- POULTRYMANS .
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PRATT FOOD COMPANY, PUBLISHERS.

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DEDICATED TO THE UPBUILDING
OF THE GREAT POULTRY INDUSTRY.

presented to

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Pratt Foop Company —

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ADELPHIA

Price $1.00

THE POULTRYMAN’S
COMPLETE HANDBOOK

WHAT TO DO
Lew aa Te, AND

HOW TO DO IT

at

ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS BOOK

This book exceeds in value and practical infor-
mation most poultry books selling from $1.00 to
$2.00 per copy. We leave the truth of this state-
‘ment to the readers of this volume. However, for
a time at least, we will mail a copy to any address
upon receipt of ten cents in stamps to cover

__ postage, wrapping, etc.

PRATT FOOD COMPANY
PHILADELPHIA - CHICAGO - TORONTO
1913
(All Rights Reserved)

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER

Webi Goon NIMS RY. 5 oo cc us oe 2 ca ced acetewle

Its importance—Advantages—Disadvantages—Branches of
poultry husbandry—Opportunities—Financial returns.

ME WRN OED ENGST 5 ee nc me oe ee ew ee ws

Types—Requirements—Materials—Long houses—Colony
houses—Yards and ranges—Floor space per bird—Building
- plans—Conditioning house—Brooder houses.

Ili. Pouttry House EquripMENT AND APPLIANCES.......

Tools—Roosts—Dropping boards—Nests—W ater recep-
tacles—Feed hoppers—Grain bins—Feed carriers—Green
food frames—Trap nests—Brooders—Nests for sitters.

MEE DSNOE EM OWLS o.oo. Sek See Weide s oe

Standard bred fowls—Mongrels—Breeding for health—
Classes, breeds. and varieties+Characteristics—Rules for
breeding—Selection of breeders.

NV POULTRY FEEDING a) 68:6)". 6) 0 00) 6 OL @. 6 & (6 6.0) 6 & © 6: G6) 8) © Se) ee 6 oe ane

Essentials of the ration—Feeds commonly used—Methods
of feeding—Dry mash—Wet- mash—Automatic feeders—
Successful feed mixtures.

OSL SEND ESTO ey ?-Sele ea ee re

Natural and artificial incubation—Selection of the eggs—
Management of the sitting hen—Operating the incubator.

Rie An GAN IR DARING, sf oo8 cok. bye e Su ee ae ene

Natural and artificial methods—Management of hens and
broods—Lamp brooders—Fireless brooders—Pipe systems.

VIII. MarKkeETING PouLtry PROMUCESec. .us ss NGA ail tg than aM

Study of markets necessary—How to sell—Ege packages—
Shipping live poultry—Killing—Dressing—Cooling—Pack-
ages—Packing—Loss in dressing,

5

PAGE

17

63.

CONTENTS :

CHAPTER PAGE

IX.

XI.

Eert.

PountRy DISEASES): fi 2. Bee eee ete ee ie ey.

Breeding for health—Cleanliness—Sanitation—Disease de-
fined—Post-mortem examinations—The hospital—Hospital
equipment—Administering medicine—Poultry diseases—
Symptoms—Causes—Treatment—Symptom chart.

TURKEYS 420065. 5 Gee yee ey ee 103

Origin of the turkey—Breeds—Requirements—Buildings—
Ranges—Breeding—Feeding and care of adult flock—
Nests—Hatching—Feeding and rearing the poults—Diseases.

WATER AMOW is cee: . Acts eee SS ce ee ee Me oS

Ducks and geese—Breeds of ducks—Characteristics—
Houses—Equipment—Feeding and Management of breed-
ers—Hatching—Feeding and rearing ducklings—Diseases—
Feeding and management of breeding geese—Hatching—
Feeding goslings—Breeds.

SOUAB. GROWING =). 4.565602 ci 5S ae eee ep ee

Pigeons for pleasure and profit—Origin—Advantages—Dis-
advantages—Breeds of* squab-producing pigeons—Build-
ings—Equipment and appliances—Flights—Breeding—Feed-
ing—Management—Diseases. .

PRATT EXPERIMENT, STATION 2.35: «thts =e map
PARCELS Post E:AWt ey) 02 oot ogee a ae 149
QUEEN INCUBATORS AND BROODERS .. 5... 52.5)... uae 150
EXPERIENCES 2)... ood Sar ehes bas ee tee ee 151
PRATTS STOCK AND POULTRY PREPARATIONS. .......- ee

INDEX. 200.30. os 6 ee See 2 ee -< ee

PREFACE

It is with much pleasure and satisfaction that we present this
practical work on poultry culture to our many friends and customers.
There are many good poultry books available, and yet we feel that
this one will fill a place not already occupied.

As the title indicates, this work is intended to serve as a thor-
oughly reliable guide to the amateur as well as a help to the expe-
rienced pouiltryman, telling in the simplest way “what to do and
how to do it” to reach financial success in the business of poultry
growing.

-The text is from the pen of one of our staff of poultry experts,—
an authority in the field of poultry husbandry, a man who has had
wide experience and earned success. He has called to his assistance
a number of men and women notable for their prominence in some
special line of poultry work, and has drawn freely upon govern-
ment and agricultural experiment station bulletins for facts of a
scientific nature.

The illustrations are from so many different sources that indi-
vidual acknowledgment is impractical. However we wish in this
manner to express our thanks to the different individuals who so
kindly supplied them. Some of these engravings have appeared in
print beforé, but are reproduced because of their special value. Others
were made especially for this work. As a whole we feel that they
will prove interesting, inspiring and helpful. All working plans of
houses and equipment are drawn to scale. They are purposely made
so plain and simple that anyone can easily follow them, even though
unskilled in reading drawings.

We desire to call particular attention to the chapters on some
specialties which many farmers and poultrymen may profitably
develop where conditions are right, viz., the growing of turkeys,
water fowl and squabs.

The complete index in the back of the book will be found most
convenient, enabling the busy reader to quickly refer to any topic
in which he is specially interested. .

7

8 PREFACE

en

On pages 157 and 158 will be found a complete retail price list of
the various guaranteed poultry preparations sold by this company.
We call particular attention to these goods as we feel confident that
they will prove a wonderful aid to every poultry keeper who wishes
to make and keep his birds healthy and productive, and, therefore,
profitable. Each article in this list is designed to meet a special need.
Each has been thoroughly tested and each is the best of its kind.
Each one may be used with entire confidence, since we stand behind
them all with this broadest and best of guarantees, “ Your money
back if it fails.” This means no argument, no trouble, just the
money !

During the past forty years this company, the oldest in this line,

has been doing business with the poultrymen of America. These
four decades cover the period of the greatest development of
the poultry industry, which to-day holds a leading place among
special agricultural pursuits. We feel that we have played an im-
portant part in putting the industry on its present firm basis
by assisting untold numbers of poultry raisers to make their work
safe and sure instead of uncertain as in the old days. That they have
recognized this has been manifested by a constant and increasing
patronage, which alone has made possible the extension of our busi-
ness to its present large proportions.

To our friends, old and new, we pledge a continuation of our long-
established “square deal” policy. We wish to help our friends
achieve success, as this is the foundation of our success. We have
great faith in the poultry industry, and expect to continue to be a
factor in its extension and development.

And so we present this book, believing that it will prove a safe
guide to many poultry keepers, beginners and old hands, enabling
them to make their flocks more profitable and the work of caring
for them easier and pleasanter.

PRATT Foop CoMPANY.

(Clabe ied blades
THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

A ONE-MAN PLANT PAYING $2000 PROFIT PER YEAR

Agriculture as a whole is the foundation of our national prosperity.
Agricultural values are real, not fictitious. The farmer has nothing
to do with the floating of watered stocks or bonds of questionable
value. Neither is he, like the manufacturer, a worker in raw mate-
rials drawn from other sources. He is a creator, working miracles in
his corn field, his meadow and his barns, bringing into being each year
materials which are so essential to the comfort, the happiness, the
Vemyelire ot the race.”

American agriculture has made an astonishing advance during the
last quarter of a century. In a recent report covering the work of
the Department of Agriculture for a period of sixteen years, Sec-
retary Wilson points to the fact that in this comparatively brief
period the annual value of our agricultural products has increased
from four billion dollars to nine billion five hundred million dollars.
These figures are so vast as to be almost incomprehensible, but they
serve to demonstrate that the agricultural products of 1912 were
practically two and a half times greater than they were but sixteen
years ago.

Practically every single branch of agriculture has shared in this
wonderful development, but none has grown with such rapidity as
has poultry hyusbandry.- The annual value of our poultry products
has increased enormously, until the dream of a “ billion dollar poultry
industry ” bids fair to become a reality in the immediate future.

9

10 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Poultry keeping is the one branch of agriculture that offers
opportunties to people of both sexes, all ages, all walks in life, all
sections of the country. It may be made profitable alike on the farm
and in the city back yard ; in the ice-bound North and the sunny South.
It may be carried on as an exclusive business or a side line. It affords
pleasure for rich and poor alike. In short, it is the universal agricul-
tural industry. Thousands of interested men and women find in it a

THE FREE RANGE SYSTEM
Inexpensive colony houses without yards. The stock is permitted to range at will.

means of livelihood; untold numbers use it as a means of adding to
their incomes from other sources; many make it a health-giving
recreation. .

As an exclusive business, poultry raising is properly a farm busi-
ness, though as a hobby or side line it may be satisfactorily conducted
on the small area of land afforded by a city or suburban home lot.

Pratts Poultry Preparations have played an important part in the wonderful
growth of the poultry industry. Generations of poultrymen have come to

regard these sterling products as the basis of their success. “ Pratts” has been
a by-word among money-making poultrymen for forty years.

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY 11

In fact, poultry
may profitably be
kept under a
very wide range
of conditions,
though it is not
wise to attempt
to expand the
business to com-
mercial propor-
tions unless the
surrounding con-
ditions are fa-
vorable.

THE INTENSIVE SYSTEM
Long houses divided into small pens, each having a narrow In a general

yard in front. way, pou ltr y
keeping possesses more advantages than any other single branch of
agriculture. However it is not entirely free from serious disad-
vantages.

When making a start, a comparatively small investment will serve.
Low priced land not suitable for general farming, will often serve
admirably. Old buildings may-at snail cost be converted into satis-
factory poultry houses. Most of the necessary equipment may be
built at home at small cost.

Poultry keeping may be started on a small scale, as in conjunction
with some other business or employment, and expanded as experi-
ence warrants and profits permit.

TWO-PEN HOUSES WITH LARGE YARDS

So much land is given each flock of birds that they have practically free range, and still
the various flocks are kept separate.

12 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Prompt returns are secured on the investment, and the working
capital can thus be “ turned over” frequently. |

Poultry products of various kinds are seasonable throughout the
entire year, and the plant may be so managed as to yield some revenue
each week of the fifty-two. There need be no waiting for cash until
the big crop is sold, as is the case in orcharding, hay or grain growing.

The poultry flocks are a benefit to the farm, increasing the fertility
instead of being a drain upon the land.

Poultry products of vatious kinds are concentrated and valuable,
and are, therefore, easily marketed. They may, at small expense, be
shipped to distant markets where quotations are more favorable than
near at hand. |

The regular work of caring for the poultry can scarcely be called
hard labor, especially where the plant is conveniently arranged and
the necessary labor-saving appliances provided. It is interesting,
many find it actually fascinating,
and every member of the family
can attend to certain duties with-
out overtaxing their strength.

Poultry products are in con-
stant and increasing demand, and
there is a practically unlimited
market for them at fair prices.

There seems to be little if any
danger of the business being
overdone.

Poultry. keepimge is* a oraest
healthful occupation, since it
keeps the worker out of doors a
great deal of the time and is not
likely to become monotonous,
since each season brings a new
round of duties.

The disadvantages of the busi-
ness seem to be about as follows:

Since poultry raising is a busi-

ness of endless detail, it demands
constant attention. In short it is
a seven day job, the birds requir-

MEXICAN GAME COCKS

Fighting games en route to the cock pit,
each in a separate basket to prevent them

injuring each other before the “sport”

begins.

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY 13

ing attention on Sundays as well
as week days. There are no
seasons of comparative inactivity
during which the worker can be
away from home for days at a
time. This often means chafing,
uneasiness, discontent. Much
depends upon personal tempera-
ment.

The business is more or
less uncertain, owing to condi-
tions beyond the control of the
poultryman. The weather, prices
of feeds and supplies, and the
returns from the sale ot the
products, vary from year to year.

And finally, the poultryman
deals with living things which as
yet are not fully understood and
which cannot always be con-
trolled... Death will come in,

Be PO CHANCED causing serious loss among

young and old stock alike; pul-

lets will refuse to lay in spite of conscientious care; eggs will fail
to hatch, though all possible precautions have been taken.

But serious as these drawbacks are they do not offset the many
advantages of poultry husbandry. Poultry growing is a good busi-
ness and asafe one. It offers much of interest, satisfaction and profit
to the farmer, the village resident and the city dweller, according to
their varied opportunities.

Much of the uncertainty of poultry raising is eliminated by the regular use
of Pratts Preparations. |

Pratts Poultry Regulator induces heavy egg production, and insures strong
fertility.
Pratts Baby Chick Food gives the chicks a strong siari.

Pratts Disinfectant keeps the plant sanitary and wards off disease.

Pratts Lice Killers exterminate mites and body lice.

Pratts Poultry Remedics overcome destructive poultry diseases.

USE PRATTS FOR SURE RESULTS.

14 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Much has been written lately about the possible profits to be derived
from this line. It must be confessed that some of these statements are
overdrawn, and that they hold out false hopes to the inexperienced.
As a matter of fact poultry farming is not a sure road to great
wealth ; it is not a get-rich-quick proposition. It does offer a fair
return for intelligent labor, a comfortable living and the means of
acquiring a reasonable competence. Few men have grown rich, as
we measure riches today, in poultry keeping. Many have made
themselves more than independent. There have been failures too,
but the same can be said of every profession and every other business.

Poultry keeping, an agricultural specialty, is itself highly spec-
lalized. Most successful plants are devoted to some one line of work,
or a few closely allied lines, one primary and the others secondary.
A number of poultry specialties naturally group themselves together,
fitting into the general scheme without interfering with each other,
and such combinations are frequently made. For instance, the fancier
whose interests are wrapped up in the production of show specimens,
enters the commercial field where he sells for table use his inferior
birds and surplus eggs. The egg farmer is a market poultry producer
to a certain extent, since he must dispose of his old hens and the
cockerels from his yearly crop of young stock.

As a sort of general classification poultry keepers may be placed in
two general groups—commercial poultrymen and breeders. (This
division is not exact, as the two groups overlap.) The former devote
themselves to the production of table poultry and eggs; the latter to
the production of exhibition and breeding birds, baby chicks and eggs
for hatching.

These two groups may be again divided according to their principal
products, as eggs or meat, etc. We also find further sub-divisions.
Some egg farmers endeavor to secure the largest output during the
winter months, the season of highest prices. Others pay little atten-
tion to winter egg production and bend every energy to securing eggs
during late spring, summer and early fall for sale at summer resorts.
Many are interested most of all in getting nwmbers of eggs, paying
scant attention to their quality ; others place quality first and cater to
hospitals and other institutions which demand the freshest of stock
produced under the most sanitary conditions.

Growers of poultry meat may devote themselves largely to a single
line, as chickens, ducks, geese, squabs and turkeys. Chicken growers

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY 15

in turn may pay special attention to the production of broilers, capons
or roasting chickens.

The same condition exists among the breeders. There are spec-
ialists in different classes and breeds of poultry. Some are most
interested in the growing of strictly fancy or exhibition stock. Others
cater to the demand for birds of superior practical value, either as egg
producers or table poultry, selling breeding birds, baby chicks or
hatching eggs.

A recent addition to the list of openings for poultrymen is custom
hatching. This has followed the introduction of practical incubators
of large capacity, the so-called mammoth machines. These are so
easy and economical to operate, that hatching may be done “ to order ”’
at a very low rate. There seems to be a tendency toward the estab-
lishment of custom hatcheries, central hatching stations, where this
important part of the poultryman’s work can be done for the whole
neighborhood. Such a departure from present methods merely
marks a return to a system that has long been followed in Egypt and
China, where the practice is a common one, the trade or art being
handed down from father to son, like other established businesses.

In many cases these central hatcheries have proven very profitable
in America and Canada, and one may reasonably conclude that before
many years they will be found in practically every community where
much poultry is raised.

Now a very pertinent question often raised by prospective poultry-
men is this— what financial return may one secure from the various
branches of poultry husbandry?” This is a very difficult question to
answer satisfactorily, but the following figures will serve to give a
general idea of the possibilities of the business.

In this connection it is only right to remark that farm incomes can-
not fairly be compared with city incomes, as the conditions are so
different. The farmer counts his profits after meeting most of his
family expenses. The city worker usually refers to the gross
amount he receives. On the farm one has a house to live in, more or
less fuel, fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, etc., which make a serious drain
on the city income. Employes on poultry farms receive room and
board in addition to the monthly wage, but in the city these are paid
for out of the income. This makes a big difference and shows why
a farm income is usually relatively larger than a similar sum carned
in the city.

16 ; THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Competent poultrymen working on established farms commonly
receive $40 to $60 per month, together with board.

Capable managers of poultry establishments are paid according to
their ability and the extent of the business. $75 to $100 per month is
not uncommon. A few receive from $1500 to $2000 per year. One
very successful man is reputed to receive a salary of $3000 per year,
in addition to valuable perquisites.

A “spare-time”’ plant operated by a business man who makes a
specialty of exhibition stock pays a profit of $1300 per year.

A one-man plant, illustrated at the head of this chapter, pays from
$1500 to $2000 per year. This is a strictly commercial establishment
and carries from 800 to 1000 birds.

Two “egg farms,’ well known to the writer, pay $2500 and
$3000 annually.

Producers of “soft roasters”’ in the South Shore district are in
some cases cleaning up from $2000 to $3500 per season.

Duck rearing establishments are often developed to a great size.
Some are reputed to make an annual profit of $5000 to $10,000.

