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POULTRY

2 CT: PATTERSON
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSN.

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State College of Agriculture

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Twenty lessons on poultry keeping; an e!

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A FLOCK OF PEKIN DUCKS. FOWLS ON THE RANGE. POULTRY
STUDENTS HOLDING AN EXHIBITION ON THE STREET.

TWENTY LESSONS

ON

POULTRY KEEPING

AN ELEMENTARY TREATISE
PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
THE AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION

BY
C. T. PATTERSON

PATHOLOGIST AND PROFESSOR IN CHARGE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AND EXTENSION
DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI STATE POULTRY EXPERIMENTAL STATION

AND EDITED BY

FRANK E. HERING

WITH FULL-PAGE FRONTISPIECE
AND 55 ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT

PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY

=

COPYRIGHT, IQI6, BY

AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION

PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U.S. A.

FOREWORD

Tue poultry business, once regarded as of small conse-
quence, has come to be recognized as one of our important
food-supplying industries. Both the flesh and eggs of poul-
try have become standard articles of diet. Eggs have been
found to be a good substitute for meat; people of all nations
eat more of them than of any other kind of food. Conse-
quently, there is a large and steady demand for poultry
products.

Indeed, no other farm products, save, perhaps, those
of the dairy, give as great a return as poultry for the time
and money invested. Even when no especial emphasis is
laid upon the raising of fowls, they prove profitable to their
owners. On the average farm, the outlay for food for poul-
try is very small. They can be fed, in part, with the waste
from the table. They can supplement this food with scraps
and scattered grain, and with insects picked up about the
farm and barnyard. It is a matter of economy for a
farmer to keep at least as many chickens as can find a living
for themselves; for they do more than supply eggs and

meat for family use. As a rule, the eggs and fowls sold
iii

iv FOREWORD

go a long way toward buying groceries, or toward paying
some of the other regular expenses of the farm home.

The people of to-day are demanding vocational courses
in the public schools. In response to their demand, a study
of practical agriculture has been made a part of the school
work inmany States. A very important subdivision of this
study is poultry raising. As a type study the subject of
poultry raising will be found to appeal to both boys and
girls, large and small, rich and poor, in town and in coun-
try. Moreover, it deserves a place in the school curriculum
because of the increasing importance of the poultry indus-
tries. The raising of fowls should prove a profitable voca-
tion for any enterprising young man or woman, as well
as a pleasant, remunerative “ side line” for the farmer or

the suburbanite.

The American Poultry Association is anxious that the
boys and girls of America be given some correct and definite
knowledge concerning poultry raising before they start on
their life’s work. Because so many children leave school
about the time they complete their elementary course, this
book has been prepared especially for the use of the seventh
and eighth grades. It is intended to be studied in connec-
tion with the subject of practical agriculture.

We hope this lttle volume will meet the demands of

FOREWORD v

both teacher and pupils—that the teacher will find it of as-
sistance in leading the children, and that the children them-
selves will find it an aid toward making the study of
poultry both pleasant and profitable. To this end, we dedi-
cate the book to the teachers and pupils of America.

Respectfully yours,

Tue Amertcan Pouttry AssocraTion,
E. B. Tuomeson,. President,
S. T. Campsett, Secretary,
C. T. Parrerson, Author,

Franx E. Herrne, Editor.
November, 1915.

CONTENTS

LESSON PAGE
I. Orntcin anp History or Fow.s................-.00005 1
II. Nomencrature Diacram or Fow................2..-- 5
III. CuaracTeristics OF FOWLS..............0 000 ee eee eee 6
IV. BREEDS AND VARIETIES..........0.. 0.000000 cece eee eens 13
V. Breeps aNp Varieties (Continued)................... 15
VI. Breeps anp Varieties (Continued)................--- 26
VI. Turkeys, Ducks anD GEESE}. i595 c44 60 ova seneeaeuas 28
VLE JUDGING exe ev aiiiosc ca sues is esa dea sen een matt oem ees 33
PX OH OUSIN Gide seit GRAS thud 5 nie spe Be rereaeea aes ered Fes 38
Nese HQ ULPMIBN Dialed te = 2a dys ccasaiinte Sat eaa ene aa seees Se on dfs RANE 43
2G VARDING: ‘AND? BENGING§ “5 )s:.hdiohe « cetoseidud seen asd panscversaniieeays 48
JOT, “PEE DS AND: PREDING +4 2.255 acd yt ebaton tle che a a cue 52
XIII. Feepine THe Bapy CHICKS.............00 0 cee ce eens 57
DOV IMEASIIN Goes cts Santen fees oerie Bee eave oes eoRa ne Bialstepe EAS 60
DEV 5 UN CUBIATIO Nacsec cvs areas wictas tees KOSS <a MAeS Ao eeES Soo ach Sea 63
AV. BROODING: 2c oiatern acer asia iereaites Mies ale cas oanieea toe wena 68
XC VE. SEN MITES 2 eee nota ne wide cm erncs en ern aes-s einieve we iena erases 71
2 VED TD ISMAGHS br hs ovis a0 inetd oak Cooley chemin ane ete ond Re ale ich 75
XIX. Care AND MANAGEMENT..........0..000 cece eeceseennes 79
RK VBL Wess Sto cine alec aed arate aee oe ncaa Soars ee Renee 83
APPENDIX:
GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS...........-00-0000- 85
CLUBS: AND: CONDESTS'S.6 to) ac dcnaametigniasamasiaae nas 89
ECHR SS CHOOT CHAU ret oy cote waceace ecu uate ee noyenorendeerbvchaneh acevo 92

ILLUSTRATIONS

FIG. PAGE
A Flock of Pekin Ducks. Fowls on the Range. Poultry Students
Holding an Exhibition on the Street............ Frontispiece

1. Nomenclature Diagram of Male......................00000 4
2: ehanks am di Het: -scswasears a atin cre ce a escele wrap Seber aloes 7
3. Different. Kinds: of ‘Comb. as.e.cee cece eta oe Mee ae 8
4. Sections: of a, heather prude caw ee eee cea aes gees eee eee: 9
Oe Laced! Heathers cccktoas coth arctan erence iki bh ashe eae a 9
Gr paneled: Weathers. ies cl rast vis acaulchanrtre dub Sint deaierbta ansua aeeaie 9
7. Penciling, Crescentic Form............. 0.0 c ec ee cece e eee 9
8. Penciling) Parallel Worms)... 004.62 3.202 ne edness go avin esa erete ecosbetaetlins 10
Os Barred: Heather istic wc occusnec see Sta dao eae are pes APE aa re AR 10
10. Striped Neck (Hackle) Feather, Male....................... 11
Lily, Blacks Langshan sé. ses as ised shone sestet den otaanarot wnen re elas 16
12. Single Comb Black Minorcas................0 000 cue eeee 16
13. Bui Cochins 48 satis pene lees tus os ee Soa eae Bsc ca ee 17
14: ‘Sinele Comb: Bufl: Leghorns... 3 :5..4. 6o:cisceacna vie ein eee 17
15. Built Plymouth Rocks sc. s2 da uuca ne fae seal Gae nReatee etanes 18
16. Single Comb Buff Orpingtons...............000.. 000 eee eee 18
17, White Plymouth Rocks... sito. ¢ sts: anevada ce cave net wes Pe 19
18. Single Comb White Orpingtons.................00..0000005 19
19. Single Comb White Leghorns. ......0............000.00000e 20
20;-Wihite Wiyandottes ati .winsas suk ee eAe es wate ee eee eee 20
Die Tarot Bram disso ose oats, ape) Seas ay a eae alias aoe ha eee eee a 21
22-- Dark Brahmiage 4 ste wade centicnce one ate acai s ce ee eae aes gb ats 21
23. Barred: Plymouth: ROCKS 5320; 5ts~ sessed ae irae Sen oe aus x wale 22
DAL ASI V ET WS AllG O LEGS ices tele h od aeucndsteny ast N aS Gilera es ucnoene sete 22
25. Single Comb Rhode Island Reds... ...............0.-000005 23
QE COnmisbre sip ac sess dois dee Soo artes Sod Sohestiread Al eats Sb pe neonate ese 23
27, -Partnd ge: Cochins +, g6% sora Secekcen Arata doe wera Raman ee adeso’s Sa a 24
28. Single Comb Brown Leghorns...............0 00000 eeeeeee 24
205 oud ans: conn ncphowrn miaca vee iste tra isbenoee eaten miei Maree 25
80. Silver Spangled Hamburgs................0 ccc cceeeeeeeeeee 25
31. Children Describing Breeds and Varieties..................4. 26
Ther Jumeley Fowl): s223sschanaare tare tesesd anes Fi cose Meee son wasseenansees pte 27

ILLUSTRATIONS

x

32. Bronze “Burkey zw tales tog tenis. g 4.4 slay 8m oeen are darsb aves so Guenonsione abn) ates 28
BS. Peéleim: Dir elses crs ceuces wee nylon erence pare oe 8 ee tee wnt eer EE ded ee 29
34. Runner Ducks s oh ceve ative etaths a2 Aue neers weep reed 30
355 Toulouse'Geeseia sees cos Sane eae eee vies ES Oro ae 31
36. A Building Which Insures Good Circulation of Air............ 38
37. Location of the Houser: .ccoscande sie cteaes wae in eae wee 39
BS. ‘Golomy HOUSES s5/.25.2 dustv each an eee Cee tke Sas ee eee a9 40
39. Section of House Showing Roosts, Dropping Board and Nests 43
AQm Andoor, Wéed HOP perches stetien Liam Ne Aigetidee Waka measaden aes 44
41. ‘Outdoor: Feed MOppets.c.sescyctcn eho acenewdad weak weenie eae 45
AD Brood y"COOpins sate seria wes 3 Sas Ses eurdeA ests ARS ers ne a aaa 46
43. A Good Poultry Yard Fence................ 0c cece eee ee aee 49
44. Pwo Poultry Yoards.1o sn... aiwlocee etna santa se hae aia s oa oe 50
45. lxternal Organs:of Hen... 225 eats eeciar is ee Speen yee 53
46. Digestive Organs of Baby Chick...................00 0000005 57
AY TL AUC MIN BATS ORG: reac Se eau ah alae hea haute: SP iedayaue abs ahd SNS oud 63
48. Twenty-four-Hour Old Chick...........0..0 0.00.0 c eee eens 64
49. Brood of Incubator Chicks... secre spe cee Hee were eres Ol OS 66
DOS BROOM AE COOP ncwd gar ron eho ucens iRe Mm Slat He A AOA Me aes 69
51. Pupils Naming Broods and Varieties....................0005 90
52. Children Building Exhibition Coops....................000. 90
53. Pupils After a Contest, with Their Winnings................. 91
$4., Pupils: with Chickens os ac ¢ascge ashe danas carne eee tes an 91

TWENTY LESSONS ON
POULTRY KEEPING

LESSON I
THe Opicin ano History or Fowrs

Many hundreds of years ago, before dawn of civili-

on, man lived by hunting and fishing. When he had
caught and killed all the game in any one place, it became
necessary for him to move to another region, where he could
find a fresh food supply. But finally he became tired of
this wandering life and decided to settle down and live in
one place which he could call home. Then, in order to be
sure of having enough to eat, he was forced to tame some
animals and to cultivate some plants for food.

It is thought that the fowl was one of the first animals
to be domesticated, or tamed. Perhaps that was because a
fowl, once caught and its wing feathers clipped, could not
get away as easily as other animals. Whatever the reason,
it is certain that many hundreds of years ago wild Aseel and
Jungle fowls were captured and tamed by the tribes of
India.

