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Show POULTRY NOTES. When a hen is In full laying her comb is full and bright red. Appetites must be studied. Fowls differ In this as much as do human beings. To endeavor to keep a flock on a single-grain diet will soon breed all sorts of trouble. Before one attempts to raise chickens chick-ens in a brooder he should take lessons les-sons from the mother hen. The beginner should spend a year or more In the care of poultry before he can hope to be a learned poultry raiser. There are almost as many ways and methods of feeding and caring as there are localities where turkeys are grown. For stamina In the offspring, and especially in market poultry culture it is best to Introduce new blood every year or two. Probably in no line of general or special farming is the working equivalent equiva-lent so poor as in the average handling han-dling of poultry. No matter how small the birds may be, they should have access to some kind of grit. They will begin to pick at it after they are a day old. There is nothing which hinders the growth of the poults more than parasites, para-sites, which increase very rapidly when the poults are confined to small areas. One of the most difficult propositions proposi-tions in feeding young chicks is to know how to place the feed before them so they can partake of it without with-out soiling it. In buying stock either pullets or yearling hens should be selected. Where it is intended to early incubate the eggs yearling hens would be better bet-ter than pullets. Old and young chickens to be sold for market purposes will bring much more if they are confined in close quarters for a week or more and fed heavily during the time. Equipment for properly caring for chicks pays in a very large way. This may consist of brooders, coops, drinking drink-ing vessels, chick feeding coops and numerous other things for the best welfare of the young of the flock. With good equipment poultry keeping may be made a good success. |