 4.85 50.20 12.80 1.90 10.60 1.70 72.50 1.70 1.76 11.85 2.45 70.40 2.03 2.34 17.10 3.48 66.78 3.00 5.18 14.05 8.16 57.34 3.60 . 2.85 15.22 4.88 60.85 4.47 4.24 15.20 5.05 64.48 3.32 3.57 12.00 9.66 59.98 4.21 1.90 10.00 .80 70.30 9.00 1.40 2.40 1.50 3.90 .40 1.72 4.94 4.70 7.90 .74 6.43 17.60 22.63 39.31 3.08 .50 1.30 1.70 5.20 .40 THE FEEDING PROBLEM 37 By courtesy of the University of California Experiment Station. See table on opposite page. 38 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK composed principally of bran or hay ; too wet or sloppy or sour or mouldy. Experience has shown that feeding wet mashes more than once a day has bad effects, producing indigestion in various forms. The advantages of the dry-feed system are : A saving of labor to the feeder, is lighter to handle and much easier to mix. It can be fed in the morning. The fowls are obliged to eat it slowly; they cannot swallow it in a few minutes. It will not freeze in cold weather nor become sour in hot weather, and the fowls will not over-eat with the dry feed. An Excellent Feed Hopper for Young and Old. These hoppers are made 8 feet long. The trough is 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep with a strip (or iath) half an inch wide nailed along the top of trough inside to keep the chickens from pulling out the feed. The slats are about two to three inches apart. The chief consideration in dry-feeding is that fowls require about three times as much water to drink as with the wet mash ; also unless the dry food is placed in hoppers or fed in boxes at least four inches deep, it is apt to be wasted. The two systems supply the requirements of the fowls in slightly different ways and both are used very successfully. Sample Rations The rations here given have been tested and proved excellent by some of the most successful poultry breeders in this country. Ration for Chicks Intended for Breeders First meal, when chicks are 36 hours old : Rolled or flake break- fast oats, dry; give scattered on sand every three hours, then feed chick food. This is a number of small or broken dry grains which can be bought at the poultry supply houses. The use of hard grain diet like chick feed, develops the digestive organs and keeps them healthy. The chick feed prepared by reliable firms is excellent. For those who prefer to mix their own chick feed, the following is a good recipe: Cracked wheat, 30 pounds; steel-cut or rolled breakfast oats, 30 pounds; finely cracked corn, 15 pounds; millet, rice, pearl barley, rape seed, finely ground beef scraps or granulated milk, dried granulated bone, chick grit, 10 pounds; granulated char- coal, 5 pounds. In the chick feeds wheat, oats and corn are the staples, the most necessary part of the ration. Feed at 6 a.m. chick feed scattered in chaff; 9 a.m. rolled or steel-cut oats; 11 a.m. green lettuce; 1 p.m. chick feed; 3 p.m. green feed; lettuce, THE FEEDING PROBLEM 39 clover or potatoes chopped fine; 4:30 p.m. hard boiled- eggs (4 for 100 chicks), chopped shell and all, with the same amount of onions and twice the amount of bread crumbs or rolled oats or Johnny- cake. One fountain of skim milk and one of clean water always before them and renewed three times a day. Very coarse sand and granulated charcoal should be always before them. Toward the end of the second week mix a little whole wheat, hulled oats and kaffir corn with the chick food, gradually increasing it, until at the end of the sixth week they will be eating this entirely. Rations for Broilers For the first two weeks use the same feed as given for the breed- ers. Third week, 6 a.m. chick feed; 9 a.m. mash, 1 part each of bran, cornmeal and rolled oats, and a little salt ; mix with skim milk, making a crumbly dry feed in a small dish or trough, taking away all there is left in fifteen minutes; 11 a.m. lettuce or clover; 1 p.m. rolled oats; 3 p.m. chopped raw potatoes; 4:30 p.m. mash same as in the morning. Fourth week, 6 a.m. chick feed; 9 a.m. mash, adding 5 per cent beef scraps or cracklings; 1 p.m. chopped potatoes; 4:30 p.m. mash, same as in the morning. Keep grit and charcoal always before them, with skim milk and pure water. Fin- ish off at six to eight weeks by gradually adding from five to ten per cent of cotton-seed meal and a little molasses with the mash. Rations for Laying Hens In order to keep up the strength of the hen and have her produce the largest amount of eggs, it has been found that for every pound of protein in the food she must have four pounds of carbo-hydrates. Many instances may be cited in which the rations fed to laying hens differed greatly, but have been productive of excellent results, pro- vided they contain a sufficient quantity of digestible protein. The following rations have proven successful : I will give a formula that I have used for many years after ex- perimenting with others, and will give some that are being used at the present time by prominent and successful breeders near here. There are many other breeders, but I happen to have these by me and have not those of the others. The Basley formula is as follows : By measure, 2 parts heavy bran, 1 part alfalfa meal, 1 part corn meal, 1 part oatmeal (called Breakfast Flaked Oats), 1 part beef scraps or meat meal or granulated milk, a little pepper and salt ; keep this in a hopper or feed box- At noon green feed. In the evening grain, wheat, kaffir corn or cracked corn, barley, hulled oats, equal parts, mixed and scattered in straw in the scratching pen. Fresh water constantly before them ; if they run out of water, the egg yield will stop. I keep before the fowls at all times sharp grit, crushed oyster shells, charcoal and granulated dried bone. At moulting time I add to the grain sunflower seed, and to the dry mash linseed meal. The reason I feed oatmeal is that I al- ways feed for vigor. I want the parent birds to be vigorous and the eggs to have such an amount of protein in them that the chicks 40 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK will not fail in being vigorous. There is no food equal to oats for giving vigor. The reason I feed alfalfa is that although it shows on analysis almost the same protein content as bran, it gives the yolk of the eggs a rich orange hue which bran fails to impart. All fowls need plenty of green food and clean water. The green food is the cheapest food you can give and keeps the digestive organs in good condition. Green food must be given daily. Rations of Successful Breeders Wilcox Standard Mash— 50 lbs. heavy wheat bran, 20 lbs. corn meal, 14 lbs. ground barley, 5 lbs. oil cake or cotton-seed meal, 10 lbs. beef scrap, 1 lb. fine charcoal. - Johnson Formula — 80 lbs. wheat bran, 15 lbs. alfalfa meal, 15 lbs. cracked raw bone, 1 pint of home-made condiment. Bickford Dry Mash — One part corn meal, 1 part middlings, 2 parts heavy wheat bran, 1-10 part meat or blood meal, 1-10 cot- ton-seed meal, a good handful of salt to one hundred pounds. Goodacre Standard Mash — Ten lbs. wheat bran, 2 lbs. corn meal, 2 lbs. fine meat meal, 1 lb. linseed meal. Walton's Dry Mash — 12 parts wheat bran, 4 parts corn meal, 2 parts beef scrap, 2 parts alfalfa meal, 2 parts granulated milk, y 2 part charcoal. Cowles Dry Mash — One part each of corn, wheat and barley ground up together. To 80 lbs. of the above add 5 lbs. of blood meal, 5 lbs. of bone meal, 10 lbs. of meat meal and a little charcoal. For One Dozen Hens Rations for one dozen breeding hens, American class, in con- finement, for three days' rotation. Monday morning — One pint and a half grain, wheat, cracked corn and nulled oats, equal parts mixed and scattered in straw or litter in scratching pen. Noon : Cut clover or lawn clippings. Even- ing: Mash, 1 qt. heavy bran; 1 qt. ground oats; 1 pt. corn meal; 1-3 of the whole cut clover or alfalfa meal ; 1 tablespoonful each of salt and pulverized charcoal; ^ pt. beef scraps. Tuesday morning — \y 2 pts. mixed grain, wheat and rolled bar- ley. Noon : green feed, pumpkins or clover ; 1 pt. green cut bone. Evening: Mash, 1 pt. cooked vegetables and table scraps, 1 qt. bran, 1 pt. cornmeal, a little salt and pepper. Wednesday morning — \ l / 2 pt. mixed grain; wheat, hulled oats, kaffir corn. Noon : Cabbage or beets. Evening : Mash, 1 pt. peas or beans soaked over night, boiled with a little soda until soft; y 2 pt. dried blood, or beef scraps, 1-3 cut clover. If you cannot get beans cheaply, use potatoes or other vegetables. Follow the same system the remaining three days. Sunday, instead of the mash, scald three pints of rolled barley in the morning, cover and leave to steam. Feed in the evening in- stead of the mash ; this makes a pleasant change and saves work for the Sabbath. The reason for feeding the mash at night is to keep the hens THE FEEDING PROBLEM 41 busy scratching all day and so send them to roost with their crops full. There is danger of the American and Asiatic fowls becoming too tat and lazy without exercise if given the mash in the morning. Bulletin 164 of the California College of Agriculture gives the following formulas as samples of the many different combinations that can be made from the various feed stuffs on the market. They are calculated for 100 hens a day, and if fed with nine to twelve pounds of grain, according to weight of hens, and some green stuff, they will form a well balanced ration. Mash may be fed wet or dry. I. Quarts Pounds Bran 6.0 3.0 Shorts 2.5 1.8 Corn meal 1.5 2.3 Cocoa O. C. meal 1.0 0.9 Beef scrap 1.0 1.5 Coarse bone meal 0.5 1.0 II. Quarts Pounds Bran 6.0 3.0 Middlings 0.5 0.5 Linseed O. C. meal 0.5 0.5 Gluten feed 0.8 1.0 Ground oats 1.0 0.75 Corn meal 1.5 2.25 Beef scrap 1.0 1.50 Coarse bone meal 0.5 1.00 III. Quarts Pounds Bran 5.0 2.50 Shorts 3.0 2.00 Corn meal 1.5 2.25 Soy bean meal 0.75 1.00 Beef scrap 1.00 1.50 Coarse bone meal 0.50 1.00 IV. Quarts Pounds Bran 6.0 3.0 Corn meal 1.0 1.5 Barley meal 2.0 2.2 Alfalfa meal 1.0 0.5 Soy bean meal 1.0 1.3 Beef scrap 1.0 1.5 Coarse bone meal 0.5 1.0 V. Quarts Pounds Bran 4.0 2.0 Alfalfa meal 1.0 0.5 Corn meal 1.0 1.5 Shorts 2.0 1.5 Barley meal 1.0 1.1 Ground beans 1.0 1.1 Beef scrap 1.0 1.5 Coarse bone meal 0.5 1.0 VI. Quarts Pounds Bran 5.0 2.5 Alfalfa meal 1.0 0.5 Corn meal 1.5 2.3 Linseed O. C. meal.... 1.0 0.9 Shorts 2.0 1.5 Beef scrap 1.0 1.5 Coarse bone meal 0.5 1.0 Salt should be added to every mash, about an ounce being suf- ficient. Pepper may be added occasionally. Fresh lean meat may be substituted for beef scrap in any of the formulas, three quarts of the fresh being equal to one of the dried. Cottage cheese may be substituted in the same proportion, except that it is advisable not to replace all of the meat, one-half quart beef scrap and one and a half quarts cottage cheese being a much better proportion. The equivalent in pounds is given for convenience in ordering. The quarts represent the amount for 100 hens and may be multiplied or divided ad libitum. Fattening Fowls Fowls to be fattened should be confined in small yards or in coops or crates, especially adapted for feeding. The object in keep- ing them in confinement is to prevent the forming of muscle and sinew, which would occur if allowed to run at liberty. 42 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK The crate used for fattening fowls can be four or six feet long. Mine were composed of lath six feet long; the frame of the crate is 6 feet long, 18 inches wide and 18 inches high, divided into six little stalls or compartments. The frame is covered with lath, placed lengthwise on the bottom, back and top the width of one Three-compartment Fattening Coop and Trough. lath apart. The first lath on the bottom should be two inches from the back to allow the droppings to fall through, otherwise they would lodge on the lath at the back. The lath are placed up and down in the front, the spaces between them being two inches wide to enable the chickens to feed from the trough. A "V" shaped trough is made to fit into two notches in cleats in front of each crate. The crate stands 15 inches from the ground; the droppings are received on sand or other absorbent material and removed daily. The coop is large enough to hold 12 or 18 young chicks (2 or 3 in a stall) or six full grown fowls. Fowls are fed three times a day all they will eat in 15 minutes. See cut of fattening crate. Formulas for fattening: (1) Equal parts of bran, cornmeal and oat meal (rolled break- fast oats) mixed with skim milk, fed three times a day. (2) Buckwheat flour, pulverized oats, cornmeal in equal parts, mixed thin with buttermilk. (3) Equal parts barley meal and oat meal and a half part of corn meal, mixed with buttermilk or skim milk. (4) A favorite French combination is two parts barley meal, one part cornmeal, one part buckwheat flour. A little salt and coarse sand should be added to their food. Three weeks is the length of time to continue the feeding. Chick- ens do not seem to be able to stand the confinement for a greater length of time. The last week of the fattening process, five per cent of cotton seed meal and a little tallow may be added to any of the above formulas. THE FEEDING PROBLEM 43 Feeding Beans Our readers know our "Rule of three" — or the three essentials of egg production — Comfort, Exercise and Proper Food — and how very necessary each of this trio is for filling the egg basket. The successful poultry breeders, those that are really making money in the poultry or egg business, all and each follow our Rule of three. Some put more emphasis on one of the three conditions, and some on the other, but I find the man that uses all three essen- tials about evenly balanced is the successful man. Just at present there are several of our readers who are seek- ing for advice on the problem of the proper food and have appealed to me for information about the use of beans and some other foods which are available or cheap in their locality. I would like to help them discuss this subject together with the different breeds they are feeding. We all know that food is first necessary to sustain life, to enable the young fowls to grow and make their feathers, while it also enables the mature fowls to make and produce eggs. We have learnt that the body of the hen and the egg also is composed of water, mineral matter, nitrogenous matter and fat, and that to sus- tain life and growth and to produce eggs, the hen must be supplied with these elements. It is exceedingly interesting to learn the right proportion of these different elements that have to be supplied to the hen, all of which may be found in the analysis of the differ- ent foods given in the valuable bulletin "Poultry Feeding and Pro- prietary Foods," by Professor Jaffa of the University of California. Professor Rice of Cornell, in one of his lectures, says, "Feeding poultry is a science and an art." The science is in the knowing why, and the art is in the knowing how to do it. Our Professor Jaffa divides the food (this is the science part) into three classes : The protein, carbo-hydrates and fat. He explains that the word protein comes from a Greek word which means the chief thing — or the first thing — and the protein is the most important part of the food, for by it is made or produced the bone, muscle, blood, nerves, tendons, etc. The protein or nitrogenous matter of the hen's body and of the egg is formed by the nitrogenous matter (the protein) that is fed to the hen or that she finds in hunting on the range for her food, so anyone can see how important this element is in the food. The carbonaceous part of the food, which includes the fat and carbo-hydrates (sugar and starch), is mainly used as a fuel supply to the body and is the substance which is consumed in the pro- duction of heat and energy. We know or have learnt that an active fowl, such as a Leghorn that is always on the move, scratch- ing, running, flying, uses up more of the fat-producing food than a quieter, tamer, heavier fowl, such as the Plymouth Rock or Wyan- dotte or one of the Asiatics. The scientists have analyzed the food as well as the hen and have decided that a hen requires as a balanced ration for egg pro- duction one pound of protein to four pounds of carbo-hydrates, and 44 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK we believe this and act on it by giving the hens animal food, green food and grain. We also want to get the food as cheaply as poss- ible to save our pocketbooks, and yet give the hens food that will bring the best results, this is usually eggs when eggs are dearest. The protein is the most expensive part of the food, consequently when we find a food that is inexpensive but contains a large amount of protein, we are glad to buy it, and then we must find out how to mix it or with what other food in order to get the right balance of one part of protein to 4 or 4.5 of carbo-hydrates. A ration means the food for a whole day. I am always glad to talk over the different foods and to help beginners decide what is the best and cheapest food for them to use in their locality. Several have lately asked about BEANS, how to feed them to the best advantage. Some years ago I had an opportunity of buying a large quantity of navy beans that had been held as seed beans but several sacks of them had become weevily. I studied Professor Jaffa's bulletin and decided that it would be a good plan to buy them, thinking that as they were small, the hens would eat them, but my hens did not take to them at first, so I sent the beans to the mill and had them coarsely ground, and I then soaked them over night with a little bicarbonate of soda in the water, and the next morning when the fire was lighted for breakfast, I put on the beans and let them cook at the back of the stove, taking them off at noon and mixing in bran and cornmeal, also a little alfalfa meal, and seasoning with salt and pepper as for the table. The hens like this mash made of bean soup, and never hens laid better than these. It was certainly a famous egg food. Recently I received letters from several of our readers asking about feeding beans, and I replied, giving Professor Jaffa's analysis, but I afterwards received a letter asking me for the analysis and the value of "broad Windsor beans," and as there was no analysis of them in the bulletin, I sent some of them to the Agricultural College to have them analyzed. Professor Jaffa not only analyzed them, but also analyzed some "horse beans," as I said that Windsor beans were sometimes called horse beans and were largely fed to horses in some places. The horse beans that he bought were larger than the Windsor beans that I sent him and he found both' of them so exceedingly rich in protein that, to be certain there was no mistake, he had the analysis duplicated, done over twice. Analysis of Horse Beans Per cents Water 14.05 Ash 2.10 Protein 25.10 Fat ; 1.60 Fiber 6.63 Starch, etc 50 52 Total 100.00 THE FEEDING PROBLEM 45 Analysis of Windsor Beans Per cents Water 10.98 Ash 3.02 Protein 18.80 Fat ; 1.58 Fiber 6.65 Starch, etc 58.97 Total 100.00 Analysis of Navy Beans Per cents Water 12.60 Ash 3.50 Protein 22.50 Fat 1.80 Fiber : 4.40 Starch, etc 55.20 Total 100.00 It will be seen by these analyses how rich in protein are the beans, and, therefore, what a valuable food for fowls. Realizing the value of this, in order to help other of our readers, I wrote to A. A. W. for further information about the beans he had sent me, and received the following reply : "The beans are commonly known in England (where they are very popular) as 'broad Windsor beans,' but to the best of my remembrance these are a smaller species. I raised these here on rich soil apparently high in nitrogen, judging by the rank top growth of various crops planted therein ; the vines averaged a height of over seven feet, which is more than double that claimed for them by the seedsmen, who do not usually underestimate the vigor and prolificacy of their well-advertised goods- I have a copy of your poultry book and believe I have derived much profit from it, as I am raising broilers and feeding them entirely according to your directions* ; some of them weigh close on to two pounds each, and none of them are over six weeks and four days old, raised in brooder coops without hens or artificial heat, but with the best possible care and attention to details, and with less loss than I ex- pected, as this is my first experience of this way of raising them. May I trouble you to inform me of the best method of feeding the beans to chicks of various ages, as I have others at different stages. I have fed them occasionally to month-old chicks in small quantities by soaking until the skins will slip, then chopping up fine with bran to make a crumbly mash. I would much like to know if this is a good combination or otherwise, and how best and when to feed, and the proportion of beans, and whether chopped up dry, soaked or cooked. "My idea in discarding the skins is that being very tough and leathery, they might possibly be indigestible." In reply to this, the skins are very tough, that is, the skins of both horse beans and Windsor beans, and it was a wise precau- * See Rations for Broilers, page 39. 46 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK tion to take them off for the little chicks, but that would scarcely be possible or profitable if you are feeding much to mature hens, as it would take too much time and labor. In feeding either old or young you can make one-fifth of the food of the beans if you have plenty of them, but I would advise not more than that. Your way of mixing the chopped-up beans with bran and milk is good, but I would suggest adding a little cornmeal, about one-fifth of the amount of the mash. This would be a better balanced mash. As you have had such good results from following my instructions and formula for feeding broilers, I think you had better continue it and not make any change, or if for any good reason you are obliged to make a change in the food make the change very gradually ; that is, add only a few spoonsful of the new food each day until at the end of about two weeks you have got them to willingly accept the new food. A sudden change of almost any kind will stop the egg output partially or sometimes totally. You have to remember there is a difference between va- riety, which is excellent for fowls, and change, which almost in- variably results disastrously. The best way to feed the beans (Windsor or horse beans) would be to have them ground and feed them in the dry mash for all the chickens, large or small ; for the very little fellows nothing could be better than the way you are now doing. When I received this letter I wrote to a successful poultryman and egg farmer, who has been feeding beans for some time very successfully, and I copy his letter for the benefit especially of those residing in bean-growing districts, where beans can be often bought very cheaply. The writer can be thoroughly relied upon as to accuracy. "Your cordial letter reached us today, and I take pleasure in answering your questions concerning our use of beans for hens. "The variety we used and are still using is what is called here the black-eyed bean. I think it is called 'cow peas' in some parts of the country. The flavor of this bean is more like that of the pea than of the bean. For a long time we fed them whole, with corn, wheat and whole barley, equal parts of each. The hens ate them as readily as they did the other grains, except wheat. "We fed it also in the mash, with ground barley, cornmeal and beans, about equal parts of each. We found that our hens increased their egg production about twenty per cent. These beans are rich in protein, about 22%, and are about 85% digestible, so you will see that fed with wheat, corn and barley they are a valuable addition to the dietary of hens. If we could get these beans, we should continue their use, but we are unable to get any more of them. If you know where they can be had for a reasonable price, we should be pleased to have you inform us. I have no doubt that hens could be induced to eat lima beans, at least in the mash, as you know lima beans are rich in protein, but possibly may not be as digestible as the black-eye. I hope this information may be of use to you." THE FEEDING PROBLEM 47 In this article we give the scientific side, the analysis of three kinds of beans, and also the practical use of them by three different poultry breeders. This will answer several other inquiries on the subject, and we hope prove useful to many of our readers. Feeding Alfalfa Alfalfa is one of the most valuable of green foods for both cat- tle and poultry. I have found by my own experience that what is, good for the milch cow is good for the laying hen. You know the Holstein does best on a large amount of succulent food, while the smaller Jersey is adapted to a more concentrated diet; so with the different breeds of hens, the Leghorn needs a wider ration than the Plymouth Rock, the ration that would bring the largest amount of eggs from the Leghorn would so fatten the Rock that it might prevent her laying. Where alfalfa is abundant the following ration will give good results. Alfalfa hay or meal when good is rich in protein and re- sembles wheat bran in analysis. In the last analysis of alfalfa hay or meal Professor Jaffa gives protein 12.3, carbo-hydrates 37.1, fat 1.6; while wheat bran has protein 12.62, carbo-hydrates 38.88, fat 2.5. By this you see that whilst the protein content of alfalfa meal is almost the same as wheat bran, the fat, sugar and starch is decidedly lower, also the crude fiber, which is indigestible, in alfalfa meal is 22.63 per cent, whilst in bran it is only 8.60 per cent, to coun- terbalance this we can use more corn meal or some linseed meal. While alfalfa is rich in protein, it has been found by experi- ment that the fowls need animal protein, as substitute for bugs and worms, so to the ration must be added animal food in some shape, usually beef scrap,, meat meal or milk. Cottage cheese is one of the best animal proteins. The following ration will prove satisfactory: Alfalfa meal, 50 lbs.; corn meal, 20 lbs.; barley meal, 10 lbs.; beef scrap, 10 lbs.; coarse bone meal, 10 lbs. I gave my Indian runner ducks a similar ration : 30 lbs. alfalfa meal, 30 lbs. heavy bran, 30 lbs. corn meal, 10 lbs. beef scrap; giv- ing at the same time all the crushed clam shells they would eat. On this ration ducks averaged 233 eggs each per year, and kept in perfect health. I wrote to Mr. Hammonds, who is manager of the largest broiler plant in the country and an expert poultryman, a graduate of Cornell, and asked about a pullet that he was bringing up on nothing but alfalfa and milk. His answer is as follows : "The pullet you refer to laid 253 eggs from August 7, 1910, to August 7, 1911, and she gained one and a quarter pounds in weight. All of her eggs, except the first six, weighed two ounces or more and were of good shape and shell. She was fed from the time she was two months old until she was five months old and showed signs of laying on alfalfa meal moistened with milk, and rolled barley as grain. From the time she was five months old till the test was finished she was fed a dry mash composed of the follow- 48 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK ing: Alfalfa meal, 3 lbs.; barley meal, 2 lbs.; bran, 1 lb.; corn meal, 1 lb., and fine beef scrap, 1 lb. As grain, she received one handful of rolled barley at 4 p.m. each day. Aside from this she had dry alfalfa hay as a litter. After she began laying she was often tempted with green alfalfa but did not seem to care for it, there- fore she was not fed any green stuff". " Champion JUMBQ^stPrnze CYrtGHiCftGQ ftec.'OB BREEDING, LINE-BREEDING, IN-BREEDING, ETC. The subject of breeding for best results in the poultry yard is exceedingly interesting, and is being developed more and more every year, not only by poultry breeders, but I believe by some of the government experiment stations. There is "in-breeding," "line-breeding," "out-breeding," "cross- breeding," and no breeding at all. Many people are afraid of in-breeding. By this is usually meant breeding brother and sister together for generations, without the infusion of new blood. This kind of in-breeding is very apt to result disastrously, because in such a flock the best, biggest and most vigorous are sent to the market, and the inferior ones are kept at home for breeders, unless a neighbor steps in and lends a cockerel to solve the difficulty. For fear of the flock deteriorating, many people think it abso- lutely necessary to have new blood in their flock every year, and here is where the danger comes in for those who are raising thor- oughbreds. If you buy pure-bred male of the same breed to mate with your pure-bred female from another strain or family, you may get one that will improve your flock, or one which will bring you disqualified birds. This getting new blood of the same family is called "out-breeding." J. H. Robinson says: "Most of the evils assigned to in-breeding are not due, to in-breeding, but to careless selection. There is no evidence that in-breeding necessar- ily initiates degeneracy. There is abundant evidence that with proper selection for stamina to avoid common defects, very close in-breeding can be followed for a long time without injuring the stock. There is also abundant evidence that breeding unrelated fowls without careful attention to vigor, and avoidance of common defects is at once attended with precisely the same results as breeding fowls of near kin under the same conditions." In making the new breeds, in-breeding is necessary to fix the color, shape, etc. If it is necessary to fix superiority in color, it is necessary to fix it in shape. If it is necessary to fix it in shape, it is necessary to fix superior laying capacity, for rapid growth and vigor. In-breeding is necessary because there cannot be intelligent breeding without in-breeding. "Line-breeding," or breeding in line, is keeping to the same family, the same blood. It is very careful in-breeding. When we line breed we simply limit the number of ancestors in the fowl's pedigree. By so doing we intensify the qualities in the fowl, for it has been established beyond doubt that the mating of nearly related individuals has a tendency to intensify the traits or char- acteristics which they possess in common. As an example, I had a White Plymouth Rock hen (Snow Queen), a 95>4 point bird. She laid 225 eggs in 9 months. I mated her, when I discovered her wonderful qualities, to my first prize male. Four of her daughters from that mating were prize-winners. The following year I mated her to her best son, and the third year to her son who was also SO MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK her grandson. By this last mating, the offspring were 15-16 of her blood. I sold a few settings of this mating, one to a gentleman in Sacramento. He wrote me afterwards that he won first cock, first hen and first pen at the Poultry Show, with seven of her offspring ; but, he added, "the great recommendation to your fowls is their wonderful vigor and healthfulness. All my other fowls have had roup and chicken-pox; in fact, I have lost more than half, and while yours were brought up with them, they seem absolutely im- mune to all sickness." Another setting of eggs I sold to a party south of town. I heard later that one of the hens hatched from that setting laid 105 eggs in 110 consecutive days. By careful in-breeding it is possible to intensify the good qualities of great egg-laying and great vigor. A hen to be a great layer must have vigor. To illustrate what is meant by line-breeding, I would take a. good pair or trio of the best birds procurable; raise the young, carefully feeding for strength and vigor. The vigor of a flock is sustained not by introducing new blood, but by selecting breeding birds for vigor. Vigorous birds beget vigorous offspring; weak birds weak offspring, whether kin or not. The second year I would mate the father with two of his best daughters and the best son back to the mother hen, and use these two families as two different strains for new blood, each year selecting the best from either family. By the best, I do not mean the handsomest; I mean among the cockerels the most vigorous, active and up-to-standard birds, and among the pullets the best layers as well as the earliest maturing, largest and handsomest. Let it be understood that to breed from birds because they are related without making selections of points desired, is as wrong as to refuse to mate related fowls. By breeding from only vigorous stock, and observing the rule not to mate fowls having the same bad defects, mating together only fowls which in individual merit and in pedigree (whether akin or no kin) are .what they should be for the purpose of the mating,, you may be sure of avoiding mistakes. "I am afraid of in-breeding," said a lady to me recently. "The book says change cockerels with your neighbor." I do not know from what book she was quoting, but I went to see her fowls. She had really fine standard-bred fowls to commence with, but she had ruined the flock by trading cockerels. A friend of mine intending to purchase them asked me to look at them, but I could not recom- mend them, as I knew the offspring would not be desirable. Many persons wishing to purchase fowls from me (when I was in the business) would say, "Can you sell me two or four hens and a cockerel not related?" I replied that I could and would if they wished, as I had fifteen separate pens and marked all my young fowls, but if they asked me to mate for best results, I would give them hens from my best layers, mated to a cockerel that was partly related to them, for I knew then the offspring would be of as good quality as the parents. To know this takes some years of BREEDING, LINE AND IN-BREEDING 51 "close observation and close selection," which is the rule for line- breeding. When I wanted new blood of late years, I would get a setting of eggs from the best breeder I knew. Select the two pullets from this brood, mate them with one of my own males, and then await results. Some years they would be quite satisfactory ; if other- wise, they were consigned to the table and proved delicious eating. When the results were good, I had fine young ones and new blood which I knew would mate with mine and not deteriorate my fowls in regards to looks and standard points, but I could not tell for two years how the laying qualities of the offspring might be af- fected. Here is a place where "close observation" comes in. The pullets were trap-nested for a season, and then if they came up to my ideal I had the satisfaction of knowing I had made another success. This getting in new blood of the same breed is called "out-breeding." I know a farmer's wife who had good pure-bred Plymouth Rocks, prize winners. She sent away and bought a first-prize win- ner — a beautiful cockerel. She thought she would have prize win- ners for the next show, when, to her grief, she found that all the progeny of that cockerel were disqualified birds. The cockerel did not "nick" with the hens, though they were of the same breed. This out-breeding was a failure. If she thought fresh blood neces- sary, she should have purchased a cockerel from the same breeder of whom she purchased her original stock, and she should have had one that had some of the same blood as the pullets, or if she could not do that, she should have bought a good pullet and mated her to the best male, and if the cockerel from that mating proved good she could have used one the following year. "Out-breeding" as she did, is a sort of lottery, and one cannot be certain of results. Crossing, cross-breeding or out-crossing, all of which mean the. same thing, is introducing blood from a distinctly different breed. The first cross will usually give better layers, and occasionally will produce good birds, but the progeny of these will be mongrels un- less a pure-bred male is introduced each year. The new breeds, such as the Orpington, etc., are made by cross-breeding and then by close in-breeding. There is, however, one breed in America which has been made entirely by out-crossing; that is the Rhode Island Reds. This breed has been made by bringing vigorous blood on the male side "Red cocks" from China, Chittagong, Malay, etc., and mating them with the farm fowls of Rhode Island. This out- crossing has produced a breed of great vigor and prolificacy. Cross- ing, as a rule, is not advisable, because one can never be certain which parent the young will resemble ; they will be large or small, some of one color, some of another, irregular in maturing and ir- regular in shape for market. However, I knew a farmer's daughter in New York who wished to improve her flock of mongrels of all shapes and colors. She bought a "line-bred" Plymouth Rock cockerel, and the following summer she found that nearly all the young stock had Plymouth 52 . MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Rock markings, even the offspring of the Cochin hens had feathers to their toes. The next year she bought again from the same breeder another vigorous Plymouth Rock, and by the end of that season she had, apparently, a flock of fine Plymouth Rocks. I say apparently, because if she had mated them together, she would have had mongrels the following season, but as it was she worked the mongrel old stock off and had fine looking Plymouth Rocks that proved excellent layers. A line-bred cockerel has greater prepo- tency than one indefinitely bred. That is, he will reproduce him- self or leave his marks strongly upon his progeny. This was the case with my New York friend's birds. Hers were "cross-bred," or what farmers would call "grade" Plymouth Rocks. The male bird, if he comes from a line-bred family, will be more prepotent than the female. He will impress his qualities or characteristics, good or bad, on his progeny more than a male that is not line-bred, and the male is considered half the pen. His part is the germ, the seed, from which will grow the chick. For this reason, choose the good, strong, vigorous cockerel, active and stirring, to head your pen and take a pure-bred