Open your geographies and find India. Many cen-
turies ago, men wandered from that country across the
Himalaya Mountains into China. With them, they took

some tamed Aseel fowls. These fowls were large, angular
Ll

2 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

birds, very clumsy and not at all attractive in appearance.
For many centuries they were bred in China. To-day their
descendants, among which are the large fowls known as the
Brahma, Cochin and Langshan, are seattered all over the
world,

Now all the poultry that have their origin in any one
region are said to belong to a certain class, which usually
bears the name of that region. Accordingly, we say that the
Brahma, Cochin, Langshan and other types developed in
Asia belong to the Asiatic class.

But not all of the men who left India for other parts of
the world went into China. Some wandered to the north-

east, and settled.in the countries around the Mediterranean

Sea. With them they took some Jungle fowls—small, ac-
tive, nervous birds, which, after many hundreds of years,
developed into the class of fowls we know as the J/editer-
ranean class. These fowls are noted for laying great num-
bers of large, white eggs. Among them are the Leghorn,
Minorea and Spanish fowls.

Thus there came into being the two principal classes of
chickens—the large Asiatic type, best fitted for meat pro-
ducing, and the small, active, Mediterranean type, espe-
cially adapted for ege producing.

When men first crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled
in America, they brought with them both Asiatie and Medi-

terranean fowls. In order to insure a supply of both meat

ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF FOWLS 3

and eggs, it was necessary to keep both classes of birds—
which meant, as may readily be seen, a great deal of trouble
and inconvenience.

In order to do away with some of this unnecessary
trouble, there was developed in America a new class of fowls
called dual purpose fowls, because they combined the quali-
ties of the two original classes, producing both eggs and
meat. This new type of birds was developed by crossing
and recrossing Mediterranean and Asiatic breeds. Some
of the principal breeds thus produced are the Plymouth
Rocks, the Wyandottes, and the Rhode Island Reds. These,
with some others, form the American class of fowls.

It is not necessary now to go into the origin of our
domesticated turkeys, ducks, and geese. Their line of
descent, like that of the chicken, can be traced back directly
to wild fowls of more or less remote times.

QUESTIONS

. When were poultry first tamed?

. Why were fowls tamed?

. How were fowls tamed?

Where were the large, meat fowls originated?

. Where were the small, egg fowls originated?

Explain the meaning of “ class.”

Explain the meaning or the term “dual purpose fowls.”
. Where and how were the dual purpose fowls developed?
. Name the classes we have studied.

Name some breeds of fowls included in each class.

SERNAAnPwD

i

4

TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

Fia. 1.—Nomenclature diagram of male. 1, head; 2, beak; 3, nostril; 4, comb;
5, face; 6, eye; 7, wattle; 8, ear; 9, ear-lobe; 10, hackle; 11, front of hackle;
12, breast; 13, cape; 14, shoulders; 15, wing-bow; 16, wing-front; 17, wing-coverts,
wing-bar; 18, secondaries, wing-bay; 19, primaries; flights; 20, primary coverts;
21, back; 22, saddle; 23, saddle feathers; 24, sickles; 25, smaller sickles; 26, tail
coverts; 27-27, main tail feathers: 28, body feathers; 29, fluff; 30, thighs; 31-31,
hocks; 32-32, shanks; 33-33, spurs; 34-34; feet; 35-35-35, toes; 36-36, toe nails.

LESSON IT

Nomencuature Diagram or Fowu

Tue illustration opposite gives the various sections of a

fowl, with their names.

It is essential that this diagram be

carefully studied, and the names of the parts learned.

Draw an outline of a fowl on the blackboard.

Number and name the sections from memory.

HOME WORK

Handle some fowls at home, locating each section.

LESSON III
Cuaractreristics or Fow 1s

We have learned that the fowls which had their origin
in a certain region are said to belong to a class which is
usually named after that region. All of the fowls of one
class, however, are not necessarily alike. Those which re-
semble one another in certain characteristics, such as size
and shape, are said to belong to some particular breed. For
instance, the Brahma and Cochin chickens both belong to the
Asiatic class, but a difference in size and shape shows that
they are of anne breeds.

A common means of distinguishing breeds is found in the
appearance of shanks and feet. Some of these types are
shown in Fig. 2. The most common breeds are those hav-
ing four toes and smooth shanks. Some breeds, however,
have feathers on shanks and toes, and there are a few five-
toed breeds.

Fowls may be of the same size and shape, but may differ
or vary in color, shape of comb, ete. It is from such dif-
ferences that we get the various varieties of chickens.

In Fig. 3 are shown different types of combs. Be sure
to learn the names of each kind as well as the names of the
different parts of each comb.

While some of the varieties of poultry, such as the single

and rose comb varieties of the Leghorn breed, are formed
6

CHARACTERISTICS OF FOWLS 7

by a variation of the comb, a far greater number are formed

by variations in color. Accordingly, before studying the
A

_—Shanks and feet; A, four toes and smooth shanks; B, five toes and smooth
ee See shanks; C, feathers on shanks and toes.

different breeds, we should gain some idea of the colors and
color combinations which are the distinguishing marks of

the varieties.

8

TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING
2 9

2

Ee)
ee eee

A type of Single Comb _A type of Rose Comb
(ideal). 1, base; 2, points; (ideal). 1, base; 2, rounded
3, blade. For other types see points; 3, spike. See Dia-
Plymouth Rocks, Minorcas, gram of Fowl (Fig. 1.) for ideal
Javas, ete. Wyandotte comb.

Pea Comb, quartering view
(ideal).

Sultan Head, male (ideal). 1, V-shaped Strawberry Comb (ideal).
comb; 2, crest; 3, muffs; 4, beard.

Fia. 3.—Different kinds of combs

CHARACTERISTICS OF FOWLS 9

Fig. 4 shows the parts of a feather and gives their names.
In case a chicken is of a solid color, that fact is indicated

in the name so it is not necessary to discuss the solid-col-

si Non nh Wy hy Y Whe ae
QUILL OR \! FLUFF hy WEB 4p
SHAFT aN ERC OLOR SURFACE
i) Pe ii .

Fic. 4.—Sections of a feather.

ored varieties here. Where the feathers are marked, how-
ever, the naming of the varieties is much more difficult.

A feather with a black edging on the outer edge of the

Fia. 5. Via. 6. Fic. 7.

Fia. 5.—Laced feather. Fra. 6.—Spangled feather. Fic. 7.—Penciling, crescentic
form (ideal).

web, is called a laced feather (Fig. 5). The color of the
centre of the feather determines the color of the bird. If

the centre is white, the color is said to be silver; if it is bay,

10 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

the color is called golden. Good examples of such naming
of varieties are the Silver and Golden Wyandottes.

A feather, tip of which is black, is called spangled
feather (Fig. 6). Accordingly, a white feather with a
black point is said to be silver spangled ; while a bay feather
with a black point is called golden spangled.

Sometimes feathers are said to be penciled with dark
lines. These lines may either follow the outline of the

Fic. 8. Fic. 9.
fs Rescate meet = x Pa eee |

Fic, $'—-Penciling, parallel Fic. 9.—Barred feather (ideal).
form, (ideal).

feather as in Fig. 7, or may run straight across the feather,
asin Fig. 8. The latter kind of penciling is shown clearly
in the Campine varieties, while the outline, or crescentie,
kind is shown in the Dark Brahma, and in all partridge
varieties.

As is the case with the laced feather, the background of
a penciled feather gives the color. If the lines are against a

white ground, the color is called silver; if against a bay

CHARACTERISTICS OF FOWLS 11

ground, golden. In case there is a black line around a
white feather, as in Fig. 7, the color is called silver penciled.
The Dark Brahma, although called “ dark,” is a good ex-
ample of a silver-penciled fowl. When there is a black

border around a bay feather, the color is said to be par-

Fic. 10.—Striped neck (hackle) feather, male (ideal).
tridge. The Partridge Cochin is typical of this type of col-
oring. If a fowl is marked with black-and-white bars,
running parallel across the feathers, we say that it is barred
(Fig. 9). The Barred Plymouth Rock is, perhaps, the

best known illustration of a barred chicken.

12 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING
As shown in Fig. 10, the neck feathers of many male
birds have a peeuliar marking, different in color from the

body feathers.

REVIEW
1. Give origin and history of the large, meat type of fowls.
2. Give origin and history of the small, egg type of fowls.
3. Give origin and history of the dual-purpose type.
4. Explain the meaning of “ class.”
5. What was the origin of domestic turkeys, ducks and geese?
QUESTIONS
1. Explain what is meant by * breed.”
2. Describe the different types of fowls’ feet.
3. What is meant by “ variety?”
4. Name and describe five different kinds of combs.
5. Which do you think is the most common?
6. Name the parts of a feather.
7. Describe two different kinds of penciling.
8. Describe a barred feather.
9. Describe a striped feather.

=
So

. What is the difference between a laced and spangled feather?

HOME WORK
Collect as many differently marked feathers as possible. Locate the
parts of each. Fasten the best specimen of each marking on a
card for future reference.

LESSON IV
Breeps AND VARIETIES

WE have learned that class indicates the region in which
any type of fowls originated; that breed is determined by
size and shape; that the word “ variety ” is used to desig-
nate differences in color or comb. There is one other term
used in classifying fowls. This term is strain, which has
practically the same meaning as “ family.” For instance,
if John Smith should grow White Wyandottes for a num-
ber of years, we would classify his fowls as American Class,
Wyandotte Breed, White Variety, and Smith Strain.

Learn the following chart of characteristics so that you

can write it from memory:

Name Size © Colors Combs Shanks

Barred Plymouth Rock...Medium Black and White Single Smooth yellow

White Plymouth Rock ...Medium White Single Smooth yellow

Buff Plymouth Rock..... Medium Buff Single Smooth yellow

White Wyandotte ....... Medium White Rose Smooth yellow

Silver Wyandotte ....... Medium Black and White Rose Smooth yellow

Buff Orpington .......... Large Buff Single Smooth white

White Orpington ........ Large White Single Smooth white

Bull Cochiniacs + 2 cevie cox Large Buff Single Feathered—yellow

Partridge Cochin ........ Large Red and Black Single Feathered—yellow

Light Brahma........... Large Black and White Pea Feathered—yellow

Dark Brahma .. Large Black and White Pea Feathered—yellow

Black Langshan .. Large Black Single Feathered—bluish
black

8. C. Black Minorca..... Medium Black Single Smooth and dark

S. C. White Leghorn..... Small White Single Smooth yellow

8S. C. Brown Leghorn ....Small Red and Black Single Smooth yellow

8S. C. Buff Leghorn ...... Small Buff Single Smooth yellow

S. C. Rhode Island Red... Medium Red and Black Single Smooth yellow

Cormishyn co dcusccesue coos Medium Redand Black Pea Smooth yellow

ER OWE BUN cise. da: Syeaivone' a spines Medium Black and White V-Shape Dark crest and five
toes

Silver Spangled Hamburg. Small Black and White Rose Smooth
Leghorns, Minorcas and R. I. Reds are also bred with Rose Combs
13

14 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

REVIEW
Describe the differences in fowls’ feet.
Describe the differences in fowls’ combs.
Name the parts of a feather.
Describe the different feather markings.
. What is the difference in feather markings of the silver and

partridge varieties?
I g

toe

oR oe

QUESTIONS

Name the white varieties and give their characteristics.
Name the buff varieties and give their characteristics.
Name the black varieties and give their characteristics.
Name the varieties which have yellow shanks.
Name the varieties which have feathered shanks.
Compare the White Leghorns and White Plymouth Rocks.
Compare the Buff Leghorns and Buff Orpingtons.
Compare the Cornish fowls and the Partridge Cochin.
Compare the Houdan and the Silver Spangled Hamburg.
10. Name the black-and-white fowls mentioned in the preceding

chart. ;

nan kw Ne

oa

HOME WORK

See if you can find a fowl which has feathered shanks, but which
should have smooth ones.