Successful fanciers often make nice profits from small flocks of
birds, since they sell eggs and stock at prices many times greater than
these would bring if marketed for table use. But the commercial
end of the business is safer for the beginner, who will naturally
develop into a fancier after securing some of the necessary practical
experience, provided he possesses the proper qualifications and tem-
perament. |

The best possible advice to the beginner is about as follows:

Begin small; play safe; follow accepted practices of successful
men; test your untried theories—if at all—in a small way; learn
how to do the work before attempting to surpervise others; save a
part of your capital to work with; adopt one suitable breed and stick
to it; carefully study your market and cater to it; stick to your work
until you have overcome your difficulties; use Pratts Poultry Pre-
parations to make your work easier and results surer,

CHAPTER II
POULTRY BUILDINGS

LONG BREEDING HOUSE WITH ATTACHED RUNS

There is no mystery about the construction of poultry houses.
Neither is there any one type of building which embodies all advan-
tages and possesses no disadvantages. There are about as many kinds
of structures as there are poultry keepers, each one incorporating
features which are desirable, or which are thought to be desirable.
Within the limits of a volume of this character it is obviously im-
possible to illustrate and describe these endless variations. Therefore
we will merely discuss the principles of poultry house construction,
present the designs which today are giving general satisfaction, and
reproduce photographs and building plans of structures which have
given the best satisfaction on successful poultry farms.

Every poultry building, regardless of type, materials used, or size,
must meet certain very definite requirements, and any structure which
does this will give good results. Briefly stated these essentials are as _
follows: For the health and comfort of the birds each house must
be dry, well ventilated, free from draughts, sunny and cheerful, and
contain sufficient room for the flock.. In addition to these considera-
tions, the poultryman will do well to consider the desirability of -
economy of construction and convenience. An inconvenient build-
ing often causes one to neglect some of the daily duties, which means
that trouble and loss will soon follow.

17

18 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Stated briefly, the dangers to be avoided in poultry house construc-
tion are dampness, draughts, darkness, dirt.

The materials commonly used are lumber, shingles, cement, build-
ing paper and prepared roofing. Most poultry houses are built of
wood, since it is comparatively inexpensive, fairly durable, and almost
anyone can work it. Cement is sometimes used where sharp sand is
available and the owner can manage the work. Hollow building tile
plastered with cement make excellent walls and floors, but in most
places their cost is prohibitive.

Types of Roofy

Uneaual Span
ct

Shed Roof

Monitor
Roof

Gable Roof

Since warmth is not essential to adult fowls, the expense of heavy
construction is not usually justified. In fact, experiments in heating
the quarters for laying and breeding stock have clearly demonstrated
that this is neither necessary nor desirable.

On the other hand, chicks must be protected and kept warm, so
brooder houses should be tightly built and provided with some means
of heating. |

For convenience, poultry buildings are classified according to size
and shape, as long, or continuous houses, and colony houses. The
former are large buildings, extending east and west, and usually

divided into
pens of various
sizes. Colony
houses are small
buildings, con-
taining one of

.two- pens, and
‘may be either
fixed or port-
able.

In type, poul-
try buildings are
either closed or
pent cirtain

POULTRY BUILDINGS 19

PORTABLE COORS FOR YOUNG«STOCK
A shady range for growing birds is most desirable.

front or open front. The former are equipped with tight fitting win-
dows and doors, and are ventilated by adjusting these openings. The
curtain front houses have large openings in the south wall which are
closed during storms and cold weather by frames covered with thin

SIMPLE “A” SHAPED HOUSES

On this plant the breeding birds use one large run in common,

20 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

- oie THE “GO-WELL” LAYING HOUSE

This Bedding is 20 feet wide and each pen is 20 feet square. A trolley for carrying
feed runs: through: “the center of the building.

Sos RS es

‘cotton cca. or muslin. The open front houses have similar openings,
but these are never closed, regardless of weather conditions.

Very few tight poultry houses are now being erected, and existing
structures of this kind are being converted into the curtain front type
by removing the windows or cutting other openings. The reason for
this is plain; curtain front houses give better satisfaction than those
of the closed type. The latter were built with the idea of conserving
the heat generated by the hens. As a matter of fact they are usually
damp and chilly, because of the condensation of moisture on walls
and ceiling, due to insufficient ventilation.

The open front house is a step further, and does away with the
adjustment of curtains and doors, permitting a constant flow of fresh
pure air into the building at all'times. The objection to this plan lies

LARGE COLONY HOUSES AND FREE RANGE

An ideal arrangement for.poultry on a general farm. Each house is 20 feet square and —
shelters 100 layers,

wes 4

) ee

a)

ty 4
ae! | eo es

a
=
7

POULTRY BUILDINGS a

in the fact that during driving storms much rain and snow will be
forced into the house, causing more or less dampness. The bad effect
of this is offset by the constant circulation of air, yet many owners of
these houses are equipping them with curtains, which keep out storms
without entirely checking the ventilation.

The character of the buildings erected will be determined by the
methods of management decided upon. On farms where the birds
are given free range, the colony system, the small house is necessary.
These may be placed upon permanent foundations, or made portable
as desired. On some farms such structures are never moved. On
others they
are located in
different fields
each. year; and
are frequently
Glustered near
ie rest, “of ‘the
farm buildings
during the win-
ter season.

SCRATCHING
SHED HOUSE.

Each pen of birds
has a closed roosting
room and an open-
front shed for exer-
cising. This type may
be built singly or as
a continuous house.

On intensive

eS ; plants, where
CURTAIN-FRONT HOUSE the po u Lae te y

A simple structure which has given good service. Cloth-covered ,
frames, hinged to the plate, are dropped down during storms and operations are
extremely cold weather.

concentrated
upon a relatively small area, the long house is very popular. Such
buildings are convenient, as they concentrate the stock where it may
be cared for without waste of time. However the present-tendency is
to set such buildings at a considerable distance from each other and

22 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

thus allow the
stock a consid-
erable area of
land over which
- to wander. The
old idea of cut-

ting the flock
Corony House

(JOCoY TYPE) up into families

This house was specially designed for the growing of winter ;
chicks in small lamp brooders. Note the ‘‘ Dutch door ”’ made of of ten to fifteen
two small doors, the upper one merely a cloth-covered frame. birds
3

eee

allowing
each pen a re-
stricted yard, 1s
gradually break-
ing down. The
ic. popular plan to-
day is to keep
., the “Stdek >=
large flocks, a
/ / hundred or
Lay cid CL | ZF Vge.- more birds, and
: oie allow them to
use in common
the land _ that
(Elford Type) was formerly

Especially suitable for cold climates. The roosts are placed in the ;
end opposite the door, and this part of the house is double boarded. cut up into
The ceiling is made of strips set 2 inches apart, and the loft is filled vards
with straw, through which the necessary ventilation is secured. Note Y :
small door opening into this straw loft. The building is mounted The above
on skids for easy moving.

¢

Ty SS te

Rear
Elevation

SSS

‘A’ Suapep Corony House

This little house is simple in construction, light in weight, and easily moved. “It is
convenient for many different uses, since it will house a small pen of breeders, a bunch
of surplus cockerels, or a flock of chickens. Much liked as a colony brooder house, a small
portable brooder being placed in it, and removed when the chicks no longer need heat.

POULTRY BUILDINGS 23

does not apply to the breeder who of necessity breaks his flock up
into small families.

Increasing. the size of the flocks works to the advantage of the
poultryman in two ways. It reduces his labor and increases the num-
ber of birds that may be kept in a certain building. The floor area
per hen may be reduced as the pen is increased in size. This is due
to the fact that each bird actually has the use of the entire pen. If
but five hens are kept together they should be given about Io square

\
|
!

)

INEXPENSIVE [YPE
OCF Lone House

SS milk

ee ee ee See ree ee
Front Elevation ty

_ This 40-foot house was built on contract for $100. It is located on a farm where it has
given much satisfaction. The roof and sides are rough boards covered with roofing material.

1

There are four pens each 10 by 12 feet in size. ; : J tery
The building might be improved by making a good-sized opening in the front of each
pen, fitting same with a cloth-covered frame. As built, ventilation is provided through

the straw loft.

feet of floor surface per bird, say a pen 5 by 10 feet in size. Increase
the flock to 100 birds and the floor space per bird may be reduced to
4 square feet, a house 20 feet square. That is, a pen eight times larger
than the small one first mentioned takes care of twenty times as
many birds.

An even hundred birds to the flock seems to be a very convenient
unit to work with. Many poultrymen are having success with two to

24 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

five hundred in each flock. Everything depends upon the man behind
the birds.

The rear alleyway which was a feature in every long house a few
years ago is disappearing with the pen partitions. When a house is
divided into many small pens the alleyway is a big convenience, but
when there are but two or three large pens the necessity for if dis-
appears. This again is economy, as the usual alleyway takes up about
20% of the floor space, and this might better be devoted to the stock.

A very good substitute for the old time alleyway is an elevated
walk along the front of the building. The birds may be observed and

THE ORIGINAL LAMBERT LAYING HOUSE

One of the best houses for general farm use. 14 by 28 feet in size, divided into two
equal pens by solid board partition from floor to peak. The dropping boards and roosts
are placed along this partition, with ventilating opening below and window above.

The large openings in front may be closed with cloth frames, hinged inside at the front
corners of the building.

pens entered from the walk, and the cost of this arrangement is slight.
The birds may pass out the south side of the house as usual, since the
raised walk will not interfere with their movements.

_ The proper location of the poultry house is a matter of prime im-
portance. A poor location may make the best built house unsatis-
factory.

Wherever possible, the poultry house should be sheltered against
driving storms and cold winds. (Of course this does not refer to the
warmer sections of this country.) But though protection from
sweeping winds is desirable, it is equally important that suitable air

;
.

POULTRY BUILDINGS 25

drainage be provided. Avoid spots in which the damp air settles and
remains. Far better be on a hill exposed to the winds from all
quarters.

The house should-stand upon soil that is well drained, either natur-
ally or artificially. A sandy loam soil gives the best satisfaction, and
if the surface of the land slopes to the south, or slightly east of south,
the location is ideal.

When erecting each house see to it that roof, back and end walls
are tight. The front, or south, side is not of so much importance.
The main thing is to leave sufficient openings for sunlight and air.

The floor is important. This must be dry. In a naturally well
drained soil an earth floor is as good as any. Merely fill in a few
inches above the ground level. In small portable coops or elevated
houses, use board floors. Cement floors may be used in permanent
buildings, especially in damp locations. Give such floors a thorough
coating with hot tar. This checks all moisture.

All buildings should be located with reference to making the daily
work as easy as may be. Care in planning saves many needless steps.
Keep down the labor. It is one of the greatest of poultry farm
expenses.

Where yards are provided, let them be roomy. On the general
farm and on most poultry farms, the wire fencing may well be used
to enclose the house, lawn and garden, giving the birds their freedom
over the rest of the farm. This reduces labor and feed bills and
insures very satisfactory results.

Farmers still have much to learn about making poultry work on the
farm, but there are great possibilities here.

Of late there has been a tendency to do without yards or range for
the laying birds, keeping them confined to their well ventilated houses
at all times. Under this system the pullets are worked one year, and
then marketed. This plan is of most interest to the poultryman
whose ground space is limited.

The cuts and drawings given space in this chapter so clearly show
the various types of buildings that but little further explanation is
necessary. However there are a few points which should be brought
out.

In the evolution of the modern poultry house we can trace several
steps, the earliest of which may be disregarded. The closed front
house was the favorite type for many years. The first step in the

26 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

cae POULTRY HOUSE |
direction of fresh (LAMBERT TYPE)
air housing came
with the _intro-
duction . of the
scratching shed

/

house, in which
each pen of birds
was provided
with the popular

» 5
tight «roosting; . ay su igdGe Laois age es SON 6 ere

room, butinaddi- 3
tion was given an C
open front shed
in which to exer-
cise during --the
day. These sheds
were fitted with
curtains which
were closed when-
ever necessary.
Houses of this
type were built
of varying length,
the “Treosti ne

AN ADAPTATION OF THE LAMBERT HOUSE
See plans above. This house is 10 by 20 feet and accommodates two pens of breeders.

wa

POULTRY BUILDINGS 27

£O.O nis. and
scratching sheds
being arranged
in pairs.

Next came the
form of build-
ing in which the
birds were
Save i) Bite) a
single fresh air
compartment,
though pro-

THE GILLETTE HOUSE tected at night
A most satisfactory home for.a flock of too birds. It is 20 by a roosting
feet square, convenient, comfortable, sanitary. closet Houses

of this kind are
the Maine type—of which practically all of the popular long houses
of today are mere modifications—the Lambert type, etc. In prac-
tically all of these houses the protected roosting closets have been
abandoned, but the birds roost well back from the curtain fronts.

The Gillette house is a very good type, and may be used for a
variety of purposes. Because of its square shape it is an economical
building to erect.

The Tillinghast type is about the cheapest form of poultry house
vat’ can tbe
erected... If": is
betlegin, ~ -box ”’
style, the siding
running up and
down and sery-
ing the purpose
of studding.
Sides and root
are made of one
thickness of
matched cy-

press, with no
covering. The SMALLER HOUSE OF GILLETTE TYPE
Twelve feet square, divided into two pens. See plan on next

roof boards run

THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

28

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CoLony House

BUILDINGS 29

from peak to eaves. In
order to prevent them
from warping and leak-
must: be se-
curely nailed midway be-
tween peak and eaves.
A special piece of timber
must be provided at that
point, as indicated in the
framing plan.

The true open front
house is the last word
in the fresh-air-for-
poultry movement.
Buildings of this type
have been tested in the
¢.0 L.d-e-s:tt;.sections,_jof
Anierica and have made
good. It will be -ob-

ing they

iiwo different methods of enclosing the same frame

served that all these buildings

have relatively low fronts and:

that they are deep, as measured
from front to rear. The small
opening prevents too much air.
from entering; the great depth ~
permits the birds to move back *

to a sheltered place when nec-

essary. : “
In the Tolman type provision :
is made for light at the rear of
the house by putting as window

in one side wail* opposites the =
In the Clarke “type . the ;

door.
windows in the © ‘semi- -monitor..
roof admit the desired light ie
sunshine.

On every farm where exhibi-
tion stock is produced a condi-

A “NO-YARD ” HOUSE

Many egg producers are adopting the
plan of keeping their laying birds confined
to the house at all times, giving them no

out-door runs. This house’ was _ specially
designed for such use.

30 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

OS Sat og re a RHO pasties mn a ‘
hE te COLONY: HOUSE FRAMING PLAN i
(Tillinghast Type) 3

tioning or “ storage house” is necessary. The building illustrated
will comfortably care for a good number of individuals. It will be
found most convenient as a place to train stock for the show room;
pen surplus males separately to prevent mutilation from fighting; set
hens; rear early chicks ; etc.

The equipment for brooding the chicks is one of the most important
things to be provided. On large farms the long brooder houses with 7
hot-water heating are most widely used. The most popular type at
present carries the pipes below the hovers, the heat rising through
a central drum in each hover. The manufacturer of the heating

THE TILLINGHAST COLONY HOUSE.
One of the cheapest poultry houses that can be built. The upper cut shows the original
house, 10 by 20 feet in size; the lower, an adaptation, 6 by 12 feet in size. The roosts are
placed in the end of the building furthest from the door.

POULTRY BUILDINGS 31

system to be in-
stalled should
be consulted be-
fore deciding
upon plans for
a brooder house
ot=this,-...char-
acter.

Few poultry
piants of small
capacity can af-

COCKEREL AND CONDITIONING HOUSE

A necessity on farms where many surplus males are carried ford a pipe Sys-

or birds conditioned for shows. The front portion is divided

into small pens, and two tiers of coops extend along the rear wall. ten brooder

| house, and many
substitutes are used. Generally the portable lamp heated brooders
and fireless brooders are adopted and these are located in a small
coop, colony house, shed or unused pen in the laying house. Some
forms of portable brooders are really miniature brooder houses,
and these may be operated out of doors with no additional pro-
tection. |
_ A very popular plan is to place a small brooder in a colony house,
leaving it there until the chicks are weaned, when it is removed.
The youngsters are left in the house, where they remain until they
reach market size or laying maturity. This plan permits one to make
a start on a small scale and expand as circumstances warrant. As
compared with the long piped brooder system the small brooders
having similar capacity require a much greater amount of labor.

a - eeeS

OPEN FRONT
Cotony Houser Webs,
(TOLMAN TYPE) i
The south end of this house is left open throughout the year regardless of
weather. The birds roost at the rear, weil back from the opening. . This house
can be built in colony form only. Not adaptable to continuous construction.

t Open FRONT House
(CLARK TYPE)

&- ----- ------W-— === ===

€-------- §--------—«-

will do well to provide some kind of

Se 20S SS ee ; pon 2 Sen ea oe eee eee
RONT ELEVATION Cross SECTION
RR Ree eR GAAS = if
] ia |
= ' A very satisfactory form of open-front
Eze pee ™ -
SESS us 1 house which may be built any desired
| as length. The solid partition between the front
ea 5” and rear portions is carried to a point two
1! feet above the floor, thus protecting ‘the
| 3 roosts from draughts.
| “NESTS sige
ee Ia ee ee 7
iets : f
= a geese | Even where lamp heated brooders
! (
' are used the poultryman who raises
- | .
Floor Plan |; much of a crop of chicks each year

where they may
be easily cared
for, especially

during the first

few weeks of
their dives.
simple structure
divided into suit-
able pens will
serve the pur-

pose nicely. For.

use in cold wea-
ther it will be
necessary to pro-
vide some addi-
tional heat in
order to keep
the house tem-
perature suffi-
ciently high.

3, a special brooder house in order to re-
duce labor and concentrate his chicks

OPEN-FRONT HOUSE OF SEMI-MONITOR TYPE

_ May be built in colony house form as illustrated, or as a cons
tinuous house. The upper windows light and ventilate the rear
portion, Frequently called the Woods type.