instead of a mongrel, because in this way you will build up a flock of fine birds. "Line-breeding" is keeping in the same family for years, each year choosing the most vigorous of both rnales and females to con- tinue the succession. Line-breeding is very careful and closely selected in-breeding. "Out-breeding" is introducing new blood, but of the same breed. "Cross-breeding" or "out-crossing" is introducing distinctly new blood of an entirely different breed. There is some diversion of opinion as to the best ages of parent stock to produce the strongest chicks, but it is usually accepted that fowls are generally at their best at twenty to twenty-four months of age. If they are not then in good condition, the breeder should look for something wrong in his method of handling stock. A hen coming two years old will, if properly handled between sea- sons, lay as well the second year as the first, and lay larger eggs which will hatch stronger and better chicks. A cock of the same age should be in his prime. The mating of males and females of this age will, other things being equal, give better results than any other age. However, well-grown young fowls would make better breeders than two-year-olds not in good condition. Many breeders advise mating a cock bird to pullets, and a cockerel to hens. Generally, these matings give better results than the matings of cockerels and pullets, but not as good as matings of two-year- olds. The principal quality looked for in mating birds is vigor, whether you are mating for market or for egg laying or for fancy feathering. Breeding Chart A clear conception of the methods followed in line breeding may be had by reference to the accompanying chart which has been drawn from one published several years ago by I. K. Felch, BREEDING, LINE AND IN-BREEDING 53 the veteran Light Brahma breeder. In this chart the solid circles and segments represent the male blood elements, and the solid lines that a male has been chosen from the group from which they start. The white circles and segments represent the female blood ele- ments and the dotted lines that the females have been chosen from the group from which they start. The shaded circle represents a scheme for the admission of new blood. Suppose we have two extra good birds which when mated together produce high-class offspring. Then the problem is how to perpetuate the quality of Like Breed/kg Chsirt /9F T£R /. K. FELCH Generations Hale Line. Female L/q/e ' I i O >" *K / I 2 n d £S&*+h. 3& *© «• *€> £> €)^ f/ 16 II 12 /J 14- IS By Courtesy of "Breeder's Gazette." the parents and offspring without the dangers of close in-breeding or of destroying the results of several years of work, by violent out-crossing. By following line breeding, three blood lines may be developed, one of which shall contain a preponderance of orig- inal male blood, one a preponderance of original female blood, and the third equal proportions of original male and female blood. In the chart let 1 represent the original male and 2 the original 54 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK female. Then, by crossing 1 and 2, the result is group 3, which pos- sesses equal parts of the blood of 1 and 2. Selecting the best pullet from 3 and mating to her sire 1, group 4 is produced, which con- tains three-fourths of the blood of the original sire and one-fourth of the blood of the original dam. In a like manner the best cock- erel from 3" mated to his dam 2 produces group 5, which is made up of three-fourths of the blood of the original dam and one-fourth of the blood of the original sire. Proceeding in a similar manner by mating the original parents to their offspring in the third gener- ation, we obtain at groups 6 and 7 offspring which contain either seven-eighths the blood of the original sire and one-eighth of the blood of the original dam, or seven-eighths the blood of the original dam and one-eighth the blood of the original sire, as the case may be. Thus the blood of the original sire has been practically elim- inated from the female line, and the blood of the original dam from the male line. If the original parents were still in breeding con- dition, the blood of each could be intensified to 15-16 in the fifth generation. To obtain the original cross, however, at any gener- ation after the second, it is only necessary to select parents from corresponding groups on each side of the line, as for instance, a cock- erel from group 6 mated to pullets from group 7 will produce, in the fifth generation, group 9, which contains mathematically one- half the blood of the original pair. Similar results can be obtained by selecting parents from 4 and 5. The fifth and sixth generations, as shown in the chart, indicate only a few of the possible groups that may be obtained from vari- ous matings. The danger of using new stock not akin to one's own is far greater than the danger of line-breeding vigorous birds of known pedigree, as is proven by the following case in point : A breeder of Reds who had sold a fine pen two years previously of such excel- lence that she felt safe in buying back a cockerel raised from them, resembling in every way the sire sold, for the pen had been care- fully line-bred and mated for best results ; she used this bird with her finest hens and sold eggs from them, and every chick of this cockerel's get had white feathers enough to disqualify it. After this cockerel moulted, the beautiful red of his plumage was sprink- led all through with patches of white feathers. Close inquiry di- vulged the fact that the breeder had allowed his Reds and Whites to run together until a few weeks before mating time, trusting to this short period of time to remove the bad effects of commingling, Now, scientific men maintain that the danger of contamination of the female is far greater than is generally believed. Some even assert that a pullet's first mating influences her whole progeny, no matter how carefully she may be mated thereafter, and that the taint of foreign blood can never be eliminated from her offspring. There is much of truth in this theory, for the blood of the mother partakes of the blood of the sire through the blood of the unborn germ, whether egg or foetus, circulating through her. We can never be too careful to keep our hens and pullets safely yarded, and we should beware of strange males as of the plague itself. BREEDING, LINE AND IN-BREEDING 55 < > .a u Q c < o aT ft < s w Ph s s* Ih ° X •*-' *Hr § P< < ° s w pq £ Ph >H ■*■ — 2 u, 2 £pp-s T3 PL, ^ Wg a g u O § ft < T3 CO u < Pen 3B ock from 2B to aughters Pen 4BX Uncle to Nieces Is* ^pqPP uPP "*■ IP C O Q cu H O E • 1—1 "Kg p pq PP <£ opq pq „ <-• po pp "2 pq 3 6 ot/2 ' "* .S Pen No. i Darby and Joan < 2 c £.£"§ "* "pp +2 ■*■ .5 Ph p rt Ph g«J O Ph p^a jH lo 0> X ° °^X (LI ~<< C C u p, cu iB « fi£ 1 *'g Ph cn-g 3 oi^ on," u 1 ^ £ < <:£ u S S " 3 Ph UQ eg 4-1 r 1 4J V$*N if gg&v' Wk ) \ '' :2 1 ,.',"«' g£ X g£ itJi -*.» ■ 1 H § they get chilled. Never allow goslings to get to water to swim SOMETHING ABOUT GEESE 151 until they are fully feathered, and then only let those go that you wish to keep for breeders. Many of them will do as well if they never go swimming. During this period you must keep the old geese away, as they will fight the hen and molest the young. You cannot raise geese as you do chickens and ducks, on a city lot. They must have pasture. It is a wrong belief that geese or their droppings will kill grass or pasture. If you have a large flock of geese and a small pasture they will clean it up; that is, they will eat the grass as fast as it sprouts and give it no chance to grow, just as a cow on a city lot will soon have only bare ground and you will have to tie her in the road. If you do the same with geese you would find the grass growing again the same as before. Geese are easier to raise than any other young fowls. Muscovy ducks make excellent sitters for goose eggs- .Cat and Hawk-proof Coop for Chicks and Ducklings. PHEASANTS. It takes time, patience and energy to raise pheasants success- fully. Any successful poultry raiser can succeed with them, al- though they are not as easy to raise as chickens, but by following as closely as possible to Nature's way we can have good success. Pheasants are hardy, strong, very prolific and when young are quite tame. Pheasants do not hatch their own eggs in captivity; when wild they make excellent mothers, but captivity destroys the hatch- ing instinct except to a very limited degree. The price of the pheasants has a good deal to do with the choice of a breed. The Chinese, English and Golden are the most in de- mand. These are the heaviest egg producers. The Silver, Reeves, Amhersts and Swinhoes are close followers. The Chinese pheasant is usually the cheapest. The Golden is somewhat smaller than the Chinese, is tamer and more brilliantly marked. The English pheas- ant is very similar to the Chinese, but rather larger, has a less con- spicuous white collar and lays a larger egg. The English and Chi- nese bring about the same price. The other pheasants being less hardy and having a far less egg production bring higher prices. The building of the pens for pheasants should be carefully done. One-inch mesh should be used at the bottom of the fence for two or three feet up. Although some people prefer boards two feet high at the ground, this is a good idea, as it prevents fighting be- tween the different pens, also it keeps the young pheasants from wandering. The pheasant pens should be located in as dry a location as possible, for the birds love their sun and dust baths. There should also be trees or bushes in the pens, where they can shelter from the sun and also hide away from people. A brush heap is their de- light, and they will hide their nest in it in preference to elsewhere. The eggs should be gathered twice a day. They lay about twenty eggs at a clutch and then rest a little, in captivity. The pens should be covered over with two-inch chicken wire, as pheasants fly like wild birds, although where they are kept for pets only the outer long pinion or flight feathers of one wing may be cut to prevent an extended flight. Care must be used not to cut the inner feathers of the wing, as these protect the bird's lungs. Pheasants are great runners and enjoy running about and slinking through the brush of their pens. The English and Chinese pheas- ants are polygamous, the same as chickens, and the male will even mate with wild grouse or with barn fowls. The natural food of the young pheasant is insects of all kinds, larvae of grubs, worms and especially ants' eggs, as well as small seeds. In raising the little ones, use the same food as for the lit- tle turkeys at first, or, in other words, imitate the food that Nature provides for them. Be sure to give them chopped-up lettuce and onion, and a little later on the chick feed, but with a very small amount of corn in it, for corn does not agree with them. Corn is not their natural food. PHEASANTS— GUINEA FOWLS 153 After pheasants are three months old the)' are very hardy, and at five months are in their full plumage. The proper food for grown birds is wheat, heavy oats, buckwheat, clover, alfalfa and grass. They also dearly love raw apple, potato, cabbage, carrot and let- tuce. Their preference, however, is flies, grubs, bugs and worms. They need plenty of good, clean, fresh water. Anyone wishing to go into the pheasant business should write to the director of documents, Agricultural Dept., Washington, D. C, and get the Bulletin on the "Raising of Pheasants in the United States," also the book on pheasants by "Dillaway" at the Dillaway Pheas^antries, Everett, Washington. GUINEA FOWLS Guinea fowls are becoming popular in this country and will be more so every year, as their excellent table qualities are more known. Guineas are used to replace pheasants at banquets and at the closed season. They are sometimes passed off as grouse or pheas- ants, although at some of the large restaurants they are often given their own name on the bill of fare. They lay a small egg, brown in color, with dots or little spots of darker brown, and quite pointed at one end. The eggs are con- sidered a great delicacy in Europe, for they are very rich in the color of the yolk. The guinea hen lays a great number of eggs, but she is wild and hides her nest and two or three eggs should be left in the nest as nest. eggs. I have kept guineas nearly all my life, and after being well acquainted with their habits I never touch the eggs in the nest with my hand, as they so dislike the smell of a human hand that they will desert the nest and it is often a trou- ble to find them. I always use an iron spoon to collect the eggs. The male and female guinea are identical in color and can only be distinguished by the wattles of the male being a little larger and the "song" different. The female has a harsh voice, which calls "come back," "come back," whilst the male only seems to say "quit," "quit." This is when they both are comfortable and happy, but let a hawk appear on the scene and the scream of anger, definance or warning will cause every chicken, turkey or guinea on the place to run to shelter. Guineas are as good as a watch dog, night or day they will give notice if a stranger comes on the place. I have had male guineas that would fly into the air to meet a hawk and give fight. . Guineas can be hatched under common hens, and, indeed, that is the best way to start with them, as they are very "conservative" 1S4 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK in their habits. They can be raised exactly as chickens, with one exception : they need food as soon as ever they are hatched. The eggs take 28 days to incubate and the little ones are exceedingly wild and will run away and get lost as soon as they are hatched if not closely watched. They should be confined in a tight pen, with sides at least fifteen inches high until they have learnt to fol- low the mother hen, which will be in a few days. The guineas soon learn to love their mother and will never leave her, in fact they will stay with her and roost with her even after they are laying eggs and are a year old. They are very peculiar in another thing, what one guinea does they will all do. If one flies over the fence, all will follow, a short of follow my leader game is going on all the time. The mother hen is followed by the young even after she begins to lay they will all go on the nest with her, no matter how she may peck them. I have had them effectually break up a sitting hen. They will often, if brought up with or by hens, lay in the same nest with the mother hen, although if at liberty, as on a farm, she will usually hide her nest. Guineas are gradually becoming polyg- amous, and the male will take as many as three or even four wives. The female makes a poor sitter and not a good mother. The wild nature is the cause of this, and if left to hatch her eggs and raise the young, she rarely brings more than four or five to maturity, at least this has been my experience. In the West, guineas begin to lay about April and continue until August. They weigh about three to three and a half pounds, and there is a growing market for them. EL • BfflT*' MBffflpW HBP^te Jplallfe;b..:. 'PfM; • . :; .' - « ' : "~ KhL ' L KZ "to '':" 'Ik -'i Bis. I j.- minflBfii * ^j I. r. i mRta Pi h i' : » ' & 'ig^.| l '- miiffipiiwi - J. Bursows' Model Breeding Room for Canaries, Ocean Park Heights, Cal. CANARIES Canaries can scarcely be called "Poul- try," but all my life I have been a suc- cessful raiser of them and I so dearly love them that I want to give them a chapter in my book to let others know about the prettiest and dearest of "our little feathered brothers of the air." The wonder to me is that so few of them are kept and loved in California. In _ England, in France, in Germany, and in most of the European countries, canaries are a source of income as well as of pleasure to the artisan or me- chanic class. I have known personally shoemakers, plumbers, harness makers, carpenters, who were really expert ca- nary breeders. I have myself patiently turned a little bird organ for hours day after day to reach the youngsters to whistle a certain tune, and at one time I took a number to the forest of Mont- morency so that they could learn the nightingale song from the wild night- ingales of the forest. Canaries were brought to England about three hundred and fifty years ago from the Canary Islands. Since that time they have been extensively bred as household pets. During the three hun- dred and fifty years of its domestication the canary has been the subject of care- ful artificial selection, the result being the production of a bird differing wide- ly in color of plumage and even in size and in form from the original wild bird. In England, as well as in other coun- tries, canary breeding is a hobby. There are hundreds of canary shows in Eng- land, and thousands of the lovely little pets are exhibited annually, but the cli- max show is at the Crystal Palace every February, when the champions from all over the country meet, and the judges have a hard time to select among so many almost perfect specimens the best canary in all England. The winner of each class in that Crystal Palace show means the choicest of ten to twenty thousand from over all England. Scot- land, Wales, and even Ireland. The en- thusiasm in England over these beau- tiful little peets is greater than in any other country, and it is not surprising, when one realizes that the expense of feeding a canary is next to nothing, and the care of them only a pleasure. The price of canaries in England va- ries from one dollar to five hundred, for it all depends upon the beauty and the singing quality. In some places there are singing contests for some va- rieties. For show and singing and for general excellency the Norwich Canary carries the palm. It is the favorite breed in England. I have asked a canary expert breeder and judge to tell us more about the dif- ferent breeds of canaries that are popu- lar in England and in Europe. The judge (John Burrows) was for a number of years secretary of the Lei- cestershire (England) Ornithological Society and of the celebrated Leicester Shows, and knows more about the Eng- lish canaries and English wild and casre birds than any one I have met in Cali- fornia. His description of high-class canaries will interest many. The largest canary is the Lancashire "Coppy." This we place first because it is the giant of the canary family, of- ten measuring seven and a half to eight inches long. As their name implies, they are bred for their crests, "coppy" being the old English for crest or cap. A good exhibition bird should have a drooping crest with a well-defined cen- ter, the crest feathers entirely covering the eyes and beaks. Yorkshires — These birds are some- times called the "Aristocrats" of canary- dom. They are very straight, long and slim, with an erect carriage and feathers like wax, lying tightly to their slim bodies. Lizards — A bantam variety of the canaries with beautiful spangled coats and a clear (not spangled) cap, the yel- lows are called the Gold Liazrds and the Siliver Spangled have the tips of the yellow feathers just slightly tipped with white. They are both most charming- little, tiny birds. Borders — These are another of the Wee Gems. They should be round in shape and as tight in feather for exhibi- tion as though carved from boxwood. Cinnamons — A beautiful variety of the Norwich type is called Cinnamon. They should be of sound cinnamon color with dark penciling showing on their coats. This is a truly grand variety. Scotch Fancy — The Scotch Fancy is a great favorite in Scotland. They should stand with the head over the perch and the tail under, forming a crescent like a new moon. Belgium — This variety should stand on the perch with the tail in a perfectly^ straight line with the back, head bent* 156 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK down so that the shoulders are the high- est point on view. They are trained to keep the head down and the shoulders up, so that they have almost the appear- ance of being hump-backed. Dutch Frills — These are frilled on the chest, which makes them appear rough, but they have many admirers. London Fancy — This once popular bird, with clear, bright yellow body and dark wings and tail, seems to be get- ting quite scarce, now very few being bred, probably on account of the diffi- culty of breeding with the proper mark- ings. Norwich — Last, but not least, we have the Norwich variety. This is without doubt the most popular and beautiful of the canary family, not only on account of the lovely and wonderful coloring, but also as singers they are second to none. In no other variety is there such depth of color, and so large a variety of markings. The Norwich canary should have a full, round head with thick, short neck set on a chubby, round body, broad chest, short wings and tail. He should stand well across the perch with a bold, jaunty appearance. They vary in color- ing and feather through all the various phases of marking from the green to the clear yellow, sometimes a specimen is seen with both eyes and wings marked alike, these are called "even marked" and are highly valued, while rarer still is the bird marked on eyes, wings and each side of the tail, this is called a "six- pointed" bird. The Norwich is divided, as are the other varieties, in to "yellows" and "buffs." Good exhibition specimens of yellows are of the brightest orange, al- most the color of red-hot iron. The "buffs," although as deep and bright in color, have the end of each little feather just tipped with white very lightly. The deep bright yellow shining through gives the appearance of being frosted, or as if a thin white lace veil were over the bird with the yellow shining through. The effect is almost indescrib- ably beautiful. Some of these birds are extremely valuable. They are good songsters, exquisite little birds, bright and intelligent. There are many shows in the differ- ent cities and towns all over England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the fall and winter and when these shows are over the owners of the prize winners .send the champions (those that have never been beaten) up to the biggest and best show of all in the month of February at the Crystal Palace. At the 52nd annual show last February there were in all 2600 cage birds competing for prices. A prize there means a win- ning over about 26,000 birds from all over the country. In reply to the request of one of his customers for a few instructions in the management of canries, Mr. John Bur- rows writes : I like a room with the window in the East or Southeast, so that the birds will get the sun's rays when it is not too warm in the morning, also we must remember that the birds feed their young at the earliest opportunity in the morning. I prefer a breeding cage as plainly made as possible, with just a wire front, every crevice must be puttied up, so there is no room for red mites, no ornaments or mouldings of any sort, it should be either limewashed or paint- ed, with a drawer at bottom to clean them out, sliding divisions in the mid- dle. Some fanciers use a slide with a few wires, so that the birds can get ac- quainted that way. Plenty of sharp grit in bottom of cage, the seed hopper in the center over slide, drinking water at each end, never put drinking water inside; four perches, two each side the slide, perches made big enough for birds to grasp firmly (no pencils). Hang nest box between perches when birds are ready to build. Size of breeding cage outside measure 36 in. long, 18 in. high, 12 in. deep. When your cages are ready, place the female on one side and the male on the other, when the male bird is seen feeding the hen through the wires, they are then ready to begin housekeeping, but don't put them to- gether till March 1st, then you have plenty of time for three nests before the end of July. The male bird I sent you is a buff marked, he should be paired to a yellow hen. Don't feed anything but plain canary seed in the hoppers, just a pinch of the following every other day in rotation, maw, rape, flax, hemp, millet ; never give mixed seed, just a little tender green food every alternate day. You will tell when the hen is about ready to lay. as she will finish her nest, and will not let the male pull it to pieecs as perhaps he has been doing. When she has laid, take out the egg and put in a dummy, a small marble. She will perhaps lay every morning till the nest is complete, but if she misses a day CANARIES 157 don't worry. On the evening of the 3rd egg put them all back in the nest. She ought to start then and sit, they should all hatch together on the 14th morn. If the male bird is quiet he need not be re- moved, but if he is too gay he had bet- ter be put the other side of the slide until the young are one week old, when he can be put back and take his share in feeding and raising the family. As soon as the young leave the nest, the hen will be ready to lay again. By the time the second ones are one week old, the male bird can be returned again, as the first young ones will be able to feed them- selves, and must be turned into a long flight cage, where they will have plenty of room for exercise. All the while the birds have young they should be fed on egg and bread food or ground crackers; nearly all egg when birds are first hatched, then increase the crackers as the young get older, also plenty of green food every day. Don't take their other seed away. They are also very fond of wild seeds, partly ripe, which is one of nature's foods for young birds. Soaked seed is also good, but it soon sours in this country. Everything must be kept as clean as possible, scalding all nesting materials, and be always on the lookout for the red mite. It is a good plan to dust the nest, when she begins to sit, with insect powder, also a day before she hatches. I hope by following instructions in these few lines you will be able to raise quite a family. German Canaries — At my request Mr. J. C. Edwards, manager of "Bird- land," Los Angeles, California, kindly sends me the following : The people who have devoted greatest attention to the rearing of canaries are the Germans. By them the cultivation of the singing qualities of the bird has been almost the exclusive desideratum, no particular reference being made to beauty of plumage, shape or size. The finest singers in the world are the trained German birds. The length of the Germany canary is about five and one-half inches, the color varying from pure yellow to a yellow- ish srreen. The birds are sometimes mot- tled or crested, for, as before stated, their breeding has entire reference to their song and not to their plumage. In many districts of Germany the breeding of canaries is the principal oc- cupation of the people, but the "Hartz Mountain" region surpasses all others in this business. The choicest breed is reared on the summit of the mountain in the little hamlet of "St. Andreas- berg," where the bird education is ear- ned to a degree that can scarcely be understood by the general public in this country. Every facility is given for the young birds to acquire the cultured notes of well-selected singers. Various mechanical devices are employed to in- troduce long trills, and flute notes and other oddities in song. From three to six months of constant training is need- ed to bring the young songsters to per- fection. St. Andreasberg Rollers is the name of these canaries. German canaries being bred by thou- sands of small breeders all over Ger- many, no one can tell just how many are produced annually. Our eastern im- porters dispose of over three hundred thousand of these birds in this country every year. Personally, I cannot see why we do not produce our own birds. We excel all foreign countries in su- perior poultry, horses, flowers, and by giving the matter the attention required we should be able to breed in time as good, if not better, songsters than any of the imported. There are thousand's of people in this country raising poultry that they are selling for $1 a head and think they are doing well. Canaries can be produced for less than chickens, and will always bring more than a dol- lar. There is always a demand for good songsters and any one that will take up this matter on a sensible commercial basis can do well with it. The rearing of young ibrds is a task in which all will not be equally success- ful, but it is safe to say that by follow- ing a few simple directions success will be assured. The breeding of canaries may be commenced about the middle of February and continued till midsum- mer, one pair raising several broods if permuted. However, continuing the breeding season too long is not advis- able, as it will prove detrimental to the health of the birds. The cage in which the breeding takes place should be roomy, sixteen inches in length is the smallest and ten. inches in width, but larger cages result in better, healthier birds. The cage should be hung against the wall or placed upon a shelf some seven or eight feet from the floor and facing the south. When once it has become the home of the pairing birds its position should not be changed, nor should it be needlessly taken from its place. The cage should be provided with a drawer, which must be kept clean 158 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK and strewn daily with fine gravel or sand. Cleanliness is very necessary. Fresh water, both for drinking and bathing, should be supplied daily. Plenty of nutritious food should be given. Feed the egg and cracker mixture daily in ad- dition to the seed and some green food, such as lettuce or dandelion or bits of sweet apple. As soon as the male is observed to be feeding his mate, nesting material or a ready-made nest should be given to them. In about eight days after mating the female will begin to lay, and will deposit one egg daily until the whole number are laid, seldom less than four, occasionally six or even seven. The period of incubation is fourteen days. The male will assist in feeding the young; plenty of soft food should be supplied them. The egg and cracker mixture should be customary diet, on this they will thrive. They should also have plenty of succulent green food, such as lettuce, chickweed, etc. In about three weeks the young birds will be able to leave the nest. They will soon learn to feed themselves if plenty of soft food is kept before them, and will soon eat the birdseed. When some four weeks old the males will be noticed swelling their throats, as if attempting to warble. The birds will be in full feather when six weeks old, but soon thereafter begin to cast their body feathers, and two months may elapse before they are in perfect plumage again. During this period they should be carefully preserved from draughts, and fed the egg mixture daily, together with rape seed which has been softened in water, and a little crushed hemp seed, not forgetting greed food. A young male's capacity to sing de- pends upon good breeding. He inherits this, but if he sings well it is by imi- tation. If you expect your young birds to become good singers you must place near them as good as songster as you can buy or borrow. A little money spent for a fine singer that can act as instructor to the young will be well re- paid. Bird fanciers in Germany put their canaries to school immediately after" the moulting season is past, the birds being then about three months old. A large number of young males are placed in a half-lighted room, connected with an apartment above by an opening in the ceiling. In the upper room are placed the choicest singers that can be com- manded — nightingales, larks, etc. — which act as instructors to the young birds. The young canaries soon learn the les- sons so carefully set for them and in a few months become expert musicians. These two articles on both English and German canaries should be helpful to canary breeders and either of the writers will be glad to answer questions or supply stock to enquirers. BASLEY FORMULAS (Tested) Basley Chick Feed Cracked Wheat , 30 lbs. Steel Cut Oats 30 lbs. Finely Cracked Corn 15 lbs. Millet . , 10 lbs. Rice . . . 10 lbs. Pearl Barley 10 lbs. Rape Seed 10 lbs. Granulated Milk 10 lbs. Granulated Dried Bone 10 lbs. Chick Grit 10 lbs. Granulated Charcoal 5 lbs. Total 150 lbs. Basley Dry Food for Laying Hens By measure : Bran 2 parts Alfalfa Meal . . • • 1 part Corn meal 1 part Rolled Oats or Oatmeal • • 1 part Beef Scrap 1 part A little pepper and salt. Basley "Egg Coaxer" Dose half a pint once a day for twenty hens when they are moulting or to encourage egg laying. This is an infallible egg producer. To be given in the mash either dry or wet. Dried -Blood 10 lbs. Beef Meal • • 10 lbs. Bone Meal 10 lbs. Linseed Meal • ■ 5 lbs. Sulphur 2 lbs. Powdered Charcoal - lbs. Cayenne Pepper V* lbs. Salt . ^ lb - Douglas Mixture Tonic and disinfectant: Sulphate of iron (common copperas), eight ounces; sulphuric acid, one-half ounce. Put into a bottle or jug one gallon of water; into this put the sulphate of iron. As soon as the iron is dissolved, add the acid. When the mixture is clear, it is ready for use. Dose: one teaspoonful in one pint of drinking water. This is one of the best tonics for poultry known. It is an antiseptic as well as a tonic, and is a good remedy for many diseases. Basley Liniment for Rheumatism One cup of vinegar; one cup of turpentine; as much saltpetre as it will take up, about a heaping tablespoonful. Keep in a bottle, shake before using. Bathe the affected part twice a day. Excellent for bruises, sprains, etc. ; also in the human family or animals of any kind. 160 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Epsom Salts, Purgative Dose Epsom salts is one of the most useful drugs we have in combating in- ternal diseases in poultry. An ordinary dose is 20 to 30 grains, administered in water. The dose for different ages, where quick purgative effect is desired, follows : Amt. per Bird. How administered. . . . 10 grains In feed . . . 15 grains In feed . . . 20 grains In feed . . . 