LESSON V
Breeps anp Varreties (Continued)

Srupy carefully the characteristics of each variety of
chickens pictured in figures 11 to 30.

REVIEW
. Name the solid-colored fowls we have studied.
. Name the black-and-white fowls.
. Name the black-and-red fowls.
. Name the fowls having feathered shanks.
. Describe the different combs we have studied.

ar WOW Ke

QUESTIONS
1. Tell the characteristics of each fowl represented in Lesson V.
2. A fowl is medium in size, white-and-black in color, and has a
rose comb, and smooth yellow shanks. Give class, breed, and
variety.
3. A fowl is small and white, and has a single comb and smooth,
yellow shanks. Classify.
4, A fowl is large, black, has a single comb and feathered shanks.
Classify.
5. A fowl is large, black-and-white, has a pea comb and feathered
shanks. Classify.
6. A fowl is large, black-and-red, with a single comb, and feathered
shanks. Classify.
. Let each pupil describe a fowl, and let the rest of the class

I

name it.
8. What colors are characteristic of the fowls we have studied?
9. Name the fowls having smooth shanks.
10. Name the fowls having feathered shanks.

HOME WORK

Tell the characteristics of all the pure varieties that you see on the

road to and from school.
15

16 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

—

Fig. 11.—Black Langshans.

Fria. 12.—Single Comb Black Minoreas.

BREEDS AND VARIETIES 17

Fie. 13.—Buff Cochins.

Fic, 14.—Single Comb Buff Leghorns.

18 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

Fig. 16.—Single Comb Buff Orpingtons.

BREEDS AND VARIETIES 19

Wie. 17.—White Plymouth Rocks.

Fig. 18.—Single Comb White Orpingtons.

20 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

Fic. 20.—White Wyandottes.

BREEDS AND VARIETIES 21

Fia. 21.—Light Brahmas.

Fia. 22.—Dark Brabmas.

22 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

ASN
SS

oe

Fig. 23.—Barred Plymouth Rocks.

Hie, 24.—Silver Wyandottes.

BREEDS AND VARIETIES 23

Fic. 25.—Single Comb Rhode Island Reds.

Fic. 26.—Cornish.

24 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

Fiag. 27.—Partridge Cochins.

Fic. 23.—Single Comb Brown Leghorns.

BREEDS AND VARIETIES 25

Fic. 29.—Houdans.

Fria. 30.—Silver Spangled Hamburgs.

LESSON VI
Breeps anp Varinties (Continued)
Ler each pupil bring to school a good specimen of the
variety of fowl grown at home (Fig. 31). Number the

fowls and, if coops are not handy, tie each one’s feet together

Fic. 31.—Children describing breeds and varieties.

and place the fowls on the floor, with numbers on the wall
above them. Let each pupil make a blank card and fill it in
with the names and characteristics of the fowls exhibited, to

correspond with the chart on Page 13. The children should
26

BREEDS AND VARIETIES ; 27

note carefully whether or not all the characteristics of the
fowls are as they should be.
THE JUNGLE FOWL (GALLUS BANKIVA)

Historical data regarding the origin of our domestic
fowis is not available to any great extent, but there are
many points of similarity in the habits, color and form of
the Wild Jungle Fow! that point to its being the probable
ancestor of our domestic poultry. Many scientists working
independently of each other have come to this same con-
clusion. The Jungle Fowl (Gallus Bankiva) agrees very
closely in shape and color with the Black Breasted Red
Game Bantams, with the exception of being somewhat
larger in size. This wild fowl will very readily cross with

many of our domestic fowls.

LESSON VII
Turkeys, Ducks anp GEESE

Tue turkey is an American fowl (Fig. 32). When this
country was first discovered, whole flocks of the large stately

birds were found wild in the woods. They wandered about

cS
S

Fic. 32.—Bronze turkey.

catching insects and picking up seeds and berries for food.
At night they perched in the trees. Although at the present
day there are comparatively few wild turkeys left in this
country, those that have been domesticated retain many of
the characteristics of their wild ancestors. They do much

better if allowed to wander through fields and pastures,
28

BREEDS AND VARIETIES 29

foraging for their food, than if they are penned within the
limited space of a poultry yard.

The domestic turkey is larger than the wild one. The
following table shows the Standard varieties and weights:

2-yearold = 1-year old Less than 1- 1-year old Less than 1-year

mlae mmale year old male — female old female
Bronze ........ 36 Ib. 33 1b. 25 |b. 20 Ib. 16 Ib.
Narraganset ... 30 lb. 25 |b. 20 Ib. 18 lb. 12 |b.
White Holland ,., 28 Ib. 20 Ib. 18 Ib. 14 Ib.
Black Holland .. 27 Ib. 18 Ib. 18 lb. 12 |b.
Buff Holland .. 27 Ib. 18 Ib. 18 Jb. 12 lb.
Slate Holland .. 27 Ib. 18 Ib. 18 tb. 12 Ib.
Bourbon Holland. 30 Ib. 22 Ib. 18 Ib. 14 Ib.

Ducks are water fowls directly descended from the wild
dueks which are found everywhere throughout the Northern

Fic. 33.—Pekin ducks.

Hemisphere, nesting in the North and migrating to the

South for the winter. Like all true water fowls they have

30 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

webbed feet, adapted toswimming. Their mouth parts are
much larger than the mouth parts of chickens, and are called
bills instead of beaks. There is a little strainer arranged
on either side of the mouth, so that water can be taken in at

the front of the bill, and passed out through the strainers,

Fig. 34.—Runner ducks.

leaving in the mouth any particles of food that may have
been present in the water. The females of these fowl are
called ducks, and the males drakes.

Ducks are grown for their meat, eggs, and feathers. The
Pekin (Fig. 33) and Runner ducks (Fig. 34) present the
two extremes in types, the Pekin being the meat and feather

type, while the Runner is the egg type.

BREEDS AND VARIETIES 31

It is not necessary for domesticated ducks to have water
to swim in. However, since they require much water to
drink, they do best where they can have access to fresh,
running water all the time.

Fic. 35.—Toulouse geese.

The following table shows the Standard varieties and
weights of ducks:

Adult Young Adult Young

Breed Variety drake drake duck duck
1 ef) it: eee White 9 Ibs. 8 lbs. 8 lbs. 7 |bs.
Aylesbury...... White 9 lbs. 8 Ibs. 8 lbs. 7 lbs.
Rouen......... Colored 9 lbs. 8 lbs. 8 lbs. 7 Ibs.
Cayuga. s.c86%2 Black 8 lbs. 7 Ibs. 7 \bs. 6 lbs.
Crested ........ White 7 I\bs. 6 lbs. 6 lbs. 5 Ibs.
Muscovy....... Colored 10 lbs. 8 lbs. 7 lbs. 6 lbs.
Swedish........ Blue 8 lbs. 63 lbs. 7 Ibs. 5} Ibs.

..Fawn and white 43 lbs. 4 lbs.

White i Appreciated for their smallness

32 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

Geese are water fowls with bills and webbed feet very
much like those of ducks. They are grown more for their
flesh and feathers than for their eggs, and they do best
where they have good grass pasture and plenty of fresh
water. The male is called a gander, and the female a
goose (Fig. 35).

The table which follows gives the Standard breeds, vari-

a

ties and weights:

Adult Young Adult Young
Breeds Varieties gander gander goose goose
WPoulOusericeerwcsewicee # Gray 25 lbs. 20 lbs. 20 lbs. 16 lbs.
Bmbden: ....eaces eo cees White 20 Ibs. 18 lbs. 18 lbs. 16 Ibs.
African i 20 Ibs. 16 lbs. 18 lbs. 14 Ibs.
Chinese 12 Ibs. 10 lbs. 10 lbs. 8 lbs.
Chinese 12 Ibs. 10 lbs. 10 lbs. 8 lbs.
Wild or Canadian..... Gray 12 lbs. 10 lbs. 10 lbs. 8 lbs.
Bey pian: sae syngroas 3 Colored 10 lbs. 8 lbs. 8 lbs. 6 lbs.
REVIEW
1. What varieties of chickens confuse you the most?
2. Give the characteristics of the Barred Plymouth Rock.
3. Give the characteristics of the Rhode Island Red.
4. Give the characteristics of the Buff Orpington.
5. Compare a White Wyandotte and a White Orpington.
QUESTIONS
1. Name the varieties of turkeys.
2. Where is their native home?
3. Which variety is the most common?
4. Name the varieties of ducks.
5. What are they raised for?

6. Deseribe the mouth parts.

7. What are the males called?

8. What are Runner ducks noted for?
9. Name the varieties of geese.

10. What is their principal value?

LESSON VIII
J UDGING

Ar all contests and shows the judges must have some
uniform standard by which they can make their decisions.
The guide used in judging the poultry at the various exlhi-
bitions held in America is a book called the American Stand-
ard of Perfection, which is published by the American
Poultry Association. Since this association is composed of
the leading poultry breeders of the country, it is naturally
the highest authority on poultry in America. It decides
many of the questions that arise in connection with the poul-
try industry. It also decides the points which are necessary
to make a perfect fowl, and names the percentage which, in
judging, must be deducted from the grade of each section
that is not perfect. All of these particulars are to be found
in the Standard of Perfection.

Page 36 shows a score card used by judges in marking
fowls. The percentage taken off for a defect in the shape of
any section is placed in the first column, and that taken off
for defective color is placed in the second column. The de-
ductions are then added; and their sum, subtracted from

one hundred, leaves the fowl’s score. During the fall sea-
3 33

34 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

son, fowls are usually judged by comparison; that is, the
judges carefully compare the competing birds section by
section, and award the prizes to the best fowls.

There ave some defects which are so serious as to dis-
qualify a fowl and prevent it from winning a prize. There
is not space to list all of these disqualifications here, but the
following list will give some idea of the kinds of defects
which make a chicken unfit for exhibition.

In all breeds required to have unfeathered shanks, any
feathers or stubs or down on shanks, feet, or toes, or unmis-
takable indications of feathers having been plucked from
same.

A wing showing clipped flights or secondaries, or both,
except in water fowls.

Lopped combs, except in Mediterranean and Dorking
females; rose combs falling over to one side or so large as
to obstruct the sight; combs foreign to the breed; split or
fish-tail combs; side sprig on all single-comb varieties;
decidedly wry tails; crooked backs; plucked hocks; de-
formed beaks; absence of spike in all rose-comb varieties,
except Silkies, Malays and Malay Bantams; decidedly
squirrel tail in all breeds except Japanese Bantams.

In four-toed breeds, more or less than four toes on either

foot.

JUDGING 35

In five-toed breeds, more or less than five toes on either
foot.

Legs and toes of color foreign to breed.

Entire absence of main tail feathers.