POULTRY BUILDINGS 33

One of the most convenent types is the depressed alleyway brooder
house, which is illustrated by photos and drawings on page 34. This is
simply a low house, three and a half feet to plates and five and a half
feet to peak, with a ditch three feet in depth in which the attendant
stands when attending to his work. The best place to erect such a
house is on a knoll or bank with a:slope to the east or west, so that
this sunken alleyway may be entered from the ground level. Other-
wise steps must be provided. In any case there must be perfect
drainage to prevent water from settling in the alleyway.
eS - tages secured by
this form of
construction are
many. The
building is com-
pact, with’ the
smallest possible
amount. of ex-
posed wall ~sur-
Paces “Phe ‘chick
floor is elevated,
-so there is’ no

necessity for
stooping when
filling lamps,
cleaning brood-

SIMPLE CURTAIN-FRONT HOUSE
Pie: very See pas most pecial house ACs one-third
of the entire front is left open. loth-covere rames to close 1
is 2 OPenInE are swung up against the roof. ers, feeding and

watering the
dace. There is a comparatively small amount of enclosed air
space, which makes easy the maintaining of the proper. temperature.
The chick floor is comparatively near the roof, the:warmest. part. of.
the building. The chicks are brought up near the attendant’s: eyes:
where they may. be closely observed and their. condition Say noted.
All of these points are worthy of consideration... = vee Seo

The particular. structure shown in the illustrations: is “carefully:
built,. with stone foundations:and alleyway walls:and cement floor.
The sides and root are made of matched ’boards covered with heavy
roofing material, and the interior is lathed and plastered. The plas-

tering is carried across the collar beams, thus forming a small attic.

34 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Brooper House with Depresep ALLEYWway

Z

“as

|
U
ah

EN
Ss Se

TT
Bs

-
-

WEST ELEVATION
Note the low exposed walls.

j
:
“
b

SOUTH ELEVATION DEPRESSED ALLEY BROODER HOUSE
This photo was taken before the grading had been completed and yards erected.

POULTRY BUILDINGS 35

EXTERIOR OF A LONG BROODER HOUSE

Observe the portable fence, which is built in panels. These panels are hooked to the
posts, and may be easily removed to permit thorough cultivation of the yards,

INTERIOR OF THE HOUSE SHOWN ABOVE

The boxed-in hovers here shown are no longer popular, most hovers being open for
free ventilation. Note bank of pipes along rear wall to maintain house temperature.

36 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

CURTAIN Fron House

to Swingin or
oR Pal

A een

ae SECTION

A modification of the Maine type of house. May
be built any length, with yards running to the south.
Note particularly the elevated walk which serves the
purpose of an alleyway without sacrificing house
room. The birds pass under this walk when going
out into the yards.

PLATFORM for
HOppeRS, wATER PAN ETG

Such expensive construction makes
the best possible house, but it 1s not
necessary. The essential features can
be incorporated in houses of much
cheaper construction.

It will be observed that the lamps are located in small pits provided
for them, thus putting the floors of the hovers on a level with the
house floor, and doing away with the necessity of a bridge which the ’
chicks must climb to reach the hovers.

‘Tie lamp
fumes and
smoke are car-
ried. off by pipes
which extend
from the lamp
boxes © up into
the. Attic. 3

A 11 poultry
buildings should
be> -Sintpte:
Showy, expen-
sive structures |:

are not neces- ~—
‘TWO-PEN CURT “AIN-FRONT HOUSE

sary on business
A small structure which is a modification of the long house
farms. shown above.

CEA P TSR ATI

POULTRY HOUSE EQUIPMENT
AND ee NCES

I
‘SS SSS SSS =e
SSS
Ez ar I

NZ = :
=

Y Y
Vl
Z AY
1 Z OA

| FA Wa,

AWA —A A UABIA Y
WA WA_1 1 ZA
7

TOP

SHIPPING CRATE
fer | we PouttTRy

The daily work of attending to the flocks of poultry is made much
easier if the houses are properly equipped, and convenient workable
appliances provided. Most of the necessary things may be cheaply
secured, especially if the poultryman is at all handy with tools.

There are many excellent appliances on the market which may
well be purchased, especially such as are made of metal or earthen-
ware. However in most cases the handy man can provide inexpensive
substitutes which will serve the purpose well. The most important
of these are illustrated and described herewith.

Every poultry plant should be equipped with a fair outfit of tools.
Such an investment will pay well. There should be included a fair
set of ordinary carpenter’s tools, heavy “snips” for cutting sheet
metal and wire, a soldering outfit, axes, forks, shovels, hoes, rakes,
scythes, crow bars, and other things for which there is daily use. The.
total cost need not be great, but their value to the busy worker can
scarcely be estimated.

It is also wisdom to set aside a room or small building where these
necessities may be stored, each in its proper place, and which may
also be used as a work shop. Such a plan will do much toward insur-
ing the prompt performance of duty and reducing excuses for failure
to attend to things in the right way and at the proper time.

37

38 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

BAKING Powber Can” 1 peultty Nea
FOUNTAIN furnishings should be
BSE Sasi simple and portable.

Nothing should be
attached to the build-
ing itself, as built-in
furniture interferes
with easy and thor-
ough cleaning and
prevents rearrange-
ment of the _ pens
when for any reason

Especially useful for watering little chicks. They may this seems desirable.
drink at will, but cannot wet themselves. Vermin, especially

mites, and disease germs find lodgment and protection behind
built-in nests, hoppers, etc., and consequently it is difficult to get at
them. | a8G

The essential furnishings include receptacles for food and water,
roosts and nests.

The roosts of medium length
should be made of 2x2 inch
scantling. Long roosts should
be 2x4 scantlings, set with the
narrow face uppermost. For the
comfort of the birds the upper
edges should be slightly rounded
off.

Roosts should invariably be
located where they are out of the
way of the attendant and are not
in a draught. As a rule they
are placed at the rear of the WATER BARREL

This s backache where large -
fiouse. ‘They should nothe more = acct ls

Don’t let mites breed undisturbed about the roosting quarters.. Paint or
spray roosts and droppings boards with Pratts Liquid Lice Killer. Force the
material into the cracks and back of all strips attached to the wall. That will
fix them!

Use Pratts Disinfectant in the same way to exterminate lurking disease
germs that may cause serious losses.

POULTRY HOUSE EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES _39

than three feet from the floor and should be set on a level. Roosts
in ladder form are undesirable.

When the partitions are close enough together the roosts may
properly rest on blocks attached to the partitions. Notches hold the
poles from slipping or turning. In long buildings the roosts are often
nailed to cross pieces and the latter attached to the rear wall by loose-
pin hinges.

The following amount of roost space should be allowed for each
bird: Langshans and Brahmas, ten inches ; Wyandottes and Plymouth
Rocks, eight to nine inches; Leghorns and Minorcas, seven inches.

Convenient for carrying dry feed, especially mash. The
small mouth makes possible the filling of hoppers without
wasting feed.

WUT

SHELL Hopper

May be made any size according to
the necessities of the case. The wire
netting prevents the birds from wast- A supply of grain in each house saves many
ing the material. This form is not steps. Bins of this kind occupy but little floor
suitable for feeding dry mash. space.

Poultry House Grain Bin

40 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

The dropping board to catch
the droppings of the birds at
roost may be provided or not.
Most poultrymen use them.
They keep the house in a more
sanitary condition and save fldor
space. For a single roost this
board or platform should be
about two feet wide. For two
roosts from three to three and a
half feet wide. They should be
placed six to eight inches below
the roosts, and extend the full
length. ,
binds tony eiey, MHe Selseoe Ga! Pe of Food and water dishes should

be placed on a wide shelf ele-

SUPPORTING
’ WIRE

vated about 18
inches above the
floor. This pre-
vents =the .. birds
from _ scratching
them ls OL edine

and litter. uk i =
Any Cross JECTION ==> | Spr Firvation

pan Jor
bucket will serve FEED Hopper

well. as a< water
holder. It should
be placed.in #2
frame to prevent
tipping and _spill-
ing. Fountains of
various kinds are_
frequently used,
and some_ types
give excellent sat-
isfaction. ine
piece fountains of
earthenware or

This hopper can be made any length. It is elevated on 18-inch
metal should be legs and so takes up no floor space.

ANNA

TANNA

Suitable for either indoor or outdoor use. The cover lifts off.

FEED Hoprer
FOR
LARGE Flock

POULTRY HOUSE EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES 41

avoided, as they are difficult to clean and hard to manage when they
freeze up.

A very good fountain for little chicks may be made from.a tin
coffee can or baking powder can with air tight joints and having a
fairly deep cover. Press in the side as indicated in the drawing, fill
with water, put on the cover, and invert. The chicks can then get
all the water they require, but cannot get themselves wet.

Where possible, let the birds have access to a good stream of water
oradrip froma faucet. This insures-plenty of water and saves much
labor. ae

Grit, shell and charcoal may best be supplied in hoppers similar to
that illustrated. This may be made any desired size according to the
number of birds in the flock. The wire netting will force the birds
to pick up one piece at a time, and thus prevent much waste.

Hoppers of this kind are suitable for feeding dry grain but will not
do for dry mash, beef scrap, or other material that packs. In fact
no hopper with a restricted throat will feed these materials freely.
They all clog. |

For the feeding of wet mash nothing is better than the old
V-shaped trough. This should be made of boards six or seven
inches wide and any desired length.

Dry mash hoppers must be so.planned as to prevent clogging. For
a small flock a very good hopper may be made of a small box six
to eight inches deep. Merely tack lath across the top to prevent the
birds from scratching the mash out, but far enough apart to let them
thrust their heads through and eat at will.

A length of ordinary stove pipe suspended above a shallow box
makes a servicable dry mash hopper for a small number of fowls.
This should be inspected occasionally, as the mash will sometimes
clog even in this and refuse to feed down.

The feed hopper with a cover or roof, shown in the drawing, may
be used in the house or out on the range. For the latter use the roof
might well be extended a few inches on each side, to prevent the
rain from blowing in.

For large flocks of layers the long hopper elevated on legs will be
found extremely useful. This may be made as long as necessary to
~ accommodate flocks of any size. :

These simple feeders are easy to construct, never clog and so put
the birds on temporary short rations, prevent waste, and permit the

42 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

attendant to see at a glance just how much feed is available. Fre-
quently in closed hoppers the supply of feed runs short at inopportune
times.

Green Food 5 55 MI vg
Trame es =v DL gor”

In small yards where it is difficult to keep green stuff ee ce fe will solve
the problem. The birds eat the green sprouts as they come up through the wire netting,
but cannot destroy the roots.

The green food frame here shown is a great help to poultrymen
who must keep their birds in small yards in which it is difficult to
keep grass or other succulent feed growing at all times. In small
yards it is hard to get green growth started without confining the
birds for days at a time, and it is soon destroyed because it is speedily
trampled and scratched out. Under the protection of a wire covered
frame grass or grain may be started without shutting the birds out
of the yard. As soon as the shoots push up through the wire the
birds may help themselves, but they cannot destroy the roots, so the
supply of fresh green stuff is constantly renewed.

The wire covering should be inch mesh, and must be supported on
plenty of stiff cross pieces to prevent it from sagging. 3

Nests are essential, though not always used as regularly as we
might wish. Almost any small box will serve the purpose, or special
nests may be cheaply built. Old egg cases or orange boxes serve the
purpose finely. The top is removed from each box and a four inch
strip nailed on one edge. The open side becomes the front of the nest
when the box is placed on its side, and the strip serves to retain the
nesting material.

Such nests may be placed directly on the floor, elevated on short
legs, or suspended against the wall. If many nests are needed, these
boxes may be piled one upon the other, with small projections or
steps provided to which the birds may fly or jump when they desire to
enter them.

Trap nests are much used by careful breeders. These are made in
many different styles, but all are intended to trap the hen when she
enters the nest and keep her there until removed by the attendant. In

Pipes Crt ‘3
S {

POULTRY HOUSE EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES 43

this way the poultryman is enabled to learn just how many eggs each
hen lays, and also secure separately for hatching the eggs from any
given hen.

A good trap nest is simple and inexpensive, certain in operation,
prevents more than one hen from entering at a time, and is com-
fortable.
RRR

BOOK ()
ES

ir

XXX) 54)
QOOXKYRARAA \
9, 900¢)))

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BOOK ‘
XXX

OY

SLIDING DOOR
I
SCREW EVE

WIRE WIRE FOR
Y“UDING DoaR

THe FoLey
| Trap Nest
Individual egg records are possible only where trap

nests are used. This one may be made of any box of
suitable size.

The Foley nest here illustrated is quite popular. It may be made
by simply fitting the trapping arrangement to any box of the desired
size. This box should be sixteen to eighteen inches from front to
back, fifteen to eighteen inches high, and twelve to fourteen inches
wide, inside measure.

A circular opening, eight inches in diameter, through which the
hen enters, is cut near the bottom. Provision is made for ventilation
by locating a wire covered opening above the door.

The door is a piece of board, seven inches wide, which slips up and
down the front of the box, being held in position and guided by two
pieces of No. 9 wire attached as shown. It must move easily without
catching or binding. 3

The trigger is easily made, but must be carefully adjusted. It is
merely a piece of No. 9 wire bent as shown in the drawing and
attached by staples to the top of the circular opening in such a manner
that it will swing freely. The top of the short end is flattered, as the
catch rests upon this. :

44 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

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Be is Bl
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|

"aa os
tie j Un ae na

Hot Air BRoovER,
(Tillinghast Type)-

An inexpensive brooder for use indoors.

This catch is merely a wire nail bent in the shape of an “ band -
driven into the bottom of the door with the base projecting inward.
The bottom of this projection is also filed flat.

In use, the door is pushed up to a sufficient height to permit the base
of the catch to rest upon the short end of the trigger. As the hen
‘ enters the nest she pushes the trigger aside, thus releasing the door

which drops down across the opening.

The hen is removed through the top, which may be fitted with a
door of any convenient kind. Or the top may be left open and the
whole nest slipped beneath a broad shelf, being pulled out like a
drawer when necessary.

As a rule it does not pay to make brooders at home. So many
good machines are available at low prices that it is usually cheaper to
buy than to manufacture them. However we illustrate a simple
home-made machine that works well in the hands of competent
operators.

This is merely a box three feet square and ten inches deep. This
is covered with a sheet of galvanized iron or tin, nailed tightly along
the edges. Above this in turn are nailed inch strips extending en-
tirely around the top. In these small notches must be cut to admit the
air.

The tight board floor is nailed on these strips. In the center of the
floor a good sized opening is cut, over which a small pan is nailed,
bottom up. Nail holes are punched in the side of the pen.

The Queen line cf brooders, both lamp heated and fireless, cannot be ex-
celled. Well built, practicable, dependable, low priced. The Pratt Food
Company are Eastern distributors for the manufacturers, and always carry a
full. assortment in stock. Send for new catalog and prices.

“Yu bart ala i

POULTRY HOUSE EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES 45

The hover is
merely a little
table with a
slashed cloth
curtain around
the edges. Sides
and bridge are
added as_ indi-
cated.

In use, the
lighted lamp is
placed in the
lower section.
This heats the
metal sheet,
which in turn
watins the air.
This passes up through the hole in the floor and out under the hover
through the holes in the pan. Fresh air is constantly drawn in
through the previously mentioned notches in the strips between the
metal sheet and the floor. Thus the chicks receive a constant supply
of pure, warmed air, uncontaminated by lamp fumes.

A few holes must be provided in the lower section, or lamp box,
to provide the lamp with the air it needs to insure free burning.

HOME MADE
Brooder Lamp

il
—

Nests and pens for sitting, hens.

This simple arrangement makes easier the work of caring for
sitters, and prevents losses from fighting and deserted nests.

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ee 28 y

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2

This Tillinghast lamp is made by soldering a pie tin on a baking tin, and mounting
a-chimneyless burner on it as shown.

The home made lamp shown in the illustration may be used in
this broodér. This requires a chimneyless burner of the Zenith type.

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INV'Id SAHIONVA V

CHAPTER IV
BREEDS OF FOWLS

DARK BRAHMAS

Poultrymen, especially beginnners, are inclined to pay too much
attention to breeds and not enough to individuals. There is no best
breed, but there are good individuals in every breed, and if these are
selected and carefully bred one may develop a good family or strain
_ of every breed. It is a common mistake to keep changing breeds in
the effort to find one that possesses all the desired excellencies. The
most sensible method is to begin with a breed that has given general
satisfaction in the hands of local poultry keepers, and then improve
it by systematic and careful breeding.

Thorough bred, or as poultrymen say, standard bred poultry, is
much more satisfactory than mongrels. But it does not follow that
every standard bred bird is a better individual when measured by
performance, than every mongrel. Unfortunately there are many
~ scrub thoroughbreds that are kept merely because of their ancestry.

The commercial poultryman will do well to place health and vigor
first among the characteristics he requires in his flock. These are
of primary importance, and the breeder who ignores them will sooner
or later come to grief.

Select and breed the health type; birds that are lively, vigorous ;
have clear eyes; combs and wattles of bright healthy color; short,

47

PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH - ROCKS ~

A comparatively new variety having unusual beauty

of plumage.

48 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

stout beaks; well de-
veloped muscles; well
finished plumage. Avoid
the weak, mopey, list-
less, scrawny, knock-
kneed, crow-headed
. specimens. They bring
trouble and disappoint-
ment.- This -<appites
equally well to all kinds
of poultry.

Our domestic fowls
are all descendants of
one or more wild types,
some of which are still
found in various parts
of the world. The most

generally accepted belief is that the jungle fowl of India—named
Gallus bankiva by the scientists— is the see type. Under domesti-

cation it has been changed and
moulded by man, influenced by
widely differing environment,
and the result.is seen in our per-
fected fowls of the present day.

The -term “standard bred
poultry ” refers to birds bred to
conform to the Standard of Per-
fection, issued by the national
organization of poultrymen, the
American Poultry Association.
This describes the form and
color of every section of both
male and female of every kind of
poultry deemed worthy of recog-
nition by American poultrymen.
This book is indispensable to the
breeder and exhibitor, since it is
the generally accepted guide, the
final authority on all questions

BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK
The first of the typically American
varieties, and still one of the best. It
possesses all of the desirable characteristics
of the ideal general purpose fowl.

Ss ee

BREEDS OF FOWLS 49

of the quality of poultry
as judged. fromthe
standpoint of the fancier.
Copies may be secured
from any office of the
‘Peatt-Food Co.,.-Price,;
$2.00, postage paid.