30 grains Dissolved in water Age of Bird. 1 to 6 weeks 5 to 10 weeks 10 to 15 weeks 15 to 26 weeks 6 to 12 months : 35 grains Dissolved in water 1 year and over 40-50 grains Dissolved in water One ounce apothecary weight is 480 grains. One ounce is a quick purga- tive dose for 12 mature fowls. An ordinary dose is half this quantity. BROODERS Will you tell a beginner what kind of brooder you recommend? — Mrs. J. F. Y. Answer. — There are a number of good brooders on the market. For a begin- ner I usually advise the kind that bring in fresh warm air. Or else a small house which can be used as a coop for the chickens when they are half grown. There is a very good brooder made here which has a coal oil heater at the back that warms a small hover inside and does well in the coldest weather for about a hundred chickens and the same house or coop can be used by putting in perches when the chicks are old enough to be weaned from the hover. At Petaluma many large breeders are taking out all the different pipes for heating and substituting a small stove heated by distillate. This stove stands in the middle or the house, which is fourteen or even twenty feet square, or about that. Over the stove is a de- flector, shaped like a Chinese umbrella, which deflects the heat down upon the chicks which spread around on the floor. This brooder house and stove is intend- ed to hold from a thousand to fifteen hundred chicks and for those intending to raise large numbers this seems to be the best and the newest way. The stove, with automatic regulator to control the heat by shutting off part of the distil- late and making a smaller flame, can be bought, ready to put up, with tank, pipes, etc., at Petaluma for about $18. I have seen it working in several large ranches. (See illustrations page 75 of Mr. Davison's brooder houses.) I can recommend these. Also the fireless brooders which can be used in small, low colony houses, or even in piano box coops very advantageously for a few chickens, twenty-five to a hundred. PART II. Questions and Answers CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS Apoplexy — What is the trouble with my hens? They seem healthy and all at once they begin to gasp and fall over dead. I cut one open and it was in fine condition, fat and nice. I cannot make out what it is. — Mrs. C. S. Answer — ■ Your hen had apoplexy from being overfat. The overfat condi- tion weakens the muscles, and the heart and brain give way. Give the whole flock a little Epsom salts in the water for a week, cut dov n the amount of grain, especially any corn or corn meal in their feed, and feed more green food and more animal food with, of course, charcoal and grit. Air PuPP — Barred Rock about 6 or 7 weeks old. A few days ago it went to limping and I supposed it was some of the others crowding, but I have since noticed its whole right side was puffed away out, just the skin, and I took a needle and made a small opening and there was nothing but wind in it. I repeated the same operation next day. It eats and drinks and aside from the limping, seems to feel all right. — Mrs. J. N. H. Answer — Your chick had what is called "Air Puff," and you did just right in puncturing the skin ; you saved its life by it. The trouble comes from a wound or abrasion of the lung tissue resulting from violence of some kind. After ca- ponizing a chick this trouble often de- velops. I have seen the poor little things almost as round as a ball and so light from the air under the skin that the slightest breeze rolled them along. Chicks that get trampled on by their mothers, or cockerels that fight, are li- able to suffer from injuries that result in "air puff." They become inflated with air. The treatment is a good nourish- ing diet. I resort to bread and milk in such cases. It is easily digested, and, puncture the skin to let the air out. In slight cases where there is only a little air under the skin it will disappear gradually without treatment, but if there is a considerable amount of air it is nec- essary to prick the skin and let it out. Answer — Your hen has probably what is called "bumble-foot." It is something like a stone bruise or a corn in human beings. It usually comes from a corn or bruises of the feet, wounds with thorns, broken glass, hard stones or other sharp substances. The ball of the foot becomes swollen, inflamed, hot and painful. The fowl appears in pain. Corns are often caused by too small or narrow perches, which compel the fowl to grasp them tightly in order to main- tain their position. This firm grasp con- tinued night after night, affects the cir- culation of the part of the foot that comes in closest contact with the perch. A similar condition may be caused by heavy birds flying from, their perches and lighting upon a stony surface or hard floor. If it has not yet become an abscess, simply cut off the thickened skin or corn without causing bleeding and paint the corn with tincture of iodine. If pus has developed, soak the foot in warm water twice a day and poultice until the in- flammation is reduced. After thorough- ly cleaning the foot, if pus has devel- oped, open the abscess freely with a sharp knife and scrape out the diseased matter. Wash out the wound carefully with peroxide of hydrogen or carbol- ized water. Stuff the wound full of io- dine gauze and bandage it. Continue this treatment daily until the wound is almost healed, then apply a good oint- ment daily until it is entirely well. The bird must be kept on clean, dry straw until fully recovered. BumblE-FOOT — I have a lame hen ; she limps on her left foot. She eats as well as my other hens, her comb is red and looks healthv as the others. — Mrs. M. M. C. Bronchitis — Will you kindly tell me what ails my White Leghorn hen? She sits around most of the time and squawks and slings her head and when I hold my ear to her side I can hear a continual rattling. Her comb is red and she eats well. I feed corn, wheat, Kaffir corn and table scraps. They run on plenty of green range. Her nostrils are clean. Age, 8 months. — C. C. S. The irritation of the bronchial tubes is sometimes the remains of an attack of roup. I have found a little honey one of the best remedies. I would ad- vise you to mix one teaspoonful of euca- lyptus oil or teaspoonful of turpentine (I prefer the eucalyptus) in one cupful of strained honey ; mix thoroughly and give the bird one teaspoonful night and morning. At the same time give a nour- CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 163 ishing diet. A little red pepper and chopped onions in her food would also help the cure. Bald Headed — Some of my hens are becoming bald headed. The feathers for half an inch and more back of the comb disappear. The hens seem in the best of health and lay well. There are no lice or mites on the chickens, on the roosts or in the nests. If you can give me a remedy I shall consider It a great favor. —Mrs. E. E. C. Answer — -This is not at all an un- common occurrence just before the moult. Those feathers have merely ripened a little earlier than the others, and, strange to say, it is usually the best layers that are so affected. You can grease the bald spot with a little vase- line. This will hasten the growth of the new feathers. Bund Chicks — What is the matter with my little chickens ? They are about two months old. I find them with one eye shut and sometimes both, and when I open it a watery substance comes from them. When only one eye is affected, they are perfectly blind in it, but can see all right out of the other, and when both eyes are affected, they are blind in both. Their mouths are perfectly clear and they have a rattle in their throat. They have been affected now for about two weeks and several have died. It seems very contagious. — Mrs. A. L. S. Answer — The starting point of nearly all cases of blindness in chicks is in roupy breeding stock. A slight chill or cold is sufficient to start an epidemic of this blindness in a flock of chicks, if they already possess the inherited tend- ency to weakness of these parts from parents that were not in fit breeding con- dition. This blindness is a result of an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye and lids, which produces a sticky exudate, which gums the eyelids together. Sometimes the inflammation of the lids is excited by irritating substances like lime or sharp, dusty sand, insect powders or kerosene getting into the eyes. These causes may produce blind- ness in chicks that do not have roupy ancestors. That form of inflammation of the lids accompanied by hardening of the lids is not uncommonly caused by irritants, kerosene particularly. Uncleanliness is another cause of blindness of this sort, and too many who attempt to raise chicks are careless in this respect. Lice and mites also do their share to cause the trouble. The best way to remedy such cases is to prevent them or remove the cause if possible. In cases where there is an amount of exudate it will be well to bathe the eyes with a solution of bo- racic acid, fifteen grains to a half cup of water, and then dry with a soft cloth and apply a little carbolic salve. It is difficult to get satisfactory results dos- ing young chickens with medicine, but you might give them either a little bread and milk with a sprinkling of red pepper and sulphur on it, or rice boiled in milk with a tablespoonful of ground cinna- mon for each pint of milk. Cancer — The writer wishes to know if poultry are subject to cancer. — J. H. Answer — Poultry are not subject to cancer, but they are to tuberculosis, which may be taken for the same. There is no cure for this but the hatchet. A thorough disinfecting of the premises must be made. The bodies of any fowl dying from this disease should be burned, or buried very deeply, as it is an infectious disease. Canker — I am anxious to know if the heavy Black Orpingtons are hardy. I have just bought a fine cockerel and four hens; one of them has just got canker. What is the cause and remedy? —Mrs. M. N. Answer — The Black Orpingtons are very hardy. Am sorry your pen has canker. The cure for that is to paint the spots with sulpho-carbolate of zinc (four grains in an ounce of distilled water) night and morning. This will kill the germ, but in case it is diphther- itic roup, would advise you to paint it one day with the sulpho-carbolate of zinc and the next day with peroxide of hydrogen, as the latter kills the diph- theritic germ. The open front houses are the best for every kind of fowl in this climate. A change of diet will often affect the droppings of the fowls, when they are normal. You had better slight- ly change the foods, or if you feed them charcoal, it will materially assist the di- gestion, and you need fear no trouble. A little Epsom salts in the water, if the fowls are very fat and heavy, is also an 164 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK assistant, but by giving them plenty of green food, you will have no trouble. Cannibalism — I had a hatching of Black Minorcas three weeks ago of 115 chicks ; today I have about 80. In the first place, the chicks are hearty and well, but will bite the rectum of the other chicks and in two or three minutes will just tear the bowels out and kill the little chicks. Every one will give it a nip, and if we are not constantly on the alert all would be dead. No one of whom I have inquired has ever heard of such a thing. I have raised these just as I raise my White Leghorns. I hatched 160 seven weeks ago, and today have 158 fine chicks. You would oblige me very much with a remedy. — W. P. H. Answer — The remedy for "cannibal- ism" is first, to keep all the chicks busy with exercising; in order to do this, keep the floor of the brooder covered with chaff or finely cut alfalfa hay at least an inch deep and feed the chicks small grain (chick feed) in this ; the hay or chaff keeps the toes and feet covered, conceals them, and the busy little things are so occupied scratching that they do not get into mischief. Sec- ondly, give them a little more animal food or milk. The cannibals have a craving for animal food, and sometim.es a bit of fat salt pork, whether fed to them or nailed up where they can peck at it, satisfies this craving. Thirdly, find the first leader of this mischief, and either kill him or isolate him and give him to a hen to bring up. This bad habit is usually started by one chick, and all the others follow suit, and soon the whole brooder will acquire the habit, and it is almost impossible to stop it if it has got a good start. Warts on Combs and Eyes — I am in trouble and I know you can advise me. September 24th I hatched some Blue Andalusians. They have grown very fast, seemed extra healthy and vigorous until a few days ago, when warts be- gan to appear on their combs and eyes. In one night they grew twice in size. I have nine, and they are all becoming af- fected. What in the world is it, and is it catching? They have run at large en- tirely and their feed in grain is mostly kaffir corn. They were such fine chicks, and I was raising them for breeders, but now feel discouraged. I have a younger litter, four weeks old, but they are all right so far. My old birds are fine stock and very healthy. These warts did not make their appearance un- til the chicks were eight weeks old. — Mrs. H. E. S. Answer — Your chickens have chicken pox in a very virulent form. Chicken pox is from a germ and it is very in- fectious. It is fatal to young chicks. In severe cases it goes into the throat and mouth, as you describe. The best home remedies that I know are first to grease the "warts" that are on the outside of the mouth or under the wings with a little carbolic salve. Then wash the mouth and throat with vinegar and salt (a level teasponful in a cup of vinegar), following this the next day with swab- bing with peroxide of hydrogen. Give germazone in the drinking water. Feed nourishing and easily digestible food, such as bread and milk. Chicken pox or sore head affects ordi- nary fowls, and more rarely geese. Young chickens are more susceptible than the older fowls. It is caused by a parasitic fungus. The bite of insect abrasions of the comb, such as scratches from fighting in cockerels or turkeys, make conditions favorable for the para- site to get into the skin of the fowl. The bite of an insect, such as the flea or mite, will carry or give the disease. It is contagious. At first it has some ap- pearance of warts, these reach their full development in from five to ten days. The largest are found about the beak, nostrils or eyelids. These warts seem to run together and form yellow masses upon the comb and wattels. Chicken pox is more prevalent in damp weather than in dry. The cure is, wash the warts in warm soap suds, dry and apply carbolated vaseline, or kileroup, and feed a light, nourishing diet, one-third being cut green alfalfa and give bread and milk to which add half a teaspoonful of pow- dered sulphur. Disinfect the premises thoroughly. Cold in The Head — Can you tell me what is the matter with my chickens ? They eat, seem to feel good, sing and play and are laying good, but they seem to have a cold or something. They try to blow their noses and bubbles come out. Have been that way for about six weeks ; they have a good coop with no air holes ; six eight ; one end open ; only twenty-five to roost in it. They have had bluestone in their drinking water every day for a month ; they do not get CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 165 any worse or seem to be any better ; they have warm mash for morning feed and wheat noon and night. — F. C. H. Answer — I am afraid that your chick- ens are too crowded in their roosting quarters and that they get too warm at night and come out into the cool morn- ing air and in this way take cold. Or the open end may be towards the night breeze. They evidently have, for some cause, slight colds. Bluestone, or ger- mazone in the water is an excellent cure and by adding chopped onions and a lit- tle red pepper to the mash, should cure them. One teaspoonful of red pepper for every twelve hens is the dose. Rub the head well with kileroup. See roup cures in this book. Cough and Sneeze — Will you please tell me what is the matter with my birds? I have several that cough or sneeze, I do not know which. They will shake their heads and "holler." One can hear them quite a distance. Will you please tell me the disease and rem- edy? — B. J., Tucson, Ariz. Answer — Your fowls have bronchitis and perhaps some influenza. Give them bread and milk for supper, and a quinine pill and half a teaspoonful of red pepper mixed with butter. And see that they do not sleep in a draught or in a house where the rain comes in on them. Also give them each five drops of eucalyptus oil on a bit of bread or in half a tea- spoonful of honey. Comb Discolored — I have a White Leghorn cock two years old ; he has al- ways been healthy, but for the last two months I notice that his comb and wat- tles turned a deep purple and would remain so for days, then they would change to a natural color again, but only for a day or so, and then turn purple again. He seems to be healthy and vig- orous in every way. Now, can you tell me what can be the matter with him and what I can do for him, or if it would be wise to use him any further for breeding purposes? — Mrs. L. S. Answer — The comb tells quite a little story of what is going on in the organs of the whole body. Any change in the appearance of the comb is indicative of a disturbance in some other part of the bird. The dark colored comb is an indica- tion of a disordered liver and indiges- tion. The dark comb is one of the first symptoms noticed in congestion of the liver and most cases of this come from an overfeeding of a ration too rich in starch elements, such as too much po- tatoes or bread in the table scraps, and insufficient exercise. I do not know how you are feeding your fowls, but I would recommend you to put a little Epsom salts into the drinking water, or you can give him alone a small half teaspoonful in a tablespoonful of water, and put in the drinking water of the whole fleck ten drops of tincture of nux vomica to a pint of water. Feed plenty of green food and more meat than you are now giving; keep this up for a week and then turn the birds out on a grass range if possible, otherwise give to the birds as scratching material the waste from an alfalfa hay mow and allow them only a little grain, wheat, and make them scratch hard for that. It would not be advisable to use the male bird for breed- ing. Breed only from the most vigor- ous stock you have. Why Combs Are White — We have two Buff Orpington hens that are sick. They mope around and do not eat. Their heads and gills are almost white, and sometimes one is almost blue. They look as though they have lice, but they have not. Can you give me some ad- vice as to how to treat them? Thanking you in advance, I am, respectfully, A. G. O. Answer — The comb tells quite a little story as to what is going on in the organs of the whole body. The normal condition of the comb presents a healthy look that the poultrymen call the "stan- dard red." Any deviation from this red is an indication of changed action in the workings of the organ, or to a change in the vitality of the whole bird. The light colored comb shows an anemic state of the bird and is a sign of under- feeding, lice, poor ventilation, and ab- sence of green vegetable food, impure water and uncleanly surroundings. As you say nothing of the feeding and treatment of the birds, I am unable to say which of these conditions fits your case. I think probably they are infested with lice or their houses with mites, and the only remedy is the ex- termination of these. Catarrh — Can you please tell me what the trouble is when chickens cough 166 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK and their nose runs, also state the best way to rid them of this plague? — Mrs. S. A. B. Answer — Your chickens have taken cold and may have lice. Try to dis- cover what is giving them their severe colds. It is probably some draught. Put a piece of Milestone in their drinking water (the size of a bean in a quart of water) and give them a pill of the fol- lowing : Mix two tablespoons of lard, one each of mustard, red pepper, vine- gar; mix thoroughly, add sufficient flour to make a stiff dough. Give a bolus of this as big as the first joint of your lit- tle finger every night. One or two doses usually cures. Crop Bound — I have about 100 Leg- horns ; been very healthy all winter ; laying good. Now about six weeks ago I lost eleven of the heaviest ones in six days. They had yellow droppings ; lived only two days and died. Four others died after having a heavy crop hanging down ; they were apparently healthy and laying eggs regularly ; I cut the crops off three of them and found nothing but long strings of hay. Please oblige me by telling me the cause and what reme- dies.— A. F. H. Answer — Your hens are suffering from what is called crop-bound. They eat long pieces of hay, which form into a ball in the crop and cannot pass through them. After a time this fer- ments and decays and poisons the chick- ens or brings on inflammation of the crop. Cases of impaction of the crop caused by cracked corn are not so common, and occasionally there is a case from some foreign substance filling the outlet of the crop. Treatment— Make the bird swallow, by the aid of a funnel, some water in which half a teaspoonful of baking soda has been dissolved, then work the crop with the fingers until soft. Turn the bird upside down, and by working the crop, if it is impacted grain, the mass will be vomited out. After treating the bird, give it at night a dose of castor oil and feed sparingly for a few days on soft food. When long pieces of grass or hay cause this trouble, as in your case, almost the only remedy is to cut open the crop of the bird and wash it out. Have someone hold the bird so you can have both hands free to work. Pluck enough feathers from the breast to give bare skin half an inch wide by two inches long. Then with a sharp knife cut through the skin, lengthwise of the bird, an opening one inch long over the place of the swollen crop. Cut only the skin, leaving the crop untouched until the blood of the first incision has ceased to flow. Then cut through the crop a little over a half inch long. Half an inch may seem short, but you will be surprised to see how large the opening is after you have worked through it for awhile. In removing substances from the crop, be careful to let as little as possible slip between the skin and crop ; with a button-hook or anything else handy, remove the contents. If filled with grass or -hay, it is sometimes nec- essary to cut the mass with scissors be- fore any start can be made. When the crop is apparently empty, push your lit- tle finger into it, feeling to know wheth- er there is any obstruction at the outlet. If you find the opening clear, the last thing is to sew up the cut. With needle and white silk thread, take two single stitches in the cut in the crop, then in the same way take three stitches in the skin, tying off the silk at each stitch. Be careful not to include the crop in the knot tied. After the operation feed soft food, omitting grain for a week. Sick Chicks — I want your advice. My little chicks seem to be pert and healthy when they are first hatched and all right until they are two weeks old, and then they get all pasted up in the back; don't eat, just drink and are sleepy looking, droopy and die. I have lost over a dozen that way and have a lot more now that are in the same con- dition. They have no lice or mites, for I have examined them, and I don't see how they take cold. I have barrels for them to roost in, with a screen in front to protect them from cats or rats, so there is no draught through the barrel and I don't feed them anything but chick feed. I put copperas in their wa- ter this morning to see if that would check it. I am sorry to lose all my chicks after I have taken such good care of them. Please let roe know as soon as possible what I can do for them and oblige. Yours truly. — Mrs. C. C. B. Answer — Your little chicks have tak- en cold, probably from sleeping in a barrel. When little chicks have bowel trouble, it is almost always from taking cold. In mature hens a cold affects the CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 167 head, throat, bronchial tubes or lungs, whilst with little chicks it affects first the bowels. A fireless brooder might have saved all your chicks. A barrel is very cold, unless it is well banked up on the out- side and the nest inside very carefully made. A flat box is much better. Cop- peras will not help them; the best thing for them is rice, boiled in milk, with a tablespoonful of ground cinnamon to each pint of the milk added after cook- ing. Cinnamon is a good disinfectant and healing and warming to the bowels. Copperas is cold and chilling and is apt to give indigestion to small chicks. Pullets Dying — We have a flock of incubator chicks that are not doing very well. The little pullets started to die when but seven weeks old and we lose one or two every day. They have the whole farm to run on. At first they hang their wings and act sleepy, then their heads turn blue and they die. We cannot find lice nor fleas on them. They are fed wheat, oatmeal, and some onions and malk. Have plenty of water, grit and charcoal. — Mrs.T. L. Answer — I think your chickens have worms ; the wings dropping and their acting sleepy are two of the most promi- nent symptoms with worms. Cut open the next one that dies and examine it. The best cure that I have found for worms is ten drops of turpentine in a teaspoonful of castor oil. This is for the common round worms. For tape worms, which are not so common, the dose is ten drops of tincture of male fern on a piece of bread or a lump of sugar in the morning, fasting followed by a dose of castor oil in an hour. Be > careful to clean up and destroy the drop- pings or the other chickens will eat them and the trouble will increase. Diphtheritic Roup — Having derived many useful ideas from your writings, I take the liberty to ask your advice re- garding a disease which has come upon my chickens. The first symptoms seem to be a sneezing or squawking sound, as if the chicken had a beard in its throat ; then a white membrane forms over the windpipe and the eyes close up and lumps break out around the comb. The lumps finally break and the eyes and nose run. Both Barred Rocks and White Leghorns are afflicted. The Barred seem to suffer the most. — Mrs. R. F. Answer— I am sorry to say your fowls have diphtheritic roup. It is a very in- fectious disease and if you have children you had better keep them away from the fowls. Spray the mouth, throat, nostrils and cleft in the mouth twice a day with peroxide of hydrogen. Give the fowls a quinine pill, four nights in succession, and once a day a bolus of the following mixture : Two spoons of lard, one each of mustard, cayenne pep- per and vinegar ; mix thoroughly, add flour enough to make stiff dough ; give a bolus as large as the first joint of your little finger once every twenty-four hours. Fatty Degeneration of Liver — I have noticed a hen moping and eating but little for two or three weeks, but as I had broken some up from sitting, thought it the result from broodiness. However, as she got no better I separ- ated her from the others, but yesterday she died. This morning I did as you advised, and duly performed the autopsy. I saw at once on making an incision what was the matter. Her liver was so enlarged that it occupied almost the whole cavity. I never saw one such a size. It was covered in blotches of pink spots, small as a pin point. There was fat around the heart and the intestines ; perhaps a fifth of an inch thick. There was plenty of grit in the gizzard but no food. The heart seemed in good con- dition, the body a good color, and flesh firm,. In the cavities of the back is a substance, of which I do not know the name, that seems to be enlarging and hardened. There were many eggs, but very small and undeveloped. Is this the kind of liver which is used as a delicacy and produced by overfeeding? My fowls were fed corn all winter and were much too fat this spring. In March they had layers of fat an inch in thickness. I did not suppose that a laying hen ought to have any fat inside of her. How should that be?— G. S. H. Answer — Your hens certainly had fatty degeneration of the liver, or the disease which the overfat geese have when their liver is considered a deli- cacy. She simply had been fed an un- balanced ration containing too much of the fat element, and being a Plymouth Rock, had become overfat. The sub- stance in the cavities of the back is the kidneys. There are three lobes of these on each side. Your fattening ration had also affected them. So much fat will 168 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK also affect the egg laying, will make small eggs and chickens will be weakly, as there will be preponderance of fat in the eggs from which they are hatched. A laying hen should not be anything like as fat as those you describe. most incurable, but the treatment I have indicated may help him and prolong his life. Feather Pulling — Will you kindly tell me the cause of chickens pulling feathers from each other and eating them.? We feed them wheat, cracked corn, etc., also ground bone. — G. H. T. Answer — Various causes have been assigned for this habit, the most prob- able being improper rations and idle- ness. In some instances it is caused by mites or lice. As in some cases, the habit is due to insufficient animal mat- ter in the rations, or to feeding too long on a single kind of grain, particularly corn, one of the first measures adopted should be a well-balanced ration, con- taining skim milk, meat, bone, veget- ables or green feed and frequently va- ried. The Geneva, New York, experi- ment station applied to the feathers lard or vaseline in which powdered aloes had been mixed. After continuing this treat- ment for some time the habit disap- peared, due to the disagreeable taste of the aloes. The skin and feathers should be carefully examined for lice and mites and if these are found the remedies recommended for such parasite should be applied. Heart Trouble — I have a very fine rooster, two years old. For the past two months he has been troubled by some difficulty in breathing. At times his comb and wattles become purple for two or three minutes, then the color gets red again. I have looked for canker but cannot find anything that seems wrong. Have used vaseline but it has not done any good. It seems to me more like asthma or bronchitis. Wish I could cure him for he is a valuable bird. — Mrs. I. G. Answer — I am sorry to say that your bird has heart trouble. This has been brought on by some great excitement, such as fighting, fright or being chased. It may possibly be fat on the heart, which weakens that useful organ. You might try giving him in the drinking water nux vomica and sulphur comp. 2x twelve tablets to each pint of drinking water. Be careful to give him plenty of green food and grit, besides his or- dinary food. Cases of this kind are al- Hemorrhage oe Oviduct — I wish a little information in regard to a Leg- horn hen that died yesterday. She ap- parently choked to death ; made a queer noise. We opened her and found at the bottom of her egg bag a large clot of black blood. Can you tell me what it was and if there is any cure for it? Answer — Your White Leghorn hen had a hemorrhage of the oviduct ; this is excited by any of the causes which .lead to congestion and inflammation and may be counteracted by green feed and the suppression of egg foods, stimulants, red pepper, etc. It sometimes occurs from trying to pass too large an egg. There is no cure that I know of, as death occurs before one finds out what is the matter. Indigestion and Liver Complaint — My hens are on a strike, and their faces and combs are becoming pale or yellow. What is it?— I. S. B. Answer — You have been overfeeding, and now your fowls have indigestion. Indigestion in fowls is the cause of many ailments. With your birds it has been brought on by lack of grit, with not sufficient roughness (or filling) and too little exercise. How can indigestion be prevented? By dieting. Feed more bulky foods, such as alfalfa, and less solids. A continued grain diet of wheat, corn, barley, if few in quantities and not varied by bulky foods, vegetables, etc., will bring on indigestion, especially when but little exercise is taken. An i'nsufficiency of clean water is also con- ducive to this trouble. Clover, alfalfa, any of the green stuffs or vegetables, usually fed to fowls, are absolutely nec- essary preservatives of health. Now, as to a remedy : Your fowls' indigestion has taken the phase of biliousness. Give each affected hen one of Carter's Little Liver Pills, and give the whole flock a teaspoonful of baking soda in a quart of water every day for a week. Give no other water. Why do I recommend soda? Because it helps to emulsify the too much fat in the bowels. You might give a teaspoonful of Epsom salts in the water for a week, to carry off the bile which is overflowing into the in- testines and being taken into the system. It is not kindness to feed your fowls CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 169 every time they come near you. It is far kinder to keep them working for it and so keep them healthy. Inflammation of the Crop — I have a Buff Orpington hen that has a disease I have never seen before. Her craw is swollen to several times its normal size and is filled with wind or gas. She eats but not as much as she should, and is getting thinner all the time. — H. Y. Answer — Your hen is suffering from inflammation of the crop. This is like a very severe attack of indigestion. The causes of this are irregular feeding or too much food being taken at one time. Partially decomposed meat, or putrid food of any kind will also cause con- gestion and fermentation of the contents of the crop. The same disease occurs when birds eat substances containing phosphorus or arsenic, or rat poison. The feeding of too large a quantity of pepper or stimulating "egg food" in the mash will also cause inflamed crop as well as trouble with the egg function. Treatment — A clean, dry pen should be provided for the affected bird. Empty the crop of its irritating and decompos- ing contents by careful pressure and ma- nipulation while the bird is held with its head downward. When the crop is freed of its contents, give two grains of subnitrate of bismuth and one-half grain of bicarbonate of soda in a teaspoon of water. The bird should then be kept without feed for eighteen hours and then fed sparingly upon easily digested food, such as bread and milk. Half a grain of quinine morning and night for two or three days will complete the cure. Influenza — I am in trouble with my chickens. Five of them have died since Monday. They open their mouths and gasp for breath and sneeze and their eyes are very watery. I feed wheat, cracked corn, plenty of green stuff and table scraps, and they have a good run. I always wash out their drinking pans and rake out under their roosts at least every other morning. — Mrs. J. F. S. Answer — Your chickens have influ- enza. They are taking cold in some way. Either there is a draught in their house or the rain comes in on them ; a few have had the cold and they are giv- ing it to the rest. Keep bluestone in their water, and give each of them a bolus of the following, night and morning: Mix two tablespoons of lard, one tablespoon each of cayenne pepper, mustard, vine- gar; mix thoroughly, add enough flour to make stiff dough ; roll ■ out ; give a bolus as large as the end of your little finger. Put carbolated vaseline or Kile- roup up their nostrils and in the cleft of the mouth, and give them chopped on- ions in their food. Leg Weakness — I am in trouble over my White Rock chickens. I only have a few, so would like to save them. When they are about three weeks old they get weak in the legs, and after a week or so they begin to tremble like a person that is nervous. They eat well until the last. I feed boiled egg and bread crumbs. They have green barley to run on. I feed kaffir corn at night. During the da}' I feed onions and table scraps. If you could tell me what to do I would be a thousand times obliged. — Mrs. W. K. Answer — -Your chickens are suffering from what is called "leg weakness." Leg weakness comes chiefly from wrong feeding, also from overcrowding at night and overheating. Young chickens should either be al- lowed free range with a hen or be en- couraged to work and scratch for their food. This strengthens their legs. The green food should form at least one- third of their diet and for such young chickens it would have to be chopped up finely. They cannot peck off sufficient green barley. It soon becomes too tough for them. The cure for leg weakness is a little tonic (a few drops of iron in their drinking water) and plenty of green food and cracked wheat instead of kaffir corn. If it comes from over- crowding or overheating, either under a hen or in a brooder, you must rectify this. See that they have "chick grit and charcoal." Acute Indigestion — I am in trouble with some incubator chicks and I write to ask you to be kind enough to diag- nose it. The chicks are Black Minorcas and are fourteen days old. They seemed to be doing well till yesterday. One or two all at once got so they could not stand up or walk, but looked bright. This morning there are half a dozen affected the same way. I feed them a chick feed I have used for several years, curd, charcoal, and plenty of grit and always give the fresh water three or four times a day. For the last three days they have 170 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK run in a lettuce patch part of the day. I have a hot air brooder, plenty of fresh air at night. No sign of lice and I use a powder in the brooder once a week. I have raised chickens for several years but have never had any trouble like this and I would be greatly obliged if you can diagnose the case and give a remedy. —Mrs. P. V. M., Sacramento. Answer — -The symptoms you describe are those of poisoning or sudden and acute digestion. I can only suggest that it may be that the chick feed has mouldy grain in it or there may be ptomaine poison in the beef scrap. I would sug- gest that you put a little bicarbonate of soda in the drinking water. Give all the succulent green food that you can per- suade them to eat and to each affected chick administer without delay ten drops of castor oil. Try to find out where the poison comes from, change all the bed- ding in the brooder and brooder house and scald the brooder thoroughly with hot soap suds. When any sudden trou- ble like this comes, try to find the cause of it and remove it. I feel sure it is poison of some kind, either ptomaine or fungoid, such as mouldy bread or mil- dewed grain. Limber Neck — We have between 200 and 300 chicks two months old that are badly afflicted with limber neck, and we cannot find out the cause. The first two or three weeks we fed them millet and Johnny cake, made stiff and dry, of coarse corn meal, but they began to get sick, so changed to dry food, consisting of cracked wheat, millet, beef scraps and grit, but the chicks got no better, so now we are using just wheat and grit. They have lettuce every day and often young vegetables — tops and all. Until about a week ago they were kept by themselves in wire pens, but as an experiment my husband let them out to run, and still they get sick. They do not all die, as I bring them to the house as soon as we find the sick ones, but from one to seven die nearly every day. They have fresh water every morning. I do not try to doctor them, but just keep them warm. I have saved some pretty sick ones in that way. They are such a bother, and we have lost so many in that way. The flock which is the most affected had a habit of huddling when they were small, until they would sweat and sometimes die. Do you suppose that could have anything to do with the present trou- bles?