Some defects are not serious enough to disqualify the
specimen. For these, a percentage is deducted from the
grade, or score. In applying the score card, judges are to

discount for the more common detects as follows:

Too many or too few points on comb, each ........ Y point.
Rear of comb; turning around 3.22.65... asters oe Y% to 1 point.
Coarse texture of comb <csscuuscssivseedecateen 4% to 1 point.
Coarse: texture of ‘wattles: o::ccseeiasedeiiseacsys % to 1 point.
Missing feather or part of feather in primaries or

secondaries where foreign color disqualifies .... 1 to 5 points.
Irregular barring in Barred Plymouth Rocks, in each

secbion: Where: TOUNG 4x: i sujmaic acted nessa kno Y% to 1% point.
Tail in any variety showing not to exceed 44 develop-

MENT ase qieink Geshe node panp tha bps meen alae 3 points.
Crooked toes, each ............ EASAyeat oe dug n ore te 1% to 1 point.

The ereater number of fowls score between 85 and 95.
to}

36 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

To be filled out on A. P. A. Card in Standard.
OFFICIAL SCORE CARD

TEER OT ss Sa a oes dae alerts bate Sel tenalagia aii iis thall ten Mana a aeh es Dees Gene

Variety.

PS crenata

Bitty No ooo Band N Gees cane purses: Weight

io ate aac sea | | ae a an mae a aaa
Shape Color | Remarks

Symmetry. .
Weight or Size .
Condition

on ods pio oc libislivi7 al sono vee

Heady escent coeteeeh alae ae

Beak. .
Eyes.
Wattles “Ear Lobes...
Neck.

Back. Seen eee

Tail. .

Breast. . aS art | aerate
Body and Fluff... pee
Legs and Toes. . Sa perae

+Crest and Beard......... Sheen!
Monro Waites. ee. en

Total Cuts sc2ecgeur cas SCOP areca se see

+ Applies to crested breeds. * Applies to Games and Game Bantams.
REVIEW.

. Name the varieties of turkeys.
. Name the varieties of ducks.

Ww LO ee

- Name the varieties of geese.
. What are the
What are the
. What are the valuable qualities of turkeys?

valuable qualities of ducks?
valuable qualities of geese?

Dns

JUDGING 37

QUESTIONS.

1. What is the authority on poultry in America?

2. What is the judge’s guide in making his decisions?

3. What is a score card?

4. How is it used?

5. How is the score found?

6. What method of judging is there in addition to judging by card?
7. What is meant by disqualification?

8. Name a disqualification.

9. What is meant by defect?

10. Describe a defect which is not a disqualification; and tell how
such a defect should affect a fowl’s score.

HOME WORK.

Make a score card. Judge the sections of a fowl and fill out the
card, using your own idea of how each section should be
graded.

LESSON IX

Housine

Onr of the most important questions connected with the
care of poultry is that of housing, for the health of the fowl

Fic. 36.—A building which insures good circulation of air,

depends largely upon the surroundings while it is asleep.
The primary consideration in building a poultry house is to
insure a good circulation of air (Fig. 36). Since many of
the impurities of a chicken’s body are carried off through
its breath, an abundance of fresh air is essential. Under

no circumstances should a poultry house be kept too warm.
38

HOUSING 39

A chicken is provided by nature with feathers to protect it
against severe weather; accordingly it should not be ex-
pected to thrive in as warm a house as a man can live in.
The location for the house should be chosen very care-
fully. A high, well-drained place, if possible on sandy soil,
will prove the most desirable. The structure should face

south so as to receive sunlight and air from that direction ;

Fic. 37.—The location of the house should face south with door located in the
southeast corner,

and the door should be located in the southeast corner (Fig.
36). Ifa droppings board is used on the north side, win-
dows should be placed under the board to distribute light to
all parts of the floor.

The house should conform in size to the number of fowls
it is intended to shelter. On the average farm, where two
horses, two cows, and a few hogs are kept, it is considered

profitable to keep from eighty to one hundred hens; for that

40 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

number will be able to get along with the grain and scraps
they pick up, and will not require much extra food. Ifa
flock of this size is allowed free range, it can easily be accom-
modated in a house 16 20 feet, which will allow between

three and four square feet of floor space to each fowl.

Fie. 38.—-Colony house.

Though various materials are used in building poultry
houses, wood gives the best satisfaction. Conerete floors
are good, but concrete walls make the house too damp.

The plans shown in Figures 36 and 37 are both prac-
tical. One is for a house with an open front which will

admit both air and light. The other has slat ventilators to

HOUSING 41

admit air, and windows for lighting purposes. The ar-
rangement of the rooms will be discussed in the lesson on
equipment.

Some especial provision must be made for the housing of
young chicks, for they are not old enough or strong enough
to protect themselves against changes in the weather, and
are apt to crowd together if the nights are chilly. A colony
house (Fig. 38), about 8 X 12 feet in size, with a front like
that of one of the larger poultry houses, should prove an
effective shelter for the young stock. The brooders can be
placed within such a house, and can be left there until the
chicks are from five to seven weeks old, when the brooders
are removed and fireless hovers substituted. The age at
which this transfer can be made depends partly upon the

season of the year. When the chicks are large enough to
use the roost poles, which are placed about sixteen inches
from the floor, the hovers can be removed.

Houses such as this should be built on skids or runners so
that they can be drawn from place to place to furnish the
chickens with range in summer, and can be drawn together
in winter for protection to the fowls.

REVIEW
. Explain the score card.

. Name the two methods of judging poultry.
. What guide is used in judging poultry?

mW De

. What would be the condition of contests without a guide for
judging?
5. What is a defect?

42 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

QUESTIONS

. Why do poultry need a house?

. Should a poultry house be warm enough for man?
How large should the house be?

. Explain why a house should face the south.

. Where should the openings be?

. What kind of material should be used?

. Describe the colony house.

. Tell how it should be equipped.

Give size of colony house.

. Should chicks be kept in the house? If so, when?

SeMmrtanrAwrDe

rf

HOME WORK

Measure the poultry house at home and estimate the number of
birds it will accommodate, allowing three square feet of floor
space per fowl.

LESSON X
EQuirpMENT

Since the poultry house is the home of the poultry, it
should be equipped for their comfort with roosts, nests, feed
hoppers, drinking fountains, ete. The roosts are of especial

Fie. 39.—Section of house showing roosts, dropping boards and nests.

importance. They should be about three or four feet from
the floor, and on a level, so that the chickens will not crowd
to the highest perch. Sawed sticks about two inches square,
with the top corners rounded, make good roosts (Fig. 59).
About eight or ten inches under them, a droppings board

should be placed, so that the entire floor of the poultry
43

44 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

house may be used for scratching room. The roosts should
be movable so that they can be taken out when the drop-
pings board is to be cleaned.

If the nests are on the floor of the house, the hens are
often tempted to eat their eggs. Accordingly, one good,

clean raised nest should be provided for each four hens.

wissen

Fic. 40.—Indoor feed hopper.

These nests should be kept filled with clean, fresh straw,
so that the eggs will be clean and unbroken. A good place
for the nests is under the droppings board. (Fig. 39.)

In addition to roosts and nests, feed hoppers and drink-
ing vessels should be provided (Figs. 40 and 41). The

feed hoppers, which should be placed so that the fowls ean

EQUIPMENT 45

easily get the food, are to be used only for mash. Grain
should be thrown into the litter, so that the birds will get
some exercise in scratching for it. The drinking vessels
should be such as to insure an abundant supply of fresh
water to the fowls all the time. They should be of a kind
that is easily cleaned, and should be up off the floor, so that
litter cannot be scratched into them. Every care should be

Fia. 41.—Outdoor feed hopper.

taken to keep both feed and water clean and free from dis-
ease germs.

Special coops should be provided for the hens that be
come broody (Fig. 42). These coops should be raised off
the ground, and should have a floor made of slats about two
inches apart, to insure a circulation of air under the hens.

If the hens are kept cool in this manner, they will be

46 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

broken of broodiness in a shorter length of time than if

there were solid floors in the coops. If broody hens are well

housed, and are fed and watered properly so as to keep their

Fie. 42.—Broody coop.

flesh up, they will go back to laying in a few days. If it is
desired to set a broody hen, she should be placed separate in
a hatching box that will permit her to get to her own nest,

but will prevent the other hens from bothering her.

a em Ww he

CDOAONAMTR WN HE

ae
i=)

EQUIPMENT

REVIEW

. Describe a good poultry house.

- Which way should the house face?
. Describe the openings,

. Describe the materials used.

. Describe a colony house.

QUESTIONS

. Why should we use feed hoppers?
. What feed should be given in hoppers? Why?

What feed should not be given in feed hoppers? Why?
Where should the feed hoppers be placed?

. Where should the water be placed?

. Describe a broody coop.

. Why has it an open slat bottom?

. How should hens be treated when in broody coops?

. Describe a hatching box.

. What are some of the advantages of a hatching box?

HOME WORK

Build either a feed hopper or a broody coop.

47

LESSON XI
YARDING AND FENCING

Every farm should have its poultry yard, which the
poultry should recognize as “ home.” It is not necessary,
however, to keep the fowls penned in that yard. On most
farms, it is more profitable to fence in lawns and gardens
to keep the poultry out, than to pen the fowls in an en-
closure; for if the flock is allowed free range, it will pick
up most of its food about the farm, eating scattered grain
and weed seeds, and catching insects that might otherwise
prove harmful to the crops.

It is always wise, however, to have a breeding yard.
In this yard should be put the good winter layers; for they
are the most profitable hens, since one winter egg is worth
two or three summer eggs. Often a flock is allowed to run
down through failure on the part of an owner to insure good
hatchings. The winter layers are the first to go to sitting
in the spring. About the time these hens become broody,
the “ loafing” hens start to lay; and the good hens are set

on the poor hens’ eggs. This is a sure method of weakening

a flock. If, on the contrary, the winter layers are kept in
the breeding yard, and their eggs used for hatching, the

flock will be certain to show improvement. Towards the
48

YARDING AND FENCING 49

close of the hatching season, these hens may be turned out
with the flock, and the yard used for young chickens.

The fencing of a yard is a very important question (Fig.
43). If the yard is square, or very nearly so, it will be
found, as the diagram (Fig. 44) will show, that more

ground can be fenced with the same amount of wire used

Fic. 43.—A good poultry yard fence.

than to fence a rectangular yard. Moreover, it will readily

be seen that the chickens in yard No. 1 of the diagram can

get further from the fence than those in yard No. 2. Ac-

cordingly, since they have more freedom, the former

chickens will not be so greatly tempted to try to get out.

A heavy wire fence six feet high, with a one-inch mesh at
4

50 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

the bottom, makes a good fence for both old and young
fowls. Since fowls usually fly to the top of a fence, and
then down to the other side, there should be no board or
other heavy finish at the top of the fence to afford a perch.

It is a good plan to have two yards for each room of

the house, so that the chickens can be shut out of one while

Yard No. 1 Yard No. 2.

Fia. 44.—Two poultry yards, each divided into four pens. The square yards in
No. 1 require less fence than the rectangular yards in No. 2.

green food is being grown in the other. In this way the

soil will always be kept fresh and free from disease.

REVIEW

- How should grain be fed?

. How should mash be fed?

. What is the best way to break broody hens?
. How should broody hens be fed?

. Describe a hatching box.

oT Rm ow De

YARDING AND FENCING 51

QUESTIONS
. Should poultry have a yard? Why?
. What are the advantages of a free range?
What kind of poultry yards should be fenced?
How large should a yard be?
. What change could be made with the fowls in a pen?
. How do fowls get over the fence?
. What shape should the yard be?
Give some advantages of this shape.
. Why should the yard be divided?
. What kind of fence is best and why?