In the Standard, fowls
are divided into classes,
breeds and _ varieties. .
The class includes fowls
of presumably common
origin, usually geo-
- graphical, and is in turn SILVER-LACED WYANDOTTE

Bes eeey aad Sn Tete of Saath The
the latter into varieties.
For illustration, the Barred Plymouth Rock is a variety of the
Plymouth Rock breed, which is a member of the American
class. Breeders usually say that “ shape makes the breed and color
the variety.” In some cases the form of the comb is the only variety
distinction. This difference between breed and variety should be
clearly understood. |

Fach breed has certain well defined characteristics that have become
fixed through years of
breeding, such as size,
color of eggs, etc. The
poultryman should take
advantage of this and
use as his foundation
stock the breed or variety
which already possesses
the greatest number of
characteristics he de-
mands. This saves much
time and the sooner
enables him to get his

WHITE WYANDOTTES flock into the form he

Fine general purpose fowls, useful alike as pro- :
ducers of brown eggs and fine table carcasses. desires.

50 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

The American Poultry Association recognizes eleven different

classes of fowls:

COLUMBIAN WYANDOTTE

The most recent addition to the Wyan-
dotte family.

I. American:
Al. Asiatte;
Ill. Mediterranean.
I\:. English.
V. Polish.
As Dutch.
VII. French.

VIII. Games and Game Bantams.

IX. Oriental Games and
Bantams.

X. Ornamental Bantams.
XI. Miscellaneous. :

The great classes are further
divided into more than one hun-
dred breeds and varieties, each
differing from the other in size,
shape, comb, color, or in some
other way. In addition, there
are a few non-standard varieties
which possess more or less merit.

It is apparent, then, that the
poultryman has wide latitude in

making a selection. He should use common sense in choosing,

keeping in mind his object in
keeping poultry, the local cli-
matic conditions and market re-
quirements. It has been well
said that one should “ select the
breed he likes.” This might be
qualified by adding the sugges-
tion that he try to like the breed
that best meets local conditions.

Each recognized breed and
variety possesses enthusiastic ad-

mirers. That means that every

kind nicely fits into some special
place, but it does not follow that
all are equally valuable for prac-

WHITE ORPINGTON
At present the most popular variety in

the English class. < -

et, ate A le

—

BREEDS OF FOWLS 51

tical purposes. This is
emphatically untrue. By
a process of elimination,
a sort of survival of the
fittest, American poul-
trymen have sorted out
a comparatively few
breeds and _ varieties
which are of greatest
practical value under
average conditions, and

one or more of these are LIGHT BRAHMAS

found on most commer- The largest of our recognized breeds. Fine for
the production of heavy weight roasters and capons.

cali farms., <The other
kinds are found in the hands of fanciers, or in small home flocks.

The first four classes in the list above are of greatest interest to
the commercial poultryman. The members of the Asiatic class, the
Brahmas, Cochins and Langshans, are noted for their great size.
They are large, slow maturing, and of greatest value to the producers
of heavy weight table poultry. The hens of this class are persistent
sitters and produce rich brown eggs.

In the Mediterranean class are found the “egg machines,” the
Leghorns, Minorcas, Spanish, Andalusians and Anconas. Excepting
the Minorcas they are small in size and mature rapidly. All are non-
sitters and lay white eggs.

Midway between these groups
are found the American class,
including the Plymouth Rocks,
Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds,
Buckeyes, Dominiques and
Javas. These breeds are medium
in size, good sitters and moth-
ers, excellent layers of brown
eggs, and make desirable table
carcasses at all ages. They are
the best of the general purpose
| : webreeds:

‘BUFF COCHIN. In the English class the most

A stately fowl prized by fanciers, but : : .
possessed of little practical value. important is the Orpington, Eng-

52 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

land’s contribu-
tion to the list of
general purpose
fowls. In many
respects this
breed closely re-
sembles those of
the American
class.

One of the
Games, the Cor-
nish, is much
prized by grow-
ers of fine table
poultry, on ac-
count of its com-

SINGLE COMB WHITE LEGHORNS pact form and

Probably the most widely bred of all breeds. -Famous as is
producers of white-shelled eggs. great breast de

velopment.

Stated in the most concise way, the most popular breeds and
varieties on ;
business poultry
plants today are
about as _ fol-
lows: .

For the pro-
duction of white
eggs, the S. C.
White, Brown
and Buff Leg-
horn.

For the pro-
duction of heavy
capons. amd
roasting chick-
ens, Light Brah-
mas and Par-
tridge Cochins.

WHITE POLISH
For the pro- A fancy breed.

BREEDS OF FOWLS 53

duction of brown eggs
and most kinds of table
poultry, Barred and
White Plymouth Rocks,
~ White and Buff Wyan-
dottes, Rhode Island
Reds, White and Buff
Orpingtons.

These kinds have
stood the test and have
made good in the hands
of thousands of breed-
_ers. The beginner may

safely adopt Baby pet of Formerly called Cornish Indian Games. Fine for
them market because of their compact shape and unusual
s breast development.

DARK CORNISH

There are several
comparatively new varieties which promise to become exceedingly
popular because of special merit, but it will take quite a time for them
to seriously threaten the supremacy of the kinds mentioned above.

Just a word as to breeding. Most poultrymen of experience mate
cockerels to yearling hens and cocks to pullets. In quality, — from
the former mating seem to be better on the average.

Do not closely in-breed. Especially avoid the mating of brothers
and sisters. It is better to mate a cock bird to his own daughters and
a cockerel back to his mother. In-breeding is necessary when the
breeder wishes to intensify certain characteristics in his strain, and
when properly done it seems to have little or no ill effect. However,
considerable experience and sound judgment on the part of the
breeder are necessary. In in-breeding, as in all breeding, the most
important requirement is vigor of constitution and perfect health.
Never put a weak or inferior specimen into the breeding pen. It is
hard enough to produce good specimens without deliberately putting
the youngsters under the handicap of weak, poor parentage. Re-
member that the chicks inherit imperfections, weakness and tendency
toward disease just as surely as they do those characteristics which are
to be desired, and that the quality of the season’s crop of youngsters
is in great measure determined when the breeding pens are mated up.
Far better to work with a limited number of good birds than to waste
time and effort on a larger flock containing many weaklings. We

54 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

cannot emphasize too strongly the fact that this is more important
than the breed selected, or the method of housing and feeding.

When building up a strain of heavy layers, the trap nest is a great
help. Pen records are a valuable guide and one will do well to breed
from pens with high average egg yields, but after all this is a faulty
method as all pens contain poor individuals. By the use of the trap
nest alone can individual records be determined, and though this
method of selection is expensive because of the time it takes, it pays
in the end. |

Fortunately, one does not have to use the trap nest throughout the ©

entire year in order to get a line on the best layers.- Records made
with hens of many different breeds under a wide range of conditions
7 indicate very clearly that the fall and
winter layers are the ones that make
the high yearly record. Any pullet
that lays 60 eggs between the day

‘the next March, may be depended
upon to produce upward of 150 eggs
before the close of her first laying
year. All such are worthy of being
permitted to reproduce their kind,
and may well be reserved for breed-
ing purposes as long as they lay rea-
sonably well. In fact they may often
be used until four years of age.

There is another fact which should
be kept in mind. Tendency toward
great laying is more often inherited
through the son of a heavy layer
than through her daughters, and
while the daughters of great pro-
ducers are valuable the sons are

true since a cockerel can influence the
offspring of a dozen females, thus
__ | multiplying his influence in the flock.
EXHIBITION GAME COCK In view of the two facts dis-

A typically “fancy” breed without
Gch. Seabed eit CU ake os cussed above, the busy poultryman

she lays her first egg and the first of

more valuable. This is especially -

.
1

F

|
#
;
_
4
i

iat. te ee

BREEDS OF FOWLS aE

might well use the trap nest during the comparatively idle winter
months in the following way. When selecting the pullets in the fall,
place in a convenient house the pick of the flock, those that have made
the most uniform growth, are strong, healthy and vigorous, and
which most nearly meet the breeder’s ideal in form, color, etc.
Trap nest this choice flock from fall until the first of March. Reserve
as breeders all that lay 60 or more eggs in that time, and head all pens
with cockerels from such birds. Rapid improvement in flock aver-
ages will result, and the required period of trap nesting will be
reduced to the minimum. Further, the work will be done at the
season of the year when the time can best be spared.

And finally, the breeder will do well to remember that the very
best index of a chick’s vigor is the development it makes during its
first eight to ten weeks of life. Begin to select the breeders the day
they hatch, and continue to cull out the weaklings until the breeding
pens are mated up. Mark permanently, either by punching the web
between the toes, or removing the first joint of a toe, every chick that
makes slow growth, that feathers slowly or unevenly, that is sick or
shows any sign of physical weakness. Send all such to the block as
soon as they are large enough. Reserve for future use only such
specimens as show evidence of possessing vigorous constitutions and
the ability to consume plenty of food and convert it into bone, muscle
and feathers.

Such a procedure may cause you to discard a large proportion of
your flock the first year, but if so it indicates that you have been going
in the wrong direction in the past. Season after season the percentage
of culls will decrease, your flock will improve in every way and your
profits will correspondingly increase. Too many poultrymen figure
on numbers alone, keeping enough birds to fill their houses, and
largely ignoring the more important question of quality.

Breed is important ; breeding is more important.

No matter what kind, breed or variety of poultry you keep, your success
depends upon your ability to keep your birds healthy, cemfortable and pro-
ductive. Grasp this fact firmly, and you have made a big step toward success.

Right here you will find that Pratts Poultry Preparations will help you
wonderfully. Use them systematically and they will make your poultry
troubles a thing of the past.

Put your poultry operations on a safe basis by using these preparations. It
will pay you well. And we guarantee every one.

of OUR MONEV BACK IF IT FAILS?

CHAPTER V
POULTRY FEEDING

A MODEL PLANT

To the student and chemist a study of the composition of the
various feeding stuffs and the theoretical balancing of rations is most
interesting. However most poultrymen are too busy to devote much
time to such things. They want results. In order to prevent any pos-
sible confusion this chapter is purposely made brief and simple,
merely a statement of essential basic facts and a few feed mixtures
which have worked out satisfactorily in practice. To those who
wish to go more deeply into the subject we recommend the more
recent volumes dealing with feeds and feeding and government and
experiment station bulletins devoted to the same subjects.

Most beginners make hard work of poultry feeding. As they gain
in experience they simplify their methods and rations, and either
secure better results, or the same results at lower cost and with less
labor.

Chickens of whatever age require a ration containing feed stuffs
of four different classes. Grains, animal food, green food, and min-
eral matter. These have been aptly called “ grains, greens, grubs and
grits.” If any one of these is omitted the results are bound to be more
or less unsatisfactory. 3

56

P
4

aa Of

POULTRY FEEDING ee 57

While this list
may seem some-
what imposing
it is in reality
simple, and a
ration contain-
ine. Salk yfour
groups need cost
no more than
one which is in-
complete.

the“ erains)”’
form the prin-
cipal part of
flier ation.
qlve* principal
‘grains — whole,

cracked, ground
or by-products

—used by the

BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL It
White Crested Black Polish. poultryman are
corn, wheat,

oats, barley, buckwheat, kafir corn, wheat bran, middlings, feeding
flour, corn meal, gluten meal, ground oats, linseed meal. ;
In the list of “ greens” will be found any fresh green stuff, such
as green grass, clover, alfalfa, cabbage, cattle beets, turnips, carrots,
etc. Such dry material as cut alfalfa, lawn clippings, clover hay,
and beet pulp are excellent substitutes when soaked or steamed
before feeding. Many poultrymen dampen oats and keep them warm
until they grow sprouts three or four inches in length and feed this.
Sprouted, or processed, oats are excellent feed, but are expensive.
Under the head of “ grubs” are listed the various animal foods,
such. as ‘natural insect life, meat and skim milk. The commercial
feeds of this class: “are beef scrap, fish scrap, blood meal, green bone
and dried milk, Fish scrap is a comparatively new feed, but it gives
extremely satisfactory results. However it must be of good quality.
Reject any that carries a trace of oil, as it will surely taint the eggs.
The “ grits” are the grit or gravel for crushing and grinding the
food in the gizzard, the crushed oyster shell for egg shell material,

58 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

the granulated bone or bone meal for skeleton building, and the char-
coal which corrects simple digestive disturbances. iss

Every poultryman has available one or more of the materials
listed under.these four heads, and he should see to it that his birds
get them all.

Mhere are ‘whree distinct methods of feeding. A foe poultry
keepers use nothing but whole and cracked grains in addition to the
other necessities, using no meals or ground grains at all. Heavy egg
yields are seldom secured in this way, but the claim i is made that the

eggs hatch better and give stronger chicks. :

The common method is to use a ground grain mixture, fed either
wet or dry. Thus we get wet mash feeding and dry mash feeding.

Wet mash feeding was the more popular until a few years ago.
Now most commercial operators prefer-dry mash. In the former
practice the mash mixture is dampened with milk or water until it
reaches a rather sticky but crumbly condition. This is fed once daily.
In dry mash feeding the dry mixture is fed in hoppers, which are
usually left open and available to the birds at all times. 3

It is quite possible that a somewhat greater egg flow can be secured
by an experienced, skillful
feeder using wet mash, but
the dry mash is safer, espe-
cially in the hands of be-
ginners and hired help, and
it alse (saves aber. These
two considerations have re-
sulted in the general adop-
tion of this method of feed-
ing, especially on large
farms. Where small home
flocks are kept the wet
‘mash is often used as a
medium in which to feed the
kitchen waste and _ scraps
from the family table.

For best results, the birds
should eat about two pounds
of grain to one pound of 3
mash. The animal food may A YOUNG FANCIER

—— ee ae ae

See a te ee ee ee

"or

POULTRY FEEDING 59

be added to the mash or
fed separately in hop-
pers, as preferred.

A safe basis upon
which to proceed is to
give each ten hens ap-
proximately one quart
of grain per day and
then let them have all
the dry mash they will
eat or all the wet
mash they will consume
for the evening meal.
Everything considered,
the evening is the best
time to feed wet mash.

AUTOMATIC POULTRY FEEDER

Many poultrymen find automatic feeders very use- Th - it b
ful, since they save time, protect the feed against € gram May a €

rats and sparrows, and keep a supply es to the given in the morning, or

birds at all times.
divided into two meals
as desired. Both plans work well if properly used.

Some feeders are reducing labor bills, but getting excellent results,
by feeding all grain through automatic feeders, of which there are
several types on the market. These are operated by the birds and
dribble the grain down into the litter as required.

Green food is esential, not because of its nutritive value, which is
slight, but rather on account of its tonic and laxative effect.

The grits should be kept in open hoppers before the birds at all
times. This includes grit, shell and charcoal. Beef scrap and fish
scrap usually carry enough bone to meet the needs of the fowls. If
blood meal, meat meal or milk are used, some bone should be added
to the ration.

All feed should be sweet, clean and free from mould or mustiness.
Mouldy feeds spell trouble.

In order to induce the necessary exercise, all whole or cracked
grains should be fed in deep litter of straw or leaves.

Do not underfeed. So much has been written about overfeeding
that many people are afraid to feed a sufficient quantity.

Hens do not get too fat to lay. They get fat because they do not
lay. A hen that gets fat on a liberal ration is constitutionally of the

60 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

meat type. Weed her out and send her to the block where she
naturally belongs. |

Remember, each hen must have enough food to sustain her body.
All the profit you can get comes from the amount of food she eats
beyond her body requirements and converts into meat or eggs for sale.

Any one of the following rations may be adopted with entire con-
fidence that it will bring good results.

At the International Egg Laying Competition held at the Con-
necticut Agricultural College, Storrs, Conn., five hundred birds of
twenty-three breeds and varieties averaged 154 eggs each on the
ration given below. Probably ten per cent of the whole flock laid
over 200 eggs each. Three pens of five birds each averaged more.
than 200 eggs per bird for the year.

Scratch Grain: Wheat, 60 lbs.; cracked corn, 60 lbs. ; heavy oats,
40 lbs. ; barley, 20 Ibs. ; buckwheat, Io lbs. ; kafir corn, 10 lbs. ; coarse
beef scrap, 10 lbs.

Dry Mash: Coarse wheat bran, 200 lbs.; corn meal, I00 Ibs. :
ground oats, 100 lbs.; gluten meal, 100 lbs. ; middlings, 75 lbs. ; feed-
ing flour, 25 lbs. ; fine beef scrap, 30 lbs. ; fish scrap, 30 lbs.

Green Food: Grass in the runs. Cattle beets and green corn fodder
when convenient. Soaked beet pulp the rest of the time.

Grit, shell and charcoal in hoppers.

The dry mash was fed in open pans, available to the birds at ail
times. The scratch grain was fed exclusively in automatic feeders.

Every ration is improved by the addition of Pratts Poultry Regulator. This
great preparation is not a food; it is a tonic, a digestive, a mild natural stimu-
lant of the organs of digestion and egg production. It keeps the layers in prime
condition, makes them lay heavicr, insures better fertility and stronger chicks.
It is the one preparation that has stood the test of forty years of continuous
use, always bringing satisfactory results and never injuring the stock.

All of these benefits are secured at the cost of but one cent per month per
bird.

Get the biggest egg yield this year that you ever had. Adopt a varied ration,
use Pratts Poultry Regulator according to directions and make the big profits
to which you are entitled.

Isn't it worth while to test this at our risk? Remember,

“YOUR MONEY BACK dha horas:

POULTRY FEEDING 61

An experiment station which breeds White Leghorns largely, uses

- and recommends the following ration:

Scratch Feed: Wheat, 60 lbs. ; cracked corn, 60 Ibs. ; oats, 30 Ibs. ;
buckwheat, 30 lbs. The buckwheat is omitted in warm weather.

Mash Mixture: Corn meal, 60 lbs. ; wheat middlings, 60 lbs. ; wheat
bran, 30 lbs.; alfalfa meal, 10 lbs.; oil meal, 10 lbs.; beef scrap, 50
Ibs..; table salt, 1 Ib.

The mash is fed dry, in hoppers which are opened about half of
each day.

Another experiment station specializing in Barred Plymouth Rocks
has found satisfactory grain and mash mixtures as follows:

Scratch Grain: By measure, 4 parts corn, 2 parts oats, 2 parts

- wheat.

Dry Mash: Wheat bran, 200 lbs. ; wheat middlings, 100 lbs. ; corn
meal, 100 lbs. ; gluten meal, 100 lbs. ; beef scrap, 100 lbs.

On alternate months 50 lbs. of linseed meal is added to the above
mixture.