— Mrs. F. L. Answer — Limber neck is due to a dis- order of the neryous system and is usu- ally the result of disturbances of the di- gestive organs from severe attacks of indigestion or from infestation with worm parasites. Chicks are sometimes affected in this manner by unusually hot days and nights. I think very probably their digestive organs were weakened by being overheated when they huddled, and I would give the whole flock plenty of charcoal to eat, with plenty of green food and animal food, and no millet, as millet is very hard to digest. Give the sick birds a small piece of gum asa- foetida, about the size of a green pea. Repeat the dose the second day. This will usually cure. Feed them with bruised garlic or with chopped up onions. Give them grit or very coarse sand in boxes to assist in the digestion, and I think you will have no further trouble. It is possible that your chickens have worms. You had better open the next one that dies and examine it, and if you find it infected, give the others turpen- tine in the drinking water, half a tea- spoonful to a pint of water (giving no other drinking water) or if you prefer it, give a teaspoonful of castor oil with ten drops of turpentine in it to each sick chick. The chickens dislike the turpen- tine in the water, but it will kill the common round worms if continued for a week. Liver Troubles or Poison — I want your advice and a remedy for my sick fowls. The symptoms are briefly stated : Grown chickens affected droop for two days, comb turns black and they die. Have lost nine in two days. My chickens have free range, fresh water and plenty of barnyard scratching with Egyptian corn every night. — C. V. N. Answer — The symptoms you describe denote either liver trouble or poison. In your case I think perhaps it is poi- son, either from rat poison, gopher or some poisonous weed. You had better hold a post mortem examination on the next one that dies and then you will be able to tell just what the trouble is. Liver Disease — The liver is the larg- est and most important organ in the fowl's body. It not only prepares the bile which is poured into the intestines to assist digestion, but it acts also as a germ destroyer, and assists in some of the necessary chemical changes which CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 171 take place in the blood. This organ con- tains numerous blood vessels and through it passes a large quantity of blood. It is particularly subject to the attacks of various kinds of parasites. Most of these parasites probably find their way to the liver through the blood channels, lodge in the minute blood ves- sels and multiply there. It is especially liable to congestion, which frequently occurs from errors in feeding, or other causes of intestinal irritation. Congestion of the Liver — A lack of exercise, combined with overfeeding, is the most frequent cause of congestion of the liver. It also results from the overuse of stimulating condiments and the persistent feeding of many of the so-called "egg foods" to birds closely housed and yarded. Most of the cases of liver trouble are, however, due to the overfeeding of a ration too rich in starch elements, such as too large an amount of potatoes or bread. The early symptoms of congested liver are not always recognized, as the bird's condition may not be suspected. There is at first a lack of color in the bird's comb and wattles, followed by a watery diarrhoea, dark at first, but changing to yellow. The plumage is rough and dull. Then the color of comb and wat- tles begins to change to a dark red or purple, often becoming nearly black. The fowl is usually fat at this stage. Treatment — If the early symptoms are noted and properly treated, most cases will recover. As the cause is largely one of ill-balanced rations and feeding, with insufficient exercise, a change must be made in this. Give twelve tablets of nux vomica and sulphur comp. 2x in each pint of drinking water. Feed plenty of fresh green stuff and some cooked meat. Keep up this treatment for a week, then turn the bird out in a grass range if possible ; otherwise give the birds as scratching material the waste from an alfalfa haymow and allow them only a little grain (wheat) and make them scratch hard for that. Inflammation of the Liver — Inflam- mation of the liver is really the stage following congestion. The causes are the same, and the symptoms also, only increased in every way. There is little satisfaction in treating a case that has drifted into inflammation. The liver tis- sues are permanently injured and that organ is unfit to perform its duties. Treatment — Treat these cases, if at all, by clearing out the bowels with a dose of castor oil or sulphate of mag- nesia, following this by nux vomica, as in the congestion of the liver. Feed lightly, depending upon bran and clover with a little cooked meat and a free range of grass. Naked Chicks — Thinking perhaps you can help us, I will ask you for a little of your time. Late in October we bought a hen caring for thirty chicks. We have fed them cracked corn, meat scraps, plenty of green stuff, charcoal and grit. They feathered out, but since many of them have become bald, and the feathers fall from their neck and they are growing thin, still their wing feathers are long, making them look very queer. They are not incubator chicks, and we have examined them closely for mites, have dusted them for lice and they are quite free from either. What do you think is the cause and what can we do for them? — H. A. S. Answer — Your chickens are huddling at night, crowding too closely together. This makes them sweat and their feath- ers fall out. Put a little carbolated vase- line on their heads and cut the feathers of their wings as close as you can with- out making them bleed. Give them wheat and more meat in their food and try to prevent their crowding at night. It is the crowding and lack of wheat in the food, lack of protein, that prevents the feathers growing, and the sweating makes them fall out and will make the chickens thin. Ovarian Tumor — I had a nice Or- pington hen ; she had been laying each day and appeared to be perfectly healthy; comb red, went around seem- ing quite well. I feed cracked corn and wheat, table scraps, and the chickens have good range and plenty of good food. About four days agothe Orping- ton appeared to be lame in the right leg. I caught her, examined the foot and leg, could see nothing wrong and she continued lame, and with difficulty got on the nest. To all appearances the leg was broken, as it was harder for her to walk each day. Rather than see her suffer I had her killed. I dissected her: she was very fat with an abundance of eges, one soft shell. I found in the right side of the back a growth about the size of a pigeon egg, which appeared to be part of the egg bag. The liver and 172 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK other organs appeared to be healthy. I hope that you may be able to tell _ me what the growth was and if there is a cure for it, in case any of the other hens have such symptoms. The hen was about two and a half years old. Would age have a tendency to hinder her? — Mrs. H. R. B. Answer — Your hen had what is called an ovarian tumor. The trouble is very common, and yet we don't know very much about it. I am inclined to think that if investigations covering a large number of fowls kept under a variety of conditions were made, it would be found that cases of tumor like this are more abundant among fowls kept closely con- fined, or fed heavily for egg production, than among those kept under more nat- ural conditions. It is quite reasonable also to suppose that the offspring of hens heavily forced for egg production would show weakness of the reproduc- tive system, resulting in diseases of this character. It possibly also may come from an injury of some kind. Undoubt- edly some strains or families are more subject to it than others. There is no cure for it and the only preventive is to keep the hens healthy and busy. moved in the same way by clipping the hair off and rubbing the small horns. This has to be done when the calf is only a few days old. I have always removed the spurs by sawing them off and then filing down the rough edges. To Remove Spurs — The English method of removing spurs : to success- fully remove spurs from an old bird it is necessary to have a couple of baked po- tatoes fresh, from the oven ; first take a long strip of damp rag, wind this around the bird's shank, both under and above the spur, so that the potato will not burn the bird's leg. Next take one of the hot potatoes and place it upon the spur, driving the spur well home. Allow the hot potato to remain upon the spur for five or six minutes, then remove the po- tato and with a sharp pen knife nick ? round the base of the spur, then insert the point of the knife in the point of the spur and gently pull, when the whole of the outer shell will come away. The next thing to do is to shave off the point of the remaining spur and the bird will be much better and safer for breeding purposes. This English plan does not appeal to me. but as it is a novelty I give it. The Eastern way of removing spurs, or young calves' horns : Take vaseline and oil around the root of the spur, take a stick of caustic, moisten and rub the points thoroughly. This has to be done when the birds are young, say six months old. The calves' horns are re- Overfat Hens — I have about two dozen Buff Orpington hens and have had no eggs for four months. They appear as healthy as can be. For some time I fed them wheat twice a day and the table scraps. I began to think I was not feeding the proper foods; then I got bran and an egg maker and also bought cabbage for them and still no eggs. They, have lots of exercise and gravel and are so fat you cannot eat them. Please tell me what to do to re- duce the fat. The past two weeks I have been giving them just the scraps from the table. Tell me, is that the proper method to reduce fat? — Mrs. A. C. S. Answer — Your hens are so fat that they cannot lay. The whole inside of them is filled full of fat so the eggs cannot pass down the egg duct. The best plan would be to kill and eat, or sell the fowls, because they will not make satisfactory layers after being so fat. However, if you wish to keep them, your only plan will be not to give any grain, or any table scraps until they are reduced in fat ; give only green alfalfa or lawn clippings, for two weeks, then commence and feed half an ounce of meat per hen per day "and lawn clip- pings ; no grain or bread, and in about a month they may begin to lay. Pendulous Crop — I have a hen, and its crop hangs down so far that when it walks its feet are always hitting it. We cut it open once and only the corn and feed it had eaten came out of it. I have thought I would kill it, but I was afraid it might be a tumor and that the hen would not be fit to eat. She seems healthy otherwise. Answer — Your hen has a pendulous crop. This is usually caused by over- feeding of mash at some time in her life. It sometimes can be cured by a surgical operation. I would advise you to kill and eat the hen, as in time the crop will become sore. You can easily see before you eat it if a tumor has developed, in which case bury it. CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 173 Poisoning — For some time I have read your articles and know that you are different from the majority of poul- try writers, in this, that you know what you are writing about. I wish to ask you to please tell me what is ailing a fine White Wyandotte cock I have. He has been ailing about two months. He was just starting in the moult when he commenced looseness of the bowels which I cured, when one evening, as I came to shut them up, I found him on the ground unable to get on the roost ; when I lifted him on the roost he fell as though dizzy and tumbled over and over. Ever since that time he has been getting worse. Now, with the least ex- citement, he will squat on the ground and twist his head and neck entirely around, often with his bill turned straight up. Answer — The symptoms you describe are those of ptomaine poisoning. This is caused by bad meat or bad milk or spoilt beef scraps. Also by musty or sooty grain and formaline. The treat- ment is : Give a pill of asafoetida about the size of a pea every night for a week ; for the same length of time put bicar- bonate of soda in the water, about a tea- spoonful to a quart of water; give him some charcoal in the feed and avoid feeding whatever is causing the trouble. The preservative which butchers put on the meat acts as a poison and many fine birds have been lost by this without the owners discovering the trouble. It seems to partly paralyze the bird. Ptomaine Poison — I am in great trou- ble and come to you for advice. My splendid White Leghorn chickens are dying like flies and I do not know the cause nor what to do for them. Today I lost ten and I am afraid I may lose the whole lot of them. I opened several to see if I could find the cause, but they look all right, with the excep- tion of the crop, which has nothing in it but wind or air. The chickens are seem- ingly all right, and suddenly they will lie down, put their heads under their bodies, and after a while they will die. My chickens have plenty of exercise, lots of green food, grit and running wa- ter. They can run at will all over the ranch, and I feed them, some every day. I am putting some pulverized asafoetida in their mash as a disinfectant. My chicken house is new and in good order. —Mrs. K. C. Polasky. Answer — Sudden symptoms such as you describe come from poison of some kind which brings on an attack of acute indigestion. The difficulty is to decide what the poison is and where the chick- ens get it. I think your chickens, being on free range, are finding and eating putrid ani- mal food of some kind and that they are suffering from ptomaine poison. Rotten vegetables or moulded grain or vegetables have the same effect, al- though that is from a fungoid poison. The treatment in either case would be about the same. First remove the poi- son from the ranch, look for any dead chicken, bird, gopher, etc., and bury deeply or burn. Continue the asafoetida in the mash, but also add a teaspoonful of castor oil for each chick the first morning, and in every mash for some time to come put powdered charcoal and sulphur, a quarter of a teaspoonful to each chick. Poison — I thank you very much for your kind advice. I feed now as you direct me, with fairly good results. The beef scrap, of which I send you a sam- ple, I bought at , and it killed my chickens. I fed it to different flocks at differ- ent times with the same result and I am positive it is this beef scrap and nothing else that poisoned my chickens. I wonder how many people have lost chickens through these same people who sold to me. Perhaps they sell good scrap sometimes, but this is bad and smells bad. What is the best way to feed rabbits to hens ? I cannot grind them in a bone cutter, can I ? — J. H. Answer — The beef scrap that you sent me certainly does not smell at all good. It often occurs in the summer that beef scrap that may have been good earlier in the year has become moist or heated and a poison has developed in it, so in the summer I advise poultry raisers to buy it only in small quantities and try to have it as sweet as possible. You know I feared it was the beef scrap and so advised you to use milk and wild game and to avoid the beef scrap. You will have to skin the rabbits or squirrels, and then you can surely grind them up in your bone cutter or if you cannot, you might hack them up with a hatchet on a block of wood, or you can boil them and let the hens peck the meat off and then chop the bones up 174 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK on the block. The hens will come run- ning when they hear that hatchet chop- ping. I have had them running a quar- ter of a mile to get the bones that were flying off the hatchet. The rabbit and squirrel bones chop very easily and the hens do love them. Poison — I want to know what is the matter with my friend's chickens. They are a mixed flock, one year old, all lay- ing. They are fed on scraps or garbage. The first thing she noticed they were on the roost hanging their heads down as far as they could stretch. Then they fall on the ground and run their heads out as far as they can, and die three or four days later. She has lost seven- teen. — Mrs. F. Answer — This is what is called "lim- ber neck," and comes from poisoning by bad (putrid) meat, fish, or garbage that is mouldy. Tell your friend to put a lit- tle bicarbonate of soda in the drinking- water — a small teaspoonful to a quart — and to give also ground charcoal in the food and give each hen that is so af- fected a dose of either Epsom salts (half a teaspoonful) dissolved in water, or a teaspoonful of castor oil. Mildew Poison — Will you kindly an- swer the following questions : My White Leghorns are dying from bowel trouble. Two were sick for two days. I have noticed this since I began feeding a dark variety of wheat or mildewed wheat. The hens have not laid well and their combs are dark. I think it is the wheat. Will you please tell me a rem- edy? Do you think it is the wheat? — Mrs. J. W. H. Answer — Mildew is poisonous to fowls and the wheat you are feeding them is killing them. Stop giving them that wheat, and give them a little charcoal in their food and also a little carbonate of soda in their drinking water, about a half-teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda to a quart of drinking water. But there will be no use of doctoring if you keep on feeding them the poisonous wheat. Pip — I have read your remarks care- fully for over a year, but do not remem- ber anything about pip. All my flock have it, one year and three days old. How do they get it? Is it hereditary? If so, is it in the strain or the breed, White Wyandottes? Is it fatal? If so, in what time? What is your treatment? Thanking you for your reply, I am, very respectfully. — W. H. Answer — I have not seen a genuine case of "pip" for many a long year — in fact, never in California. The poultry medical books here assert that it is only a symptom of a disease and not a dis- ease at all ; that it is only a dryness of the tongue produced by feverishness and rapid breathing. However, I well re- member the disease at my grandmoth- er's, in Europe, and there the cure was very simple. The pip there was a real disease. It was a small horn or scale that grew on the end of the tongue. The tip of it was quite sharp, almost like a thorn, and the edges were almost as sharp as a knife. The sharp point and edges seem to prevent the fowls from picking up and swallowing the grain and they die of starvation. When we noticed a hen which drop- ped the grain we examined her and if we found a hard, sharp scale on the tip of the tongue we would remove it with the thumb nail, scaling it off, commenc- ing under the tip of the tongue. Then we touched the spot with borax and honey and gave the hen a dose of Ep- som salts, about a quarter of a teaspoon- ful, or a lump of very salt butter. We fed soft food for a few days. The hens recovered quickly. Poisoned — Yesterday morning I found nine big chickens in my yard dead and about twelve more are dying. What is the cause? They sit on the ground, do not eat and the head hangs loose on the ground. The comb is dark and in the throat is a sticky slime like white mucil- age. No bad smell ; sometimes they jump a foot and lie down again. I fear they will all die. To a few I gave a tea- spoonful of olive oil, and to some others fresh milk. I cannot imagine what it is. Other fowls in the next yard are not affected, and all had the same food. — Mrs. F. C. P. Answer — Your chickens have limber necks from ptomaine poisoning. Give the whole flock hypo-sulphite of soda ; dissolve one teaspoonful in a quart of drinking water. And to each chicken that is affected give a piece of asafoetida about the size of a green pea. Use the gum form, and repeat the dose the sec- ond day. This disease usually comes from severe attacks of indigestion, caused by eating bad animal food, or the CAUSE AND CURE OE SICKNESS 175 decaying carcass of a dead animal. Putrid meat or putrid milk will cause it. Rheumatism — I have a White Ply- mouth Rock hen about eight months old, which seems to have rheumatism. She is very fat, and a few days ago she walked lame in one leg and the next morning she was lame in both legs and now she cannot stand erect, but walks and crawls on her legs, the legs being drawn up under her so that in moving around she does not seem to be able to straighten out her legs, but moves with them underneath, from the knee down being flat on the ground. Can you tell me what is the matter, and a remedy? — W. A. B. Answer — I am afraid your hen has rheumatism from liver trouble, brought on by overfeeding, with insufficient ex- ercise, and I cannot hold out any hope of a cure at her age. If she is not feverish, she would be good for the ta- ble, but being very fat, and with this rheumatic tendency, she would never make a good layer, and the hatchet is the only cure for her. For the rest of the flock, give them Epsom salts in the drinking water for a week, and bicar- bonate of soda for a second week ; in- crease the amount of green food and meat, and cut in half the amount of grain, and let all of the grain be fed in the scratching pen to induce exercise. spoonful to each quart of water, or sali- cylic acid, one grain a day, has given good results, but the iodide is the best and most satisfactory. Give plenty of green food. Rheumatism in the Feet — I have a very fine Buff Leghorn rooster and he seems to have rheumatism in his feet. Do you know any cure? — Mrs. J. M. S. Answer — Rheumatism may result from. long exposure to cold and moisture ; it may be produced by overfeeding of meat ; induced through the underfeeding of vegetable food and is helped along by previous rheumatic tendencies of an- cestors. Treatment — Bathe the feet and shanks with the following: One cupful of vine- gar, one of turpentine and a heaping teaspoonful of saltpeter, mix in a bottle and shake well before using. For in- ternal treatment there is no better rem- edy than iodide of potassium. This is given in the drinking water, fifteen grains of iodide of potassium to every quart of water. Give in small dishes, so that it all may be used while fresh and thus avoid waste from having to throw away any because it is mixed with dirt. Common cooking soda, one level tea- Roup, Bronchitis, Pneumonia — (F. M. C, California) — Can you favor me with a little information which I fail to locate in your valuable book and it covers the ground very well. On a cold and windy night, two weeks ago, a care- less boy left a window open in a house, allowing a strong draft to blow on my precious four-months-old pullets. Con- sequence, about half of them (586 all told) came down with bad colds. Some developed roupy catarrh, others eyes swelled close shut. Sprayed nostrils with glycothermoline and carbolic acid. No good effect noted. Put roup cure in drinking water and dipped head in same. Majority are improving. There is one phase of disease that puzzles me, and of course it attacks the largest and finest pullets. They seem to have difficulty in getting their breath. Act like a chick with the gaps. Open their mouths and gasp with a strained, worried look on their faces. Live about twelve hours and die choking to death in one last con- vulsion. These so affected have not so much odor at nostrils as majority. No mucous spots in throat. Throat seems to be full of phlegm. Don't eat at all. Spraying throat with glyco-thermoline and acid, and painting with iodine or running feather saturated with coal oil down windpipe offers no relief what- ever. No one around me seems to know of any remedy. If you can diagnose it and suggest a remedy, will appreciate it greatly, as I hate to lose chickens when they get this old, and I put great faith in your suggestions. Answer — I sympathize most sincerely with you in your trouble from your beautiful pullets taking cold, and wish I could help you. I think you have been . doing all that was possible. You see, hens are very much like human beings. One person will have neuralgia from a draught, while another will have a sore throat, and while from the same cause one may have catarrh, in another the trouble will be bronchitis or even pneu- monia. Now, I think with your pullets, some of them have catarrh, others swell heads, and with others the catarrh has gone down lower into the bronchial tubes and possibly into the lungs them- selves. 176 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Now as to treatment. If I remember rightly, the roup cure you are using is made principally of permanganate of potash and bluestone (sulphate of cop- per). Both of these are excellent germ- icides and by killing the germa of the catarrh or roup, they prevent their mul- tiplying, and give nature a chance to re- cuperate. I think, though, the roup cure is more effective than the severer medi- cines, such as turpentine and carbolic acid, so I now recommend that your roup cure be given in the drinking wa- ter, at the same time dipping the head in the same. Or you can put one cupful of kerosene oil into two parts of water. The oil will float on top ; dip the fowl's head slowly under this, holding it there while you count three. It will sneeze and cough and you must wipe off the 'mucus with a rag and burn the rag. With some of the fowls the catarrh will go deeper and for these I think the peroxide of hydrogen, spraying the throat well, is the best, giving always the permanganate of potash and blue- stone in the drinking water. For those that have developed bron- chitis or where you think the bronchitis may be just commencing, give aconite, one drop in a teaspoonful of milk, twice or three times a day. The symptoms you describe are exactly those of bron- chitis, so I feel confident in recommend- ing the aconite. Dr. Woods recommends the "Aconite, Bryonia and Spongis mix- ture," but I have not tried it. The mix- ture is "ten drops of the tincture of each in an ounce of alcohol. Use a teaspoon- ful of this in a quart of drinking wa- ter." I think this might be very useful, especially ' at the commencement of a cold or bronchitis. Dr. Woods says that two doses will often effect a cure. Or you can get this in tablet form at the drug store. The tablet (1-100 of a grain in strength) can be given one to each bird two or three times a day or twelve tablets in each pint of drinking water. I have found a teaspoonful of honey with five drops of eucalyptus oil, twice a day, to be an excellent cure. The honey is very soothing and is also nour- ishing and sustaining. Bronchitis is a very debilitating illness and the fowl should be fed only liquid nourishment, such as raw egg beaten up with half the amount of milk, about two teaspoonsful every two or three hours. I have given a tablespoonful of milk or milk with honey mixed. I have a small "invalid drinking cup ;" it is a narrow cup with a spout like a teapot, which I have found very useful and handy, as I could insert the spout a little ways down the throat of the hen and none of the liquid would be spilt. A child's toy teapot with a rather long spout will answer the pur- pose, but an invalid drinking cup, cost- ing ten cents, is extremely useful and worth many times its price for chickens. You can use a dropping tube also for administering liquid medicine. I realize that with the large number of fowls that you have you want an easy and quick way of doctoring, and the only way is by the drinking water. In cases of cold or the cold going deeper, as in to bronchitis or pneumonia, fowls need very easily digested, light and nourishing food. I have found noth- ing better than bread and milk. To this can be added a little bran, or a few eggs can be beaten up with the milk before putting in the bread if you think neces- sary. You did perfectly right to segre- gate the fowls. Colds of all kinds, even pneumonia, are infectious. I would strongly advise you to house your hens in open front houses. In this way there would be no draughts from windows left open. Open front houses are a preventive of both bronchitis and pneumonia. I have found that the pills or asa- foetida and quinine which I recommend in my book, if given at the very out- break of a cold, frequently cure with one dose ; also the mixture, No. S. This is Mr. Hunter's old remedy and has been found successful by hundreds of people. Roup — How to Cure It — I have over a hundred hens, all breeds. A good many of them are sick; I have tried ev- erything, but to date I have not found anything to do them good. A yellow, hard substance that has a very bad odor forms in their mouths and eventually in their windpipes and they drop over dead. I have lost about thirty inside of a month. I feed chopped corn and wheat, with plenty of Pratt's chicken food. Use Conkey's Roup Cure and bluestone. They run at the nose and their eyes swell shut ; others look fine, combs red, and you would not know anything was wrong with them until they fall over dead. Can you tell me what is the mat- ter with them and what I am to do with them? I paid $1.00 apiece for my hens and it is hard to see them all die and not know what to do for them. — Mrs. R. B. CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 177 Answer — I am very sorry to say that it is diphtheritic roup that your hens have — very like diphtheria in children. It is a germ disease. At first the hens take cold and the germ then seems to take root and the yellow leather-like spots commence to grow and continue until they choke the fowls. The first thing to do is to separate the healthy fowls from those that are sick and disinfect the premises thoroughly. Discover if possible what is giving the fowls a cold. The usual causes of cold are a draught in the sleeping room, a narrow draught that strikes on the fowls as they roost, caused by a crack or a knot-hole, or a house that has no venti- lation ; too much crowding at night, which makes the fowls hot and sweaty, and they take cold when they come out in the morning fresh air, or roosting out side in the rain and dew. Lice will also give them cold and will carry in- fection from fowl to fowl. When one fowl has a cold, the others are very likely to catch it from the water, from the food or from contact in sleeping on the same ptrch. I explain this so you may decide for yourself what is causing the trouble and may use preventive measures and stop their taking cold. Now for some cures: See page 105. A bit of bluestone (sulphate of cop- per) as large as a navy bean, in a quart of water, is an excellent remedy and preventive. Blue stone is a germ killer and when it is in the water it will kill the germs that float off the chicken's nostrils, and that would infect another fowl. It also kills any germs that it may reach in the sick fowl's nostrils and so dries up the cold in the head. Of course it is a strong astringent poison and should not be given in stronger doses than I have indicated. Also keep those pretty bits of blue out of reach of the baby. Rub the heads of those that have watery eyes with carbolized vaseline and put a little into the nostrils and in the cleft of the mouth. For those that have the white or yel- low spots, spray the mouth or swab it with peroxide of hydrogen twice a day. Use it half and half water. The perox- ide of hydrogen kills the diphtheria and will prevent its developing. There is a possibility that the spots may be canker in some cases (those that are apparently not very sick) in which case get four grains of sulpho-carbolate of zinc, dis- solve in one ounce of distilled water and paint the spots lightly. This will kill the germ of canker. It is not the same germ as the diphtheria, and the two medicines cannot be mixed, as they may be said to neutralize each other. If you are not sure which disease it is, you might doctor one day with peroxide and the following day with the zinc. Add to the diet of the fowls onions chopped finely, with a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper for ? dozen hens, or if you can get them, grind up chili pep- pers and give a tablespoonful in the food or mixed with bran. Scaly_ Legs— Will you be so kind as to explain what kind of disease my hens have? I am a green man in the poultry business and bought the hens from sev- eral places, with the intention of having in the shortest time a sufficient number of egg producers. Among the purchased birds there were about sixty with scaly legs. I inclosed them in a separate yard, 30 x 40, fed them abundantly, and every morning they were urged to pass through a tray with coal oil. After ten days many of them had legs clean from scales, but some became weak and droopy. _ They walk with difficulty and keep their tails down. They grow worse every day. I killed two of them and found that about half their bodies were covered with yellow scales like a sort of bad_ skin which you can easily tear off. Is it a contagious disease, and what shall I do with the sick birds ? — F. P. Answer — Poor hens ; it is not a dis- ease. It is the coal oil that wets their feathers and that blisters the skin. Those that have been much wetted on the feathers with the oil are probably too badly burned to recover. The others will get well in time, but it will greatly delay their laying. Do not try again such heroic treat- ment. It costs you too much. Next time mix one spoonful of lard with one spoonful of coal oil and one spoonful of powdered sulphur ; rub the legs with that twice a week. Scaly Leg. — Scaly leg does not ap- pear without the irritation due to a parasitic insect. This parasite comes from another fowl, or possibly from an infected house or brooder, and works its way in between the scales of shanks or toes. Scaly leg passes from one dis- eased bird to another on the roost or is contracted by chicks when with the mother hen. A single case of scaly leg 178 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK on the plant is a source of danger to every other bird. Scaly leg is so easily cured that no intelligent poultryman is excusable for having its presence on his place for over a week. Every bird bought should be examined for scaly leg, and any doubt- ful one receive immediate attention. If you at any time find several cases on hand I would advise the applying of the proper treatment to every bird on the place. This is not much trouble and prevents the cropping out of new cases in a short time. Paint the perches with lice killer or kerosene and naphthalene flakes. Scaly leg comes from the scale mite and is very infectious. SwELL Head — My chickens are dying off awfully. Many of them are good sized pullets. Their heads seem to swell and they go blind and just drop off. Some of them open their mouths and stretch and act as though something was choking them, but I cannot detect anything. They had mites, but have none now. We have a good yard for them, and an alfalfa patch and some shade trees. I feed them well, and am at a loss to understand. My neighbors on either side of us have the same trou- ble.— Mrs. F. K. Answer — Your chickens have what is called "swell head" and roup. They have either caught it from taking cold or from the lice which they used" to have, or by infection from the neigh- bors. I think probably there is a draught in their sleeping quarters, from a crack or a knot hole or it may be wrong ventilation. Stop these up and be sure the chickens do not live or sleep in a draught. Rub their heads with carbolated vaseline, and give each of those affected a quinine pill every other night for a week, and add a little poul- try tonic to their food. I think as soon as you stop whatever may be the cause of their taking cold you will have no further trouble. Be sure to keep the sick fowls away from the balance of the flock. Answer — Your chickens and turkeys have lice and are taking cold. They are taking cold from either sleeping in a draught or sleeping in a place that is too close and hot, so they take cold when they come out in the morning. Remedy the cause and use one of the many roup cures, and also get rid of the lice. Lice go to the eyes to drink and so spread the disease. Eyes Swelled Shut and Water — Will you kindly tell me the cause of sore eyes? My chickens' eyes swell shut and water. I also have turkeys ; their eyes swell underneath. — Mrs. C. J. N. ToE Eating — Can you tell me what causes little chicks to pick at each oth- ers toes? They will pick at one till the blood comes, then so many chase it that it dies. Then they start on an- other and sometimes they even eat the entrails out. I bought my chickens when they were a week old and fed them according to your directions. I first fed raw meat and cooked, then I tacked pieces on a board to keep them busy, but nothing seemed to stop them, and I took the one out with the sore toes. I gave lime and salts and char- coal. I hatched some dark colored chicks in my own incubator and with them I have not had any trouble in any way. I trust that you can help me.— H .L. Answer — It is usually with the white or light colored chicks that we have this trouble. The little toes are so at- tractive and look so very good to eat that a lively chick will often try to taste his neighbor's toe and it tastes so good that he continues the performance and soon teaches the others. Dark toes are not so attractive looking, hence their im- munity. You did quite right to add more meat and even a little salt to their diet, but the best way of preventing the trouble is to give the chicks chaff at least an inch deep in the nursery of their brooder. I have found that alfalfa hay or wheat hay cut in a clover cutter an inch in length make very good chaff for the chicks. I scatter the chick feed a little at a time, three times a day, in this, and the chicks scratch in it and find the grains and at the same time it conceals their toes from their hungry brothers. In this way you not only pre- vent this vice, but you make the chicks scratch many hours a day and that broadens their backs and develops the egg organs and strengthens their diges- tion, keeps them out of mischief, healthy, happy and busy. ■ Try this plan and you will be surprised to find what extra fine layers you will have next year. CAUSE AND CURE OF SICKNESS 179 Tuberculosis — A year ago I had the nicest Black Minorcas that anybody ever laid eyes on, but, alas, one after the oth- er I had to kill. First they get lame on one foot, then their combs get very dark, almost black on the points ; their appe- tite is poor and they get as light as a feather, and when I cut them open their liver almost fills up their whole insides, and the whole liver is thoroughly sprin- kled with little white kernels ; some- times as big as a good sized head of a pin, sometimes as large as five cents, and I attend to them so good. Now, can you tell me what disease it is and how to prevent it after this? I feed lots of green stuff, milk, meat, wheat, barley and oc- casionally a mash of lots of carrots. — Mrs. M. R. Answer — I am sorry to say your Mi- norcas have chicken tuberculosis. You gave an accurate description of the dis- ease, and I am very sorry to have to tell you that there is no cure for it when once it has commenced. You may be able to prevent the young ones catching- it by moving them on to fresh ground, and thoroughly disinfecting the yards and coops. Send a postal to the Experi- ment Station, University of California, for the bulletin on "chicken tuberculo- sis ;" it is free. Tumor and Dropsy — I had a White Leghorn hen die a week ago from an ailment which puzzles me. Have looked through what poultry books I have, but can find nothing touching it. The hen was swollen between the legs to an un- usual size and got so bad it could not walk. Finally it died, and, upon open- ing it, at least a quart of water came away. The intestines were joined to- gether in one solid piece. Can you tell me the cause and cure, as I have a Ham- burg hen developing the same symptoms and would like to save it if possible. — J. L. W. Answer — Your hen died of dropsy, combined with a tumor, probably ovar- ian. There is no known cure for this, as by the time it becomes visible, the disease has progressed too far, and is usually only, discovered after death. Some hens seem more subject to this complaint than others, and I would ad- vise you to get in fresh blood and keep the hens healthy by feeding an abund- ance of green food. The cause is ob- scure. Vent GlEET — One of my hens and tine, large cockerel have a sort of di- arrhoea with a very bad smell to it. It seems to scald the vent, which is red and swollen and there are scabs on it. Can you tell me the cause and cure of this?