Aon Pr © toe

omer)

=
i)

HOME WORK

How many farms do you know of which have a poultry yard separate
from other yards?

LESSON XII
Frreps anp Frppine

In their wild state, fowls wandered at will, and got their
food by hunting and scratching for seeds, insects, worms,
and so forth. With unlimited range, and all sorts of foods at
their disposal, it was an easy matter for them to get foods
containing the necessary elements for proper nourishment.
Now that fowls have become domesticated, however, it is
necessary for those who raise them to make sure that they
are provided with food containing body-building substances,
as well as ege-forming material, if eggs are desired.

There are two classes of foods necessary to the proper
nourishment of an animal's body. One consists of protein,
the muscle builder, which is composed chiefly of nitrogen.
The other consists of the carbohydrates, which build fat and
supply heat and energy. Sugar and starch are among the
chief carbohydrates. Fat answers the same purpose as
sugar and starch, and is two and one-fourth times as
valuable.

A fowl should have about one part protein to each five
parts of carbohydrates. A ration which has this relation
is said to be a balanced vation. A ration in which the rela-
tion of protein to carbohydrates is as one to four is called a
narrow ration; that in which the relationship is as one to
six is called a wide ration.

In order to determine the relative value of two or more

52

FEEDS AND FEEDING 53

foods, add all the protein they contain, and then add all the
carbohydrates. Divide the sums by the amount of protein.
It will be found, of course, that the protein goes into the sum
of the proteins once. The number of times it is contained

Fic. 45.—Internal organs of hen; 1, mouth parts, receive food and air: 2,
cesophagus, conveys food to crop; 3, crop, for softening food; 4, stomach, secretes
digestive fluids; 5, gizzard, grinds food; 6, duodenum, receives pancreatic juice;
7, pancreas, secretes pancreatic juice; 8, liver, stores food and secretes bile; 9,
intestine, absorbs nourishing parts of food; 10, ceca, for absorption; 11, cloaca,
common opening for intestine, kidney, and oviduct; 12, Ovary, develops yolks of
eggs; 13, funnel of oviduct, receives yolk from ovary; 14, Albumen section of
oviduct, forms white around the yolk; 15, isthmus of oviduct, forms soft shell;
16, uterus of oviduct, forms hard shell; 17, kidneys, take out impurities; 18,
trachee (windpipe), conveys air to lungs; 19, lungs, purify blood; 20, heart, keeps
up the circulation of the blood; 21, spleen, acts on red blood-corpuscles. *

in the carbohydrates will show the relative value of the
foods.

The following table gives the amounts of protein and
carbohydrates in certain foods, together with their relative
value. From this table select feeds to make a balanced

ration.

54 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

DIGESTIBLE CONTENTS OF VARIOUS POULTRY FOOD

Foodstuffs Percentage of Percentage of Nutritive
Protein Carbohydrates Ratio
and Fats
Barley .252-020 Scaice 8.75 67.24 Titel
Buckwheat ........ 8.1 53.6 1:6.9
Broom corn ........ 7.02 57.66 1:7.8
TWIG GOTH) cewnc cas 8.6 158.3
IaihireGOrm: enecns 7.5 1:10.3
Flax, seed: .chiaisness 20.6 1:4.0
Oats: oi aiens tober ae 9.2 1:6.2
GOW Peas™ a2 cuentas 18.3 1:3.1
Millet seed ......... 19.63 122
TRACED, tiaveauesrsieaiancs 5.3 1:11.8
TRAV CP sins erere bik eatcote ales ed 1:8.8
Sorghum seed ...... 7.0 1:8.4
Soy bean s2ss.5un5: 29.6 1:2.0
Suriflower seed ..... 12.1 arent
Wheat, plump ..... 9.2 1:6.9
Wheat, shrunken ... 9.8 1:6.5
Alfalfa meal ....... 12.3 83:
Suthermilk vo4 «yes% 4.0 teha
Skint WWI 2essas es 3.3 1:17
Whole milk ........ 3.6 14337
Dried mihk: 25 .ce54 51.2 1:0.4
Beef scraps ........ 54.0 1:0.5
Dried blood ........ 78.6
Green cut bone ..... 27.8 a3
Wheat bran ........ 12.62 43.9 1:3.4
Wheat middlings ... 12.2 61.9 1:5.1
Wheat shorts ....... 13.02 54.5 1:42
Cracked corn ...... 6.7 74.0 Tle
Steel euwt. O4ts <..+> 10.6 66.3 1:6.2
OTR WHOM cone eek 6.4 73 1:11.5
Rolled? Wats: ,. ckonw sere 9.5 65.5 1:7.2
Cottonseed meal ... 41.1 40.4 1:1.0
Gluten meal ....... 255 74.8 1:29
Linseed oil meal ... 24.4 61.6 15
(old process )
Linseed oil meal ... 26.1 $3.1 1:2.0

(new process)

FEEDS AND FEEDING 55

Although proteins and carbohydrates are the main
elements needed for the nourishment of fowls, there are
other essential elements. Most of these are present in the
foods that contain the proteins and carbohydrates, but there
are some few elements that must be supplied. Among these
are common salt (sodium chloride), which should be given
to fowls, as to other animals. Care should be taken in
regulating the amount, however, as too much salt proves
injurious.

Other minerals, such as lime, the fowls get from gravel,
sand, ground oystershell, ete. These hard, sharp particles
serve two purposes: they grind the food in the gizzard of
the fowl, as well as furnish minerals. It is always well to
remember in this connection that poultry do not grind their
food in their mouths, as most animals do, but in their giz-
zards. Accordingly, part of the food should be ground
before being fed to the fowl, as an aid to digestion.

The following ration is good for laying hens. If the
fowls are allowed free range, however, the food they pick up

outside should be considered in feeding them.

DRY MASH
Gorn méal. «2. 25.458 100: Ibs: Shorts: sac ssarwguseees 40 Ibs.
Ground oats .......-+- 100 lbs. Beef scraps ..........4. 20 lbs.
Wheat bran ......... TOO Ibs; “Wine: sailtingcs was ae tress 2 Ibs.

The grain fed with this ration should be composed of

56 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

equal parts of cracked corn and wheat, and should be scat-
tered in the litter morning and evening.

Chareoal and grit should be before the fowls all the
time.

In order to fatten fowls, they should be confined in a
coop and fed a wide ration, which contains a large per-
centage of carbohydrates. Corn meal and shorts, moistened
with buttermilk, make a good food for fattening.

Plenty of fresh, clean water should be before the fowls

at all times.
REVIEW
. Tell how fowls get over fences.
. Describe a good poultry fence.
Give size and shape of a farm poultry yard.
What advantage is there in fencing the poultry yard?
. What disadvantage?

ee

QUESTIONS
. How do fowls grind their food?
. Give the two values of grit.
What are the two classes of foods needed?
What is protein and what does it do?
What are carbohydrates and what do they do?
. What is a “balanced ration” and how do you figure a ration

aOnkwwre

where several feeds are combined?
. What is a narrow ration? A wide ration?
8. Give a good ration for laying hens.
9. Give a good ration for fattening fowls.
10. Name the digestive organs of a fowl and tell the work done by
each,

HOME WORK

Mix a balanced ration for laying hens and bring a sample of the
mixture to school.

LESSON XIII
Frrepine tue Basy CricKks
Axout the time a baby chick is ready to leave its shell, it
draws the yolk of the egg into its body. Nature has given
this yolk to the chick as a sort of lunch basket which contains

food enough to last for several days. This is a wise provi-

sion on the part of Dame Nature, for the little chick is very

Fic. 46.—Digestive organs of a baby chick; 1, crop, in which food is softened;
2, stomach, in which digestive juices are mixed with the .ood; 3, gizzard,in which
the grinding i is done by means of small picces of stone, called grit; 4, intestines; 5,
yolk, which serves as food for the baby chick for the first. few days after it comes
out of the shell; 6, Cceca or blind pouches. Much of the digested foods enter these,
the nourishing parts being absorbed.

weak for some time after leaving the egg and does not know
just what to eat nor where to findit. The yolk furnishes it
with food until it grows strong enough to shift for itself.
(Fig. 46).

The baby chick should not be fed until it has used at
least a part of this yolk. It is not well, however, to wait too
long before feeding it. If the chick grows too hungry, it is

: 57

58 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

likely to gorge itself. From twenty-four to forty-eight
hours after hatching is a good age at which to begin feeding.
Only a small quantity of food should be given to begin with,
but the amount should be gradually increased as the yolk
is used,

Some claim that sour milk or buttermilk, if given to the
chick before any food is given, will have a medicinal value
in controlling diseases of the intestines. It will at least do
no harm to give the chicks a few drops of the milk, which
is a valuable food. All through the chick’s life buttermilk
and sour milk are very beneficial and, to some degree, take
the place of meats.

The first day’s feed for the chick may be of hard boiled
ege, ground up fine, shell, yolk and white thoroughly mixed.
If the shell is not included in the mixture, some fine sand
should be sprinkled over the food. Grit or sand should not,
however, be given to chicks in quantities during the first
few days; for the chicks are likely to eat too much of it.

The feed for the second and third days should be a mix-
ture of boiled eggs, bread crumbs, and oatmeal. The egg
and bread crumbs should be gradually omitted, and wheat
bran added to take their place. When the chick is about a
week old, it may be given a good grade of chick feed for
grain, and a mixture of corn meal, oatmea!, and wheat bran
formash. At the age of two months, chicks may be fed the

ration for laying hens.

FEEDING THE BABY CHICKS 59

REVIEW

. Name the digestive organs of a fowl.

Explain a ‘‘ balanced ration.”

. Explain a “wide ration;” a “narrow ration.”
. Give a ration for laying hens.

. Give a ration for fattening poultry.

oP DO De

QUESTIONS

1. What is the yolk of an egg for?

2. How long will the yolk last the baby chick?

3. Where does the yolk enter the intestine?

4. When should the first feed be given to the baby chick?

5. What should its first feed be?

6. When and how should grit be given?

7. What is the danger in waiting too long to feed the chick?

8. What should the chick’s feed be the second week?

9. At what age should it be given the ration for laying hens?
10. Is sour milk a good food?

HOME WORK

Kill a hen at home and examine the digestive organs; name each
organ as you locate it.

LESSON XIV
Martine

ExprertMents have proved that it is best to keep the
various breeds and varieties pure. It is a risky business
to attempt cross-mating. Those who practise it usually
fail, and find it necessary to begin all over again. Those
who wish to experiment, should try cross breeding with only
afew chickens. The main flock, to produce the best results,
should be kept pure.

In order to improve the farm flock, it is a good practice
to select. the best fowls and place them in a pen by them-
selves, and to hatch from this pen only. If eggs for hateh-
ing are taken from the entire flock, the results are uncertain,
and failure is likely. Only those fowls should be selected
which have constitutional vigor. It is not necessarily the
largest chickens that are the best. Other characteristics
than size should be considered. The fowls should have
clear voices, and prominent, clear eyes. They should stand
firm, with their feet flat on the ground and their toes well
spread. The toes should have short nails, and the knees
should be set well apart. If the chickens are in good con-
dition, they should be quick and active, and should get out
early in the morning and stay out late at night.