A prominent Buff Wyandotte breeder who is an authority on
practical poultry matters, gets good results from his birds on this
ration:

Scratch Grain: Equal parts by measure of corn, wheat and oats.

Dry Mash: Mixed by measure. Wheat bran, 3 parts; corn meal,
3 parts; wheat middlings, 1 part; gluten meal, 1 part; ground oats,
I part; fish scrap, I part.

A business breeder of Rhode Island Reds states that he has made
his birds pay him an average profit of $2 each per year when fed as
follows:

_ Scratch Grain: By measure, 4 parts corn; 3% parts wheat; 3%
oats.

Dry Mash: Wheat bran, 100 lbs ; wheat middlings, 100 lbs. ; gluten
meal, 100 lbs. ; corn meal, 100 lbs. ; ground oats, 100 lbs. ; animal meal,
100 lbs. :

It will be observed that all of these mash mixtures are fed dry.
They would serve equally well if moistened before feeding.

These rations are all in actual use, and they are mixtures which have
been worked out by men handling different breeds and varieties in
widely separated sections of the country-and under different climatic

62 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

conditions. The astonishing fact about them is that they are so very

similar, and this ought to be sufficient proof that the mixtures are ©

approximately right.
Much of what has been said above refers to the feeding of hens for
egg production. But in the main it applies equally well to the feeding
of growing stock. Care must be exercised at first to prevent over-
feeding, but after the chicks are well started and out on range it is
practically impossible to overfeed them on a well balanced ration.
In this they resemble a growing boy who has the run of “all out-
doors.” Good chicks cannot be produced on scanty feeding. Neither
can rapid development be secured unless the ration is ample. |

For a few days after hatching feed sparingly on a mixture of
granulated grains containing plenty of oats and wheat. In addition
to this give Pratts Baby Chick Food according to directions for the
first three weeks. If possible, give sour milk from the start. Adda
little animal food to the ration at ten days and increase this as the
chicks can stand it.

Grit, charcoal and bone are essential. Also plenty of tender green
foods 4 |

As soon as the little fellows begin to get out of doors regularly,
feed them a mash, either dry or moist. When they go out on range,
feed heavily. _Keep them eating and exercising, and they will grow
at arapid rate. Give lots of wheat, oats, and animal food. These are
makers of bone and muscle. The fat can be put on later.

Finally, don’t neglect the drinking water for birds of all ages. Give
it abundantly, and have it fresh, clean and cool. It doesn’t cost much,
but it is'a necessity and a big factor in the final results. ye

Pratts Baby Chick Food is really a “chick starter.’ It is a finely ground
mixture which gives them a strong send-off and keeps them going in the right
direction. It is unlike any other feed and is positively unequaled.

Start your chicks right this season. That’s half. the battle! And Pratts
Baby Chick Food wall surely give them a strong send-off.

“YOUR MONEY BACK IF AT PAILSS

> i

2) ae ck pe hs iv bh

—— tf) a oe

CHAPTER ML
INCUBATION

THE GOOD OLD WAY

The first essential of successful incubation is eggs of the right kind.
No matter how faithful the sitting hen or how perfect the incubator,
good chicks cannot be hatched from eggs low in fertility, or con-
taining weak germs. Some one has well said that the greatest diffi-
culty is to get the chicks into the eggs. A good hen or incubator will
bring them out.

Eggs for hatching should be fresh. The fresher the better. Reject
all that are imperfect in shape, long, round, or ridged, and such as are
abnormally large or small in size. Also any with rough or thin shells.

Small cracks may be detected by gently tapping two eggs together.

Where. few chicks are reared each year, the natural method of
incubation may well be used: ‘Set the hens where they will not be
disturbed, but in a place where they may be carefully looked after.
Test each one with ¢ a. aay nest eggs before entrusting her with good
ones: *+ an

Make the nest shallow and flat so that the eges will not roll to the
center and breakage result from the hen jumping upon them. If

If you want well-fertilized eggs, try Pratts Poultry Regulator. The reason
this sterling preparation is so valuable is not far to seek. » It keeps the
breeders healthy and vigorous. | a 22SwetSy3

63

64 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

IMPERFECT EGGS
The kind not to use for incubating. Reject all eggs
that are very large or small, imperfect in shape, or
having thin or rough shells.

possible, set two or more
hens at one time, so the
chicks may be divided
into good sized broods
and the surplus sitters
returned to work.

An arrangement for
sitters as illustrated in
Chapter III is a great
help. Trap nests are a
convenience where many
hens are set in the same
room, as _ these prevent
more than one hen from
crowding into a nest

and so breaking some eggs and permitting others to get chilled.
Dust each hen thoroughly with Pratts Powdered Lice Killer when
she is first placed on the nest, and again before the chicks hatch. Use
Pratts Liquid Lice Killer on the nest box to rid it of mites.
Feed and water the sitters daily, and give them a chance to dust

themselves and take some needed exercise.

Do not disturb them at hatching time unless they act nervous.
Under these conditions remove the chicks as they hatch and keep them

in a warm place.

Incubators are
a necessity on
EMEt Vp Lawes
where many
Gi Lcikesia mae
hatched... Tf dare
old _ prejudice
against “ hatch-
ing machines”
has worn away
as they have be-
come perfected,
and they are
now found
everywhere that

INCUBATOR CHICKS

*“Where’s mother! ”

chickens are
kept. ,
Incubators are
made in alt
sizes, trom fitty
egg capacity up
to fifteen thou-
Saud .eses.
Ties att er
huge machines,
mammoth incu-
bators, are be-
ing installed on
‘most large farms

hatches.

INCUBATION

65

CHINESE INCUBATORS

Jars of clay covered with basket work.
China secure

contrivances the poultry keepers in
(Photo from Prof. F. H. King.)

READY FOR THE BROODER

A lined tray, box or basket should be used in transferring
chicks from incubator to brooder. This prevents chilling.

With such simple
wonderful
and are finding
much favor be-
cause of their
ease and econ-
omy of oper-
ation. - How-
ever most poul-
trvmen must be
content with the
Sarat 1am. p
heated incubat-
ors, and to these
we refer espe-
cially.

Aside from
the eggs used,
the three factors

After carefully investigating the matter, we have come to the conclusion that
the Queen Incubator combines more good qualities than any other single

make.

We have, therefore, arranged to act as Eastern distributors of the

Queen, and we carry a full line in our Philadelphia warehouse, from whicii
point we can make prompt shipment. Our Western customers will have their
orders shipped direct from the factory. .See page 150.

Space forbids a discussion of the various points in which the Queen excels.
Just send for the complete catalog, which we mail free on request, and learn
about the incubator which we can conscientiously recommend.

66 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

which influence results are temperature, ventilation and moisture.
Practically all makes of incubators control the first in a satisfactory
way and the great difference existing among the many kinds is due
to the other two points mentioned. The machine that best controls
these gives the most uniform results. }

Just a word about incubator operation.

First, follow the manufacturer’s directions. He ought to know
best how his machine should be run. 3

Set it in a well ventilated room, in which the temperature does not
fluctuate violently.

Be sure that the machine is level, which insures even distribution of
heat in the egg chamber.

Overhaul it carefully and be sure you understand it fully.

Heat it up and run it for a few days until you understand just how
to manage it. Be sure that the lamp burns freely and the regulator
acts promptly and effectively.

Disinfect it carefully before each hatch. This is a most important
matter.

Use a high grade of oil which doesn’t smoke or char the wick.

Keep the lamp burner clean. Boil it out occasionally if necessary.

See to it that the wick is long enough to reach the bottom of the oil
fount. Many hatches are spoiled by having the lamp go out asa result
of a short wick. Put in a fresh wick for each hatch.

Fill the lamp in the afternoon. This insures plenty of oil and a
fresh trimmed wick for the night. |

Put the eggs in in the morning so they may be heated up and the
machine regulated before night.

Never touch the eggs with oily hands.

Test on the seventh day, throwing out infertile eggs aaa weak
germs. Test again on the eighteenth day and discard all dead eggs.

Keep the machine dark during hatching time. Do not open it
then unless forced to do so.

Leave the chicks in the nursery for twenty-four to thirty-six hours
after hatching.

Don’t bother to help weak chicks out of the shell. They are not
worth having.

Follow manufacturer’s directions for other details of management.

Pratts Disinfectant is best for use in the incubator. It is sure, safe,
powerful. Moulds and disease germs disappear where it is used,

a ee a es

CHAPTER VII
BROODING AND REARING

COLONY BROODERS AND PORTABLE YARDS

Incubation and brooding are about the most exacting work the
poultryman has to do. Failure here spells disaster for the season. In
fact the success of a poultry raiser is measured largely by his ability
to hatch and rear the annual crop of chickens.

The result of mistakes in mating, feeding, management of the
breeders and incubating the eggs will be observed in the brooding.
Weak chicks will scarcely do well under the best of conditions, and the
quality of the chicks is determined long before they reach the brooder.

A volume might be written on this subject alone, but we must

content ourselves with a few general directions which may prove
helpful.

Good chicks may be reared either under hens or in the brooders.
The method of handling them must be determined by the conditions
surrounding each individual case. Success in either case depends
upon four distinct factors: Constitutional vigor, inherited from the
parent stock ; comfort, as freedom from lice, room in which to exer-
cise, etc. ; food, of the right kind and in sufficient quantity ; protection,
from weather, accidents and natural enemies.

67

68 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

The questions of vigor
and feeding have been
touched upon in the ap-
propriate chapters, but
we wish to again em-
phasize the necessity of
giving the chicks that
strong start during their
first three weeks of life
that will ever afterward
be apparent in their de-
velopment. These three
weeks: are really the
critical period in. their
lives.

ooo eee The term “comfort ”

includes many things.

Proper temperature, freedom from lice and mites, ciean quarters of
sufficient size to permit exercise regardless of weather conditions, and

no overcrowding.

Protection includes the safeguarding against heat, cold and storms,
against rats, cats, weasels, hawks and other natural enemies, and such
accidents as drowning, smoking lamps, etc.

All of the above can be entirely overcome if the necessary simple
precautions are taken and suitable quarters provided. It will not be
necessary to further bring these points to the attention of the earnest
chicken raiser.

When the chicks are entrusted to the care of hens, safe, roomy
coops are essential. Make these tight and comfortable, the larger the
better, and keep them clean. Give the little fellows plenty of oppor-

For every brood you hatch use Pratts Baby Chick Food to set the chicks to
growing right and Pratts White Diarrhea Remedy during the first week to
ward off white diarrhea, the most dreaded chick scourge. This combination
cill do wonders for you. It is cheaper to SAVE the chicks than to hatch
others.

There are a few cf Pratts Poultry Preparations which make for chicken
comfort. Pratts Powdered and Liquid Lice Killers are the great extermi-
nators of poultry vermin. Pratts Disinfectant keeps coops and brooders in
sanitary condition, free from moulds and disease germs.

BROODING AND REARING 69

tunity to exercise out of
doors. The hens may
run with them or be kept
confined in the coop and
attached run as seems
best. The two methods
are illustrated herewith.
But be sure to keep the
hens free from lice and
the coops clear of mites.
This is of the utmost
importance.

Artificial brooders of
various kinds are avail-
able. The: poultryman
must select the particu-

lar form which most ap- SHELTER FOR FIRELESS BROODERS

1 The brooders are removed as soon as the chicks can
peals to him and best do without them, and the youngsters remain in the

Sees ss : shelter until large enough to transfer to the colony
imcets, Ms requirements. <F' : 2

COLONY BROODER WITH ENCLOSED RUN
An excellent arrangement, affording the chicks opportunity to exercise in the open 2ir
tegardless of weather conditions.

70 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

A POPULAR METHOD OF BROODING CHICKS
The hens and their broods are permitted full liberty.

ANOTHER SYSTEM OF NATURAL BROODING

Hens confined in smali coops and “‘ A’”’-shaped lath runs. . Chicks given their liberty.

BROODING IN LARGE FLOCKS

_In California hundreds of chicks are often successfully brooded in one flock, the heat
being supplied by brooder stoves in which distillate is burned.

BROODING AND REARING 71

On -Tar ge
plants the long
pipe heated sys-
tem is usually
adopted. This
concentrates the
work and _ re-
duces: the, ..re-
quired labor.

The most popu-
i SMALL LAMP-HEATED BROODERS
lar form of Pipe An attached eoene Sg or pore run oe be a big
1 improvement. 1icks must be confine uring bad weather and
ens today oe they should have roomy quarters then.
that in which

the hot water pipes run beneath the hover floors. The air passes
over these, is heated and
rises through domes
under the hovers. Asa
rule it pays to purchase
the heater system and
hover fittings complete.
Many poultrymen
have had great success
in rearing large flocks of
chicks in small houses
fitted’ with) brooder
stoves. In the West dis-
tillate burning stoves

A HOME-MADE BROODER

Portable brooder of unusual
capacity. Lamp box and scratch-
ing shed on ground floor, hover
chamber and feeding room above.
Cut at right shows burlap-covered

shade frame in position.

72 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

are most popular. (See cut.) In the east the oil and coal burning
types are preferred. Six to eight hundred chicks are frequently
reared in one flock, which saves much labor as compared with lamp
heated brooders accommodating from thirty to fifty chicks each.

Much experience and the exercise of considerable judgment is
essential to success in handling such large flocks. The beginner will
do well to work with smaller numbers at first.

During the past few years the fireless brooder has been widely used.
The system is generally satisfactory, but it calls for much attention
on the part of the attendant. This is its most serious disadvantage.

Fireless brooders can be cheaply constructed at home, but it will
pay anyone intending to use them to purchase one or more of the
commercial forms to use as a model.

Lamp heated brooders are of two kinds: indoor, to be operated in-
side of a comfortable building, and outdoor, or colony brooders,
which are practically small brooder houses, each complete in itself.

Select machines which are well built, convenient to handle, which —

have heating systems of sufficient power to control the temperature
under all conditions, and which are roomy. Chicks always go back
when shut up in small brooders for any length of time, as during
continued periods of bad weather.

Here are a few suggestions. Keep the brooders scrupulously clean.
Attend to the lamps regularly. Keep the hover temperature high
enough to insure comfort and prevent crowding.

Do not overcrowd.
Feed the chicks regularly and liberally.
Supply water in abundance.
Give the chicks opportunity to exercise out of doors.
Don’t bother with weaklings.
. Move the chicks to larger quarters as soon as they can do without
neat. .
Give the growing stock free range if possible.

Oucen Brooders are made in all sizes and different types. They are good
machines, too, Let us send you a complete catalog free.

,
pt i es a eo

“we

CHAPTER VIII
MARKETING POULTRY PRODUCTS

MARKET EGGS

Many poultrymen are very successful in the production of poultry
and eggs, but fail in the matter of marketing. As a matter of fact,
this part of the business is equally important as the producing end,
as in a very large measure the profits of the business are determined
by the receipts from the sale of the goods. If the income drops
nearly to the point where it only equals or slightly exceeds the cost
of production there is but little chance of showing a profit sufficiently
large to warrant a continuance of the business. A careful study of
available markets and approved methods of marketing will frequently
enable the poultryman to greatly increase his receipts without enlarg-
ing his output, and this additional sum is clear profit. |

It not infrequently happens that poultry plants are operated in
defiance of well-established business principles, and that they con-
tinue to exist under such conditions, and even make reasonable
profits, speaks volumes for the possibilities of this industry when
properly managed. The poultry grower who does not produce any
of the feed he requires and is not in position to purchase it in large
quantities at lowest rates, must go to the retailer and pay any price
demanded. If in addition to this he sells his products wholesale to
the distributor, at a price set by the latter, he is entirely at the mercy

73

\

74 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

of others and he may be sure that they will take the lion's share of
the profits. And so we see the wisdom of careful buying of raw
materials and intelligent selling of the finished product, in order
that the cost of production may be lowered and the receipts increased.
This adds to the profits at each end of the line, and an astonishing
difference in the year’s business. —

It must be admitted that in certain great agricultural sections,
where eggs are produced in such numbers by the general farmer that
production far exceeds local consumption and a distant market must
be sought, the producer is largely dependent upon the shipper. How-
ever co-operative methods of selling may be introduced, especially
through the local creamery, cheese factory or grange. Failing in
this the dealer should be forced to buy on the “loss off ” system,
whereby the producer is paid according to the quality of his eggs
rather than merely by count. Where this system has been intro-
duced the farmers have been induced to care for their eggs in a better
manner, and the quality and price greatly improved.

Country eggs are usually purchased by the local store keeper, who
in turn consigns them to the big shippers or packers, from whom
they go forward to the great consuming centers. It is evident that
in handling such a perishable product as eggs there are many oppor-
tunities for deterioration in the quality unless care is exercised all
along the line. The common farm practices of including in the
market eggs those collected from stolen nests, those held for a rise
in price, those stored in warm places or exposed to the sun for a
considerable period, the dirty and slightly cracked stock, all react
and result in a lower price. This is manifestly unfair to the careful
producer who does not resort to such methods, but so long as the
“case count’ system of buying is in vogue he has no redress, Just
as soon as the “loss off” plan is adopted, whereby all eggs are
candled as purchased and inferior stock rejected, the honest man
receives his due.

The effect of poor eggs on prices paid may be judged from the
fact that the loss from dirty eggs, cracked shells, chick development,
rot and mould, runs nearly twenty per cent in sections where the
greater part of the output comes from general farms. Let the
farmer eliminate all such losses himself and the price he receives will
be increased from twenty to twenty-five per cent without working
any hardship to storekeeper or shipper. This matter is right in the

_ ee eee

a a

‘pee eo ee 1 e. =f a

#
.
’

MARKETING POULTRY PRODUCTS 75

hands of the farmer and the greater part of the responsibility is his.

In most sections there is a steady local demand for high-
grade poultry products. By catering to this the storekeeper and
shipper may be eliminated until such time as they offer satis-
factory prices.

It has been said that high-grade goods sell themselves, and this is
true to a great extent. However, they sell to better advantage in
certain markets than in others, and upon this point the producer must
use good business sense, not only in locating the best markets but in
meeting their requirements in the matter of packages, etc.

WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK ROASTERS

_- When bred to market type, White Rocks make fine table poultry. This variety is
used extensively by growers of roasting chickens.

According to his situation, the poultrvman may choose between
these methods of disposing of his goods:
A. Selling direct to the consumer.