— Mrs. J. F. Y. Answer — Your hen and probably the cockerel also have vent gleet. This is usually caused by an egg being broken inside the hen, which causes inflamma- tion. It is, I am sorry to say, contag- ious, and the birds should be at once iso- lated and treated. Prepare a warm bath of water as hot as can be borne on the wrists, in which has been dissolved a tablespoonful of bicarbonate of soda to two quarts of water. Immerse the fowl's abdomen and vent in this hot water and hold the bird there from fif- teen to twenty minutes. Then dry the parts with a clean cloth and give an in- jection of an infusion of green tea with five grains each of sugar of lead and sul- phate of zinc to each ounce of the infu- sion, two tablespoonsful being one ounce. The sores and ulcers around the vent should be kept dusted with iodo- form or aristol. Repeat the treatment once a day until the bird is cured. A dose of thirty grains of Epsom salts will help cool the blood. Feed lightly and give plenty of green food. If not well after two or three weeks, kill the bird, as the disease is not quite free from danger, for if the operator should touch his eyes accidentally before cleaning his hands, the result might be a most vio- lent inflammation, and the disease is ex- tremely contagious among the hens. One cockerel may infect all the hens. White Comb— My fine Orpington rooster is developing a peculiar disease. A few months ago he was in the pink of perfection, but his comb has be- come all covered with white spots, as though he had dandruff, and it spoils his appearance. I feed your well propor- tioned mash, wheat, alfalfa, crushed green bone, lettuce and cabbage ; a mash every morning and corn or wheat for the evening meal. He is vigorous and active, the only trouble being with his comb. If you will kindly tell me how to treat him for this trouble, it will be highly appreciated. — E. R. T. Answer — Your rooster has what is called "White comb." It usually comes from close air in the hennery and a total absence of all green food. It is a 180 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK contagious disease and may be impart- ed from bird to bird, probably also from mice, rats, cats and dogs to birds. Young birds appear to be more susceptible to this disease than old ones. Put carbo- lated vaseline on the comb, and in the drinking water use twelve tablets of nux vomica and sulphur comp. 2X to each pint of water. Continue the treatment until cured. Wind in Crop — Will you please tell me the cause and remedy of my little chicks, from three to four weeks old, having a gas gather in their crops? When the crop is pressed, wind comes from their mouth and they stand around and gasp, but otherwise do not look droopy. They eat well, but in three or four days die. I lost quite a number last spring, almost every case being fatal. I have a hen with young ones and I would like to raise them without this trouble.— B. C. Answer — The wind in the crop comes from indigestion. Indigestion comes from lice, colds, dirty water, and chief of all from wet mashes or from wrong- ly balanced food, and lack of hard, sharp grit to grind the food. I do not think the chicks with the hen, if she is allowed free range, will get it, but if there are any symptoms of it, put some lime wa- ter into the drinking water and give them pounded up charcoal. Give them .also sweet skim milk to drink, as well as water and plenty of nice, crisp lettuce to eat. I am sure if you keep them quite clean, feed clean dry chick feed with plenty of green lettuce, grass or clover, cut up fine, you will not have any wind on the stomach with your chicks. A lit- tle bicarbonate of soda in the drinking water will sometimes help, but preven- tion is the best cure. LICE, MITES, TICKS AND WORMS Body Lice — I have about 100 White Leghorn chickens and I find that they have a large body louse, large yellow ones; what can I do to get rid of them? I think they are keeping my chickens from, laying as they should. — Mrs. B. W. Answer — Paint the bottom of a box or barrel with a good lice killer ; put a little straw in to keep the paint from the feathers, then put the chickens in and cover them three hours. Then examine the hens and pull out all the feathers that have nits (lice eggs) on them, put- ting the feathers into a little can of coal oil. Then dust the hens with a good in- secticide once a week or until you are sure all the lice are dead. Be careful to give the hens a spot of ground, well spaded up, mellow and a little damp. They will bathe in this and usually keep themselves clean. Dipping Hens — Would you be so kind as to let me know about dipping hens, etc? I have a flock of some five or six hundred. I notice some of them have lice and bunches of nits on their feath- ers. Whenever I have caught a hen I have greased her well, but this would take too long to go through the bunch. Is there any dip that would be strong enough, and do no harm to the birds, that would kill the nits with one dip- ping ? — W. L. Answer — Lice axe supposed to hatch out the nits every five days, and when but_ a few days old commence to lay again and so keep on breeding indefinite- ly. Dr. Salmon says it has been estimat- ed that the second generation from a single louse may number 2500 individu- als, and the third generation may reach the enormous sum of 125,000, and all of these may be produced in the course of eight weeks. I do not know of any dip that will kill the nits with one dipping. Dr. Salmon recommends a dip of one per cent carbolic acid solution, or using creolin, as it is equally efficacious in kill- ing insects and is less poison to the birds. It is used in the strength of two and a half ounces mixed with a gallon of water. I have used very successfully in the summer time when the weather is warm, the _ kerosene emulsion made as follows : Dissolve one bar of soap or one pound of soap powder in a gallon of boiling water; add to it a gallon of coal oil, churn for twenty minutes or until you wish to use it. Take one quart of this top solution and add it to nine quarts of water. Dip the hens into this, being careful not to allow any of it to go into their eyes or mouth, but thor- oughly wet every feather to the skin. LICE, MITES, TICKS AND WORMS 181 This will kill every living louse, and if repeated in about five days will prob- ably kill those that are hatched out in the meantime and prevent their laying any more nits. Tobacco water has also been strongly recommended as a dip, and chloro-naphtholium used as directed on the bottle. will kill everything it touches. A sat- urated solution of salt and vinegar ap- plied to the fleas on the chickens' heads or bodies will drive them away or kill them. The Sand Flea— How can I rid my chickens from a small insect known here is the sand flea? I have tried coal oil mixed with lard without effect. The hens scratch their heads so they become sore and some have died; others have had to be killed.— Mrs. F. A. F. Answer — Those fleas are very hard to get rid of. Spray the henneries well with either the kerosene emulsion or good hot salt water, and while the ground is still wet, scatter on it air- slacked lime. Those hens that have sore heads should have carbolated salve put on them, after swabbing them off with corrosive sublimate. This will kill the fleas and cure the sores. Be careful not to let any of the corrosive sublimate get into the eyes or mouth of the fowls. Stick Tight Fleas — We have noticed a tick or louse on a few of our chick- ens and have discovered some of the in- sects on the perches. They resemble small black beads and are firmly im- bedded in the skin. On some of the fowls we have used for the table we no- ticed a few red blotches on the skin. We would like to know how to get rid of the insects, particularly how to get them out of the hen house. — An Inquirer. Answer — You have the stick tight fleas in your hennery. They are very hard to get rid of, being in some places a perfect pest. A friend of mine lost 500 out of 700 chickens last fall from this. I told him to spray very thoroughly with salt and water and he purchased 600 lbs. of salt, scattered it all over the hennery and yards and then turned a hose on them for several days in succession. He tells me now there is not a stick tight flea on the place. I advised him to get some corrosive sublimate diluted with alcohol at the drug store, take an old tooth brush and carefully apply with it the corrosive sublimate on any fleas he might see on the chickens, being careful not to allow any of the solution to get into the chick- ens' eyes (it would blind them) or into their mouths, as it is very poisonous. You can paint the perches with this; it Head Lice— This time I write in des- peration, hoping you may be able to give me a remedy. It is head lice I am fight- ing, and after working for almost five months, I am as far off from being rid of them as at first. I have done every- thing that I have ever heard of. I still find they have head lice and red mites besides. I hope no other beginner has had the trials I have had.— Mrs. W. F. K. Answer— The red mites live in the houses or coops, except when they are feeding off the chickens, usually at night 1 he cure for them is to spray the coops thoroughly and constantly. You can keep them out of the coops by spraying once_ every three weeks, but if they once get m, you will have to spray twice a week until you get entirely rid of them, then once every three weeks, to keep rid of them. The head lice live on the heads of the chickens. They lay two or three white silvery nits (eggs) at the root of the feather. The eggs hatch in about five days after they are laid by the lice, consequently to completely destroy them, you should treat the chickens that have them at least once a week. The best way I know of is to take an old tooth brush, a bowl with nice hot soap suds in it and a few drops of the best carbolic acid; brush the chicken's head with this, being sure to touch all the lice and mites. This I know, is an excellent remedy, for 1 have tried it. Another given by a friend of mine is, get the druggist to mix some corrosive sublimate with the best pure alcohol, take the tooth brush and brush the chickens' heads with this, being care- ful not to let any of this get into the eyes (or it will blind them) or into the mouth, as it is very poisonous. This will not only kill the head lice and their nits, but it will also kill stick tight fleas, ticks and any insects. It is very difficult when once the pests get into henneries or on chickens to get rid of them. It is far easier to keep the enemy out by constant and thorough cleaning at frequent inter- vals, especially in the summer time. I find using tobacco stems for making the nests of setting hens a good prevent- ive ; besides this, I see that all the fowls have good dust baths in damp and mel- low earth. 182 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Mites — We are fighting mites, but ap- parently with no success. We hired a man who makes poultry ranch spraying a business. We paid him $10 and he guaranteed to rid the place of the pests, but they are worse than ever. He uses lime, sulphur and carbolic acid. Is there any way corrosive sublimate could be used as a spray, and would it be safe for the hens in the houses? How long would the hens need to be kept out after the spraying was done? Am having the worst possible luck with my chickens. Have probably hatched 550 chickens this year and have less than 200 now. When a week to ten days old they begin to droop, refuse to eat and starve to death. What is the matter ? No bowel trouble ; no cold ; no lice, or only a few. Does cholera ever attack such young chickens, and if cholera, would they not have bowel trouble? Would greatly appreci- ate an immediate answer, as the mites get all over me and drive me nearly frantic. — Perplexed. Answer— The thing that is killing your little chickens is not cholera, other- wise they would have bowel trouble ; it is only the swarms of mites. If they drive you nearly frantic, think how the chicks must suffer. The mites simply drain the life out of them. The _ cor- rosive sublimate can be put on with a spray, but it is dangerous to do so, as if it splatters into the person's eyes who is spraying, it may blind him for life. One pound of this costs $1.25 and that is sufficient to make 120 gallons of the solution. As it takes some time to dis- solve in water, it is usual to dissolve it in alcohol. I have used it dissolved in alcohol to paint henneries and nest box- es, and it will destroy all insect life. You must turn the hens out of your henneries for several hours, or until the walls are dry. Insect Powder— Mrs. C. B. F., Los Gatos— I do not think the "flea powder" you mention would kill the little tur- keys, but as you ask what I use, I will tell you. It is here called "Buhach," and can be bought at any of the poultry sup- ply houses. It is made from the "Pyr- rethrum" daisy and is perfectly harmless to all fowls, from tiny canaries to mam- moth turkeys, but deadly to insects. It contains a small quantity of an essential oil which asphyxiates all insects, fleas, ants, lice, etc. It must be kept in an air- tight jar or tin box, as the essential oil easily evaporates. Next in value come the insect powders, the foundation of which is tobacco dust. The kind of lice that are so deadly to little turkeys are the same as the head lice of chickens. They are to be found on the heads and necks of the turkeys, and also on the large feathers at the edge of the wing. They seem to sap the life out of the turkeys. I always rub the "Buhach" powder well into the down on the head and at the roots of the wing feathers, whether they have signs of lice or not, for it is better to be sure than sorry. Ticks — In trouble again. We are renting a place until we can build on our own, and every building on it is sim- ply alive with little brown ticks ; they bury themselves in the heads of the chickens, the ears of the dogs, the feet of the animals and all over our bodies. What shall I do ? Please tell me and tell me quick. A neighbor says lard and car- bolic acid on their heads and spray with distillate, but neither seems to do any good so far. I am out of the chicken business since moving here, except a few for our own use. Yours sincerely. -J. J- w. Answer — The easiest way to get rid of them is to pour coal oil over the buildings and then set fire to them, but as you are in a rented place, that would scarcely be possible. The next best plan is to paint the place thoroughly with corrosive sublimate ; it is what I recom- mended to you for the plague mites at your other place. Ticks are one of the worst plagues in Southern California. They are so thin and flat that they hide between the singles and boards. They really are not thicker than a bit of paper, and nothing kills them but the corrosive sublimate (bi-chloride of mercury). This can either be put on with a brush or be sprayed on the houses. You remember that it is very poisonous, and great care must be used in handling it. When once your coops are free of ticks, or other vermin, you can keep them so by spraying with kerosene emulsion that I have so often given. Distillate, liquid lice killer, coal tar and other prepara- tions of carbolic acid or creosote are all good to keep out vermin, but I know they will not drive out ticks. Depluming Mites — Two years ago I started to raise White Leghorns, com- mencing with two cocks and twelve pul- lets of as good strain as I could secure LICE, MITES, TICKS AND WORMS 183 at the time. This spring I had a splen- did looking flock of 100 females and twelve males. They were beauties, but recently developed the feather-pulling habit and are now a sight. Never in moulting time have I seen poultry look worse. Many of the hens look as though plucked for market, and not one of the roosters has a vestige of tail. The hens still keep up laying as well as before (from fifty to sixty-five daily), but I cannot believe this will hold out in their present condition. I have them on a two-acre range and feed them cut green bone in large quan- tities four times a week in addition to all the other grains obtainable. My ex- perience can only suggest two causes for such a state of affairs: 1, Insufficient animal food. 2, Close confinement. But neither of these causes enters into the present state of affairs. Can you ad- vance a reason and suggest a remedy? By so doing you will greatly oblige one who is getting interested in raising fine . looking birds. — F. S. S., Tucson, Ariz. Answer — Your birds have what is called "Depluming mites." The principal symptom of this trouble is a loss of feathers from spots of various sizes, sit- uated on different parts of the b~ J v. The feathers break off at the surface _ the skin, and at the root of the feather is seen a small mass of epidermic scales which is easily crushed into powder. A microscopic examination of this powder reveals numerous mites and the debria which they produce. The disease appears in poultry yards as a consequence of the introduction of one or more birds already affected. It is readily communicated, develops rapid- ly and in a few days a whole flock is contaminated. It usually begins on the rump and spreads rapidly to the back, the thighs and the belly. An infested cock will rapidly infest all the fowls in a poultry yard. Often the head and the upper surface of the neck are affected early in the course of the disease. The feathers fall off at all these points and finally the skin is denuded over a a large extent of surface. The large feathers of the tail and wings and the wing co- verts are generally retained. The denuded skin presents a normal appearance; it is smooth and soft, of a pinkish color and not perceptibly thick- ened. By pulling out the feathers which remain near the invaded parts, it is easy to find, with fowls, a mass of epidermic scales at the end of the quill, which con- tains a number of parasites. The gen- eral health of the birds is apparently not disturbed. They remain in good flesh and continue to lay as though they were not affected. It seems probable that much of the irregular moulting, feather- pulling and feather eating are due to the irritation caused by the Sacroptes Laevis. The treatment for this is not very difficult, but must be persisted in until a cure is effected. Carbolic salve should be rubbed over the affected portions ot the skin and the adjacent parts, or a salve may be made by mixing one part of carbolic salve, one part of flour of sulphur, one part of powdered aloes with ten parts of lard or vaseline. A large surface of the body should not be covered with strong carbolic acid preparations, on account of the danger of absorption and poisoning. The af- fected parts of the body may be rubbed every fourth day until a cure is effected. It is well to finish the treatment by dip- ping the birds in a two per cent creoline bath and to whitewash the houses with carbolated whitewash. This will kill any mites which may be left in the feath- ers or about the roosts. Worms From Wild Birds — Some years ago my fowls became afflicted with a round worm, also tape worms, and in one article you mentioned several rem- edies, such as santoine, turpentine and tincture of male fern. I dug up the yards and seeded to green feed, but all to no purpose ; it has practically driven me out of business. Last spring I in- vested in some outside stock (just hatched baby chicks), but they also be- came infested, although they were on new land. However, I managed to keep down those pests by occasionally dosing the hens with the above mentioned medi- cines. We do not feed anything unclean to our fowls and it always has been a puzzle to me where such worms came from. A few days ago our house cat brought home a small bird, which she began to devour on the house porch, but leaving the intestines, out of which crawled two good sized round worms such as fowls have. As we live in the woods, do you think this has anything to do with it? I am almost afraid to start my incu- bators this season, as it may only result in future failure. — W. E. B. Answer — Your fowls undoubtedly get. the worms as the wild birds do, "from 184 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK the droppings or eggs of worms from the other birds. By the persistent use of turpentine, using 60 drops in a quart of water, or mixing it in that proportion in the food, for a week at a time, you can get rid of them. Also disinfect the ground. The only thing that I can see is for you to keep up this treatment, for a week every two months, giving turpen- tine either in the food or water. I would not be discouraged because that is a sure remedy and by watching and notic- ing the droppings, you need not fail in rearing the chickens. Worms From Pigeons — My chickens' gizzards are affected by red worms about the size of a pin. All the stock I raised last year seemed affected, al- though the eggs came from different places. I have the Brown Leghorns, Brahmas and R. I. Reds. I feed all the various grains, plenty of greens and good meat and bone. The only thing you recommend that I have not fed is charcoal, still as chicks they got it in, the chick feed. I have given them tur- pentine in food and water at various times and it seemed to have the desired result, but today I learned different, the gizzard is penetrated and has a sore spot caused by these worms. All the stock in different yards are affected. I get plenty of eggs and the chickens look good, combs nice and red, never- theless I find them all affected the same way. — Mrs. G. S. L. Answer — I have been through the same trouble myself and so can help you. I found out that my chickens were getting the worms or the eggs of the worms from neighboring pigeons. The droppings of the pigeons contained the e^gs of the worms and in a short time the droppings of the chickens also had them and the other chickens ate them, and so on they kept increasing. First of all I gave the chickens the turpentine which I recommended to you. A tea- spoonful in a quart of water. Mix the food with that water, also put a teaspoon- ful in a quart of the drinking water and allow no other water for drinking. Keep this treatment up for a week. Mean- while clean up the yards by having them either ploughed under or dug up and a crop of some kind planted, something that will grow quickly, such as wheat or barley, and as far as possible destroy the birds that are bringing you the trou- ble, for I cannot but think it must tie pigeons or some other wild birds. The worms will kill the young chickens, but they do not always kill the older fowls. Sometimes the worms come from, un- clean or spoiled food, from "webby" grains and bad animal food. You will have to discover for yourself where they are getting the worms from and cut off the source of supply. Intestinal Worms — I wish a little in- formation and advice in regard to a val- uable Buff Orpington cockerel I own. He has become mopy and . goes away under the trees by himself, and has lost over half of his weight in a month. He eats like a horse, though, of everything I give my hens, but shakes his head an awful lot, as though something was wrong. I looked in his throat and it . looks all right. He has changed in color from a light buff to a very dark red since acting unwell, and has grown to be a homely, dopey bird, from a real beautiful lively one a short time ago. — M. J. Q. Answer — -I think your Buff Orpington cockerel has intestinal worms. You had better give him 25 drops of spirits of turpentine on a lump of bread, or in a spoonful of water, and follow that im- mediately with two teaspoonfuls of cas- tor oil.* Keep him shut up so you can watch the droppings and remove and burn or bury them deeply. If you do not find worms in his droppings, give him ten drops of tincture of male fern on a lump of sugar, followed in an hour by a dose of castor oil. This is for tape worms. Both the remedies should be given after twelve hours or more fast- ing. Dr. Sanborn says : If you suspect worms, try to remove them. Dissolve in the water that is to be used for mix- ing the mash, two grains of santonine for each bird to be treated. Mix a small amount of mash, quite dry and add cas- tor oil, one-half teaspoonful for each bird. Feed this to the suspected birds, watching for the results of the "worm treatment." All droppings should be, collected often and put out of reach of the birds. Several Kinds — I am in despair and it is lice, lice, lice. We have Brown Leghorns, and as they will not sit, we borrowed a setting hen and she only stayed with us long enough to give our hens a supply of grey head lice. When we discovered them we went to work with a lice killer, sprayed the coops, LICE, MITES, TICKS AND WORMS 185 ground and nests, put the chickens in a box and left them three hours. We also used crude oil, poured gallons on the ground, painted nests, roosts, etc., but still the lice stayed on the hens' heads. Last week we bought six Buff Orping- tons ; yesterday we found they were alive with body lice, yellow lice, espe- cially around the vent ; there were thou- sands ; then we examined the Leghorns, found they were infected also. What shall we do? Do you think it would hurt them to wash them now with the kerosene emulsion? Am afraid it might give them a cold. — Mrs. C. S. B. Answer — What I should do were I in your place would be to get some Bu- hach powder, rub it well into the chick- ens' heads for the head lice, and well into the fluff under the wings and on the backs for the body lice, then put the hens, six or a dozen at a time, into a large size dry goods box, at the bot- tom of which is a newspaper thorough- ly painted with a good lice killer ; cover the top of the box with a carpet and leave them in for three hours, then look them over thoroughly and pull out every feather that has nits on it. The nits hatch out about every five days, so in a week's time look the hens over again, powder them again, and again put them into the box painted with the lice killer. Two applications should cure them. Af- ter this, once a month, at night, powder them with buhach and look them over occasionally, and, if necessary, go through the performance again. You can paint the roosts with lice killer, but do not put any in the nests, for it will not only flavor the eggs, but will kill the germs and make the eggs unhatch- able. The best thing to use for the nests is a kettleful of boiling water with a large handful of salt added to it, or scalding soapsuds, putting in fresh straw, or, better still, making the nests of tobacco stems. You can get these for 25 cents a gunny sack full. Spray for Houses — Last summer I found a recipe in one of your articles for spraying hen houses. I used it to good advantage, but have misplaced the recipe and cannot remember the mixture exactly. It was composed of coal oil, carbolic acid and soap, with a certain proportion of water. If you will kindly send it to me, I will appreciate it. — C. W. Answer — I gladly send you the recipe, which is excellent. I have used it for ten years or more. It will kill fleas, lice, mites or any insect pests in the henneries. It will also thoroughly dis- infect the premises from infectious dis- eases. Dissolve one pound of hard soap (or soap powder) in one gallon of boiling water, remove from the fire and add immediately one gallon of kerosene and one pint of crude carbolic acid. Churn or agitate violently for twenty minutes or until you want to use it. If the oil and water separate on standing, then the soap was not caustic enough. Add to this ten gallons of water. I keep the stock solution on hand, dip out a quart and add to it ten quarts of water and use it for spraying the houses once every three weeks in summer and every month in winter. Putting it on hot in summer and slopping it well into dark and dusty corners will kill fleas, which are exceedingly troublesome on sandy soil in this part of the country. FEEDING IN GENERAL Feeding System — I am not perfectly satisfied with my feeding system_ and I follow yours on the food question. I note that you advise dried blood and other food dried in the oven, green cut bone and bone meal. Would you advise boiled liver, lungs and scraps instead of preoared meat scraps? Are ground clam shells srood in place of cut bone? Could there be any danger from feeding too much ground shell? Should gravel be furnished to chickens to pick from?— D. F. Answer — Boiled liver and lungs chopped fine are excellent for fowls. I prefer them to prepared meat scraps. They must be fed while fresh, as spoiled meat may poison the fowls. Clam shells cannot take the place of cut bone. Crushed oyster and clam shells contain lime, which is very good for 'making egg shell. There is no danger of the hens eating too much of this. Gravel or grit should always be furnished to chickens. 186 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Animal Food for Fowls— Kindly in- form me as to the difference, if any, be- tween beef scraps, beef meal, meat meal and blood meal. Which is considered the best to feed laying hens and grow- ing chickens? I have fed beef scraps for nearly a year and had good results from it; at least I think I have. If some of the others are better, I would like to know what one it is. — G. K. W. Answer— Beef scraps, beef meal and meat meal are the same, only the latter, is ground finer than the former. Blood meal is made from the blood, cooked, dried and ground. Pure dried blood contains more protein than the others, therefore is considered better in most cases. The beef scraps and beef meal are the refuse of the slaughter houses, heads, lights, etc., boiled down or cooked with steam, pressed, dried and ground, and are frequently called tank- age. If you have a good brand, keep to it, because some are no good, and if al- lowed to become damp or heated are in- jurious to the chickens. Bad Meat— I had twelve laying hens, they averaged seven eggs a day, were healthy and never were sick until I bought five cents' worth of green ground bone from a wagon that passes my door. It was wet and slimy, and smelled, but he said it was all right. I gave it to the chickens at noon ; fed them nothing else then. At four o'clock I went out and found two dying and six more droopy and by eight that night had lost eight. Next day two large Buff Orpington hens died. I looked for some of your remedies giving asafoet- ida pills and the soda you spoke of in the water. I showed the bones to the butcher, and he said he never heard_ of such a thing as spoiled meat poisoning chickens. He sold it when it smelled like that all the time.— Mrs. D. M. Answer — That m.eat poisoned your chickens evidently. It is called ptomaine poisoning. Butchers sometimes put formaline or some preservative on the meat, which has a very poisonous effect on chickens, but yours were undoubted- ly poisoned by the putrid meat. You had better not buy any ground bone un- less it is quite fresh. words, what proportion for each hen? -L, S. Answer — Half an ounce per hen every day at this spring season of the year is about what they need of blood meal mixed in the mash. Weigh out enough for the thirteen hens and measure that in a cup or by a spoon, then you will know how much by measure. BEEF Scrap — Is beef scrap, sold at the poultry supply houses, good for fowls? What is it and how much should be given per hen? — J. F. Y. Answer — Beef scrap is excellent for fowls when it is good. It is made from refuse of the slaughter houses, heads, lungs, liver, etc. It can readily be de- tected if unfit for food by pouring boil- ing water upon some and if the odor smells of decayed meats it is unfit for use. Some put it in dry mashes, oth- ers put it in hoppers and allow the fowls to eat of it as they like, either way is good. Examine also by placing a small quan- tity upon a piece of white paper and noticing carefully pieces which look more like dark brown glass ; these are ' hoof and horn, very rich in nitrogen but cannot be digested by fowls. Beef scrap, if kept in a warm or damp place, sometimes become lumpy. If you break open the lumps white threads may be seen in this. This is a very poison- ous fungoid growth and will poison the fowls. If rats or mice are allowed to run over the beef scraps their drop- pings will also moisten the meal ana render it poisonous. Thousands of chickens are lost each year by these poisons. Always examine beef scrap before buying any great quantities, and reject any that has fiber or hair, hoof and horn, as it is unfit for food. Blood Meal — Will you please^ tell me how much blood meal to put into the mash for thirteen hens, or in other BEET Tops— Will you kindly tell me if beet tops are a good green food for ducks? Also for fowls and turkeys? Are they as nourishing as alfalfa? My hens are not laying well. The eggs have suddenly dropped off, and I did not know but what the cause might be beet tops. — J. S .Y. Answer- — In September one is glad to get anything green for the fowls, ducks, geese or turkeys, to eat. Al- most anything green is better than noth- ing, but alfalfa contains more protein FEEDING IN GENERAL 187 than any other green food except white clover. The per cent of protein in white clover is 15.7, and in alfalfa 14.30, while in beet tops it is only 1.3. By this you will see that alfalfa is worth about 14 times as much as beet tops. There is about as much protein in alfalfa as in wheat bran. You complain that your hens do not lay. I think probably they are moulting. You cannot expect hens to lay all the time without taking a rest. Dry Hopper Methods — I write you regarding the dry hopper method of feeding. How much space do you leave at the bottom for the feed to come through, and how wide do you leave the space for the chickens to eat out of? We made one, but it is not a success, for the box is bloody from their combs hitting against it. They stand and eat all the time and do not go and drink as you say yours do. — D. S. M. Answer — I had the same experience with hoppers injuring the combs of the fowls, and now I make my hoppers like those used at the Maine Experiment Station, simply a box with a roof over it. The box is twenty-four inches long and eleven inches wide. The sides are cut like a gable, the highest point being sixteen inches high. The gable roof keeps the food dry and the hens waste scarcely any of it. The roof lifts off, or can be slid back to fill it. Dry Mash — Will you kindly inform me as to the best method of feeding calfalfa meal to hens and pullets? I use hopper constantly filled with dry mash consisting of bran, shorts, feed meal and beef scraps, accessible at all times, and would much prefer adding the alfalfa to this. Or would you ad- vise soaking it in water and feeding it separately? The fowls get grain twice a day and now if I add the alfalfa to the mash what proportion shall I make it? Also, is it as well to add the char- coal, two or three per cent, to the mash or feed separately. I wish to simplify the routine work as much as possible. —Mrs. O. K. Answer — I advocate adding the cal- falfa meal to the dry mash . It is the same as alfalfa meal. It would make a very good ration to simply add one part of calfalfa meal to your present mash, making it one part each of bran, shorts, feed meal, beef scraps and calfalfa meal. I feed this with excellent results, but at first the hens did not like the calfalfa, so I only added one iron spoonful, in- creasing the dose every day, adding one more spoonful until, within a month, they were having the right proportion. You can mix the charcoal in the same way, but I prefer to keep it separate with the grit and the crushed shell. Exercise for Fowls — I was greatly interested in an article of yours on feed- ing. You say give a hen a chance to work and no matter how fat, etc. Now what interests me most to know is just how you manage to give them plenty of work in a limited space. We, who occupy only a village lot, will be greatly helped if you will tell us how to keep the hens busy in such limited quarters — G. P. C. Answer — To keep hens busy, give them what is called a "scratching pen." Put a 12-inch board across one corner of your lot and fill that full of good wheat straw or hay; scatter all the grain you feed in that, and the hens will work all day digging out the grain ; every grain they scratch out they will bury two, and so will keep up the exer- cise. If you are feeding the hopper method, put the hopper at one end of the pen and the water vessel at the other end; this will give them the exer- cise of walking back and forth. You can also hang up a cabbage for them to jump at, but scratching is the natural and best exercise for developing the egg organs. Tomatoes — Do tomatoes tend to make the hens quit laying? — J. W. Answer — Tomatoes will not do the hens any harm unless fed in very large quantities. There is not much nourish- ment to them and consequently they will not improve the laying qualities; other- wise a reasonable amount will benefit the hens. For Young and Old Stock— I am very much interested in your articles and_ would like to ask you for a little advice. Being away from home all day, I have to feed in the morning enough to do all day. This I can manage for the old stock by feeding scratch food in the litter and dry mash in hoppers. But how can I manage the growing stock? Please give a formula for dry feed. Do you consider the scratch food sold by the poultry houses. good food 188 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK for the young stock? My chicks will not eat the baby chick food after a week or ten days. I also give them lawn clippings or lettuce every even- ing. Is a handful of scratch feed to the hen once a day enough where they have the dry mash and table scraps ? Is cracked corn good food to .feed alone to young stock? I have Rhode Island Reds.