60

MATING 61

The shape of the fowls is a very important considera-
tion. Hens which are wedge shaped—narrow in front and
wide behind—are usually the best egg producers. The
blocky, square or rectangular shape is the best for meat pro-
duction. Under no circumstances should fowls which show
weaknesses of any kind be used for breeding. All those
should be discarded which have any prominent defects, such
as crooked backs or breast bones, wry tails, single combs
in rose comb varieties, or rose combs in single comb varie-
ties, feathers on ‘shanks, in smooth-shank varieties, or
smooth shanks in feathered-shank varieties.

It is the tendency among fowls of the parti-colored
varieties, for the males to become lighter and the females
darker in color through breeding. In order to produce
males and females of the same color, it is necessary to have
two breeding pens. One of the pens should be used for
fowls lighter in color than wanted, and the other for darker
fowls. ‘The first pen will produce females of the desired
color, and the second will produce males of the desired color.
This method, which is called double mating, is practised by
some fanciers to produce exhibition fowls.

If males and females from the same pen are kept to-
gether for breeding, the results are likely to be bad. This
practice is called in-breeding. In order to avoid it, some
breeders keep two pens or lines which were originally from

the same pen. The fowls are mated from these two lines.

62

TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

The results of this method, which is called line breeding,

are likely to be good; for, while the fowls are of the same

blood, they are distantly related.

oR WN

wonntanPtp willow

ww
—)

REVIEW

. What is the yolk of an egg for?
. When should the baby chick be fed?

What should its first feed be?
How should grit be given?

. Explain the changes in the feed ration for the first two months.

QUESTIONS

. How can the flock be improved?

. What is the most important point in selecting breeders?

. Does the movement of a fowl tell anything of its vigor?

. Name some points of a good fowl.

. Name some points of an inferior fowl.

. What is the egg-producing shape?

. What is the meat-producing shape?

. Should breeds and varieties be crossed?

. What is the breeding tendency of fowls whose color is black-

and-white?

. What is “ double mating?”

HOME WORK

Select and mark some good breeders and some poor breeders and

write out your reasons for the selection.

LESSON XV
INCUBATION

Ir is natural for a hen to lay twelve or fifteen eggs and

then to become broody. By selection and careful breeding,

Fic. 47.—Hatching box.

hens have been brought to lay many more eggs than this
number ; but most hens, sooner or later, want to sit. If it is
desired to hatch chicks, a hen should be removed to a hatch-
ing box as soon as she becomes broddy (Fig. 47). This box
should be arranged with a runway in front of the nest
so that the hen will be able to get some exercise, and to reach

the food and water placed there for her, without bothering
63

64 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

the other hens, or being bothered by them, during the period
of incubation.

By incubation we mean the developing of the chick inside
of theegg. An egg is composed of four parts; 1st, the living
germ, which develops into the chick; 2d, the yolk, which is
food for the chick after it leaves the shell; 3d, the white,

or albumen, which is food for the embryo while in the shell;
‘Ott

and 4th, the shell, which is for protection. The white is

Psa has the chipper on its beak, yet
composed principally of protein and, water; and the yolk
contains a large amount of fat.

vil) The pnicrascopig, gernids located {im aémall, white spot
(the germinal disk,) om the top,aédheyalky-Dhis spot always

CHAP ite the,top 58R4, if, the, oe MOL LAY, ed ithe : yolk will
ris 9 thrqugh the 2 PPE sorthat i it in yecelve t the heat from

nse )O'L( SOLO

the hen, above. a left in this posifiior ion to9 lo: long, ‘the embryo
att oqf to Tooth mt veyriurr*s

will stick to the shell. 'To avoid this catastr ophey the hen

HOsot ye se1ot9z9 orto Joe oF oldy od Tltw adit ott 5

turns the eee two or three times a day.

enrrortiod Frodtry «tol rot oredd SoBIq totKW bits boo,

od

INCUBATION 65

Air passes through the pores of the shell for use by the
embryo as it develops. If the pores are stopped by a coat of
oil or dirt, the embryo smothers. If the eggs are permitted
to dry out too much, there will not be enough albumen left
to make the chick large and strong enough to break the shell
and get out, and it will die in the shell.

After about twenty-one days of incubation, the chick is
ready to leave its shell (Fig. 48). Although it is not very
strong, it is able to make its way through the hard shell with-
out very much difficulty, for Nature has provided it with a
hard, sharp point which is fastened to the end of its beak.
With the aid of this little instrument, the chick breaks out
of its shell. It first makes a little hole in about the middle
of the largest part of the egg. Then it turns itself around
inside of the egg, breaking the shell as it goes. This makes
a broken ring around the egg, so that just a little pressure is
needed to force the two halves of the shell apart, and let
the little chick out into a big world where all things are
strange and new.

The process of incubation goes on just the same
whether the eggs are hatched by a hen or by an incubator.
An incubator, as you know, is a machine whereby chickens
are hatched by artificial heat. As the demand for poultry
and poultry products became greater and greater, some
such machine became necessary; for men wanted to rear
greater numbers of chickens than it was possible to hatch

5

66 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

with hens. There are now many types of incubators, hold-
ing from fifty eggs to several thousand eggs each. They are
heated by means of oil, coal, gas, or electricity. Hot air, or
sometimes hot water, is distributed through pipes which
pass through the upper part of the incubator, over the eggs.

The temperature is held at 103 degrees for the first week ;

Fic. 49.—A brood of chicks hatched in an incubator.

but is increased to 104 degrees the second week, and remains
stationary during the rest of the period of incubation. All
incubators are self regulating; that is, they have some
mechanical device for keeping the heat stationary. They
require nothing on the part of the breeder save the keeping

up of the fire and the turning of the eggs. This must be

on
oD

INCUBATION 67

done once or twice a day from the third to the eighteenth
day of incubation. The eggs must also be cooled and aired
each day for about thirty minutes at the time they are
turned. The construction of the incubator is so simple that
it is almost impossible to have bad results with them if

instructions are followed (Fig. 49).

REVIEW

. Tell how to improve the flock.

. Describe a fowl of high vitality.
. Describe a fowl of low vitality.
. Describe a good egg type.

. Describe a good meat type.

oF 2 WD eS

QUESTIONS

. What is incubation?

. What is the natural method of incubation?
Name the parts of an egg.

. Give the composition of the yolk and albumen.
. Where is the germ located?

. How long does it take a chick to develop?

. Tell something of incubators.

. Why should eggs be turned?

. What temperature should be maintained?

. How does a chick get out of the shell?

SeMDNankhwNH

ro

HOME WORK

Select a good meat type and a good egg type from among the fowls
at home.

LESSON XVI
Broopine

Tv is natural for the hen to brood her young chicks—that
is, to care for them until they are old enough to care for
themselves. The good mother does not leave her nest as soon
as a few of her chicks are hatched. Often her chicks are
two days old before the hen gets off her nest. Even after
that she looks after them carefully. She protects them
from danger, and shelters them under her wings from cold
and rain. She keeps them from going astray and finds food,
such as seeds and insects, for them. She valiantly fights off
any intruders.

After the chicks are hatched, it is a good plan to place
the hen in a brooding coop (Fig. 50). This coop should
consist simply of a hover, with a runway in front of it. The
runway should be fenced with slats close enough together to
keep the hen from getting out, yet not close enough to pre-
vent the little chicks from going through. Such a coop can
be placed in the yard or garden, or in any out-of-the-way
place. As the chickens grow older, they will learn to range
farther and farther, and yet will have the coop to run to in
case of danger, and to go to at night.

When chicks must be cared for without the hen, artificial

brooders must be used. There are many kinds of brooders.
68

BROODING 69

Some are made to be placed inside a building, while some
are built so that they can be used outside. There are heated
brooders which are heated by means of oil, coal, gas, or elec-
tricity, in much the same manner as an incubator, and fire-

less brooders which are dependent upon the body heat of

Fic. 50.—Brooding coop.

the chicks. There are brooder stoves made which will heat
an entire room.

Of course, natural brooding has some advantages over
artificial brooding. A hen will take care of the chicks while

the owner is away—will fight enemies such as hawks and

70 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

will protect the chicks from sudden showers. There is no
danger of fire with a natural brooder, and the chicks are not
often smothered by crowding, as they sometimes are in an
artificial brooder. But on the other hand, an artificial
brooder can take care of many more chicks than a hen; and
the dangers it exposes them to are not much more serious
than those they are likely to experience when mothered by
ahen. Little chicks are often exposed by the hen to ver-
min. Occasionally they are killed by their mothers, who

fight them, step on them, or dragele them through wet

grass.
REVIEW

1. Define natural and artificial incubation.

2. Tell all you can about the different parts of an egg.

3. Give the effects of the drying of an egg.

4. Describe fully a hatching box.

5. Describe an incubator.

QUESTIONS

. What does the hen do for the baby chick?

- What does the chick do for food just after hatching?
. What should a chick be fed first?

. What changes should be made in the food?

Describe a good brood coop for hen and chickens.

Ae ee

6. Give some advantages of a brood coop.

7. What is a brooder?

8. Name the different kinds of brooders.

9. Give some advantages of both natural and artificial brooding.
JQ. Give some disadvantages of each. :

HOME WORK

Make a good brood coop for a hen and chickens.

LESSON XVII
ENEMIES

Ir is natural for some animals to live by eating plants.
Others live by eating both plants and animals; while still
others live upon animals alone. The last two classes in-
clude the enemies of poultry, such as rats, cats, skunks,
hawks, crows, lice, mites, and so forth.

Rats are thought to do more harm to the poultry indus-
try than any other enemy excepting lice. They usually
eatch little chickens at night, and kill them by biting them
through the heads. Then they suck the blood, and drag the
dead chickens away and hide them in some out-of-the-way
place. Skunks kill chicks in very much the same way as
rats, though they usually leave some of the dead chickens

‘where they have killed them, dragging off only one or two
to their dens, for food for their young. House cats, also,
often catch and kill small chickens during the daytime;
but they are very sly about it, so they are usually thought to
be innocent. The surest way to combat these enemies is to
build the coops and houses so that they cannot get in.

In timbered regions, hawks are a great menace to chicks.

The only way to protect the chicks against them is to kill the
71

72 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

hawks. Sometimes they can be shot; or often they can be
trapped with a steel trap placed on a high pole near the
place where the chicks range.

Crows often prove as dangerous as hawks. If they once
start catching little chicks, they will work diligently,
sometimes carrying off almost an entire flock in a single
day. It is much easier to trap or shoot a crow, however,
than a hawk; for the crow seems to forget danger when
interested in its prey, while the hawk is always on the alert.

Owls work at night. The screech owl, which makes
the wild, weird sound at night, does very little damage to
poultry, as it feeds chiefly on mice; but the great horned
owligapowerfulenemy. It knocks large fowls off the roost
at night, and makes short work of them, while they are
stunned by their fall. <A steel trap on the top of a pole near
the hen roost is usually effective in putting an end to the
owl robber.

Although all of these larger enemies are powerful ones,
lice and mites are by far the most destructive foes of poul-
try. The louse is a parasite which makes its home on the
body of the fowl, and gets its living by sucking the chicken’s
blood. There are two effective methods of killing lice.
One is by giving the chickens a dusty place to serateh in.
The dust fills the breathing pores of the lice, and smothers

them. Another way of getting rid of the pests is by the

ENEMIES 73

use of ointments. A good ointment for this purpose
is made of one part (by weight) of mercury, three
parts of lard, and three parts of tallow, melted together and
mixed thoroughly while cooling. A small quantity of this
mixture, used about the head and vent of the fowl, usually
kills all the lice on its body.