B. Selling direct to the retailer.

C. Selling on the open market through a commission house.

The first plan seems to offer the greatest advantage to the pro-
ducer, as all middlemen and their profits are eliminated. But where
a retail route is established the time required to make deliveries may
be so great as to offset the better price received. It comes right
down to a square business proposition. Can you in this way secure
good pay for the time consumed? If not, sell your goods in some
other way.

Where a vegetable or milk route is operated the additional cost of
retailing poultry products amounts to very little, and under such con-
ditions the retail route is a good thing.

76 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

In many cases family trade can be secured in distant cities if the
producer can guarantee regular delivery. As a rule, however, the
express charges on the small shipments eat up the profits. The de-
velopment of our national parcels post system may offset this to a
very large degree, and enable poultrvmen to build up nice retail
trade to the benefit of all concerned.

Hospitals, hotels, restaurants and clubs are excellent customers,
since they allow good prices and will usually accept the entire output
of a fair sized plant. This permits the making of large shipments
and correspondingly reduces transportation cost.

Selling to the retailer is a very good plan. Large grocery or pro-
vision houses are usually glad to secure eggs and poultry of high
gerade and will pay a substantial premium therefor.

The easiest method of disposing of poultry products is through the
commission houses, since these will receive and sell any quantity
and all qualities. Some of these firms specialize in choice eggs,
dressed and live poultry, and so establish a fine trade, which enables
them to get satisfactory prices for superior goods. Your express
agent can secure addresses of such firms in any city to which you
wish to ship.

Eges may be marketed to advantage at any season of the year, but
naturally the best prices prevail during the months when laying is
lightest. An examination of quotations for a full twelve months
reveals the fact that lowest prices begin early in March and continue
at a low level during April, May, June and the fore part of July.
Then prices move steadily upward until about the first of November,
due to the hens moulting and before the pullets begin production.
Highest prices are reached in November, December and January,
dropping rapidly during February and March when the spring flood
of eggs comes on and the low price-level of the year is touched again.

The above outlines the general trend of prices, but does not take
into consideration sharp breaks or rises due to periods of weather
which may increase or retard egg production. A late open fall keeps
prices down; a late cold spring keeps them up.

During the period of heaviest production there are vast quantities
of surplus eggs, and prices would go to a ruinously low figure each
spring if it were not for the cold storage system.

The egg producer who plans to cater to a select trade in a given lo-
cality should respect the prevailing fashion in the matter of egg color.

MARKETING POULTRY PRODUCTS 77

In certain sections, notably New England, brown-shelled eggs are
preferred ; in New York white-shelled eggs bring the best prices. The
securing of eggs of the proper color is merely a matter of selecting
the right breed.

When sorting eggs for market reject all that are small or abnorm-
ally large in size, and those of poor shape and with imperfect shells.
Slightly soiled eggs may be wiped with a soft cloth. Soaking or
scrubbing eggs is unadvisable since they injure the appearance
and keeping qualities. Therefore, dirty stock should not be included
but retained for home use.

Eggs delivered direct to the consumer should be packed in paste-
board cartons having a capacity of one dozen. These may be
printed with the name of the farm, thus serving as a constant ad-
vertisement. When shipping to a distant point these cartons may be
packed in an ordinary egg case, or in a specially constructed case to
hold the required number of dozens.

Shipments to large consumers or to commission men shouid be
packed in ordinary cases of thirty dozen capacity. The common
pasteboard fillers are preferred to those in which each egg is held
between wires, as the latter require so much time to empty. In all
cases enough dry packing material, say excelsior or straw, should be
included to prevent breakage in traiisit.

In the open market eggs are carefully graded according to size,
and small stock sells at a price much below that secured for large
eggs. A good market egg should weigh two ounces.

Eggs packed specially for cold storage should be full, fresh and
sweet, and packed in standard thirty-dozen cases. Cases and fillers
must be new and clean to prevent possible loss from mould and ob-
jectionable odors. |

Live poultry is in demand in all large cities throughout the vear,
and many poultrymen who specialize in the production of eggs make
it a practice to. sell their surplus cockerels and old hens alive, thus
avoiding the trouble of dressing them. The Jewish trade consumes
vast quantities of live birds, and best prices are received during the
Jewish holidays. The exact dates vary a little from vear to year,
but any commission house can supply information on this point.

Well-ventilated crates are a necessity for the shipment of live
poultry. They should be of sufficient size to hold a reasonable num-
ber of birds comfortably, yet small enough to permit easy handling.

78 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Large crates should have cross partitions to prevent the birds being
thrown to one end when the crate is tipped. Much loss is occasioned
in this way, which could be avoided by merely putting in partitions
when building the crates. A good crate is shown in the chapter
on poultry appliances.

Live poultry should reach the market not later in the week than
Thursday night. The last thing before shipment the birds should
be fed heavily and given plenty of water. Some whole corn should
be thrown into the crate when the journey is to occupy more than a
few hours.

Considerable shrinkage in weight may be expected, the greatest
loss being on turkeys and large, soft chickens.

Dressed poultry should always be carefully prepared. Improper
dressing causes many lots of otherwise fine stock to be sold at low
figures, while inferior birds will sell to better advantage if nicely
picked.

Of course the easiest way to dress poultry is to scald it, but dry
picked stock is so much preferred and sells to such advantage that
this method should ordinarily be used. Scalded stock is less attrac-
tive than that which has been dry picked, due to discoloration and
puffing of the skin. Neither does it keep as well.

Market poultry should be starved for twelve to eighteen hours
before killing. This insures complete emptying of the crops, a point
which should be strictly observed. Water should be abundantly
supplied, as this can easily be forced out of the mouth after killing.

Since most market poultry is sold with heads and legs left on the
carcass, the method of killing should be such as to prevent mutila-
tion. The best method is to “stick” the bird in the mouth and
throat with a knife. The ideal killing knife has a stiff, narrow blade
capable of holding a keen edge, and a stout handle. A very good one
can be made from an eight-inch file, ground on a stone or emery
wheel to the shape shown in the illustration.

eae \ — \ \ \

POULTRY KILLING KNIFE ny
An excellent knife may be made from an 8-inch file. The blade should be made 2
inches long, ™%4-inch wide, and %-inch thick at the back.

ao
—— Sd

ss ee

MARKETING POULTRY PRODUCTS 79

A “pinning knife” with a short, dull blade is a great help in
removing the troublesome pin feathers. These are caught between
the thumb and knife blade and pulled out.

Another convenience is a small pail, or a tin can with a wire
bail to which a hook is attached. This is hooked in the bird’s lower
jaw to catch the blood. It may be weighted with sand or corn meal.
In the latter case meal and blood are useful for feeding.

Some pickers also provide a short, smooth, heavy club, say a ham-
mer handle, with which to stun the bird after sticking.

To kill a bird successfully is not a difficult procedure, but it does
require some practice before the best results are secured every time.
Two things must be secured; thorough bleeding and speedy un-
consciousness, with the relaxation that accompanies the latter.

Hang the bird at a convenient height, by means of a strong cord
having an easy-running noose. Hold it under the left arm, back up,
head to the front. Open the bill with the fingers of the left hand,
_ then insert the knife, passing the point back to the junction of the
neck and skull. Draw the blade across the large blood vessels,
severing them and inducing free bleeding.

Now turn the knife edge upward, thrust the point through the
roof of the mouth into the brain, and give it a half turn. If this 1s
properly done the bird will give a spasmodic jerk and the feathers will
be relaxed and made easy of removal.

Of course all sensation will be lost and no further pain inflicted on
the victim.

This plan of sticking in the brain is best, but since it 1s necessary
to strike a certain small section of it, many people prefer to stun
with a club. The head is grasped in the left-hand, skull uppermost,
and a square, sharp blow delivered with the club upon the back of
the head, which produces the spasmodic stiffening already re-
ferred to.

The receptacle for catching the blood is then suspended on the
jaw and picking begun at once.
__ Dry picking is something of an art, but when once learned is not

at all difficult. However, no one can dry pick a bird easily unless
the sticking or clubbing has been done properly. Under the best of
_conditions some birds will be torn, but the rents may be easily re-
paired with a curved needle and fine thread.

Residence of Mr. S Ketter
Président Crete Food:

SR

——

‘and Laying Houses 4 . The Flock of Wild Ducks -3

80 PRATT EXPERIMENT STATION, MORTON, PENNA.

Director's Residence
_ Pratt Experiment ~

Station
Z

aos ———

t Laying House No 1 Fresh Air Ho

MAINTAINED BY PRATT FOOD COMPANY FOR RESEARCH IN POULTRY $i
HUSBANDRY

82 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

As a rule the coarse wing and tail feathers are snapped out first,
after which the breast is plucked. Certain areas are tender, notably
on the breast, thighs and wing joints, and these should be picked
carefully. The feathers should not be pulled out by handfuls, but
removed by a rolling motion of the hand which takes them out a
few at a time, and still with considerable speed. x

A dish of water should be placed near at hand in which the fingers
may be dipped occasionally. This enables one to get a better grip
on the soft feathers. : :

During the process of picking the coarse, worthless feathers should
be thrown upon the floor, and all that are salable permitted to fall
into a box or barrel for future sale.

Where many birds are dressed a picking box should be built, as
this makes the work easier and saves much muss.

A very good style of picking
or dressing box is shown in the
engravings, which show the
various parts so plainly that fur-
ther description is not necessary.

DRESSING BOX

The illustration above shows the box
in use; the other, the various parts of this
convenient appliance. Note the cord, with
loops for the bird’s feet and hooks for the
weights; the box for rough feathers; the
water cup; the can to catch the blood, in-
cluding point to hold the bird’s head; the
weights; and the %4-inch mesh wire basket
which fits inside the large box and may
be removed to dry the feathers,

‘rts 0 baa

MARKETING POULTRY PRODUCTS 83

If scalding is practised the birds should be permitted to bleed a
while after sticking, and then immersed in water which is kept just
below the boiling point. Scald only enough to start the feathers
freely, then pluck as rapidly as possible. Do not rub the skin, but
pull the feathers out with the tips of the fingers. Do not dip the
heads in the hot water.

After the bird is picked clean it should be hung up in a cold place
or thrown into the cooling tank. Every bit of the animal heat must
be removed before shipping, otherwise the stock will quickly spoil.
Before packing, the heads and feet should be washed clean.

As previously stated, market stock is merely plucked, the heads,
feet and entrails remaining with the carcass. For fancy private trade
it often pays to dress the birds completely, thus making them more
attractive to the housewife.

Broilers may be prepared as follows: Run a heavy, sharp knife
along each side of and close to the back bone, severing the ribs.
Carry the cuts under the neck and below the vent. Then lift out

the back bone and the head and entrails will come with it. Remove

the legs at the first joint. Open the bird and run the edge of the
knife along the keel bone, which may then be removed. When this
is done the carcass fattens out in the best possible shape to place on
the broiler.

Cut the head from the neck and the latter from the balance of the
back bone. Remove the gall bladder from the liver, empty the
gizzard, trim out the heart. All of these go to the customer.

Roasters are fixed differently. Cut the skin from the back of the
shank, exposing the leg sinews. Catch these over a strong hook
in the wal! and pull them out. Cut off the legs at the first joint.

Turn the bird back up, and slit the skin along the back of the neck.
Cut off the latter close to the body and just below the head. Make

a circular incision around the vent, large enough to permit the pas-
‘ sage of the intestines, which are then drawn out. Clean up the liver,

heart and gizzard, and place these, together with the neck, in the body
cavity. Draw the neck skin down over the back and fold the wings
back to hold it in place. Pass a clean string around the ends of the
legs and tie them down to the pope’s nose.

This method of dressing makes a plump, compact carcass, free
from unsightly sprawling legs, wings and neck.

84 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

When. shipping dressed poultry any considerable distance in warm
weather, ice must be used. The best package is a clean barrel, in
which the cracked ice and birds are packed in alternate layers. A
large piece of ice—a “ header’’—is usually put on top, and clean
burlap stretched over all.

Clean boxes are used for dry packing, which is commonly prac-

tised during cold weather. The box is first lined with paper and the
stock packed in layers, with parchment paper between. Careful
grading is necessary, and each box should be carefully marked with
the number and kind of birds it contains, the gross and net weight,
and the name of the shipper. Convenient box sizes are as below.
Dimensions are all inside measure.

For one dozen broilers, weighing 24 lbs. and under: 16x 15 x 3%
inches.

For one dozen broilers weighing 25 to 30 lbs.: 17 x 16 x 4 inches.

For one dozen chickens weighing 36 to 40 lbs.: 23 x 15% x 4
inches.

For one dozen chickens weighing 45 to 50 lbs.: 24 x 16 x 4%
inches.> a. :

For one dozen caickens weighing 60 to 70 lbs.: 20 x 16% x 8%
inches. |

For one dozen medium hen turkeys or geese: 24 x 19 x II inches.

Small boxes may be made of light lumber, '4-inch for ends and
14-inch for the rest. 7

Large boxes should have 5¢-inch ends and the rest 3g-inch
material.

At some seasons of the year or under certain conditions. live
poultry will net the producer more than when dressed, especially
when the‘item of labor is considered. The following table shows
the average loss in weight in dressing, both when the stock is
merely plucked and when heads, legs and intestines are removed.
This will enable anyone to determine whether to dress the market
birds or ship them alive.

LOSS IN DRESSING (Per cent. of live weight)

KIND | Bled and plucked | ; Head, feet and
Cocks - _ eee eee 7.8 23.4
cc es oe E rise / 26.0
lets, cep. oie vie | 24.2
Palleig Saee eae ae 25.8

MARKETING POULTRY PRODUCTS 85

For convenience we present a brief summary showing seasons of
the year when certain classes of poultry are most in demand, weights
desired, etc.

Broilers: Individual or club broilers weigh 1% to 2% lbs. per
pair. Most wanted in winter months.

Regular broilers weigh 4 lbs. per pair, best prices being paid
during April, May and early June. The demand for these birds
continues throughout the year.

MARKETING EGGS IN CHINA

The eggs are packed in baskets and transported by boat wherever possible.
[CPhote trom. Prot. fs Hy Kine)

Roasters: Chickens weighing 8 Ibs. or more per pair. Constant
demand. Best prices during late winter and spring. Market usually
low in the fall when great quantities of spring-hatched stock are
available.

Fowls: Steady demand throughout the year. Best prices for live
fowls during Jewish holidays. Old roosters are classed separately
and bring low prices.

Capons: The larger the better. Sell best during winter and early
spring months. |

Turkeys: Wanted in all weights. Best prices at Thanksgiving
and Christmas. |

Geese: The earliest geese bring the highest prices. Much used
by hotels at summer resorts. Also in demand during the holidays.

86 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK .

“cc d

Ducks: Ducklings, or “green ducks” are in demand during
summer and fall months. Adult stock is salable at all seasons.

Squabs: In steady demand throughout the year, but highest dur-
ing fall and winter.

The soft feathers from all kinds of poultry should be preserved
and marketed. Goose and duck feathers are most valuable, but
turkey and chicken feathers bring enough to make it well worth
while to save them. ;

SPECIAL POINTS.

When preparing poultry for the large city markets observe the
following directions.

Do not remove the heads or feet, and leave undrawn.

Be sure to have all crops empty.

Pick chickens, fowls and squabs clean.

Pick ducks and geese clean or leave feathers on upper part of neck
and first joint of wings.

Tie string around geese and ducks to confine the wings.

Pick turkeys clean or leave feathers on upper part of neck and
first joint of wings. Leave the tassel on the breast of the toms.

Capons are dressed in a different manner. Leave the feathers on
the head and upper part of neck, the tail and a short way up the
back, the last two joints of the wings, and the lower joints of the
legs. Always cool THOROUGHLY before shipping.

POULTRY DRESSING ESTABLISHMENT
From this plant are shipped great quantities of high-grade
market poultry. It is located in the famous “South Shore
district,” near Boston. The live birds are purchased throughout
the surrounding territory and are here dressed and packed for
shipment.

CHAPTER IX
POULTRY DISEASES

LY Pie AyrCASES (OR; WHITE.DIARRHEA

One of the pleasant features of poultry rearing is found in the
fact that the work varies from month to month and from year to
year, and that it has to do with living things. But this latter point
is also a weakness, as where life is, so will disease and death be also.
There is no more trying or discouraging experience than to have a
fine flock of fowls ruined by contagious disease, or have the baby
chicks die in spite of one’s best care.

There are a gréat many different forms of disease to which do-
mestic poultry are stbject, but fortunately most of these are rare
and the average poultryman will seldom be called upon to combat
them. They are, therefore, of greater interest to the scientist than
to the practical poultry grower, and for that reason they will not be
discussed in this volume. The more common ailments are here
briefly described, and the cause, symptoms and method of cure given.
Should mysterious troubles appear in your flock, consult our Poultry
Service Department, from which source you will receive personal
advice relative to the proper way of overcoming the trouble. There
is no charge for this special service.

We make no apology for recommending the line of Pratts Poultry
Remedies in the text of this chapter, as these are the best prepara-

87

88 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

- tions of which we know for curing the diseases for which they are
specially prepared. If there were better we would certainly manu-
facture them. Since we do not know of any preparations which equal
them in efficiency and convenience, we would neither be fair to our
customers nor to ourselves if we suggested other treatment.

From, long years of experience we are so certain that the various
remedies here mentioned are efficacious and dependable, that we
stand behind each one of them with this most satisfactory of guar-
oe “Your money back if it fails.”

These goods may be secured of one or more dealers in each town,
or ordered direct from us 1f necessary. You can use them with the
utmost confidence, as we take the risk. ;

But many common diseases need not exist at all. A fowl in perfect
physical condition, with digestive apparatus doing its full duty, with
reproductive organs strong and active, and with good circulation,
will usually throw off disease even if exposed to it. This does not
refer to strictly contagious or infectious diseases like cholera, chicken
pox, and the like, but it does apply to the great majority of disorders
to which poultry flesh is heir.