— R. L. P. Answer — Your questions relate prin- cipally to the feeding of the young stock, and you do not say whether you want to keep them for fattening for the table or for future egg layers. There is of course a difference in the way of feeding, or rather in the quality of the food to be given to them. However, I will tell you the way I feed for egg lay- ing. As soon as I think the little chicks will eat whole wheat, I add it to the baby chick feed, a small quantity. If they pick it up quickly I add more each day, and in a few days I give also some kafhr corn or finely cracked corn. It should be finely cracked, as it is difficult of digestion. When it is too long in digesting, the corn ferments in the giz- zard and that gives the chick diarrhoea, which often, proves fatal. We never want to overtax the digestion of a chick, so I give corn carefully. This ap- plies to the last question in your letter — it is not good to feed corn alone. It has been clearly proven that chicks do better, grow more quickly and mature earlier if they can have a great variety of seeds to eat. This is the reason we prefer to buy the chick feed already mixed from the supply houses. They have greater facilities for getting a va- riety of grains than we have. When the young stock is old enough to eat the wheat and kaffir corn, they can be fed as you do the old hens, only remember to give them nice, clean lit- ier to scratch in. It will need renewing oftener than that of the old hens, for if it gets foul and they pick up some of their own droppings, you will soon have a set of sick chickens. Feed the grains in the scratching pen to the little chicks, and also give them in a hopper of bran, alfalfa meal, corn meal, ground bone and either granulated milk or dried blood in equal proportions. The littl^ chicks will prefer the grains in the scratching pen and eat those the first, which is just what they want, but if they are hungry they will go to the hopper. Most of the poultry supply houses now make an excellent scratch feed ; they realize the need of it and are able to mix it scientifically. I always buy from them, and if I think there is too much corn and that my fowls will become too fat, I say, "Please economize on the corn." You will find most of the poul- try supply houses willing to mix the scratch food just as you want it. You are feeding the mature stock all right. One handful of the scratch feed in the litter is about right for the hens. The green food is quite important, the lawn clippings should be of clover or as much clover as possible, for the blue grass becomes so hard and stiff as the summer continues that there is not much nourishment in it and the hens will not eat it. Lettuce is good, but sometim.es quite expensive .and difficult to get, but there is another green food that has been found excellent and is within the reach of any one. This is sprouted oats. Take half a bucket of oats, pour warm water on them and leave them covered all night, then spread them in boxes. Any box will do. Have the oats about two inches deep and keep them damp. In four or five days there will be a mass of tender green sprouts. The hens will eat eager- ly of this. A friend of mine has also done this with barley for many years with great success. This green food is as good for the young stock as for the old. In your place I would feed as you do, throwing scratch food (a handful to each fowl) in the litter in the early morning, keeping the dry mash in the hopper, and feed the green food in the evening. Some of it may be left till morning, but will not wilt much, and they will eat it the first thing. Be sure they have plenty of water and have it shaded from the sun, either in a box on its side or in some sort of shelter. Mixing Foods — I want to ask you if there is any good reason for not mixing foods at the same meal. Prof. Jaffa of the U. C. said on one occasion that it was best not to mix foods — in feed- ing wheat, to feed that alone ; the same of barley or of corn. Make either an entire meal. I have observed in feed- ing my chickens that they seem to enjoy a variety of grains fed together. Which method would you think best? I am feeding rolled barley dry. Would you think it better to soak it? I give the mash at noon, dry, and green feed morning and evening. The fowls FEEDING IN GENERAL 189 seem to like the green feed better at those time than at noon. Answer — The reason Professor Jaffa thinks it best not to mix foods is be- cause some hens will pick out all of a certain grain in a greedy manner, and by giving only one grain at a time, they are forced to eat what he chooses to give them. I would not venture to dif- fer from so learn red a man, but, like you, I notice my hens enjoy a variety, so_ I give it to them, and for the little chicks I am positive a great variety is by far the best for them. I found that the hens enjoyed an occasional feed of soaked barley, so I poured scalding wa- ter over a few pailsful of barley, cover- ing it with gunny sacks to keep in the steam and when thoroughly soaked, fed it to the hens. How Much to Feed — Can you tell me how much feed an average Leghorn should have in weight with a free range of two acres of alfalfa? Is green ground bone necessary all the year round or only in the winter? My hens will not lay and I may not be feeding right, al- though a few Wyandottes I have are too fat, but they get exactly the same food as the Leghorns. I have 72 hens and only got 12 eggs yesterday. Am not satisfied with the results and desire to have them do better. Answer — An average Leghorn hen should have in weight for every pound weight of hen an ounce of food. As Leghorns weigh about four pounds each, they would require about four ounces of food each per day. Animal food of some kind is necessary for hens if you want them to lay. If you can give them milk in large quantities, that will give them all the animal food nec- essary. Green ground bone is, of course, the best food, but it is very difficult to keep it fresh and sweet in the summer time, therefore dried bone and dried blood, or beef scrap or milk must take the place. A hen requires about half an ounce of green ground bone every day or of the dry stuff (bone and blood) half an ounce every other day. If the fowls have plenty of green food and are not laying well, give them more animal food. Perhaps your Leghorns are two years old, in which case you had better get younger fowls, as their days of greatest usefulness are over. How Much Grain— I have been feed- ing three times a day, grain morning and night and a mash at noon. I feed a good handful of kaffir corn, wheat or Indian corn in the scratch pens. I have a mixed flock; I cannot well use the dry mash. How much of the grain should I give if I only feed once a day? I have fifty or sixty hens kept only fcr eggs and no good way of weighing grain, so please state quantity per hen and not weight.— C. A. B. Answer— It is a good rule to feed a quart of grain for every dozen hens, the grain to be buried in the scratching pens, so they will have to dig it out Give all the green food, clover, lawn clippings, alfalfa, lettuce, cabbage, veg- etables, that they will eat, and one table- spoonful of green cut bone for each hen, three times a week. You do not men- tion how you make your mash. Re- member that a hen needs animal food, green food and cereals; that is the bal- anced ration that will give plenty of eggs at all times. Broken Glass for Chickens— Have started in poultry in a small way. Have had very good success so far. How- ever, it is somewhat of a trial to get enough gravel or grit for a good sized flock on a small lot. Now, what I want to know is, is pounded glass fit to feed hens? Two of my neighbors have ad- vised its use in the poultry yards, but I am afraid it would act on the chick- ens the same as it did on foxes we used to poison with it up in the wilds of Wis- consin. — J. G. F. Answer — Broken glass or broken crockery make a very fair substitute for grit and gravel. It should be broken not smaller than a grain of wheat and have three sharp edges or corners to each piece. In using glass, be sure not to take pointed pieces like slivers, be- cause they may pierce the crop or gi- zard. For several years, when I could not get grit, I used broken crockery for the chickens, and I know it does well. Substitute for Green Food— Will you kindly tell me what would be the quickest and best vegetable for green food I could grow for my poultry? I planted a patch of white clover, but it does not seem to grow at all. Is al- falfa meal a good substitute where green cannot be had? — G. K. 190 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Answer — An alfalfa patch is a good thing to have for poultry, but if you cannot have either clover or alfalfa, plant for the little chickens, lettuce, and for the older ones, kale, swisschard, cab- bage, beets, etc. These in the order in which I have mentioned them are the best foods that I know of. You, of course, must judge what will grow best in your section. Alfalfa meal is a very fair substitute for green food, but _ of course does not come up to the crisp, succulent, fresh-growing greens. Lack Green Food — I have three pens of White Plymouth Rocks and what bothers me is I only get from four to six eggs from them. They all look fine. I think they are rather fat. As to feed, I give them a small handful of grain in the morning in deep straw, either wheat or barley; about eleven a dry mash — eight quarts bran, four quarts middlings and nearly a quart of beef scraps ; at night I give them the dry grain again. Once in a while a table- spoonful of pepper in their mash. They are not troubled with lice or mites, and have grit, oyster shell and coal before them, all the time ; also good clean wa- ter. Can you advise me how to feed them so as to get them down to busi- ness? — J. B. Answer — What your hens lack is green food. At least one-third of a hen's food should be green — clover, al- falfa or some succulent vegetables. They cannot do well upon the absolutely dry food you are giving them. Add the green to your present ration and you should get eggs. Millet Seed — Can you tell me what makes my chickens that are from ten weeks to three months old, droopy? Is millet seed good for little chicks for the first two or three weeks? I mean mil- let seed alone. — Mrs. P. E. N. Answer — When chickens are droopy it is a sign that they may have either lice, worms or indigestion. If you are feeding millet seed, that may account for it. Millet seed is very hard, round and slippery, and passes through the giz- zard and intestines without being di- gested, and I have known of several chickens dying from it. A little used in their food may not hurt them, but an exclusive diet of millet is certain to cause trouble. Skim Milk — Will you kindly inform me whether skim milk is a good food for young pullets or laying hens? Which is best, sweet, clabber or curd? Is there danger of feeding too much curd or skim milk? Is curd of more value to young stock or to laying hens? I have a bunch of ten-weeks-old pullets that I am feeding clabber and bran mixed until it makes a crumbly mash. Is it a fattening or muscle or bone mak- ing ration? How would it do to feed to laying stock? I give skim milk to my laying hens in troughs which set in the sun. Will that kill disease germs or not? — L. E. E. Answer— Skim milk is one of the best foods for chickens or hens at any stage of their lives. It can be fed either sweet, clabber or curd. By curd I mean cooked. If you cook it, be careful not to heat it above 100 degrees, or it will become tough and indigestible. There is no danger of feeding too much skim milk or clabber to fowls. The crumbly mash is good feed, but you would suc- ceed just as well by giving them the bran dry and letting them drink or eat the milk as they want it. It is a good bone, muscle and egg making ration. I give my fowls all the milk I can spare, pouring it into troughs and leaving it till they eat it. The sun does not seem to affect it badly when it is pure milk, but if bran were mixed with it, the sun might make it ferment and then it would disagree with them. Sorghum Seed — Will you tell me the value of sorghum seed for poultry? Is it fat producing or an egg food, and how would it do for turkeys? — C. B. C. Answer — Sorghum seed, broom corn seed and Egyptian corn have almost the same nutritive value. They can be fed to both chickens and turkeys with the same satisfactory results. One year when on the farm I had several tons of broom corn seed which was left where the threshers worked and the fowls had free access to it and the green-growing wheat ; they got through the moult early and layed all winter, eggs galore. I never saw better laying, and the turkeys did well on it. Professor Jaffa in his most valuable bulletin (Fermer's bulle- tin 164) on poultry feeding, gives us the nutritive value of broom corn and of sorghum seed as both the same — 1 :8.4 ; of Egyption corn, 1 :8.6 ; Sorghum seed is more fattening than wheat and less FEEDING IN GENERAL 191 fattening than corn. If your fowls are on free range and have plenty of green food and animal food or milk, sorghum seed will be an excellent food for them. You should write to the Director Agri- cultural Experiment station, University of California, Berkeley, and ask him to send you "Bulletin 164 on Poultry Feed- ing," then you can see just the right way to balance your ration. Kaffir Corn — Is kaffir corn the same as Egyptian corn, and is it an egg food or simply a fattening food? Answer — Kaffir and Egyptian corn belong to the same family and are very much alike. They are both fattening grains, and I prefer mixing them with other grains, such as wheat, barley, oats or buckwheat. THE EGG QUESTION Egg-Bound — I have the White Mi- norcas. Have IS hens and get from 12 to 14 eggs per day. I have a pullet and an old hen that seem to droop and sit around all day, and sometimes stag- ger; they had been laying all the time and their combs are still red, but they do not lay now. I feed them bran mash in the morning with alfalfa meal and egg-maker, and once a week chopped onions and red pepper, and at noon we give them green grass, and at night wheat, besides this they get lots of meat scraps from the table ; they have oyster shell and grit before them all the time. They have not eaten anything since they felt this way, but seem to kind of gasp for breath, and they do not seem to have anything in their craws. Thank- ing you in advance for a reply, I re- main. — Mrs. J. W. S. Answer — Your hens certainly have been doing very well. Minorcas very often get egg-bound, as their eggs are so large they have difficulty in laying them. This may be the case with yours, and I would advise you to examine them. You might also give them some Epsom salts, half a teaspoonful in a tablespoonful of water. If it is indi- gestion, the Epsom salts will help that. I think your hens may not be getting green food enough. Egg-bound is most common in slug- gish birds, or those closely confined without opportunity to exercise. Active fowls, such as Leghorns, seldom take life easy enough to get fat, hence are not subject to this disease, which is largely owing to an overfat condition of the entire system, in which the eeg passage is pressed upon by the accumu- lation of fat, hindering the passage of the egg. Not only are there large col- lections of fat in the abdominal cav- ity, but much of the muscular tissue is replaced by streaks of fat. This weak- ens the muscles of the egg passage, so that the egg may be arrested in the pas- sage where it sets up inflammation. This same egg-bound condition sometimes causes death from heart disease. The bird goes on the nest to lay, strains vio- lently to pass the egg, the heart muscles are decidedly weak from fatty degen- eration, the extra exertion is too much for the weakened heart, and it gives out, the bird being found on the nest dead. In the early stages, when the irrita- tion is slight, it is sufficient to inject a small quantity of olive oil and gently manipulate the parts. Afterwards give cooling green food, and if the hens are too fat, reduce the ration. In case the expulsion of the egg cannot be obtained by the injection of oil, immerse the low- er part of the body in water, as warm as can be used without injury, and hold it there half an hour or more, until th^ parts are relaxed. Then inject oil and endeavor to assist the bird by careful pressure and manipulation or by gentle dilatation of the passage. It Cured Them — How long can eggs be kept for setting and do -they require any special treatment? I have a favor- ite hen and I want to set as many of her eggs as possible, but I do not know how long they will remain fertile, as I have no hen wanting to sit at present. Sev- eral of my fowls had a touch of roup and I tried a remedy that you gave (castor oil. camphorated oil, kerosene, turpentine and a few drops of carbolic acid) squirted up her nostrils. I also mixed another remedy, that you gave (cayenne pepper, mustard, vinegar, lard and flour) and gave it to the fowls, in pills, as you said. I happened to leave it where they could get at it, and found that I need not give it in pills, for they 192 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK were eating it with relish. I have made the mixture several times since and they seem to be very fond of it. Their combs have become very red and although they are moulting, they are laying well. Would you advise allowing them to eat all they want of it? They are entirely well of the roup.— Mrs. H. A. H. Answer — In reply to your first ques- tion, it is well to remember that the fresher the eggs you set, the stronger will be the chicks. I have always set them as fresh as I can get them, and I never sold eggs over a week old for setting. However, I have kept eggs from a favorite hen for three weeks and had a very good hatch. To keep them, I always lay the eggs on their side on sawdust or on grain (oats or barley) to keep them from rolling, and I turn them every day. By this means the yolk does not adhere to one side, and I have a good hatch. Some advise standing them on the small end, but it does not suc- ceed as well as my way. I am glad your fowls have gotten over the roup. I would not advise you to let them eat their medicine, because that remedy is a very powerful stimulant, and although excellent for a cold, often curing it in one day, it will prove an irritant if con- tinued too long. It is even now stimu- lating the egg organs and digestive or- gans greatly, as is shown by the comb, and I advise you to discontinue it, in- creasing the animal food ; and, as yours are Rhode Island Reds, I would advise adding some oil cake (linseed meal) to the food. This will help to give a fine gloss to the new feathers. Soft Shelled Eggs — Having read a great deal of your advice, I will ask of you a favor. Would you please tell me what can be the reason chickens lay un- shelled eggs? They sometimes drop them while on the roost or out among the brush. Mine have been very bad of late ; I get as many as three or four a day, sometimes, from about thirty hens. I "should be real thankful to find out what to do for them. — Mrs. L. E. L. Answer — Soft shelled eggs are not exactly a diseased condition, but mav be a symptom, of approaching danger. It is usually due to a lack of shell-making material in the food, or to inflammation of the shell-forming chamber of the egg duct, which no longer secrets calcareous matter. Overstimulation of the egg or- gans by the use of pepper or stimulat- ing egg_ foods, will have this effect. Worms in the intestines may also pro- duce the irritation that will affect the oviduct, and an overfat condition will increase the tendency to laying soft- shelled eggs. This is the common cause of soft-shelled eggs. Treatment — Provided the cause is an overfat condition, it can be remedied by giving a ration low in fat-producing elements. Give the fowls plenty of shell- forming material, such as crushed oyster shells and grit, cut bone and green food ; make them work for the grain, which should be wheat in preference to other grains. One heaping teaspoonful of Ep- som salts to a pint of drinking water, kept before the hens for a day twice a week, will help remove the layers of fat. Feed a properly balanced ration and do not try to increase the egg yield by using stimulants that irritate the or- gans of reproduction. Take freshly- crushed oyster shell and sift through a rather fine sieve, giving the coarse part to the fowls and the fine use one tea- spoonful in the mash for each fowl every other day. Blood Spot on Yolk — I have 150 Brown Leghorn pullets just starting to lay, and I supply a few customers with eggs and they have been complaining of finding: a little blood spot on the yolk. I have plenty of nest room, so they are not crowded. I have been picking 70 to 80 eggs a day. They have abundance of green feed. I feed soft feed in the morning, wheat at mid-day, corn at evening, so if you will please let me know what the cause of this is. I will be very much oblieed, because my cus- tomers are getting dissatisfied. — W. W. M. Answer — The small blood clot you describe results from a slight hemor- rhage which has generally occurred in the upper two-thirds of the oviduct. Such hemorrhages are the result of great functional activity and congestion of the blood vessels. They are excited by any of the causes which lead to congestion and inflammation and are to be coun- teracted by green feed and less animal food and by the suppression of red pep- per or any stimulants. Give a little Ep- som salts in the water and add about twice the amount of salt you are giving: to the mash in the morning, leaving off the red pepper. THE EGG QUESTION 193 Largest White Eggs — I am starting or trying to start a poultry ranch and would like to ask you a question recent- ly asked by some one else, but in a little different way. Which of the good lay- ing breeds lay the largest white eggs? My aim is for good city trade. — E. A. M. Answer — The Black Minorcas have, the reputation of laying the largest white eggs. Ine White Leghorns are their close competitors. It very much depends upon the strain or family. For instance, one set of fowls may have been selected for beauty of feather and form and their owners may not have chosen those that layed the largest eggs, whilst some have carefully chosen the largest egg-layers, and bred from those, not car- ing for exhibiiton birds, and again a third party might have united these two qualities and have both prize winners and the best of layers. It depends upon the ability of the breeder and also upon his object. Black Minorcas do admirably in the climate of Southern California. I do not know how they would grow in a damper, colder climate. You would have to inquire of people who have had ex- perience in that kind of a climate. Sudden Death — Lately I have had three hens die suddenly, and apparently without cause ; my neighbors have also lost several. Perhaps you can enlighten us and suggest a remedy. The hens were laying, combs red and large, crops full of wheat, etc., but die on the nest over night. I held a post mortem ex- amination and could find nothing radi- cally wrong. Each had well-formed eggs and many of them. They roost high in the open air; run out nights and mornings on alfalfa. I feed wheat mostly, and once every other day, hot bran mash with a spoonful of egg- maker. Have had over 40 dozen eggs without interruption since January 1st, from twelve pullets — Minorcas — of my own raising. This is the first death I have ever had, except of the little chicks. Pens are clean, no lice or mites. Have studied closely and can't "savy." Per- haps you can. The heart of the first one seemed the only cause for death, as it had a large inforct, probably fatty degeneration ; the other was normal. — Dr. J. A. B. Answer — I think, as your hens died on the nest, that they had some diffi- culty in laying, and were probably egg- bound. The Minorcas laying a large egg, are frequently subject to this trou- ble, more so, in fact, than the other breeds which lay smaller eggs. Strain- ing in laying frequently is the cause of a blood vessel breaking in the head, which, of course, results in apoplexy. Minorcas rarely suffer from an overfat condition, as they are a very active breed. Egg-Eating Hens — Would you kindly tell me how to treat egg-eating hens? What will cure them?— Mrs. R. E. G. Answer — The best way is to cut the head off the offender and eat her, for she is certain to be fat. The informa- tion you ask for is as follows : Mr. Morse (a chicken expert) gives five remedies for the bad habit of egg-eat- ing. First : Fit up an arrangement whereby the eggs, as soon as layed, slide down and out of sight, into a sort of false bottom under the nest. The hens will not eat them because they cannot get them. Second : Have a lot of China eggs lying about promiscuous-like on the floor. Trying to eat such eggs is likely to discourage egg-eating. Third: Fix up a hollow egg with aloes. One bite is enough. Consult the corner druggist as to how to make the mess. Fourth : Have grit and crushed oyster shells about in abundance in self-feeding box- es. Fifth : Do not stuff your hens full of mash in the morning and let them sit around all day, like "Father" in the song, "Everybody Works But Father," but feed them grain in litter and make them, hustle all day. This keeps them out of mischief. Mr. Morse's advice may be good, but I recommend using trap nests by which means you will eas- ily discover the guilty hen, and if she is not too valuable, the verdict should be decapitation. Keep your oyster shells, grit and charcoal before your hens and there will be very little egg-eating, for it is a vice which always commences with weak or soft egg shells. 194 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK HATCHING WITH INCUBATOR AND HEN Poor Hatches — We have been run- ning our incubator since February and our hatches have been quite poor. Our hens are two years old and so are our roosters. The hens are fed regularly, and have a large run with plenty of al- falfa ; a clean airy coop. The chicks, when hatched, are strong and vigorous. We have some six weeks old, and we have not lost one, but when they are hatching many die in their shells. Out of 450 eggs 77 tested out not fertile or dead germs, and out of 373 remaining eggs, only 182 hatched. We, are hatching White Leghorns. Can you tell us what to do, or what the matter is? We have been following your ad- vice in many things. Do you think that slamming of doors or jarring is bad for incubators when hatching?— Mrs. M. F. DeW. Answer — I think the fault in your in- cubator is that it has not sufficient ven- tilation. An insufficiency of oxygen will cause poor hatches such as you describe. With the care you give your fowls and their being two years old, the fault does not lie in the parent birds or their eggs, therefore it certainly comes from a faulty incubator. In the future, air the eggs three times a day ; fan out the stale air of the incubator each time you air the eggs, and if you find they are dry- ing out too much, sprinkle them, after the first week, twice a week with warm water. Slamming the door or jarring, the incubator during incubation is not advisable, but on the day of hatching it would not injure them. Infertility — Will you kindly tell me what to do to make eggs more fertile? I have a fine pen of Columbian Wyan- dottes, eight pullets mated with a cock two years old. They are fed on dry, mash of bran, ground barley, corn meal, alfalfa meal and beef scrap, with plenty of grit, shell, charcoal and ground bone before them all the time, and are run- ning in a corral of grass and clover; they have plenty of fresh water and the hens lay well. What chicks I do get are strong and healthy ; out of fifteen eggs only two were fertile. I have another pen, four hens, two years old, mated with a cockerel one year old. Fed the same in every way ; their shells are smooth but full of clear spots. What shall I feed to make shells better?— Mrs. E. H. G. Answer — The usual requirements missing from the food when eggs are infertile are green food and animal food, therefore, I would advise you to feed more green food, more animal food and a great deal less barley and corn meal. Wyandottes are apt to get too fat to have good fertility unless they have plenty of exercise and the four old hens require more lime. Mix some fresh quick lime in water to the consistency of pancake batter; let it stand 24 hours, then pour' out a cake of it on the ground. It will soon dry, and by crumbling a lit- tle of it every day, the hens will pick it up. Add a teaspoonful of baking soda to a quart of their drinking water and keep this before them for a week. By this means I think your egg shells will improve. Cripples — Some of my incubator chickens are almost cripples when they are taken from the incubator. Some have crippled, crooked and crumpled up toes, others have one leg too short, or turned out the wrong way, and some of them are not able to stand up — they hold their head back so far that they fall backward.— A. H. S. Answer — The cause of cripples in- variably is irregularity of temperature in the incubator. Your incubator has been too hot at some period, probably the last week; this causes cripples. Those that hold their heads back do so from the eggs not having been turned sufficiently during incubation. As you do not mention the name of the incubator, I cannot tell you just where the lack is, it may be poor oil ; it may be it is run in a draught and it may lack ventilation. Lack Oxygen — I took 200 thrifty chicks from the incubator about eight weeks ago. They did very well for about two weeks, when they began to die and today I have 50 left, and these look too scrubby to be worth raising. I have given them extra attention and the best feed. They get pale around the head, grow weak and are skin and bone when they die. I think they have con- sumption. The brooder is a tight box and no ventilatiotn, except the lid has HATCHING WITH INCUBATOR AND HEN 195 a round hole about as large as a teacup, and the little entrance window about six inches square. An iron pipe running through is the heating arrangement. In- side the box, to fit close over the pipe, is a cap of wood with flannel curtains dropping to the floor under which the chicks hover. Don't you think this is too close a place? The outside box is. only 6 inches deep, then they hover in- side; this only gives 4 inches space for the chicks. Please tell me if you think the lid to brooder would be better of wire or where do you think the trouble is? Also tell me how granulated milk is prepared. We have lately begun feed- ing to everything in the poultry yard, beef scraps, bone meal and linseed meal in what we think proper proportions once a day. Should chicks only eight weeks old be fed this ration the same as hens? What causes eggs to be ridgy and uneven? Can one feed to produce larger eggs? Our hens are large, but lay small eggs. — Mrs. J. B. S. Answer — I think that the lack of oxy- gen in your brooder is the only difficulty with your chicks. Still, I am very much afraid that tuberculosis may have got in and infected the brooder. If possible, move your chicks into a weaning house, open entirely on one side (or only closed with chicken wire). Make a lit- tle frame of gunny-sacking or out of a piece of blanket that they can go under. This will rest upon their backs to keep them warm. Give them no other heat. At this season of the year (August) eight weeks old chicks should have no heat whatever, at night. I think you are keeping your chickens too warm, with- out enough fresh air and possibly they may have mites or lice. Air their sleep- ing place well ; put the hover out into the sunshine every day. This will kill the germs of tuberculosis better than anything. Granulated milk is made at Bing- hampton, N. Y. I do not know the process. Chicks eight weeks old can have the beef scraps, bone meal and linseed meal in the same proportions as hens. Uneven eggs are caused either from defect in the oviduct or from an insuf- ficiency 'of lime or hurried laying. Some strains of hens lay small eggs and overfat hens will lay small eggs. More protein added to their food will often increase the size of the eggs : By choosing the large eggs for hatching, you can increase the size of the eggs in the next generation. Chicks Dying in Shell — A large per cent of my chicks, fully developed, die the day they are due to hatch, even af- ter pipping the shell. They seem to dry in the shell.