This remedy, however, will not prove effective against
mites. Mites make their home in the cracks of the hen
house, in the roosts, or in the straw under the nests. They
suck the fowl’s blood at night, and hide themselves in their
homes during the day. Since the pests live on filth when the
chickens are not present, it does no good to shut the fowls
out of the house for a time unless the house is thoroughly
cleaned. The best way to get rid of mites is to remove all
straw or litter and then to spray the inside of the house
thoroughly with equal parts of crude carbolic acid and
coal oil.

It should be remembered that lice and mites weaken
the bird until it becomes an easy prey to all sorts of diseases.
Often people treat their chickens for various ailments with-
out ever discovering the primary causes—lice and mites.
Chickens that are free from these body pests will be likely to
thrive better and to prove better paying propositions to their
owners than those that, through ignorance or negiect, are

allowed to suffer from the parasites.

74 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

REVIEW
1. Explain how a baby chick should be fed for the first ten days
after hatching.
. Describe a good brooding coop.
. Describe a brooder.
Name some of the advantages of a brooder.
. Name some of the disadvantages of a brooder.

oR wb

QUESTIONS

Name some enemies of poultry.

. What are the habits of rats and skunks?

What is the best method of controlling them?

When and how do cats, hawks and crows catch young fowls?
How can they be controlled?

. When do owls work, and how can they be caught?

. What are the habits of lice?

. Give methods of control.

. What are the habits of mites?

. Give methods of control.

SGCADNAN FWD

ne
i=)

HOME WORK

Collect some lice and mites in a small bottle and describe the size,
shape, and number of legs of each. Examine them through a
magnifying glass if possible.

LESSON XVIII
DISEASES

Tne old adage, “ An ounce of prevention is worth a

? is nowhere truer than in the treatment of

pound of cure,’
poultry diseases. A sick chicken should always be a signal
to warn the poultryman that something is wrong. He
should immediately try to find and remove the cause of the
ailment. Then he should proceed to the treatment of the
fowl.

Of all the diseases that come to poultry, the least under-
stood and the hardest to handle is roup. This disease is
usually considered to be the last stage of a bad cold. When
the fowl first takes cold, the corners of its eyes froth, and
it is subject to frequent sneezing. After a few days, the
head swells on one or both sides in front of the eyes. Then
the entire head swells, and the breath becomes very offen-
sive. .

The cold is evidently caused originally by an alternate
heating and chilling of the fowl’s body, sometimes as a
result of drafts in its sleeping quarters, or of the chickens
standing in groups on the wet ground in the yard when the
weather is windy. If the house is the cause of the trouble,

do away with the drafts. If the chickens seem to be catch-
75

76 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

ing cold in the poultry yards, keep them in the houses on
bad days.
There are two other diseases which many claim are

chicken pox, or sore head, and canker.

related to roup
Chicken pox affects the unfeathered parts of the head. It
first appears as a blister; later, a dark, hard scab forms.
Canker consists of sore spots in the mouth. These spots are
often covered with a thick coat or yellowish scab.

No one has been able to show exactly what the relation
between these three diseases is, but it is certain, at least, that
they respond to the same treatment. Creolin or zenoleum is
a good remedy when applied directly to the affected parts.
As a system treatment, the following often proves effective:

Magnesium sulphate ........ fies cians 10 oz.
Magnesium OX1dE sinc bias galtienate uit 1 oz.
Sulphate of iron’) sii acnu tated Bade 2 oz.
Ground ginger ...... Ee cera IR Rie Reet 2 oz.
Sulphur areas lee eke es is cokes 3 02.

Give 1 teaspoonful to 12 fowls in moist mash each morning for
3 mornings then discontinue till needed. Tor severe cases double
the dose.

Another common disease of poultry is gapes. This is
caused by a small worm which fastens itself to the inside of
the windpipe of a fowl, and lives by sucking the bird’s blood.
A fowl atticted with gapes stands in a drooping position, fre-

quently gaping and showing signs of irritation in the throat.

DISEASES 77

Since the gape worm lives in the earth and is picked up by
the fowls from the soil, the best way to eradicate it is to
move the chickens to a new place, and then to apply lime to
the infected soil. The ground should be cultivated for one
or two years, and should afterwards be sown in grass. It is
not safe to move the chickens back until the infected place
has been in grass for at least a year.

Before treating a fowl for the gapes, it is well to make
sure that the chicken is really suffering from the disease. A
good remedy for the ailment is to put the fowls in a box
or barrel and to sift dry, air-slaked lime over them. The
breathing of the dust by the fowls dislodges the worms.
Care must be taken, however, not to use enough lime to suf-
focate the chickens themselves.

Limber neck is not a disease in itself, but is a condition
resulting, usually, from ptomaine poisoning, though acute
indigestion sometimes produces the same symptoms. It can
be transmitted from a dead fowl to a live one, if the live bird
is permitted to eat of the carcass of a fowl that died of
limber neck. Accordingly, it is well to burn all the dead
chickens that might transmit the trouble.

Sealy leg is a rough, irregular growth on the feet and
legs, caused by a mite much smaller than that which infests
the poultry houses. This mite works its way underneath
the scales on a chicken’s feet and legs, and causes an extra
growth there. Like most parasites, it thrives better in filth,

78 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

and is sure to flourish on the feet of poultry that are allowed
to roost in filthy quarters. Two or three applications of
equal parts of lard and sulphur usually will cleanse the feet
and legs of a fowl that is suffering from this pest.

Baby chicks are often afflicted with diseases caused by
their being too warm or too cold, or by their being fed too
young. They are also subject to white diarrhoea, a germ
disease. The best way to prevent these diseases is to exer-
cise care in housing and feeding the little chicks, as directed
in Lessons XIT and XIII.

REVIEW
. What is the worst enemy to poultry?
. Tell how to control hawks and crows.
. Tell how to control rats and skunks.
How can we control lice?
. How can we control mites?

wor

or oo

QUESTIONS

1. What is the first step in controlling diseases?
2. What is the beginning of roup?

3. Give symptoms and remedy for roup.

4. Give symptoms and remedy for canker.

5. Give symptoms and remedy for chicken pox (sore head).
6. Give symptoms and remedy for limber neck.

. Give symptoms and remedy for gapes.

8. Give symptoms and remedy for scaly legs.

9. If fowls have a cold where would you look for the trouble?
10. If they catch cold in the yard what can be done?

TIOME WORK

Find two diseases in the flock at home and remedy them.

LESSON XIX
Care AND MaNaGEMENT

Axwmost all poultry will sooner or later be used for food
purposes. Since this is the case, each fowl should be
properly fattened before being sold. In selecting chickens
for market, it is wise to choose those which will not prove
profitable for egg-laying or breeding purposes. <A hen is
not profitable as an egg-producer after her second laying
season ; so all the old hens should be disposed of. Inasmuch
as weak fowls are likely to produce weak chicks, all those
that show indications of weakness should be selected for
market. Fowls with long, straight necks, straight beaks,
knock knees, and so forth, are not usually profitable.
Accordingly, the sooner they are turned into cash, the bet-
ter. At the close of the hatching season all male birds
should be sold save those to be kept for the next year’s breed-
ing season. There isa double advantage in selling them off,
since infertile eggs are better in quality and keep much
longer than fertile eggs. Any pullets having serious defects,
such as crooked backs or wry tails, should be disposed of.

When the young birds that are to be sold weigh from one
to two pounds, they should be placed in a coop or small pen

and fed on cracked corn, wheat middlings, wheat bran, and
79

80 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

sour milk for about ten days before being placed on the
market.

Since a great deal of the profit in keeping chickens
comes from the sale of the eggs, it is necessary that the eggs
be in first class condition when placed on the market. They
should be kept as carefully as milk and butter during the
summer months. At all times, they should be clean; for
clean eggs are more attractive, and secure higher prices than
dirty ones. It is easy to ensure clean eges, if good nests with
plenty of fresh straw are provided. The straw also prevents
the eggs from being cracked, as has been mentioned before ;
and an egg that is sound will keep much longer than one
with a crack in it.

An egg should be nicely shaped if intended for market.

Since small eggs turn down on their sides in the egg fillers,
and very large ones stand up so high that the eges above
break them, eggs of an average weight of about two ounces

oe

should be selected for market. Those larger and smaller
should be kept for home use.

In order to be sure of having fresh eges, the eggs should
be collected every day. If hens sit on eggs even over night,
the germ begins to develop. After two days of incubation,
the eggs are unfit for food. Moreover, hens must be
watched and prevented from “ stealing ” their nests. Often
they hide their eggs in out-of-the-way places, and by the

time the nest is discovered, the eggs have been spoiled by the

CARE AND MANAGEMENT 81

heat of the sun. In order to ensure a reputation for reliabil-
ity, always test with a candle any doubtful eggs before tak-
ing them to market. It is a good plan, oftentimes, to sell to
dealers who buy “ loss off ”—that is, who test the eggs them-
selves, and pay only for the good ones. If you wish to mar-
ket ‘‘ strictly fresh ” eggs, they should be disposed of twice
a week if possible.

With poultry, as with everything else, care and prompt-
ness are two of the chief secrets of success. Especial care
should be exercised in seeing that the fowls get food con-
taining the proper elements for fattening or for egg produc-
tion ; and that the baby chicks are given proper rations. On
many farms, the supply of sharp grit is all used up. When
this is the case, grit must be furnished to the chickens.
Crushed rock answers this purpose admirably. Care should
be taken also to ensure to the chickens a constant supply of
clean, fresh water. Unless the water is in very large vessels,
it must be renewed oftener than once or twice a day.

Promptness in discovering and arresting disease has
helped many a poultryman to prosperity. It is a good prac-
tice to look over the flock each day, in order to discover any
disease before it gains a foothold. The fowl which seems
sick or drooping should be immediately separated from the
rest of the flock in order to prevent the spread of contagion ;
and the poultryman should spray the houses and coops regu-
larly, without waiting for disease to appear.

6

82 TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

It will be found that the work of poultry house and yard
can be done much more easily and quickly if a little fore-
sight is used in the location of the buildings. They should be
so situated as to be convenient to the other farm buildings
and to each other. It isa good plan, also, to have in the poul-
try house bins which will hold a large amount of feed so that
it will not be necessary to go to the barn for feed a couple
of times a day. It is attention to details such as these that
distinguishes the good business man from the poor one,
and the thrifty farmer from one that is shiftless.

REVIEW
. Which is better, a preventative or a cure?) Why?
. Tell all you can of roup.

How would you treat canker?
. What are gapes and how are they controlled?

oe oo toe

. How can you control scaly leg?
QUESTIONS
What is necessary to success in poultry?
. What is the final use of most poultry?
Give a ration for small chicks.
What is grit for?
Can fowls live without it?
. Give some points which indicate that a fowl is not profitable
for laying or breeding purposes and should be sold on the

a a

market.
. What results from hens stealing their nests?
8. How often should eggs be sold?
. How do you candle eggs?
10. What are the advantages of good nests?

=

HOME WORK

Select two profitable and two unprofitable birds at home.

LESSON XX

Revirw

ANSWER ANY FIFTY QUESTIONS.
FOR EACH CORRECT ANSWER

e

bo

ic

co

18

19

. What does poultry mean?

. Why should we study poul-

try?

Who grow poultry?

. What is comparison judging?

. What is score-card judging?

. Where are
food?

Name the parts of poultry

used for food.

. Name the sections of a fowl.

. Give the history of the meat
breeds.

. Give the history of the egg

breeds.

. Give the history of the dual-
purpose breeds.

. Compare White Plymouth
Rock and White Orpington.