It is of primary importance that the flock, especially the breeders,
possess great constitutional vigor, and that this be maintained. It
must be realized that every laying hen is under a constant strain,
converting raw material into a concentrated food product, which at
the same time affords the means of reproduction. Therefore, hens
need very special care to prevent them from breaking down in one
way or another, thus permitting disease to gain a foothold. It is
right here that a reliable conditioner proves of benefit, keeping all -
the organs in condition to perform their normal functions and pre- -
venting any weak link in the chain from snapping. Pratts Poultry
Regulator does just this. It strengthens the organs of digestion, it
naturally stimulates and gives tone to the egge producing organs, it
_ keeps the.stock healthy and vigorous. This means more rapid
growth or heavier egg production at a lower cost, and insures free-
dom from most diseases.

This subject of constitutional vigor has been given much attention
by level-headed poultrymen of late, and its importance is more gen-
erally recognized than at any time in the history of the poultry
industry. “ Breed for health and vigor” is the watchword to-day,

POULTRY DISEASES 89

and to this we add “ Preserve health and vigor by the regular use
of the time-tested conditioner, Pratts Poultry Regulator.”

Cleanliness and sanitation are also barriers against disease and
vermin. Many diseases are due to germ life, and the various de-
structive organisms thrive in dirty houses. We, therefore, strongly
urge the regular use of Pratts Disinfectant to head off trouble from
this source. Spray the houses and coops, scrub out the incubators
and brooders, wash the drinking and feed dishes with a strong
solution of this powerful preparation and disease germs will never
secure a foothold.

Regarding the characteristic appearance of fowls in health and
disease, Dr. Salmon says:

“We say that a bird is in good health when it appears lively, has
a clear eye, a bright red comb, is quick and active in its movements,
has a good appetite, and when the various organs perform their
functions in a manner in which they are observed to act in all birds
that are vigorous and thriving.

“ On the other hand, we say a bird is diseased when some function
or functions of its body are not performed as they are in the great
majority of individuals, or when some organ presents an unusual
form or appearance.

“Disease has, therefore, been defined as a life, the manifestations
of which deviate more or less from the normal. Practically, we say,
a bird is diseased when we observe that one or more of its functions
are not carried on in a normal manner, or when we find unusual

growths, injuries, or parasites affecting any of its organs.”

It will pay every poultry raiser to learn the location of the various
internal organs of a bird and their normal appearance by carefully
examining healthy birds dressed for the table. Then when deaths
occur post-mortem examinations may be intelligently conducted.
Such examinations will frequently disclose the exact source of the
trouble and enable one to take the necessary steps to head off further
losses from diseases of a similar character.

Dead birds should be inspected as soon after death as possible.
The most convenient method is as follows:

Place the bird on its back with legs and wings outspread, and drive
a small nail through each foot and the joint of each wing. Slit the
skin from the lower jaw right down to the vent and peel it back out
of the way. Then with knife or blunt shears cut along the outer

90 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

edges of the breast bone and remove the entire breast, revealing the
internal organs in their normal position.

Beginning at the mouth the windpipe may be traced to the rie
and the gullet, or esophagus, to the crop. The latter is a sack or
pouch in front of the breast and partly between the branches of the
“wish bone.” The lining of the crop supplies certain juices for
softening and dissolving the food. Following the food canal back-
ward we find an enlargement, sometimes called the stomach, which
also furnishes certain digestive fluids. Just beyond the stomach lies
the gizzard with tough muscular walls suited to crush and grind the
food.

Next comes a long loop in the intestinal canal, which encloses the
pancreas, a flesh-colored organ whose duty it is to furnish the indis-
pensible pancreatic juice. The liver, with the related gall bladder
and dark red spleen, are next in order.

The intestine, folded back and forth in the abdominal cavity, sends
out two branches or pouches a few inches from the rear end. These
are the ceca, or “ blind guts,” and their exact function is not known.
Finally the intestine enlarges and forms the cloaca into which the
body wastes are poured and from which they are expelled.

Occupying pockets in the back of the bird may be observed the
dark-colored kidnevs, with tubes connecting them. with the cloaca.

Lying close to the liver the heart will be seen, together with the
great blood vessels through which the life-giving blood is pumped.

The ovary and oviduct, or egg tube, are easily located in females
that have reached a fair stage of development. These are large dur-
ing the period of egg production, but smaller or shrunken at other
times. The ovary consists of a mass of globules of different sizes
each of which may develop into the yolk of an egg. The oviduct
conveys the yolk from the ovary to the cloaca, adding the white and
shell during the passage.

The testicles of the male will be found in the region commonly
known as “the small of the back.” They are light colored and vary
somewhat in size according to the season of the year.

These are the most important organs, and all of them may be af-
fected by disease. When their appearance in a state of health is
once learned the changes due to disease are easily noted, and this
makes the diagnosis much easier.

POULTRY DISEASES 91

Some place should be provided for birds suffering with contagious
diseases or which for some other reason must be kept apart from
the flock. This will serve to keep diseases from spreading through
the flock and also make the work of caring for ailing birds easier
and more convenient.

Any small building or room with a southern exposure may be
adapted to this purpose. It shouid be fitted with a few coops having
tight sides and slatted fronts. These coops should be smoothly con-
structed with few cracks in order that they may be easily and
thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. There should also be one or
more pens of sufficient size to permit convalescent birds to take some
exercise.

Fresh air and sunlight are essential. Arrangement should be made
to admit the sun to every part of the room, and for thorough venti-
lation without draughts.

The hospital must be kept scrupulously clean and disinfected at
frequent intervals, especially when treating cases of contagious dis-

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FOWL HOSPITAL

ease. All food, droppings and litter removed from the coops must be
destroyed. Bury deeply or burn. All drinking water should be
emptied where none of the other fowls can get at it.

Bury deeply, or burn, every dead fowl or chicken. This is very
important. :

Drinking and feed dishes should be of such type as to permit
frequent disinfection.

92 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Pratts Poultry Remedies are not expensive. Every poultryman
should keep a full line on hand for instant use. Get right after every
case of sickness when it first appears, and much work, worry and loss
will be prevented. In addition to the remedies, the careful poultry-
man may well procure a clinical thermometer, a pair of long nosed
tweezers, a small pair of scissors, a small keen knife, and a supply
of absorbent cotton. These conveniences make the work easier and
results surer.

When treating the whole flock, the
medicine is most easily given by put-
ting it in the drinking water or mixing
it with soft feed. Treatment of indi-
vidual birds is not difficult, but re-
quires time and patience. The easiest
way is to administer the remedy in
pill or tablet form when possible. A
few drops of liquid or a small amount
of powder can be mixed with corn
meal or flour and rolled into pills. To
give these, proceed as follows: Hold the fowl under one arm and
gently open the mouth. Push the pill well down into the throat,
then release the bird’s head and the pill will be swallowed.

Small doses of liquid may be dropped into the
open mouth by means of a medicine dropper or
fountain pen filler. 3

Large doses of liquid,- liquids which are ob-
jectionable to the bird and may be refused, or
heavy oils which may clog the throat and cause
strangulation, are best passed. directly into the
crop by means of a glass tube or small catheter.
Proceed as follows: Suck the medicine up into
the tube and immediately seal the upper end of
the tube with the finger to prevent the medicine .- j
from running out. Insert the lower end of the ee! y
tube in the bird’s mouth and gently pass it down GIVING LIQUID

WITH TUBE
the gullet and into the crop. Then blow the dose
into the crop and remove the tube. Exercise care when inserting
the tube to avoid tearing or injuring the mouth, tongue and gullet.

The tube should be thoroughly cleaned before using it for another
case.

GIVING A PILL

POULTRY DISEASES 93

The easiest way to rid fowls of body lice is
to dust them with Pratts Powdered Lice Killer,
which is packed in sprinkler top cans. Hold
the fowl by the legs, head down. This causes
the feathers to fall open and permits the pow-
der to sift through to the skin. Sprinkle on a
liberal amount of the powder and with the
fingers work it well into the plumage, especi-
ally into the fluffy feathers around the vent.

If the fowl is held above a tray or shallow

box, the surplus powder which drops off will
be saved.

Mites are easily disposed of by spraying or
APPLYING LICE painting the walls near the roosts, also nests,
oa - roosts and dripping boards with Pratts Liquid

Lice Killer.
The more common poultry diseases are discussed below. The
symptom chart on page 94 will be found most convenient, since the
particular disease may be referred to without reading the entire text.

1. Apoplexy. Symptoms: Sudden death or paralysis, due to rup-
ture of blood vessel in brain. Cause: Poor condition, over-fatness.
Treatment: Useless to treat affected individual, but flock should
have attention. Reduce the ration, feed less corn, supply Pratts
Poultry Regulator to improve condition.

2. Aspergillosis. (Fowls.) Symptoms: Weakness, inability to
stand, general exhaustion, rough plumage, dragging wings, rapid
breathing, rattling in throat, emaciation. Cause: Growth of mould
in air passages. Treatment: Since this mould comes from mouldy
grain and litter, these should be avoided. Treatment of badly in-
fected birds useless. Avoid cause and keep flock free from infection.
Disinfect buildings with Pratts Disinfectant. Give Pratts Poultry
Regulator to put flock in condition to resist disease. (Chicks.)
Symptoms: Chicks sleepy, dragging wings, rapid breathing, diarrhea,
usually light colored. Yellowish tubercles on lungs. Cause and
treatment as above. .

THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

SYMPTOM CHART

Find symptom on chart, then refer to paragraph bearing corresponding number

SYMPTOMS SEE No.
Abdotmen distended, +23 hig202. aah eee lealG
lOOd iM EGGS. sos ree ce ne eae eee
ankep 1 4 a5 dee eee ee eee (Se. Be
Comb. frozen ....¢tivgit Bina tig ewes teens
CUO” 2 Poa tae, tye pees ee tee ene | 6, 316, 25
Crop: distended. Veet 7 ae al ota a
Cus 5 ced te ek devas sae Bo eee ee | 29
Diarthed 7s Bae cy eee eee oat ae ee Bee Se
Dithculebreathinie i.e ee Ma aa ees
Dischar ce item eyes. alate aie tee 9, 25
Diseharse srom NoOserils? 27 @.. 2 sa. 5 Fa),, 25
Discharge (white) from vent .......... 28
Drawemio: lew sera (308 ae ee eee pes
Dirageine wines ieee, sere oS eu es 27g EOE
DITO witless. cold amceitn Pelee anes eee | i
Pee iationy Noe oA ie cee ne aes Wee ees ee
Eruption on head .... hee)
Exhaustion. <chaivs. 21 oie ees 2
Gaptiie |: 6 eae ce oe eae 16
Gasping Favor aeis Bts Senet ee 16
TAME RESS ws on he ae a ee | 24,27
METAPIG a he eae ee ON eect eo
Pein merleyss jk. ee us es See 2 eae 20
Loss weight i. ene US eee 12; 27
INGES: “a ac eae iat Ae Re aE Lt ane 19
Organs protruding through vent ....... 14
Pate heads’: ts he wibes hee peice em
iPanalysis: 422: eobtkot ve Sie ee ee Se ee
Patches ta vmoutir poe ae ee 8,25
Picking among featiiers’ - tes) a ee 19
Scratchino, odyoie.t, baad eckson eed 19.
Scaly- legs oe. Rte ase de ek Reaetne. og Pe 26
Short backs 4 245e-54 eee ee ees
Sleepiness 2 haw eee ens cle een eae Soe eee
SmGeZiHie:. . Gay hte tic ce eh ee 2
Sores 220 GA? VE a ee 29
Sores, on deadcg iva wake ae ee waa
Stell JOMmMSs ee U. fol ot cue eee ee 2
Straining: as ‘though laying’ fies. eee
SuddeniWeatiutin <i 2o:c8bck a ee eee I
Swollen eyes > ae Ae PAR es eee) 25
Swollen Jointsup eh... ee Pak. Soon eee 2
AD RAESE. eign sec eee ea ke pe cap ieee eae II
Uneasiness 7 tt Bnul too % atte ee eee 19, 23
Weaksess ot ee ocr ages esa 2212, 22 oe
AWiealc® leees* (ona, lt hee ace een nee eee 18
Weak mechs: : 5. tc svcne ee ae See 20
Wilnetlane 525 Jo filter ae ae ee Paik: Bek S
White diarthea’’ 05 |S a eee 3
Worms’ sult bois < co Beh ee ae eee 17
Wornisiaa droppines . voce oe 17

WV GS aioe oy ey Cet i ee tae | 209

POULTRY DISEASES 95

3. Bacillary White Diarrhea. (Young
Chicks.) Symptoms: Sleepy, chilly, drooping
wings, rough feathers, emaciation, diarrhea—-
usually white or creamy—short backs, most
deaths under three weeks. Livers usually show
streaks and patches of red, intestines nearly
empty and light in color. Cause: Bacteria. The
disease may be inherited from hens with in-
fected ovaries, or pass from chick to chick. Jn
latter case, greatest period of danger is during
first three days after hatching. Disease may be
brought upon farm by infected breeders, eggs

i for hatching, or baby chicks. Do not buy these
- BACILLARY WHITE :
DIARRHEA. from plants where the disease has appeared.
oe Treatment: Badly infected chicks not worth
curing. Prevention best. Disinfect incubators,
brooders, feed and water dishes regularly and thoroughly with
Pratts Disinfectant. Keep chicks in dark incubator two or three
days after hatching, reducing temperature gradually. Give Pratts
White Diarrhea Remedy in drinking water for one week. It will
prevent the disease from spreading and cure mild cases. Never let
a chick that has shown these symptoms be used as a breeder. Feed
Pratts Baby Chick Food for three weeks to give vigorous start.

4. Bloody Spots in Eggs. Symptoms: Small clots of blood on
yolks and in whites of eggs. Cause: Rupture of blood vessel in ovary
or oviduct. Usually due to weakness of these organs. Treatment:
Reduce ration for a few days and give Pratts Poultry Regulator to
strengthen reproductive organs.

5. Broken Bones. Symptoms: Dragging leg or wing. Treat-
ment: Join the ends of the bone and hold them in place by means of
splints and soft bandages. Keep bird in small quarters. Give mod-
erate ration and Pratts Condition Tablets.

6. Bronchitis. Symptoms: Rapid breathing and cough, at first
whistling sound, later rattling or bubbling in throat. Cause: De-
velopment of common cold, inhaling of dust. Tyreatment: Place
bird in dry quarters. Give teaspoonful castor oil, and Pratts Bron-
chitis Remedy.

96 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

7- Bumblefoot. Symptoms: ~Limping.
Cause: Abscess on bottom of foot from
bruises or small wounds. Treatment: Place
bird in small pen with soft litter. Operate
as follows: Tie soft cord tightly above foot
to check blood. Prepare strong solution
Pratts Disinfectant in which to wash the foot
and knife. With sharp blade cut deeply into
abscess and remove all pus. Wash wound
thoroughly with solution. Anoint with Pratts
Healing Ointment, and bandage to exclude
BUMBLE FOOT dirt. Remove cord. Repeat if necessary.

Give Pratts Condition Tablets.

8. Canker. Symptoms: Cheesy patches in mouth and throat.
Cause: Growths of pus germs due to injury or digestive troubles.
Treatment: Put birds in good condition with Pratts Poultry Regula-
tor. Apply Pratts Disinfectant, undiluted, to the canker patches
with small cotton swab.

g. Catarrh. Symptoms: Somewhat resembles early stages of roup,
but is not contagious. Sick birds appear dull, sneeze, breathing is
difficult, with watery discharges from nostrils and eyes. Cause:
Exposure, drafts, dampness. Birds in poor condition most affected.
Treatment: Put entire flock in good condition with Pratts Poultry
Regulator. Give affected birds Pratts Roup Cure to control the dis-
ease, and Pratts Condition Tablets to quickly restore to condition.

to. Chicken Pox or Sore Head. Symp-
toms: Eruption on parts of head not cov-
ered with feathers. At first small, gray
in color. Soon increase in size and extent.
Head and comb become covered with
scabs. Sores on eyelids frequently close
eyes. In extreme cases disease spreads
to other parts of body. Treatment: Con-
tagious. Remove sick birds and clean and
CHICKEN POX disinfect buildings and furnishings with
Pratts Disinfectant. Treat all cases with

Pratts Sore Head (Chicken Pox) Remedy.

POULTRY DISEASES 97

11. Choléra. One of the most fatal and highly infectious of
poultry diseases. Symptoms: Diarrhea, usually yellow, but fre-
quently green in color. Drowsiness, drooping wings, head drawn down,
weakness, great thirst, crop distended with food. In last stages the
fowl apparently drops into a deep sleep, lasting a day or two before
death. The disease will sweep through the whole flock unless ar-
rested. Cause: Bacteria. May be brought upon the farm by affected
birds or on tools, feet of the attendant, etc. Separate sick birds from
balance of flock as soon as the first
By Eeugh a ut symptoms are noted. Move healthy

Yi Wes birds to new ground if possible.
Ki SA 2 Disinfect, with the utmost care,

1a

2 YS houses, furnishings, tools, pails,
en \\ y =-S 2 hi d b h bi d
EAN os everything used about the birds.

~ Pratts Disinfectant in strong solu-

\ SS

tion is best for this. Sprinkle the
yards with lime and disinfectant so-
lution, and grow heavy crop of veg-
etation. Give entire flock Pratts
Poultry Regulator. Use Pratts
Chicken Cholera Remedy both as a cure and preventive. Burn all
dead birds and all litter, food, droppings, etc., taken from the coops.
We cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity of thorough and fre-
quent disinfection.

12. Crop Bound. Symptoms: Crop packed with food, usually
solid. Bird becomes weak and emaciated. A healthy fowl appears
hungry and continues to eat until the crop is distended to the utmost.
Cause: In some cases due to paralysis of the crop, as in cholera.
Where no disease of this character is present the trouble is due to
stoppage of the cesophagus, or passage through which the food passes
from the crop. Frequently due to coarse hay, corn fodder, or pieces
of gristle. Treatment: Affected birds must be given individual treat-
ment. Give liberal doses of warm sweet oil, as much as the crop
will hold. Then knead the contents thoroughly. Persistent work
will frequently clear the passage. Or use warm water, washing out
the contents and then using the oil as above. In extreme cases,
operate on valuable birds. Make a clean cut through the outer skin
and crop wall. Remove entire contents, using care to remove the
obstruction. Take a few stitches in the opening, using fine needle

S

CHOLERA

98 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

and silk thread. During the operation, keep the hands: and instru-
ments clean, washing them in a strong solution of Pratts Disin-
fectant. Confine the bird and supply a limited amount. of soft food
until recovery.