— Mrs. D. D. Answer — Float the eggs in warm wa- ter. That will help the chicks to break through the shell better than anything I know of. Next time try sprinkling the eggs after the eighth day twice a week with warm water. I think you will find it is what is needed in your dry climate, and is likely to help matters. Fooling the Hen — Is it possible to fool a sitting hen into caring for some incubator chickens when she has not hatched them herself— Mrs. C. R. Answer — If your hen has been sitting for a week or ten days, she will "take to" the chicks as well as though she had hatched them herself ; especially if she is a Plymouth Rock or Buff Orpington. Those two breeds have a greater affec- tion for chickens than some of the oth- ers. Be sure that the hen is entirely clear of lice, and if she is a large hen, put from IS to 18 under her at night ; a smaller hen should have from 12 to 15, not more, if you expect the chickens to do well. I have trained capons to act as mothers ; they do even better than the hens. Thermometer — Will you kindly tell me where I could get tested thermom- eter for incubator ; also where I could have one tested which I already have? — H. H. C. Answer — At any good drug store you can have your thermometer tested. If you want to buy a new one, go to the agent selling your make of incubator. Take the new one also to the druggest and have him test it thoroughly, be- cause the thermometers, as they are sea- soned sometimes vary some degrees, and even a new one cannot be trusted. Helping Them Hatch— I find my White Plymouth Rock eggs are very slow about hatching and some I know would die in the shell if I had not dropped a few drops of lukewarm water on their heads, as it seemed they would get about half out and then the white skin would dry on their heads and hold 196 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK them fast. After having two die in the shell, I found they would free them- selves if a few drops of warm water were sprinkled on them. I kept moist- ure in the pans all three days and part of the fourth and they are still slowly hatching. This is the twenty-third day. Do you think I should keep the moisture pan full for a week — I mean the last week of incubation ? Please send me an idea on chick feed, as I cannot get good, clean chick feed here. — Mrs. P. W. B. Answer — If you had only mentioned the name of the incubator you are us- ing, I could have better diagnosed your case. As it is, all I can say to you is to follow the rules and directions they give you as closely as possible. With some machines it is very advisable to sprinkle the eggs twice a week after the first week with warm water ; this seems to make the shells more brittle and prevents the inner lining skin from toughening. I have found this better than keeping much moisture in the ma- chine. The moisture in the machine seems to make the chick grow, but does not make the shell brittle. Your Ply- mouth Rock eggs should hatch prompt- ly on the 21st day. The delayed incuba- tion indicates that part of the time the temperature has been too low. Are you sure that your thermometer is perfect- ly correct; have you had it tested? On the efficiency of "the thermometer much depends. Many thermometers that are accurate at first become, through the use of unseasoned glass in their manufac- ture, absolutely incorrect after a few months' use. Others are really only within two to four degrees of being correct, therefore, be sure you have your thermometer tested. About the chicken feed, write to the Experiment Station, University of California, Berkeley. This gives you the list of foods available in your part of the country, with the proper proportion for mixing them, see page 38. Eggs for Hatching — Will you kindly tell me what is the matter with my eggs? They will not hatch well. Our hens are Brown Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds. I only got fifteen chick- ens in my last batch. When we _ break the eggs after we know they will not hatch we find the chicks dead, but fully formed and just ready to hatch. _ Per- haps the shells are too hard. Will you please tell me what to do to make a softer shell? Feed according to your directions, Is it necessary to put moisture in the incubator? Does it hurt the eggs to sprinkle them with warm water if we think the shells are too hard? I will be very thankful if you will answer this, as I want to know before I commence to save eggs for next incubator lot. I do not keep them over two weeks and keep them in a cool, dark place, turning them every day. — Mrs. G. A. M. Answer — I wish I could tell you for certain what causes chickens to die in the shell. I have my theories about it, and I believe it comes from the eggs not being aired and cooled sufficiently. Cooling them and then warming them up again seems to make the shells more brittle, and this is the same under hens. If I notice that a hen is sitting too closely, I take her off twice a day to cool the eggs. With an incubator I would air them and turn them three times a day, and either sprinkle them three times during the last ten days or float them in warm water two days before the hatch is due. Float them from three to five minutes, and then put them back into the tray while they are wet. I do not believe in putting moisture into the incubator unless the directions call for it. Incubator Chicks Dying Off — We have started in with the R. I. Reds, and have been fairly successful until our last hatch. Out of 65 eggs 44 came out. Last Saturday they commenced dying off, just fell seemingly from, weakness and died soon after. We have fed them chick feed, bran, Indian meal, cayenne pepper, beef scraps, twice per day, and a little germazone in water occasionally. — C. R. H. Answer — From your description I am afraid that the chickens have either been chilled or may have been overheat- ed. Either one of these conditions will cause the symptoms you describe. All you can do now is to give them rice boiled in milk, adding a tablespoonful of ground cinnamon to each pint. Give them also chopped lettuce and onions. Do not give any corn meal or beef scraps. When chicks have been over- heated either in incubator or brooder, it so weakens their bowels that they can- not digest their food and they die of starvation. Poor Hatching — I should like very much if you can give me some informa- HATCHING WITH INCUBATOR AND HEN 197 tion about my hatching eggs in an in- cubator. I bought a new incubator this spring. I have set it twice and had the same results both times. The chicks form fully and then most of them die in the shell. As the same eggs do fine when put under a hen, I think it must be that I make some mistake in my treatment of the incubator. I have, as nearly as possible, followed the instruc- tions that came with it. If you can give me any assistance, it will be appreciated very much. — Mrs. W. D. W. Answer — Your incubator is a good one. Its fault, for they all have some little fault, is that the ventilation is in- sufficient. Take the eggs out and air them after the first week three times a day. This will counteract the lack of ventilation. This cooling and then heat- ing up again of the eggs makes the shell more brittle, so that the chick is able to break its way out much more easily. Another thing I found in using that in- cubator is that by taking the middle eggs out of the row, one in each hand, and putting them at the end of the row, and then pushing the others along into the vacant places, I got a ten per cent better hatch. I got the idea from Egypt. Of course, you must be sure the machine stands level and that the thermometer is correct. Trouble with Incubator — I want to ask your advice about our incubator. We bought it new in January. Out of 200 fertile eggs we got 75 chickens, and all but nine died before they were 10 days old. We thought it was the fault of the brooder. There were many crip- ples among them, but they all died of bowel trouble. On April 30th we hatched 117 out of 150 fertile eggs, and rave the chicks to old hens, as we had laid our previous trouble to the brooder. But now the last are going the same way. Chicks hatched under hens at the same time are healthy and strong. We have only lost one so far. We feed pre- pared chick feed and take the best of care of the chicks. The incubator runs perfectly, always 103, until the chicks begin to work out of the shell, when it runs up to 104 and 105. We have set the incubator again. It will hatch May 29th. We do not intend to give up. — W. S. R. Answer — The trouble is in the incu- bation. At some time or other the heat has been too great. This is shown by there being cripples, I know it, because I have had the same experience several times myself. Once a hat was thrown on the machine ; just touched the regu- lator; was only on for half a day. An- other time a newspaper did the same thing. My big cat slept on the incu- bator another night and lost me the hatch. Each of the times I worked with the little chicks, giving them everything I could think of, but without saving them. Now, I think there is a possi- bility that your incubator does not stand level and that, therefore, one side or corner of the machine is a very little higher than the other. That side or cor- ner would be hotter than the other side without affecting the thermometer and would cause all or most of the trouble. Again, are you sure the thermometer is correct? Borrow the doctor's clinical thermometer. This is what I did, and put them both into a bucket containing about two quarts of water at 103 de- grees and compared the two. You do not mention if the hatch came out on time. I feel sure that the eggs have been overheated, or part of them have, and in this way the bowels of the chick- ens have been weakened, the yolk of the egg has not been digested, and they have dwindled and died, or bowel trou- ble has come on from the undigested yolk putrifying inside of them. I have made so many post mortem examinations that I feel sure of what I am telling you. Examine your incubator with a spirit level to see that it is level. Test your thermometer and then try again, at the same time setting one or two hens, and as incubation proceeds examine the eggs, comparing them. I think you will find that the eggs under the hen dry out quicker than those in the incubator. However, if this is not the case, if your incubator eggs dry out too quickly (the air space being larger than that under the hens), you will have to regulate this by the ventilators of the incubator. Keep them closed. As yours is a hot-air in- cubator, there is no need of fanning out the stale air. The fault, if any, with your incubator is too rapid a circulation of air, thereby drying the eggs out too soon. I .think you had better run it half a degree cooler than you have been doing. I say this because the cripples and bowel troubles denote too high a temperature. I hope these hints may help you. Let me hear from you again if you have any more trouble. Natural Incubation — I am a reader of your articles and get much good from 198 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK them. Am a beginner and have a great deal to learn. Will you kindly answer the following questions : 1. Should a setting hen ba shut on the nest and be let off each day? If so, how long should she be allowed to stay off the nest? 2. Do the eggs get enough moisture in natural incubation? 3. Is it good to sprinkle the eggs with water? If so, how often and in what stages of incubation should this be done? 4. How long should chick feed be fed to chicks, and what is best after dis- continuing this food? — R. M. Answer — It is best not to shut a hen on the nest, but to allow her to get on and off as she pleases, unless there are other hens that can get to the nest to disturb her. It is a good plan to take the hen off the nest at a regular hour every day. I prefer about five o'clock in the evening, as then she will go back before supper time. A hen can be off the nest in pleasant weather from twen- ty minutes to half an hour. She should be allowed to stay off long enough to eat all she Avants and to dust herself. It is necessary for her to come off at least oYice every twenty-four hours. 2. Eggs usually get moisture enough from the perspiration of the hen. I like to float the eggs in warm water two days before the hatch comes off. I think it helps the eggs to hatch well and it also shows, by the eggs bobbing about on^ the water, which eggs have live chicks in them. _ 4. Chick feed should be fed about six weeks, but it is best to begin when the chicks are three or four weeks old to _ add wheat and kaffir corn to the. chick food and make the change gradu- al. Commence by one-fourth of the larger .grains and three-fourths of chick feed. Then gradually increase the kaffir corn and wheat until that is the prin- cipal feed. Brooder Chicks — I shall have to come to you for help about my little chickens, as I know that you know what to do. I am only a beginner. I have an in- cubator and hot water brooder, and be- fore I bought your book I could not make them hatch, but now, with its help, following- your directions, I have a fine hatch. I turned and aired the eggs as you said. Now my chicks (White Leg- horns) are two weeks old and I have lowered the temperature in the brooder about one degree a day; but about ev- ery other day one will die. I have thirty-two in the brooder, so they are not crowded at all. I have put insect powder on them and they are fed chick food ; they have plenty of fresh water in a fountain, which I keep in their yard. I make them work in alfalfa for their feed, as you instructed. They are not stuck up behind, as far as I can tell, but when one is about to die, it goes up into a corner of the brooder under the pipe. If you will give me advice about what to do, I shall be very much obliged, as I am, afraid I shall lose them all. — N. H. H. Answer — -I am glad you had a good hatch. The fault with that incubator is lack of ventilation, and of the brooder is that there is a draught on the floor, so that the chicks' feet are cold. I tried a good many plans with that brooder, and finally I built them over. How- ever, the best plan before I changed them I found was to put on the floor a gunny sack or bit of warm old carpet, and on that put nearly two inches of chaff or finely cut straw or hay. I also left the lid a little bit open. Before that the chicks' heads got too hot on the pipes and their little feet too cold. I am rather surprised that they have not been troubled with diarrhoea. Faulty Incubation — I am a begin- ner in the poultry business and would like to ask you a few questions that have been troubling me : 1. I have been hatching chickens and ducks in an incubator and they don't hatch as well as with a hen. I find quite a number dead in the shells. I do not understand it as I follow the directions that come with the machine. 2. A number of the chicks "walk around on their knees." Some of their legs stick straight up and they flop along on the joint with the aid of their wings. They soon die. Why is this? Is there any way to avoid it? 3. I had twenty ducks hatch with hens and have only eleven left. We first notice them to lag behind the rest, then as they grow more stupid they fall over with their heads thrown back as people do when they have spinal meningitis. Can you tell by this description what was the matter with them.? — L. B., Cor- coran. Answer — The trouble is that the heat has been irregular in your incubator, YARD ROOM 199 and probably the eggs have not been aired sufficiently. 2. Cripples, such as you describe, in- variably come from overheating, espe- cially the last ten days in the incubator. It may be only for a few hours. It is such a pity, for it always seems to be the biggest and best chicks. I have once or twice succeeded in straightening out the legs and setting the knee, fastening it with a rubber. 3. • The trouble with the ducks is se- vere indigestion. It may be they have not had sand enough in their food, or they have eaten some animal food that was not fresh— was decaying. Lack of shade will give the same symptoms. The drinking vessel must be deep enough for them to get their entire bill under water, for they require to rinse their nostrils many times a day and will die if they cannot. Brooders— (Mrs. S. M. G.)— I would like to tell you about the brooders I made from your description of them. I have used the Fireless Brooder for five months and have had no trouble in get- ting the chicks to go inside when they are cold. When I first put fifty chicks into the Fireless, the weather was cold and at first I found, like others, that the little fellows did not know where to go when they felt cold, so on the third day I put a gallon jug of hot water in the center of the brooder, covering the jug with a hood made of several layers of newspaper. I took two or three chicks and held them against the jug until their happy chirping brought all the others ; after that I had no trouble. I removed the jug at night and put it back in the morning for a few days, filling it with less warm water each morning. During the summer months I did not find it necessary to put any at- traction in the brooders as the chicks seemed warm enough from the first to spend the entire day in the sun. This account from Mrs. G. will in- terest and help many of our readers. YARD ROOM How Many Chickens to Keep on a City Lot— Will you kindly tell me how many chickens can be kept on a city lot seventy-five by a hundred and eighty feet ? Do you think chickens will lay well during the rainy season in Seattle, Wash., if they are properly fed and housed ? How big a house do we need for fifty chickens ? Last September we bought thirty Ply- mouth Rock hens and thirty pullets. We got from ten to sixteen eggs from the hens per day, until about the middle of December, when they began to fall off. We are still getting that amount, but half of them are from the pullets. Do you think they are doing as well as we could expect? — Mrs. L. E. S. Answer — In your climate it would very much depend upon the shelter from the rain that you can give the chickens. Fifty chickens should be divided into two pens with two houses. Each house not less than ten by twelve feet in size. I would advise a good scratching pen to be made either adjoining the house and covered with a roof, or else make the scratching pen to extend underneath the dropping boards. You might keep several hunndred hens upon land 75 x 180 feet, if you have ample house room for them, so they would be well shel- tered from the rain. Hens that are wet every day will not lay well. Your fowls are doing well, considering the wet weather you are having. How Many on Two Acres — I have two acres of land, of which I will have a hundred feet by one hundred feet for an alfalfa patch, the rest for chickens to run around and have the patch for them to feed on for an hour or so before go- ing to roost. Kindly let me know how many chickens I can raise on the two acres at the most. — M. J. P. Answer — I think you can keep a thou- sand chickens on your two acres. You must be careful not to have more than fifty to roost in one house. It is the crowded condition of houses at night that brings trouble and disease. Be sure to give them shade during the day and plenty of good fresh water, besides, of course, the balanced ration. Allow them two hours a day on the alfalfa patch. Five Acres — Will you kindly tell me how many White Leghorns I can suc- cessfully raise on five acres of land? I 2C0 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK want to grow alfalfa and some veg- etables for feed. Will you also tell me if I can hatch turkeys in an incubator? — J. W. L. Answer — You can raise a large num- ber of Leghorns on five acres of land. I know one party that has 3000 Leg- horns on three acres, but it entirely de- pends upon knowing how to do and do- ing it right. Better begin with a small number and when you succeed with those increase your flock. Turkeys can be hatched in an incu- bator and raised in a brooder, but must be kept entirely separate from chickens or they will die. Yard Room — I want to raise about 60 pullets for next winter. I have about a hundred chicks hatched out. All the yard room I can spare is on a town lot about 50 x 75 feet. Do you think this would be enough room for them? — Mrs. J. F. Y. Answer — It all depends upon the care you give them ; if you can supply them with shade, plenty of green food, clean water and a good scratching place and the proper food, it will be plenty large enough. Be sure to keep them clean and free from mites and lice. Burclar Alarm — I refer to the men- tion made by you of an electric burglar alarm to protect poultry houses, and would venture to inquire whether such an alarm may be installed by one not a professional electrician. Upon what principle is it based, and what are the materials needed? — H. M. Answer — I put in the burglar alarm you speak of myself. I am not a pro- fessional electrician, but I went to the electrical supply house, bought from them the ordinary alarm fixtures which are used at the door and windows of residences ; they explained to me how to set them, and I did it by their directions. I did not find it difficult. None of the doors or windows in my hennery could be opened four inches without the alarm gong at the head of my bed ringing. I should think you would have to under- stand a little about it to put them in. MATING AND BREEDING Age for Mating — I wish to ask if a cockerel should be mated after he at- tains a year in age or can he just as well stay till a year and a half or two years old before being mated? Also I wish to know if it is quite as advantageous to mate a rooster with a pullet- of his own clutch, supposing the pullet and rooster are both a year and a half old. I would like to do that if you think it advisable. — M. S. H. Answer — The earliest age at which a cockerel may be mated should be about ten months, not earlier if you want large, vigorous chickens. I consider the best age for getting sturdy chicks is for both parents to be about two years of age. You can keep a male bird as long as you wish without mating him, but he should be entirely out of sight and out hearing of the hens, otherwise he will fret to get to them. I have known sev- eral to drop down dead from getting too much excited at seeing other young- males in the pens with the hens. From a year and a half to three years of age is undoubtedly the best age at which to mate the fowls, but you can have very good results with older fowls. In your place I would certainly mate the year and a half male with the year and a half hen and expect good results, for they should both be in their prime. Mating Brother and Sister — Is there any objections to mating a rooster with hens of his own clutch if they are all old enough, say a year and a half or two years old?— Mrs. G. S. H. Answer — It is considered best not to mate brother and sister together, yet this is always done in making any new breed, and as yours comes from a three hundred egg a year hen, I would advise you to do so. Breeding — I have a nice R. I. R. cock- erel. He is good shape and color, but he is not up to standard weight. If I breed from him will he produce chicks larger than himself if they are well tak- en care of? Is there any chance of get- ting perfect specimens from fowls un- der weight? I bought some very fine looking hens, but their breasts are un- even. I also got eggs from the same stock and the pullets have crooked MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 201 breasts. Kindly tell me if that trouble will be handed down if I breed from them.— Mrs. C. R. Answer— As a rule, the chicks take their size from the mother. If your R. I. R. hens have a good size, the chick- ens will be larger than the cockerel, if you feed them for large frame. If the hens are under weight and size, you may have difficulty in increasing the size of the offspring. Some people think that crooked breastbones come from chick- ens roosting on a narrow perch when they are young ; however, I think it is generally conceded that crooked breast- bones are often hereditary. You will know if your chickens have roosted at too early an age. If not, it is hereditary and you had better change the strain. MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Shipping Young Chicks — Do you think I can order eggs incubated 31 miles from here and have the young chicks sent by stage with perfect safety? We are feeding corn of our own growing which is quite musty. I have been afraid of it, but so far cannot see that it has hurt them, although yester- day a hen sat around all day droopy like. I wondered if the musty corn affected her. Last summer I brought into the house some small chicks that seemed about to die, and seeing they had lice, I dusted them thoroughly with buhach. The lice soon dropped off of them, but the chickens died. Can too much powder be put on them? — Mrs. C. S. Answer — Chickens could travel a thousand miles before they are twenty- four hours old if packed in a box care- fully. That is, of course, before they are fed. Last year I sent some from Los Angeles to Berkeley. They were out 36 hours, but arrived in perfect con- dition, all vigorous and ready for their first meal in their new home nearly a thousand miles away. Musty wheat or corn is very unwhole- some for chickens. Buhach would not kill the most delicate chicken or turkey, but is death to all insect life. The chickens were doubtless dying before you powdered them. Castor Bean Bushes — I have been thinking of planting castor bean bushes in the chicken yard for shade, but was advised by a neighbor not to do it, as the beans would drop off and if chick- ens ate them they would be poisoned. Would like your advice, please. The bushes grow quickly and make good shade, so would like to try them. Do you think it would be O. K?— J. H. S. Answer — Castor beans are poisonous to both ducks and chickens if they eat them, so I would advise you to plant something else. Get cuttings of fig trees, about ten inches long, bury the whole length except one inch, water well, and you will have shade in a few months and fruit in two years. I find figs ex- cellent in the chicken yard, and the chickens do not eat the leaves and bark. Would advise planting also other fruit trees and the quantities of fruit you will have will soon repay the trouble. In the meantime you might plant sunflowers. They make good shade and their seed is excellent food for the chickens. Capons — -Will you kindly give us an article on capons? What is the demand for them, if any? What do you think of the difference in profits between them and broilers? If there is any truth in the statements published in regard to capons in the Eastern markets, they ought to be money-makers here. Am fitted for the business, but desire more information in that line before attempt- ing much. I think the R. I. Reds would make extra good ones, and I should like marketing mature birds instead of those a few months old. Capons for the Phil- adelphia market have to be a year old to command the best prices. — H. J. K. Answer — Capons bring a good price now in Los Angeles, especially if you can make a contract with some of the large hotels for them. This you can only do by having a large and regular supply. The price last year was from 30c to 35c per pound, which is a paying- price. Broilers pay about as well when you take into consideration that you can turn them off at eight weeks of age. This would be your better plan, as you are limited for space and you would not have the expense and trouble of car- 202 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK rying them for another ten months. I would advise you to sell as broilers all the young males you do not wish to keep for breeders. This will give you more room for the pullets and you need space to have your pullets develop well for the fall and winter egg market. Capons are, undoubtedly, money-makers for those who have plenty of space, and where food is cheaper than it is here this year. Personally, I found that ca- pons did not pay as well as roasters. These were young roosters that were about eight months old and that I milk fed. I found I had to keep my young- males until I could see how they would develop. I began by caponizing, but be- ing economically inclined, I found the milk - fed, uncaponized. eight - months youngsters paid me best. Since then the market for capons has improved here, and if you had more room, and could buy up young cockerels, caponize them at about three months of age and turn them off in the following spring, just when turkeys go out, you might make some profit on them. It has been found that the Brahmas or crosses of the Brahmas are the best for capons . From Far Away Alaska — Commenc- ing with the first of March for the last three years my chickens begin to lose their feathers in front of their neck. I feed them wheat, corn, shorts, cooked potatoes and cabbage. They have no lice. I also give them plenty of char- coal and grit. I have a chicken house 30 x 30, logs with moss between, lined inside with shakes. I also keep fire in a stove to keep out dampness. — H. C. C, Sumdum, Alaska. Answer — Not knowing your climate, scarcely like to venture an opinion about the reason for your hens losing their feathers. Your rations seem good, all except there is no animal food in it. I think you should give them fish with their cooked potatoes. Do not feel alarmed about them losing their feath- ers, as it may be on account of the cli- mate. Technical Names — Will you please tell me how old "friers," "broilers" and "springs" are? When is it safe to feed wheat and mash to chicks? — Mrs. M. N. Answer — It is not by the age that we decide upon the size of the chickens, or their names. "Squab broilers" weigh one pound and are usually from a small breed, fattened as quickly as possible, the age being about six or seven weeks. "Broilers" weigh from one to two pounds, the age being about eight weeks. "Friers" weigh from one pound to two and a half pounds ; age, about ten weeks. Young "roasters" from two and a half to three or four pounds, age about three months. Feed the wheat to chicks as soon as they will eat 'it, commencing to add it to the chick feed. I commence also to add kaffir corn at the same time. Some chickens will eat it earlier than others ; mine, a large breed, usually will take it at three weeks. Henpecked Husbands — I cannot keep my hens from picking the combs of the roosters. Could you tell me the reason for it? Also a remedy for it? I have tried everything I know for it. I feed meat twice a week. — R. M. Answer — This habit or vice usually comes from a lack of green food or meat in the ration. Very often the habit is acquired by imitation and thus it may be introduced into a flock by a new bird which had contracted it elsewhere, or it is spread through the flock from a bird which is led to it by indigestion or other disease of the stomach. It is sometimes started by lice. The hen sees one crawling on her mate's comb and tries to peck at it, wounds the comb, tastes the warm sweet blood and keeps up the habit. The others imitate her until the poor henpecked husband is in a sorry plight. The preventive is plenty of green food, plenty of exercise and animal food. The cure, the hatchet for the worst hens, or if they are too valu- able, let them run without the male bird, only admitting him to the pen for an hour a day in the afternoon. Give the hens a good run in a grass-covered yard. Feed plenty of green vegetables ; onions chopped are particularly effica- cious. If the yard is small, prepare a scratching shed, covering the floor deep- ly with straw and scatter grain in the straw for the morning meal, so the fowls will be compelled to scratch and work to find it. Add bicarbonate of soda to the drinking water in the proportion of about 20 grains to the quart ; put a small quantity of salt in the food, or nail up a piece of salt pork for the hens to peck. Painting Brooders — Will you kindly tell me if painting the brooder on the MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 203 inside with crude oil will injure little chicks ? We have ordered 100 Brown Leg- horns for March 15, and have got a second-hand brooder. Of course, we 1 want it perfectly clean, as we are be- ginners and are striving for success. A friend of ours gave us five gallons of crude oil and insisted on our using it, but I thought it wise to ask some one more experienced. Thanking you in* ad- vance, yours truly. — Mrs. G. S. McW. Answer — I would not advise you to paint the inside of your brooder with anything as strong as crude oil. It will do very well to paint the outside of the hen house and the outside of the brood- er house, and will last for several years, preserve the wood and keep away ver- min, but is too strong for the little chicks. I will tell you what I would do were I in your place. I would take good hot suds and a brush, either a whisk broom or a scrubbing brush, and thoroughly scrub out the brooder. If I thought there were any mites or lice in it, I would add -a cupful of coal oil (kero- sene) to the suds. I would then put it in the sun to dry, and when it was dry I would wash it all over — hover, felt and everything — with a solution of bi- chloride of mercury. You can get tab- lets of it very cheap at any drug store. Put about four or six tablets in a pint of water and when it is dissolved wash all over the brooders with it. Or get corrosive sublimate ; have the druggist dissolve it in alcohol, and paint that over the inside of the brooder. This will de- stroy all germs of any disease or any vermin. This way of soapsuds, followed by the mercury, is the most perfect dis- infectant you can find. It will kill tu- berculosis, chicken-pox, cholera^ etc., germs, and has no bad smell to injure chicks. How Long? — Would you kindly an- swer how long after the eggs have start- ed in the hen does it take before the hen lays? Thanking vou in anticipa- tion.— W. B. M. Answer — As soon as a pullet is three months old there will be found inside her a bunch of tiny embryo eggs. These are called the ovaries or egg organs. If the hen is active, in good health and properly fed, these will, one after an- other, turn into eggs, but the hen must be fed the elements of the egg in order for her to make the eggs, and it all depends upon the food how long it will take the hen to accumulate the proper proportion of each element to make the eggs, that is, the elements of the egg rightly balanced, enough fat and protein to make the yolk, enough albumen and water for the white, enough lime for the shell, each in its right proportion. Soft Shell Eggs — Please tell me why my chickens and turkeys lay soft shell eggs.— R. A. D. Soft shell eggs come either from an insufficient supply of lime in the rations or overstimulation of the egg organs by the use of spice or so-called egg foods. Worms may increase in the in- testines to such an extent as to stimu- late the egg passage to push along the egg beyond its usual distance. An over- fat hen has a tendency toward laying thin-shelled eggs. Dr. Woods gives this advice : "Fowls kept closely confined in cold weather and not given a sufficient variety of food are apt to lay soft-shelled eggs. The trouble may be due to some disturbance of the egg organs or to improper food, careless feeding and lack of exercise. It usually responds very promptly to treat- ment. See t that the birds are supplied with plenty of good grit and oyster shell. Feed green food, scalded short-cut al- falfa or clover. • Also give cabbage, beets and turnips fed raw whenever they can be obtained. Feed a variety of good, sound grain and some animal food. The grain should be fed in the scratching pen." Saw Off Long Spurs — I wish a little information in regard to a rose-comb Rhode Island Red rooster two and a half years old. He has very long spurs, which makes it difficult for him in scratching when I feed them in the scratching pen. Is there any way of taking them off? Answer — It is very advisable always to cut the long spurs off the male birds, as they are very apt to injure the hens with them. I find the best way is to saw them off with a fine meat saw about an inch from the leg. I do not saw them close enough to draw blood. You can also file them off, but sawing is quicker, and if the edges are rough, use a small file to make them smooth. 204 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Chicken Manure — Please answer im- mediately. How can chicken manure be preserved, and where can it be disposed of, and at what price? Answer and oblige.— Mrs. M. A. S. Answer — The easiest way of preserv- ing chicken droppings is by placing dry earth or sand or kainit under the perch- es, sweeping this up two or three times a week and placing it in barrels or boxes. Anyone with a citrus orchard is glad to get it for fertilizing the trees. I know one man who pays $7.50 per ton for it. I do not know what the market value is, but I know that it is considered worth just four times as much as stable manure and that it is a most excellent fertilizer. Fireless Brooder — I make bold to ask vou for a little information. Will you kindly tell me of the fireless brooder? Can you give me the plans for construct- ing one, or tell me where I can get the olans? Can little chicks just hatched be put in the fireless brooder? — Mrs. W. W. G. Arizona. Answer — Take a box about ten inches deep, and from a foot and a half to two feet square. Rip the box six inches from the bottom to four inches from the top, so there will be two boxes, one six inches, the other four inches deep with- out cover. Hinge them together so they will close as they were before being sawed in two. Near the top make three one-inch holes in the two ends for ven- tilation. For the hover make a frame of one-and-a-half by one-inch lumber, so it will fit inside the box. On the under side of this frame tack cloth loosely, so it will hang in the center nearly two inches below the frame. The cloth is to touch the chicks' backs. Nail cleats across the ends of the lower box to hold the frame in position. The top of the frame should be even with the top edge of the lower box. Cut a hole on the opposite side of the bottom box to the hinges, for the chickens to go in and out. A friend who made this brooder tacked a piece of burlap on the floor and then filled it almost up to the cloth on the frame (the hover) with finely cut straw or hay. He then scooped out a nest in the center of it and put the baby chicks into it. The two-foot size is large enough to contain from one dozen to fifty chicks for one week, twenty-five till they are three weeks old, and twenty till they are six weeks old, or about that age. On very cold nights at first he put a little piece of blanket on top of the hover. As the chicks grew older he lessened the amount of straw or chaff, when the chicks were large enough to raise the heat sufficiently. After using this brooder (home made) all last win- ter, he said he would never be without it. Personally, I think it would be a good plan to let in a slide of glass at one side, as chickens do not like to go into a dark place. I do not know where you can get plans for making a brood- er, but you can buy fireless brooders at any of the large poultry supply houses advertising in this book. This is Mr. Killifer's brooder. Dipping Hens — Would you be so kind_ as to write and let me know about dipping hens, etc? I have a flock of somewhere between five and six hun- dred. I notice some of them have lice and bunches of nits on their feathers. Whenever I have caught a hen I have greased her well, but this would take too long to go through the bunch. Is there any dip that would be strong enough and do no harm to the birds that would kill the nits with only one dip- ping?— W. B. Answer — As you have so large a flock of hens and do not seem able or inclined to pull out the feathers that have nits on them. I think you will have to dip them twice, with an interval of five or six days. The nits are sure to hatch out in about five days after they are de- posited by the lice, and by twice dipping them you should get most of them. It is an excellent plan in warm weather just at the commencement of the moult, to immerse the fowls in a diluted kero- sene emulsion, wetting 1 them, thoroughly to the skin, or dip them in strong to- bacco water, or a solution of two per cent creolin or chloro naphtholeum. A well-known poultryman gives the fol- lowing advice : Take the strongest and purest tobacco, 25 cents' worth being ample to clean off three hundred fowls. Make a decoction quite strong. If the user will observe a few points, no one will ever regret using tobacco to kill lice and not a solitary one will be left. First, if the dipping is done out of doors, the thermometer should be at least 80 in the shade; second, the water should never be more than blood warm, say 98 degrees ; third, and this is the most important point, every solitary MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 205 feather must be made soaking wet, else you will not make a clean job of it. In dipping all fowls having heavy plum- age, like the Brahmas and Cochins, the feathers must be raised with the hand and the water allowed to thoroughly wet the bird to the skin. This takes from one to two minutes for large, well- feathered fowls, if a dry feather is left there will be lice upon it. Do not dip the head under, but when the fowl is- quiet, dip the head until all is under up to the eyes. When they will not hold still, use a small sponge and wet the top of their heads. No one who has fowls troubled with lice need fear to try this. It is very effective. You must thoroughly clean the houses to get rid of the lice, and paint the perches with a good lice paint or liquid lice killer. Give the hens a nice freshly dug up dust bath and they will keep themselves clean of lice. You can add one of the good lice powders to the dust bath if you wish. Formula for Chick Feed — The for- mula for chick feed that you want is as follows : Chick feed for little chicks from the time they are hatched : 30 lbs. cracked wheat, 30 lbs. rolled or steel-cut oats, IS lbs. finely cracked corn, 10 lbs. each of rich, millet, pearl barley, mustard or rape seed, granulated or ground bone, dried blood or granulated milk, chick grit, 5 lbs. granulated charcoal. Mix and keep always before the chicks. Also clean water and skim milk if you have it. Note in the chick feed that wheat, oats and cracked corn are the chief ingredients. The others are to give a variety, and if you cannot get them, you just will have to leave them out. The bone and the dried blood are the animal part of the ration and can be substituted by fresh meat or milk or clabber or cottage cheese. A formula for laying hens which I have used for years is : Two measures of bran, one measure of alfalfa meal, one measure of beef scraps, and in the breeding season one measure of oatmeal or rolled oats. This mixture can be used as a dry mash or mixed with wa- ter as a moist (but not sloppy) mash. I add a little pepper and salt to it to season it. At moulting time I also add a quar- ter of a measure of linseed meal, or, if I cannot get that, half a measure of cot- tonseed meal, and sometimes a little tome to help on the moult. The linseed meal gives a gloss to the new feathers that nothing else will give. The hens should have before them all the time good, sharp grit and oyster shells crushed. The oyster shells are to sup- ply the lime to make the egg shell. Broken Down Hen— There are two things I am anxious to know and I think you can help me from your experience. I have a hen whose hind part has been gradually swelling until now it nearly touches the ground. The feathers have all dropped out of her head. I think an egg may have been broken inside, but she seems so healthy that hardly seems possible. Please state cure, if anv — G. F. M. Answer— Your hen has what we call a 'break down." This is the result of a too fattening diet or too much corn, and too little of the muscle, bone-form- ing and egg elements. There is a large fat deposit in the abdomen, bulging and dragging down the skin and muscles, giving an ungainly appearance to the bird. It is a question whether to diet her or to eat her. I would advise the latter, as she will not prove a very good layer_ after this. The bareness of head also indicates an unbalanced ration and an insufficiency of "protein," the feather making element. A little carbolated vaseline rubbed in twice a week and more green food and more animal food in the ration will recify this. For Layers — Will you please answer the following questions : Will hens lay as well without the male bird? Which would you advise me to keep for breeders, pullets, hatched last spring, which are laying now, or the one-year- old hens? Which is the best feed for them to produce eggs, the warm mash in the morning and corn at night or the dry feed — Mrs. O. G. L. Answer— 1. Yes, and the eggs will keep better. 