. Compare Buff Plymouth
Rock and Buff Cochin.

. Compare Black Langshan
and Black Minorca.

. Name the solid-colored fowls.

. Name the parti-colored fowls.

. Describe the Barred Ply-
mouth Rock. :

. Describe the Silver Wyan-
dotte.

. Describe the White Leghorn.

eggs used for

TWO

20

PER CENT. WILL BE ALLOWED

. Describe the Light Brahma.
. Describe the White Wyan-
dotte.

. Describe the Houdan.

. Why should poultry houses
be ventilated?

24. Describe a good location for

a poultry house.

. Describe a good poultry
house.

. Describe a colony house.

. How should the house be

equipped?
. How many nests are needed?

29. Where should the nests be -

2. How

3. Which

placed?

. Describe a broody coop.

. Describe a feed hopper.
should the yard be
divided?
fowls should be in
breeding pen?
. What the
yard?

. What is the natural food of
the fowl?

best shaped

is

5. Give a good feed ration for

hens.
Give a good feed ration for
baby chicks.

83

84

38

39

46.

47.

. Name the internal organs of
a hen.

. Tell the work done by each
organ.

. Should breeds be crossed?

. Give some points that indi-
eate high and low vitality.

2, What is an incubator?

. Name the parts of an egg.
. What is the temperature
necessary to incubate eggs?

. Explain natural and arti-
ficial brooding.

Name three enemies of poul-
try.

Give method of controlling
each,

48.

TWENTY LESSONS ON POULTRY KEEPING

Name the three most common
diseases of poultry.

. Give causes and remedy of
each.

. Describe the healthy type of
chicken.

. Describe the type to cull and
sell.

2. What is a good fattening ra-
tion?

. Why is regular feeding nec-

essary ?

. Why is a balanced feed neces-
sary?

. How should eggs be cared
for?

APPENDIX

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS.

Barrine: Bars extending across a feather at right angles to its
length, or nearly so.

Bearp: In chickens, a group of feathers pendent from the throat,
as in Houdans and Polish. In turkeys, a tuft of coarse, bristly
hairs, four to six inches long, projecting from upper part of
breast of mature males.

Beak: The projecting mouth parts of chickens and turkeys, consist-
ing of upper and lower mandibles.

BILL: The projecting mouth parts of water fowl consisting of upper
and lower mandibles.

BLavDE: The rear part of a single comb, back of the last well-defined
point, usually extending beyond the crown of the head.

BreEED: A race of fowls, the members of which maintain distinctive
shape characteristics that they possess in common. Breed is a
broader term than variety. Breed includes varieties, as, for
example, the Barred, White, and Buff varieties of the Plymouth
Rock breed.

Broop: All the young birds hatched or cared for at one time by one
mother, or in one brooder.

Cuicks: The young of the domestic hen, properly applied until the
sex can be distinguished; sometimes used to designate specimens
less than one year old.

Cock: A male fowl one year old and over.

CocKEREL: A male fowl less than one year old.

Coms: The fleshy protuberance growing on the top of a fowl’s head.
The standard varieties of combs are: Single, rose, pea, V-shaped,
and strawberry, all others being modifications of these.

ConpITION: The state of a fowl as regards heaith, cleanliness, and
order of plumage.

Crop: The receptacle in which a fowl’s food is accumulated before
it passes into the gizzard.

DISQUALIFICATION: A deformity or serious defect that renders a
fowl unworthy to win a prize.

85

86 APPENDIX

DISQUALIFIED: Term applied to a fowl that is unworthy to win a
prize.

Down: The first hairy covering of chicks; also the tiny tufts of
hair-like growth that sometimes are found on the shanks, toes,
or feet, of fowls.

Drake: A male of the duck family.

Duck: A female of the duck family, as disprior to the development
of feathers.

Ear-Lopes: The folds of bare skin just below the ears, sometimes
called “ deer-ears.”’ Ear-lobes vary in color in dilferent breeds,
being red, white, purple, cream, and so forth; they also vary
greatly in size.

Fiurr: The soft feathers about thighs and posterior part of a fowl;
also the soft, downy under-part of a feather.

GItts: A term that is applied to the wattles.

Hackie: The neck plumage of either sex, formed of the hackle
feathers.

JKKNoCK-KNEED: A deformity in which the legs come too near together
at the knee-joints and are bent outward, laterally, below the
knees.

Meaty: Having the appearance of being sprinkled with meal. Ap-
plied to buff varieties where the ground color is stippled with a
lighter color.

Parti-coLtoreD: Feathers or fowls of two or more colors.

Pea coms: <A triple comb, of medium length, resembling three
straight, single combs placed parallel with one another, and
joined at base and rear, each having short but distinctly divided
serrations, the serrations of the two outer rows being lower
and smaller than those of the middle row, and those of each
row being larger and somewhat thicker midway of the comb than
at front and rear.

Pren: A male and four females.

Pencitinc: Small markings or stripes on a feather. They may run
straight across, as in the penciled Hamburgs, in which case they
frequently are called bars, or may follow the outline of a
feather, taking a crescentic form, as in the Dark Brahmas,
Partridge Cochins, ete.

PLumace: The feathers of a fowl.

APPENDIX 87

Povutt: The young of the domestic turkey, properly applied until the
sex can be distinguished, when they become cockerels and
pullets.

Pouttry: Domestic fowls reared for exhibition, for the table, or for
their eggs or feathers.

Primaries: The flight feathers of the wing, hidden, or nearly so,
when the wing is close.

Puiitet: A female fowl less than one year old.

QuiLL: The hollow, horny, basal part, or stem, of a feather.

Rose come: <A low, thick, solid comb, the upper surface of which
should be covered with small, rounded points. This comb ter-
minates in a well-developed spike, which may turn upward as in
Hamburgs; be nearly level, as in the Rose-comb Leghorns, or
turn downward, as in the Wyandottes. ‘

ScaLy Lecs: A fowl’s legs with an incrustation or deposit upon and
beneath the scales.

SEconparies: The long quill feathers that grow on the second joint
or fore-arm of a fowl’s wing, visible when the wing is folded.
With the primaries, they constitute the main feathers of the
wing.

SoLip coLOR—SELF CoLor: A uniform color, unmixed with any other.

SERRATED: Notched along the edge like a saw.

SERRATION: One of the projections of a serrate.

Suarr: The stem of a feather, especially the part filled with pith,
which bears the barbs.

Suanxk: The lower, scaly part of a fowl’s leg, exclusive of the foot
and toes.

SickLes: The long, curved feathers of a male bird’s tail, properly
applied to the top pair only, but sometimes used in referring
to the prominent tail coverts, which also are called lesser sickles.

Sipe sprics: [xtraneous, well-defined growths on the side of a
comb.

SINGLE coms: A comb consisting of a single thin, fleshy serrated
formation, rising from the beak and extending backward over
the crown of the head, and, in males, beyond the head.

SpancLe: A clearly-defined marking of distinctive color, located at
the end of a feather.

SPANGLED: Plumage made up of spangled feathers.

88 APPENDIX

SQuIRREL TaIL: A fowl’s tail, any portion of which projects for-
ward toward the neck, beyond a perpendicular line drawn from
the juncture of tail and back.

Srrain: A family of any variety of fowls bred in line of descent
by one fancier, or a successor, during a number of years, until
it has acquired individual characteristics which distinguish it
more or less from other strains of the same variety.

STRAWBERRY CoMB: Approaching in shape the outline and surface of
strawberry.

Surrace cotor: The visible color of. the plumage when a fowl is at
rest.

Symmetry: Perfection of proportion; the harmony of all the parts
or sections of a fowl, viewed as a whole, with regard to the
standard type of the breed it represents.

TAIL-FEATHERS, MAIN: The straight and stiff feathers of the tail that
are contained inside the sickles and tail-coverts; the top pair
are sometimes slightly curved, but generally are straight.

THUMB MARK: A disfiguring depression which sometimes appears in
the side of a single comb.

TOE FEATHERING: The feathers on the toes of a fowl.

Trio: One male and two females.

TypicaL: Expressing a characteristic, in color or form, representative
of a breed or variety; for example, “ typical shape” means the
form peculiar to a breed.

Unper coLtor: The color of the downy portion of the plumage, not
visible when the plumage is in its natural position.

Variety: A subdivision of a breed used to distinguish fowls hav-
ing the standard shape of the breed to which they belong, but
differing in color of plumage, shape of comb, etc., from other
groups of the same breed. The general difference between the
terms breed and variety is well brought out in the statement,
popular among fanciers, “shape ,makes the breed; color the
variety.”

V-SHAPED comMB: A comb formed of two well-defined horn-like sec-
tions.

WatTTLes: The pendent growths at the sides and base of the beak.

WEB—WEB OF FEATHER: The flat or plumed portion of a feather,
made up of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft. Wes
or FEET: The flat skin between the toes. WEB OF WING: The
triangular skin attaching the wing to the body, visible when
wing is extended.

APPENDIX 89

CLUBS AND CONTESTS

Mucu good can be had from the holding of contests in
school (Fig. 51). Competitions of any sort have the
effect of stimulating the interest of the pupils, and of
encouraging them to greater efforts. Many contests are pos-
sible in connection with the study of poultry. A very inter-
esting one consists of the naming of the breeds and varieties
by the pupils, as mentioned in Lessons IV, V, and VI.

The fowls should be placed in numbered coops. The
pupils are then given blank cards like that on Page 13; and
are told to pass in front of the coops, examining the poultry,
and writing on the cards the name and description of each
fowl. The child who names the fowls and gives their char-
acteristics correctly wins the contest. In case of a tie, the
child whose spelling is the best wins. If there is still a tie,
the penmanship on the card will decide the question.

Another good contest for counties where annual poul-
try shows are held consists of a competition among the chil-
dren in raising fowls to be entered and judged at the county
poultry show. Special prizes for fowls should be offered for
the school children ; and an additional prize should be given
for the best exhibition coop made by a pupil (Fig. 52).
These coops are twenty-four inches from front to back,
thirty inches high, and forty inches long, with cloth ends,
backs and tops, board bottoms, and wire fronts. Every
pupil should exhibit the fowls he raises in a coop of his
own making (Fig. 53).

90 APPENDIX

: Fic. 52.—Children building exhibition coops which are 24 inches from the
front to back, 30 inches high and 40 inches long, with cloth ends, back, and top, board
bottom, and wire front.

APPENDIX 91

Fia. 54.—Pupils with chickens which they have brought to school.

92 APPENDIX

An effective contest can be based on the care and man-
agement by the child of the flock at home. The pupil should
keep a definite and accurate record of all feed used and of
the cost of houses, coops, and egg cases. He should also keep
a record of all eggs used, sold, or incubated. These records,
together with a three-page essay on some problem con-
nected with poultry raising, will serve as the basis of the
contest. The parents should co-operate with the teacher
by seeing that the pupil does the work, and by furnishing
written statements of the amount of work done by the child.
The teacher should give the pupil school credit for the work
done at home.

THE SCHOOL FAIR

Durtve the fall season, the pupils should arrange for a
one-day fair. On that day, they should bring to school
many products of the farm, with poultry chief among them
(Fig. 54). The parents should be invited to be present. It
will not be hard to find competent men who will be willing
to assist in judging the poultry and other products. The
American Poultry Association has members in every school
district, who will be glad to co-operate in this work and to
help in every way possible. The prizes need not be elab-
orate. A ribbon often means just as much to a child as an
expensive prize, and proves just as successful in stimulating

the pupil to greater efforts.

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