2. Keep hens for mothers and pul- lets for your winter layers is the best rule. i.>.y.j 3. I prefer to give the mash, if I give any, at night; then I can use up the table scraps, mixing them with bran, corn meal and alfalfa meal, giving the fowls either dry mash in hoppers or grain in their scratching pen, to induce them to exercise for their day meal. In this way I get more eggs. 206 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK Testing Out Infertile Eggs — I note in the paper an advertisement for an egg-tester which claims that it is pos- sible to test out the infertile eggs be- fore setting. Will you please tell me if you think this is possible? — Mrs. J. F. Y. Answer — The advertisement which you mention was misleading. The way in which it tested the eggs was by float- ing them with the instrument in water ; if they proved heavy enough to sink to a certain depth it showed that the egg was rich enough to support the life of a chick, should there be a germ in that egg. The machine could not show whether there was a germ in the egg, consequently it could not show if the egg was fertilized or not. The little germ is so infinitesimally small that it would make no appreciable difference in the weight of the egg. Packing Eggs for Hatching — Will you kindly answer the following: 1. How long can one keep eggs for setting. 2. How is the best way to ship eggs for setting so they will not get broken? —Mrs. C. D. D. Answer — 1. You can keep your eggs three weeks or even more by turning them every day, but you must remem- ber that the longer you keep them the fewer will hatch and they will not be as vigorous chicks as if the eggs had been fresh when set. 2. You 'can now get egg boxes made for packing eggs for expressing, or you can pack them in common slat baskets or peach baskets. I really prefer the baskets. I put a layer of excelsior in the bottom of the basket, then wrap each egg in 'a piece of newspaper about six inches square; set them little end down, packing excelsior between them, then put a layer of excelsior on the top, and cover with burlap, sewing it into the basket with twine. Mark plainly, "Eggs for hatching, handle with care." In the many thousands of eggs I have sent out, only two baskets had any broken eggs. TURKEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Tomatoes for Turkeys— I am feeding my turkeys a small ration of ripe to- matoes. Is this a proper food for them? — W. F. G. Answer — A small amount of ripe to- matoes will not do your turkeys any harm. They are very fond of them, and it will benefit them, although there is very little nourishment in the tomatoes ; the acidity seems to agree with them. Turkeys Have Chicken-Pox — What is the matter with my young turkeys, and what shall I do for them? All over their heads and bills there are lumps forming like warts. Some of them have just a few, while others have their heads covered with them. The turkeys are about half grown. They are not penned up and have plenty of green al- falfa. We feed wheat and meat scraps occasionally. — Miss M. M. Answer — Your turkeys have chicken- pox. The cure is to apply carbolic salve or carbolated vaseline. In three days bathe the affected parts with warm soapsuds in which are a few drops of carbolic acid, and again apply the salve. Add a little sulphur to their food. This will hasten the cure. They should be cured in a little over a week. Be sure to separate all the fowls affected from the flock. This will prevent the spread- ing of the disease. Dr. Haring of the University of Cali- fornia recommends to paint the spots or warts with iodine twice a week. This is rather a severe treatment but a sure. Turkeys Lame — Will you kindly tell me what to do for my turkeys? My early hatches did fine, but of the late hatch, four of them were troubled with stiff legs, one died, and one got well, but the other two are still lame, the knee joints are swollen and kind of pink color. Their appetites are good. — K. C. Answer — Your turkeys have rheuma- tism. This comes from their liver being affected, by cold or damp weather. Give each of the affected turkeys a small liver pill, followed by a one-grain qui- nine pill every day for a week. Bathe the knee joints with the following: One cup of vinegar, one cup of turpentine, TURKEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 207 one heaping tablespoon of saltpeter. Mix, keep in a bottle, shake before us- ing. I think this will cure them. Be careful not to give them any corn or corn meal, and give plenty of lettuce and onion. them grass or alfalfa to run on and they will do well. General Care oe Turkeys — I would like to ask a few questions about tur- keys. You mentioned raising them in a brooder. 1. How warm should one have the brooder when the poults are first put in? 1. At the end of the first week what should the temperature be lowered to? 3. Is alfalfa meal neces- sary or of any benefit to little poults or to little chicks if they have all the green barley they will eat, cut fine? — A Be- ginner. Answer — The heat under the hover should be about 95. The reason I say "about" is that on a very warm, sunny day it might be a little lower, but should the outside temperature be cold or the weather damp and gloomy, it might be up to 95 for the best results. 2. About 85, depending somewhat on the outside air and weather. Gradually lower the temperature till you get it to 70 or 80, according to the weather. 3. No ! Lit- tle turkeys require the succulent green, not the dried hay, ground up. Give them lettuce chopped up at first with every meal ; then either lettuce, dande- lion leaves, onion tops chopped fine, or cabbage or the tender leaves of beets. Any green vegetable that you would eat yourself will do and also the green bar- ley as long as it is succulent and tender. Barley soon gets tough and hard and then it is not suitable for the little tur- keys. Keep Separate from Chicks — Will you kindly give me some information concerning newly hatched turkeys? We have two hens and a torn. Would you advise keeping them awav from chick- ens?— Mrs. C. B. Answer — Little turkeys" do much bet- ter when kept away from chickens. They require, or do better, on different food, and when very young require to be kept quiet, whilst the chicks like to scratch and rustle. Turkeys move more slowly and need rest and quiet. Then, again, corn, kaffir corn and corn meal suit chickens, but ferment inside the little turkeys and give them diarrhoea, which is often fatal. Let the turkey mothers take care of the little turkeys and give Turkeys — I am glad if I have been able to help you with your turkeys, and will try to reply to your questions, but I wish you could give your turkeys free range as they are the Bronze, for that most beautiful breed is nearer to the wild than any other and, therefore, need more than any, a good wide free range to keep them healthy. A turkey on the range eats a few seeds, then sees an in- sect, maybe a grasshopper, and chases after that, which is good exercise. Af- ter a run he finds perhaps a nice little pebble or a few green leaves or twigs, and so on. He only eats a very little at a time and exercises between each mouthful and this is the way a turkey should eat. The nearer we can come to copying nature in feeding turkeys, the better success we shall have. Now, with this prelude I will try to answer your questions to the best of my ability. 1. How much grain and what kinds should I feed? 2. Should I give them bran and beef scraps? 3. Or do you prefer granulated milk? 4. How much of the milk should they have? 5. Should I feed more than twice a day? 6. Is there any food which should be always before them?— Mrs. C. F. S. Keeping twenty young three-m.onth- old turkeys yarded is a very serious proposition, unless your yard is an un- usually large one with plenty of shade and sunshine. 1. Wheat is the best grain for turkeys until about two or three weeks before you want to kill them, then you can add corn. 2. You can give bran and beef scraps, but, 3, I prefer granulated milk and bran, as it seems to agree better with the turkeys. 4. About an ounce each per day. 5. Twice a day is considered about right for yarded turkeys. 6. Turkeys need plenty of fresh, green succulent food, such as. clover, lawn clippings or lettuce, Swiss chard, beet tops, cabbage or the curly kale. They must have green food to do well and should have all they can eat of it, and grain only twice a day. Almost any kind of fruit or nuts or olives suits them. If you want to leave any food always before them you might leave a box of granulated milk and an- other of bran. Always keep charcoal, grit and granulated bone before them. If you had a walnut orchard in which they could roam I would say leave a box of wheat where they can get to it 208 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK and they will not overeat ; they will roam away and only go to it when hun- gry, but in a yard with nothing to oc- cupy or interest them, I think the bran would be better. Give them at least three or four times a week, onions chopped up and mixed with dry bran. The onions are a wonderful tonic to liver and kidneys and will do more to help you keep the turkeys healthy than anything. They are also a preventive to intestinal worms and roup. Fresh clean water as cool as possible is also a necessity. A Lack of Green Food — I have a torn turkey that is sick. He was a year old last May and about six weeks ago^he would not eat. He did not look sick, and would strut and gobble a little, but did not eat. I gave him Carters' liver pills and he soon got all right. About a week ago he began to get off his feed again, and I at once began to_ doctor him. Have given him liver pills and p-ermazone, but he has not eaten any- thing since last Wednesday. Can you tell me what ails him and what to do for him? He is a very valuable bird and I am anxious to have him get well. His usual feed is bran, barley meal^ alfalfa meal and beef scrap in the morning and wheat and kaffir corn at night, with nlentv of grit and oyster shell. — Mrs. G. H. B. Answer— I think your turkey requires more green food than you are giving him, as you only mention alfalfa meal. Give him now. a quinine pill (two grains) every night for a week. Add charcoal and chopped onions to his mash in the morning, and plenty of green food once or twice a day. Give him as large a range as possible, or if you cannot s-ive him range, let him out on your own lawn for two hours before sundown. What he needs is fresh green food and chopped onions for the liver tonic. Turkey's ChickEn-Pox — I have some young turkeys several months old. _ On the heads of some are round things like warts ; on one they are sore looking and are also on each knee joint of the legs. The turkeys don't appear sick. We have rubbed the heads with axle urease, as once before that seemed to help. What is the cause of this disease? How can one cure or prevent it and are the fowls good for food if they recover? My turkeys have free ranee and have plenty of animal food in the shape of bugs, etc., all summer, also of course, green food in as large a quantity as they cared for. I have only fed them wheat. Chicken ticks, these flat bugs are bad here, but the turkeys roost outside, so should not be bothered much. — M. A. Answer — Your turkeys have chicken- pox. It comes from a microbe which gains entrance under the skin from some slight abraison, such as a scratch, or the bite of an insect. It is very prevalent during the fall, but except in the case of very young chickens, is easily curable, and the remedies you are using will ef- fect a speedy cure. Carbolic salve or Kileroup is the usual cure — or you can wash the spots in hot soapsuds to get off the scab and then grease just only the spots. The carbolic acid in the salve kills the microbe. The turkeys are perfectly fit for food. You had better be sure the ticks do not crawl up the trees to the turkeys. Pour a little stream of crude petroleum at the foot of the trees to keep off the ticks. Turkeys — Will you kindly tell how to raise little turkeys without any milk, or can't it be done? We value your writing very much. — H. D. C. Answer — The milk that we use in feeding little turkeys, either as plain skim milk for them to drink or as a curd for them to eat, is given because it is found to be the best substitute for the insects that would be Nature's diet for the little turkeys. The next best substitute is hard boiled eggs, and after that ground-up meat, either raw or cooked. Here in Los Angeles we can get the granulated and the dried milk, and these make good feed, both for turkeys and chickens. I should think you could get either of these at the poultry supply houses in Santa Cruz. Sick GobelEr — I write again in re- gard to a fine gobbler. He was hatched last May. He has been sick abottt ten days. Just sits around and does not walk much. Eats very little, and his droppings are nearly all white and small in quantity. His food has been rolled barley, wheat, and we have nine acres in green barley. He has plenty of clean, pure water and is not lousey, as I dust my turkeys with insecticide every week. When he first drooped around I gave him some liver pills, but he does not get much better. I hope you may be able TURKEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 209 to tell me something that will help him as I should feel very badly to lose him. —Mrs. S. H. J. Answer — I would advise you first to stop dusting that gobbler with insect powder, as it may be disagreeing with him. Secondly, I would give him small liver pills, and at the same time, for at least a week, a pill of one or two grains of quinine every night. Also notice his droppings, if possible, because he may have intestinal worms, although the symptoms are more like kidney trouble. Tapeworm in Turkeys — I have over 100 turkeys that seem to be healthy but do not grow as they should. I find now they are full of long worms, probably tape worms. What shall I do? — Mrs. L. B. D. Answer — If your turkeys have tape- worms, the best remedy I know is male fern (felix mas). It may be used in the form of a powder; (dose thirty grains to one dram) or of liquid ex- tract (dose fifteen to thirty drops). It should be given in the morning and ev- ening before feeding. Oil of turpentine is an excellent remedy for the common round worm ; dose one to three tea- spoonsful in an equal amount of castor oil. Feeding stewed garlic or raw onions will help the cure. Shipping Turkeys — Can turkey eggs be hatched successfully in an incuba- tor or are they more apt to die? Will it hurt the little turkeys to be carried on the car any great distance? — Mrs. A. P. Answer — Turkey eggs can be hatched in an incubator, if you don't mix them with other eggs, otherwise they do bet- ter under the hen. They can be raised in brooders, and it will not hurt them to travel on the cars if they do not get chilled. How Many Toms? — I want to ask you how many turkey toms I should have for 24 hens. I have two fine toms weighing about 22 pounds each. Their beards are well developed and they ap- pear to be very good birds. Will those two be enough for 24 hens?— Mrs. C. B. L. Answer — It really would be better to have three toms, but under the circum- stances I would rather risk having two good toms than to buy a third of un- known quality. The rule is one yearling torn to ten hens. One torn will do for twenty hens sometimes, but ten hens is about the best number. Liver Trouble — We are in trouble with our little turkeys, and would like to ask you to help us. They were fine, strong fellows until a few days ago, when "jur of them, suddenly died. I just noticed two of them, a little droopy in the afternoon, and four were dead the next morning. There was the slightest touch of diarrhoea noticeable, and I im- mediately put a little germazone in their water, and they have had it for several days. They have no signs of it now, but four more died last night, and sev- eral others are drooping. We made an examination this morning and found the liver all blotched and spotted all over in dark rings. That is all we could find wrong. The gizzard was healthy and full of grit and seemed perfect and in order. — Mrs. A. H. Answer — The spotted liver is all that killed them. It denotes congestion of the liver. This is usually brought on by wrong feeding, or overfeeding, but it also comes from their taking cold ; either from being too warm at night, under the chicken hen, getting them hot and sweaty, and then coming out in the morning into the cool, foggy air, which gives them a sudden chill. This would affect the liver, and make even the proper food disagree with them. They, may take cold and get a chill affecting the liver, from running in damp alfalfa ; or the chicken hen may drag them about and make the exercise too much, and this also would weaken their liver and make them susceptible to cold, which would affect their liver. I can only giv« you these suggestions, as I do not know all your conditions. One of the best remedies for diarrhoea in both chickens and little turkeys, is rice boiled in milk. with a tablespoonful of ground cinna- mon to everv pint of milk. Rice given even dry will help in a case of this kind. 210 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK ABOUT DUCKS Duck Eggs vs. Hen Eggs— What dif- ference, if any, should there be in run- ning an incubator with duck eggs from hen eggs? I am very successful with hen eggs but never succeeded very well with duck eggs ; the same eggs hatch 90 per cent under a hen, and the first test from the incubator is about 90 per cent and then they die in the shell— J. W. L. Answer — Duck eggs require different treatment than the hen eggs. After the first test when you take them, out to turn them, sprinkle them every day with warm water. Leave them out a few minutes to partially dry off, fan the stale air out of the incubator and then replace them. By this means I think you will have a better hatch. Duck eggs require more drying out than hen eggs and yet the shell must be dampened to make it brittle. Putting water into the incu- bator dees not do as well as sprinkling. F ood _Good and Bad— 1. Would let- tuce make good greens to sow in run- ways for Indian Runner ducks? 2. Will some whole wheat hurt them if they are provided with grit? 3. At what age should ducks hatched in March commence laying? 4. Will beef suet and chopped fresh beef do to feed them?— Mrs. F. H. Answer — 1. Lettuce is good for all fowls and would be good for the ducks as long as it lasts, but I am afraid the little fellows would soon pull it all up. 2. Whole wheat is not a"s good for little ducks as bran and corn meal. See article in this book. 3. Indian Runners hatched in March will commence laying in September. 4. Beef suet is not the food for ducks, but if you want to fatten them, you might add a little of it to their mash. Indigestion — What is wrong with my ducks? They are almost full grown, and they turn over on their backs and are unable to get up; they are very weak; their eves scale over and some of them have died. They act very much like chickens with the roup, only the? do not swell around the head.— Mrs. J. G. C. Answer— Your ducks are suffering from indigestion and also from their leads being stopped up. The indigestic comes partly from their not having suf- ficient sand with their food, and then- heads being stopped up, comes from the drinking vessel not being deep enough so they can rinse their nostrils out many times during the day. If you remedy these two causes of trouble in the duck yard and feed them properly, giving but little whole grain, I think they will soon recover. Incubator Ducks— We want_to know the proper way to operate an incubator to hatch ducks. I have had fairly good luck hatching chickens but not with my ducks. I got only 40 out of 112 fertile eggs, and this tim.e we should like to have' a few directions to go by. _ Do they require as much as chickens as to moisture; do you sprinkle, also how often, and as to airing the eggs, what time of day and how long do you advise to leave the machine open; how often do you test the eggs?— Mrs. W. Answer— Duck eggs require quite as much heat as those of the chickens ; they require more airing. Should be sprinkled with warm water once the first week, twice the second and every day thereafter, but do not put any water in the pans. Sprinkling the, eggs helos to make the shells more brittle so the ducks will get out easier. Test the Mn day and again about once every week to takeout the dead germs as they putnfy and are injurious to the rest When you air the esgs, which you should do twice a day. that is every twelve hours, fan the stale air out of the incubator and then close up. Commence to air the eo-o-s when vou commence to turn them, that is 48 hours after they have been in the machine. The air space in the ecrg should be at the large end. I think if vou follow the directions from, the maker of the machine, and these hints, you will have a good hatch. To Secure Fertility— I am. starting to raise Indian Runner ducks and want to ask you how many ducks to put with one drake of this variety, so as to se- cure the highest possible fertility ot e \^ FOOD §£sk any dealer Send for a free catalog HENRY ALBERS CO., 409-11 E. Third St. Los Angeles, Ca 1 Buy Everything At the Big Store FOR forty years this house has been representative of its line of goods in the west. Every year has added to our reputation for complete stocks and fair dealing. From our shelves the fancier or the farmer can secure his every need in SEEDS POULTRY SUPPLIES PLANTS We are sole distributors for Southern California for the leading brands of Egg Food, Chick Food, Incubators, etc. Our splendid service makes ordering goods a pleasure. Every reader of this book should have one of our complete annual illustrated catalogues — sent free. Established 1871 Seed&PlantCo. 326-328-330 SO. MAIN ST. Los Angeles, California The Largest Hatchery Plant in Riverside County ROSENEATH EGG RANCH I0SWALDM. R OBERTSO N ARLINGTON, CALIFORNIA S. C. WHITE LEGHORNS WYCKOFF and GREGG STRAINS. Two of the best laying strains in the World. DAY- OLD CHICKS (My Specialty) $6.25 per 50. $10.00 per 100 $90.00 per 1000 I attend jpersonally to selecting and filling all orders, endeavor to treat every patron honorably, and to give full value for their money. Everything as represented. Visitors welcome. Inspec- tion invited. Yours faithfully OSWALD M. ROBERTSON Home 4 154 Phones (Riverside) Sunset 902 R White Holland Turkeys THE BEST LITTLE MONEY-MAKERS from stock taking first, second and third prizes at Los Angeles Show, 1912, at eight months weigh 20 pounds. Our strain of these turkeys is beautifully white, vigorous, hardy, large- sized, early maturing, easily adapted to large yards. They are home stayers, splendid layers, and an excellent market fowl. We can supply eggs for hatching and high-class breeding stock at rea- sonable piices. Address MRS. W. D. ROOT, Box 105, R. D. 1, Los Angeles, California. Residence, 735 Verdugo Road, Glendale. Single Comb Black Minorcas are the BIG BIRDS THAT LAY BIG WHITE EGGS and keep at it the year around. A splendid general purpose fowl, they PAY THEIR WAY where others fail. In four years, 1908-1911, of prize winning at Los Angeles shows, our birds took 4 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, proving conclusively that ours is rirst-class stock, equal to the best, up-to-date in weight, color and shape. Eggs from carefully mated pens — only $2.50 per 15; $4.00 for 30. Stock a matter of correspondence. MRS. W. D. ROOT, Address, Box 105 R. D. 1, Los Angeles, California. Residence, 735 Verdugo Road, Glendale, Cal. (Take Glendale Pacific Electric at 6th and Main, Los Angeles, get off at 4th St., Glendale, take Ragle Rock car (5 min.) to Verdugo Road, get off and walk south 4 blocks.) The Goodacre Blue Kibbon Strains of Heavy Layers ARE OF THE WORLD'S BEST We ship thousands of eggs safely over this continent. We sell in a year thousands of baby chicks. Our ducks are in immense demand. Our sales of breed' ing stock are proving satisfactory. Our more than 20 years experience is at your service. Buff Orpingtons Rhode Island Reds Anconas Silver Campines ('eKO Originators of the Partridge Orpington Our W^hite Indian Runner Ducks cer^ tainly do the business. GOODACRE BROS. COMPTON, CALIFORNIA A. G. Goodacre. licensed A. P. A. general judge. Inclusive terms by wire or letter. QtU-J-OTli) Poultry Foods are used by discriminating poultrymen who GET RESULTS The New Book Poultry Feeding for Profit tells all about them, and gives much other useful information. Write for a copy, mentioning this book, and it will be mailed you free Address '%u/4C7l*n. Red Feather Farm m£d^^" , ** -■' -.,*■ . Pea-comb Buckeyes are the^only Standard American breed originated by a worhan. They are beautiful dark red, gamy looking-^birds, splendid winter layers, good sitters and mothers, and the best of table birds, having abundance of fine-flavored breast meat. No eggs will be shipped from Red Feather Farm hereafter, but the originator and proprietor will herself raise and select pairs, trios and pens of her own breeding at reasonable prices. MRS. FRANK METCALF (°C^ f ) Red Feather Farm, Inglewood, Cal. JOHN BURROWS Breeder, Exhibitor and Judge of High Class Canaries Norwich, Cinnamons, and Lizards a specialty. This stock is bred from birds imported by me and winners at the principal shows in England. JOHN BURROWS Residence, Ocean Park Heights. P. O. Address, Box 156 Palms, Cal. KOCK HAV Eggs the Year Round Stock for Sale White Plymouth Rhode Island Rocks Reds Baby Chicks every month in the year High capacity egg producers our hobby Fancy points a pastime. We've got both Send for Booklet JOS. E. DAVIS Bex 148, R. No. 11 Los Angeles, Cal The Gardena Hatchery M. A. SCHOFIELD, Prop. CHICKS from Selected Eggs. We use only carefully culled eggs laid by vigorous, matured hens, true to color. CHICKS Properly Incubated. Our own system enables us to put out as good chicks as can be hatched. Splendid System. Skilled Help. Painstaking Watching of Machines. CHICK5 Shipped Right. Packed Right. We ship to get the chicks to you without delay — it is the last few hours that count most* and pr°ce c iS l08UC Gardena, Cal. JUBILEE INCUBATORS EXCEL ALL OTHERS and you know it ; if you don't your neighbor does, so take his advice. Don't take a manufacturer's say-so ; ask any Jubilee operator, and you are a Jubilee candidate. RELIANCE BROODERS are Simple — Raise Every Chick — Perfect Everything in POULTRY SUPPLIES That's Good — at the — Right Price VEGETABLE >\ I— ■ |— ' I IN FIELD Poultry Breeders' Supply House FRANK J. IRONMONGER 845 So. Spring St. Los Angeles, Cal. ORPINGTONS D I A (~* If Prize winners. L)l— ^-^v-'lX- Q ur f oun( j a tion stock came direct from England — D| ICC Blue ribbon winners in California, imported direct UUrf from England. Pure Penciled Fawn and White "Wonder" Indian Runners from the celebrated stock of S. H. Scott of New Zealand. Pedi- greed for four generations of the greatest egg layers in the world. Parents of these "Wonder" ducks laid 308 to 320 eggs per year. Great winter layers; eggs white and large. Catalogue free. Stock and eggs for sale. MRS. M. E. PLAW 2620 East 27th St., Fruitvale, Cal. Barred Plymouth Rocks That's all, but the right sort. They have won more first prizes than any other competitor in Southern California, 3 firsts and sweepstakes special at Phoenix, Nov., 1911 ; 4 firsts at Santa Ana, Dec, 1911 ; 3 firsts and specials at Los Angeles. Jan., 1912; 3 firsts and specials at San Diego, Jan.. 1912 (and many other prizes for years). We won first and second cockerel at each of these shows, all raised by us, making three sep- arate first prize cockerels, also three separate first prize cocks. Write for catalogue of the best and grandest breed of all for utility as well as fancy. Stock and eggs for sale at very reason- able prices. FRED'K ESPE 4425 South Main St. Los Angeles, Cal Hart's Famous Bronze Turkeys Having made the raising of turkeys a specialty for 30 years, I have by careful mating, produced turkeys that for size, hardiness and beauty of plumage cannot be excelled by any other breeder in the United States. My turkeys have unlimited range of the farm and prairie, and are not housed after they are old enough to go to roost; by this they grow large, strong and healthy, and consequently are fit for any climate, hot or cold. My steady and increasing trade to different States and foreign countries speaks for the quality of my stock better than pages of description would do. Remember, I can sell you turkeys each year, not related to those bought the pre- vious season. I keep a record of all sales and know just what has been shipped to each of my customers. I have shipped turkeys with perfect safety and satisfaction for years past to- customers in the following places: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Honolulu, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and other places. FROM THE FANCIERS' MONTHLY Mr. Hart has been breeding Bronze Tur- + , . , ^ keys for years past, and has demonstrated that as good ones as any part of the world can produce may be raised in Cali- fornia. His turkey exhibit at the State Fair was a magnificent one, consist- ing of nearly a score of really grand specimens of this noble breed of fowl. Send for free circular. ED. HART, Clements, San Joaquin County, California. The Greatest Known Remedy for Poultry Diseases Cures Roup, Cholera, Swellhead, ChicK-Pox, Indigestion, Bowel Trouble and General Debility, in Chickens, TurKeys, Pigeons, etc. Also cures those fatal diseases in little chicKs, Known as Sour Crop and Bowel Trouble, from which poultry raisers lose so many out of their hatches. You can raise practically all the healthy chicks and turkeys hatched if you will give them the proper care and feed and use Kileroup as per directions (which you will find thoroughly de- scribed in Kileroup folder) in cases of emergencies. When buying your poultry supplies for the season, be sure to get Kileroup, as it is the Safeguard in the poultry business. Kileroup is equally beneficial to fowls of all ages. One 25c can of Kileroup will cure 500 little baby chicks or turkeys of bowel trou- ble, sour crop or indigestion. Don't fail to ask your dealer for the free Kileroup folder (which should accompany every can sold), as it gives more ex- plicit directions as to the administering and use of the remedy than is possible to print on label, how to successfully feed and care for your chicks, also gives many experiences and testimonials of leading poultry fanciers who use it. If your dealer hasn't folders, phone or address Kileroup Co., and they will forward you one. Kileroup Co.: Los Angeles, Calif., May 13 : 1911. I advise every beginner to get a can of kileroup when they first get their birds. I would not keep poultry without it. Yours very truly. MRS. OTIS O. HUNLEY. Kileroup Co.: Jan. 8, 1911. I can truthfully say of your Kileroup that I have used it for over a year and in many instances I am sure it has saved the lives of some of my valu- able Buff Orpingtons and especially in cases of imported birds when their vi- tality was low on account of the long voyage. My friends have also used it and I never heard anything but praise of this valuable remedy. W. S. MACY, President of Orpington Club of California, Breeder of high-class, prize- winning Buff Orpingtons. R. F. D. No. 1, Santa Barbara, Cal. Kileroup Co.: Glendale, Cal., May 7, 1912. Dear Sirs. — Having used Kileroup for the last two years I can truth- fully say it is the best and quickest in action of any remedy T have ever tried, especiallv for chicken-pox, roup and canker. MRS. WALTER M. ROSS, 224 "West 6th St.. Glendale, Cal. Breeder of highest type of S'ilver Wyandottes and Silver Spangled Ham- burgs in Southern California, Our Show record proves this. Kileroup Company: Los Angeles, March 18, 1912. Having purchased a can of your Kileroup and used according to direc- tions with good success, I take pleasure in recommending, it as it does all that is claimed for it. Yours truly. G. H. CORNELL, 894 E. 46th St. Pres. Pacific Minorca Club. Prices of Kileroup, 25c, 50c and $1.00 per can. 30c, 65c and $1.25 by mail. Oil of Kileroup 25c per can, 35c by mail. Atomizer, 75c, $1.00 by mail. Call or address. For sale by leading poultry supply houses or KILEROUP COMPANY Box 173, R. F. D. 13, Los Angeles, Cal. Free Home Phone with Los Angeles Glendale 472 Genuine Standard Cyphers Incubators Patented (Look for Trade Mark — Demand the Label) Practical poultry rais- ers who mean business and desire the greatest possible success should look for and DEMAND the qualities that have made Cyphers Incuba- tors WORLD FA- MOUS. Fire-Proofed Insurable Self-Ventilating Self-Regulating Non-Moisture Efficient, Durable and Positively Guaranteed. Everything for Poultry Keepers WE MANUFACTURE SEVENTY-TWO DIFFERENT ARTICLES for up- to-date progressive poultry men and women, ranging from Cyphers Mammoth Compartment Incubators holding 60,000 eggs at one filling, down to 10-cent trial packages of Lice Powder, and every article is warranted to be as repre- sented and is guaranteed to give satisfaction. Standard goods we manufac- ture and sell include the following: ■^ STANDARD CYPHERS INCUBATOR Fire Proofed-lnsurable. Incubators Brooders Brood Coops Chick Shelters Brooder Stoves Leg I ands Egg Packages Egg Testers Caponixing Sets Scratching Pood Developing Food Chick Food Forcing Food Laying Pood Short-Cut Alfalfa Shredded Alfalfa Mealed Alfalfa Full-lVest Egg Food Nodi Charcoal Poultry Remedies Lice Powder Lice Paint Anti-Fly Pest Egg Preservative Napcreol (Disinfectant) Fumigating Candles Drinking Fountains Grit and Shell Boxes Food & Water Holders Roost Supports Rooting Paper Spray Pumps Powder Guns Wire Fencing Bone Cutters Chick Markers Bone Mills Root Cutters Nest Eggs Poultry Books No matter what incubator you own or may intend to buy, do not fail to send for the Cyphers Company's Big Free Book. Send for it today and be sure to get your copy before the first edition is exhausted. Address CYPHERS INCUBATOK CO. Home Offices, BUFFALO, N. Y. New York City, 23 Barclay St. Kansas City, Mo., 317-319 Southwest Blvd. Branches : Boston, Mass., 12-14 Canal St. Oakland, Cal., 2127-31 Broadway. Chicago, HI., 329-31 Plymouth Court. London, England, 123 Finsbury Pavement. EMERSON fc MUMFORD'S White Plymouth RocKs have been consistent winners for the last five years at the Great Los Angeles Show— the Madison Square of the Pacific. 1908— 1st Hen; 1st, 3rd, 4th Cockerel; 1st, 4th Pullet; 1st Pen— 87 birds in t lip dri ^s 1909— 3rd, 4th Cock;' 4th Hen; 1st, 3rd, 4th Cockerel; 1st Pullet; 1st Pen— 78 birds in the class. 1910— 1st Cock; 1st, 2nd Hen; 1st, 4th Cockerel; 2nd, 5th Pullet; 1st Pen— 60 birds in the class. 1911— 1st, 2nd Cock; 2nd, 3rd Hen; 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Cockerel; 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th Pullet; 1st Pen; 1st Breeding Yard — 163 birds in the class. 1912— 3rd, 5th Cock; 2nd, 3rd Hen; 1st, 2nd, 3rd Cockerel; 2nd. 3rd, 4th Pullet; 1st Pen; 1st Breeding Yard — 158 birds in the class. At these five shows we have won Eighteen out *»f a possible Twenty-six Firsts— Twice as many as all our competitors combined. Six times as many as our nearest competitor. During this time, we have met and decisively de- feated every White RocK breeder of importance in California. Our flock has been bred in line for eight years. An Emerson & Mumford White Rock has generation after generation of strong, vigorous, prize-winning ancestors behind it. Birds of our breeding have been winning for years. They will win and breed winners for you. Free illustrated circular. EMERSON y MUMFORD 1525 Third Avenue Los Angeles, California SEEDS Fine large stock, many of which we sell at lower prices than other firms, and money can't buy any better. Catalog of Everything for the Garden, free and postpaid. West Coast Poultry Foods We still make these old, reliable brands in our WEST COAST MILL. They can't be beat. Catalog of all kinds of Poultry Supplies, free and Postpaid. West Coast Seed House 116-118 East 7th St., H ^ n *™ Los Angeles, Cal. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 002 839 729 Hli V \