13. Dropsy. Symptoms: Abdomen distended, filled with liquid.
Fowl feeble, with pale comb and poor appetite. Cause: Bad feeding,
unsanitary conditions.. Treatment: Severe cases not worth treating.
Prevent by keeping flock in condition with Pratts Poultry Regulator
and quarters sanitary with Pratts Disinfectant.

Egg Bound. See Obstruction of Oviduct No. 23.

14. Eversion of Oviduct. Symptoms: Portion of the oviduct
protruding through the vent. Cause: Straining to lay large egg;
straining to lay when oviduct is obstructed ; constipation. Treatment:
Thoroughly wash the protruding oviduct and adjacent parts with
lukewarm solution Pratts Disinfectant ; grease well with Pratts Heal-
ing Ointment. and replace. Confine the fowl, feed lightly and give
Pratts Condition Tablets.

15. Frozen Comb. Symptoms: Comb appears white and blood-
less. Later turns dark, may get sore, and a whole or part drop off.
Cause: Extreme cold. Especially affects birds of low vitality and
those kept in damp quarters. Treatment: Prevent by keeping entire
flock in good condition with Pratts Poultry Regulator, and housed
in dry buildings. Frozen combs must be treated separately. Rub
each with snow or hold. in cold water until frost is drawn out. Then
grease liberally with Pratts Healing Ointment and rub briskly until
the blood returns to every part of the comb.

16. Gapes. Symptoms: Usually afflicts young
chicks. Frequent gasping; gaping; coughing;
discharge of mucus and worms from throat.
Cause: Small Y-shaped worm, about %-inch
‘long. May be either pale or red in color. At-
taches itself to interior walls of windpipe, weak-
ening the chick by sucking the blood, and also
causing strangulation. This apparently double-
headed worm is really two worms, one of each
sex, joined together. Treatment: Use Pratts
Gape Remedy. Disinfect floors of coops and
runs with Pratts Disinfectant.

eee ee ee eae ees

POULTRY DISEASES 99

17. Intestinal Parasites. Poultry of all kinds and ages harbor
various types of worms in the intestines. When few are present
these do no particular harm, but cause much damage when in large
numbers. Symptoms: Small worms and segments of tape worms
are found in the droppings. The affected bird may be dull and in
poor condition. Treatment: The regular use of Pratts Poultry Regu-
lator will control this trouble. Severe cases should be treated indi-
vidually. By means of a tube give one teaspoonful of oil of turpen-
tine mixed with an equal amount of olive or sweet oil. Follow in
twenty-four hours with teaspoonful of castor oil.

-18. Leg Weakness. (Chicks.) Symptoms: Chicks walk in a
wobbly, weak-kneed fashion, often resting or hobbling along on the’
joints. Cause: Feed lacking in bone and animal matter; close con-
finement; lack of exercise; over-heating in brooders. Treatmeut:
Feed young chicks on Pratts Baby Chick Food. Give fair amount of
beef or fish scrap and bone meal. Afford opportunity for exercise,
especially on the ground. Avoid bottom heat in brooders. Feed
liberally on green food. Add small quantity Pratts Poultry Regula-
tor to the ration.

19. Lice. There are at least eight species of lice which live upon
fowls, five being commonly found. Symptoms: Uneasiness ; scratch-
ing and picking among feathers; general unthriftiness; lice present
among the feathers; “nits” or egg clusters at base of feathers,
especially near the vent. Treatment: Dust thoroughly and fre-
quently with Pratts Powdered Lice Killer. Continue treatment until
after all nits have hatched and been killed. Spray or paint roosts.
and nests with Pratts Liquid Lice Killer or Pratts Disinfectant.

20. Limberneck. Symptoms: The affected bird loses control of neck
muscles, the neck becoming limp and the head hanging. Common in
the South. Cause: Usually caused by eating decayed meat, but may
come from indigestion or the action of internal parasites. Treatment:
Clean up and disinfect the premises. Give the entire flock Pratts
Poultry Regulator. Treat individual cases with Pratts Condition
Tablets, following liberal dose of castor oil.

21. Liver Diseases. There are several diseases of the liver, with
no prominent symptoms. If the flock is not doing well, kill several
birds and examine the livers. If these are found to be abnormal
treat the whole flock. Treatment: Put the buildings in sanitary con-

100 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

dition with Pratts Disinfectant. Feed a light ration containing
plenty of green food and Pratts Poultry Regulator. Induce exercise,
especially in the open air. Individual treatment does not pay. If the
flock fails to respond to the above treatment, kill and market the
birds and replace with healthy stock.

22. Mites. The common red mite is a minute eight-legged ani-
mal related to the spiders. It lives in cracks and crevices of the
roosts, dropping boards, nests, coops and brooders, visiting the chicks
and fowls only to suck the blood. Symptoms: Chicks are pale and
weak; hens are much disturbed at night and appear ill-nourished;
sitting hens frequently die on the nest. The mites will be found in
cracks, under cleats, in the nesting material, etc. When present in
large numbers they give off a peculiar odor, which the experienced
poultryman will quickly recognize. Treatment: Clean out the ac-
cumulated droppings at frequent intervals. Remove and burn old
litter and nesting material. Paint or spray the house, particularly
near roosts and nests, with Pratts Liquid Lice Killer or Pratts Disin-
fectant. Dust the fowls with Pratts Powdered Lice Killer.

23. Obstruction of Oviduct. (Egg Bound.) The affected bird
appears restless ; visits the nest frequently and strains as though lay-
ing. Gentle pressure of the fingers on the sides of the abdomen en-
ables one to feel the egg if one is lodged in the lower portion of the
oviduct. Treatment: Grease the vent thoroughly with Pratts Heal-
ing Ointment, rubbing the material well up inside. If relief does not
follow, hold the bird above a kettle of boiling water, permitting the
steam to strike and enter the vent, thus relaxing the parts. Then
grease again as above. In extreme cases gently force the egg toward
the opening until the end can be seen. Break the shell with an awl
or blunt knife, and with a small spoon remove the contents. Then
pick out the rest of the shell with tweezers. Disinfect the parts with
a strong solution of Pratts Disinfectant. Place the bird in small pen,
feed sparingly and give Pratts Condition Tablets.

24. Rheumatism. Symptoms: Lameness; stiffness and swelling
of the joints. Cause: Exposure to cold and dampness. Treatment:
Remove the cause by making quarters dry and sunny. Improve gen-
eral condition with Pratts Poultry Regulator. Rub affected parts
with Pratts Liniment.

_—r a

POULTRY DISEASES 101

25. Roup. Symptoms: Bad smeiling
discharge from the nostrils; sticky dis-
charge from the eyes; feathers under
wings and on back smeared and sticky,
where bird has wiped its head; some-
times coughing and sneezing; eyes stuck
shut ; eyes closed and swollen out ; mouth
forced open by cheesy growth; patches
of canker in mouth and throat. Treat-
ment: The disease is very contagious.
Remove all birds showing symptoms. Clean up and disinfect the
quarters, using Pratts Disinfectant liberally. Give entire flock, sick
and well, Pratts Roup Cure. Give the healthy flock Pratts Poultry
Regulator. Treat the sick birds with Pratts Condition Tablets in
addition to the Roup Cure. Burn the bodies of all birds that die, and
all material removed from the hospital.

26. Scaly Leg. Symptoms: Scaly, rough, crusty
appearance of feet and shanks. Cause: A minute
mite which burrows under the scales and into the
tissues of the leg. Treatment: Apply Pratts Scaly
Leg Ointment as directed.

Sore Head. See Chicken Pox, No. Io.

27. Tuberculosis. Cause: A minute germ.
Symptoms: Steady loss in weight ; paleness of comb,
wattles and face; general weakness ; lameness; ruf-
fling of feathers; frequently diarrhea. Eye bright;

SCALY LEG ‘avenous appetite. Treatment: The disease is con-

tagious and will spread through the flock unless
proper precautions are taken.. Remove affected birds. Disinfect
the poultry plant and suroundings with Pratts Disinfectant. Kull
birds in advanced stages. Give the whole flock a nourishing ration,
and include Pratts Poultry Regulator. Use lime freely. If disease
continues to spread, dispose of entire flock, disinfect with greatest
care, start anew with healthy stock.

28. Vent Gleet. Symptoms: Excrement voided frequently and in
small quantities. Vent is red, dry and swollen. A discharge soon
makes its appearance, at first watery, but later white, thick and of-
fensive. This collects on the feathers, obstructing and irritating

102 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

the vent. Sores or ulcers may appear, due to the bird constantly
picking at the affected parts. Treatment: Give liberal dose of castor
oil. Soak the affected parts with warm solution of Pratts Disin-
fectant, made very strong, then remove the accumulated matter. Ap-
ply the solution again, injecting a liberal quantity well up into the
vent. Dust the sores with Pratts Healing Powder. Continue until
a cure is effected. Birds having advanced cases should be killed.
Warning—The attendant should exercise extreme care to prevent
any of the discharge from getting into cuts, sores, or the eyes. In-
fammation will follow if this occurs. 3
Worms. See Intestinal Parasites, No. 17.

29. Wounds, cuts, sores, should be bathed with a solution of
Pratts Disinfectant, and then treated with Pratts Healing Ointment
or Pratts Healing Powder, according to which is more convenient.

White Diarrhea. See Bacillary White Diarrhea, No. 3.

ADVANCED CASE OF ROUP.

Eye closed and forced out and mouth
forced open by cheesy growth.

“Pratts Handy Chart of Poultry Diseases” contains the essential portions
of this chapter. It may be tacked on the wall of the poultry house for con-
sultation with the ailing bird right at hand. Write for a free copy.

CHAPTER X
TURKEYS

BRONZE AND WILD TURKEYS

The turkey has been aptly called “the king of the poultry yard.”
This magnificent bird is probably the best contribution that America
has made to the list of domestic animals, and because of its beauty
and strength, its courage and economic value, Benjamin Franklin
contended that it deserves the place now occupied by the eagle as
our national emblem.

When the Spaniards came to America they observed the tt urkey,
both wild and in a state of domestication. Cortes found them
abundant in Mexico, where they supplied “ the cheapest meat.” They
were taken to Spain somewhere about the year I 520 and shortly
thereafter appeared in France.

In the year 1524 turkeys were imported iy, “England, probably
from Spain. For a great many years they were rare, but ‘gradually
increased in numbers until they became common upon the tables of
rich and poor alike. Certainly by 1573 they were so used, as a poet
writing of Christmas fare at that date mentions te 3

“ Pig, veal, goose and capon,
and turkey well drest.”

‘Turkeys formed one of the principal dishes at the wedding feast
of Charles IX of France and Elizabeth of Austria. This was held

103

104 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

6

in June, 1576. According to the records “a large number of these
birds had been sent over from Boston to St. Malo, and when the
ship reached that port the provincial governor despatched a dozen
of them to the chef of the king’s kitchen, thinking they would be a
welcome addition to the royal table. These twelve turkeys were
stuffed and served on the spits, like so many larks, and the great
dignitaries of the court, as well as the Cardinal de Lorraine and the
Queen-mother, ate so.much of them that they all had an attack of
indigestion. Charles IX was so pleased with them that he began to
breed turkeys in the forest of St. Germain, and his example was soon
followed by many of the great landowners.” |
Certain it is that the turkey rapidly spread over Europe, its popu-

larity being then, as now, due to its great size and flesh- of fine.

quality.

The Mexican species is dark, almost black in color, and it is also
smaller than its northern cousin, the American Wild Turkey. In all
probability the former is the kind that first appeared in Europe, fol-
lowed later by the larger and more brilliantly colored type. From
these sources have sprung all of our present recognized varieties.

In spite of their great size, which makes them desirable prizes for
the sportsmen, wild turkeys are still found in certain parts of
America, even as far north as Pennsylvania. This is very fortunate,

A TURKEY PARK
Woodland enclosed with poultry netting. Note the nest and roosts.

TURKEYS 105

as the wild stock supplies
a. fountain of vigorous
blood which may be re-
“sorted to when necessary
to build up the domestic
- flocks that frequently de-
teriorate in size and
vigor. A few flocks of
pure wild turkeys are
now being carefully bred,
and toms from them are
in big demand.

_. Our. breeders recog-
nize six.varieties of
turkeys, the Bronze, the
Narragansett, the Buff,
-the Slate, the White Hol- THE KING:OF THE POULTRY YARD
land and the Black.

_ Of these the Bronze is the most popular, since it is by far the
‘largest variety and possesses the handsomest plumage. Weights for
this variety are as follows: Adult cock thirty-six pounds, cockerel
bwents five pounds, hen twenty pounds, pullet sixteen pounds.

‘The smallest variety is the White Holland, with the following
weet Cock twenty-six pounds, hen sixteen pounds, cockerel
eighteen pounds, -pullet twelve pounds.
eee? of the turkeys mentioned will prove entirely satisfactory pro-

vided the stock is healthy and vigorous. The Bronze is best for the
production of huge carcasses, while the White Holland dresses up
to a popular size for small families. This latter variety is gaining in

' public esteem because it is more domestic, less inclined to wander,

than the others. This is a big advantage, especially in thickly
settled communities where trespassing birds cause endless trouble.

While breeding turkeys have been kept in large enclosed yards
with some degree of success, and even induced to use trap nests, it is
not wise to attempt to breed them in confinement. They are pecu-
liarly a farm bird, delighting to roam at will over pasture, tillage and
wood land where they find the best natural conditions and pick up
a great deal of their food in the form of worms, grasshoppers, weed
seeds, and other turkey dainties. In this way they do a tremendous

*aAoqe uMoys sev ‘usw pUue SsO1INd JO SsyoRq dy} UO JOXIeU
0} Prliseo Buroq ‘aarye plos a1e A1jjnod szsyO pue SAdyAN} a}eWI[D JOY 94} 0} BuIMGO

SYATTAS AYLTNOd NVOIXUN

TURKEYS 107

amount of good to the farmer, and pay for the privilege as well in the
form of great carcasses of dainty flesh.

Because of their peculiar habits and characteristics, therefore, tur-
keys are most easily and cheaply grown on large farms. During
recent years some breeders have been successful in protecting their
birds from thieves and natural enemies by keeping them in huge
parks, made by enclosing a large area with three-foot poultry netting,.
above which a few strands of barbed wire are stretched at intervals
of ten to twelve inches. Such enclosure should include an orchard or
tract of woodland, a dry, sunny field, and a spring, pond or stream.
Under these conditions the cost of raising is increased not only on
account of the fencing expense, but because more feed must be
supplied. On the other hand losses are greatly reduced and the dif-
ference of a few birds to market each: fall makes a big increase in the

season’s income. It is quite probable that this system will be com-

monly used in the future. Present prices of dressed turkeys seem
to warrant the investment of a considerable sum in the necessary
equipment for raising them.

Excepting in the more northerly section of the country where the
cold is unusually severe and snow fall heavy, adult turkeys require
no special buildings. They will be comfortable and thrive if per-
mitted to roost in a thicket of trees, or under the protection of a
high barn or other large building. It is a common practice to put
up high roosts near the south side of a building and permit the adult
birds to perch thereon during the entire year. In some cases further
protection is provided in the form of a roof, and occasionally a-
board shield is nailed up back of the roosts. Thus it is evident that
little money is needed for buildings, and this may permit of the
erection of a park as described above, without making the investment
top-heavy. !

The best breeding birds are medium in size, with stout bones and
big frames. It is essential that their breasts be long and deep, as
these make the best market carcasses. In every case the stock should
be perfectly healthy and free from such deformities as crooked backs
and breasts. Uniformity in the type is desirable, as this will mean a
fine, even lot of- youngsters.

So far as possible avoid inbreeding. The male should never be
closely related to the females. There is no fixed rule regarding the
number of hens allowed one tom. Everything depends upon the

108 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

vigor of the latter. In common practice the number runs from six
to twelve. |

When breeding stock has free range they require but little special
care in the way of feeding. They should receive a fairly liberal ra-
tion of mixed grains. In fact any good grain mixture for hens will
prove entirely satisfactory. An occasional feed of mash will be
relished and may be used to advantage as the laying season ap-
proaches. Crushed oyster shells should be supplied at this time also.

The hens begin laying early in the spring, in many cases so early
that the eggs are spoiled by chilling during the cold nights. As in
other races of poultry, the females vary in their capacity for egg
production, but from twenty to thirty eggs is the average. In ex-
ceptional cases double this number are produced.

Turkey hens seldom lay in farm buildings, preferring to secrete
their eggs in nests under brush piles, in fence corners and other
out of the way places. Some growers endeavor to induce the hens
to make their nests near the house by providing brush piles and other
desirable places right at hand. This practice frequently pays well as
much time and many valuable eggs are saved.

As the laying season approaches the turkey hens begin to act un-
easy and frequently wander off alone searching for suitable nesting
spots. At this time they should be watched until the various nests
are located, and then these should be visited daily in order to collect
the eggs as they are laid. These should be removed without dis-
turbing the nest in the slightest degree, and common hens’ eggs with
brown shells substituted. After three or four nest eggs have been
deposited no more will be required. |

The turkey eggs should be carefully marked with the number of
the turkey hen and the date laid, packed in dry bran, large end
uppermost, and stored in a cool, dry place.

Should the turkey hen show signs of broodiness after laying a fair
clutch of eggs she may be permitted to sit, or the nest may be broken
up, as seems best. In the latter case she will usually make a new
nest and begin laying again.

Turkey growers differ in their opinion as to the proper course, but
the majority use common hens to hatch the first clutch of eggs and
permit the turkeys to hatch the second. In view of the fact that
common hens seem to harbor the organism which causes the most
destructive of turkey diseases—black head—the wisdom of this pro-

TURKEYS 109

cedure is open to debate. At any rate many of the most successful
raisers of turkeys state their belief that best results are secured
where turkeys are kept entirely apart from fowls, not even permitted
to range over the same land.

Some attempts to hatch and rear turkeys by artificial means have
been made in recent years, and a fair degree of success secured. It is
to be hoped that this method will be perfected, as the eggs are so
valuable that it seems a pity to devote the turkey hens to the work of
incubation when _ they
might be kept laying.

lif-the eees are put
under Yowls the nests
may be located in a safe
place and protected from
the various enemies that
break up so many nests
out in the open. When
the turkey hens are per-
mitted to sit in their own
nests they should be af-
forded as much protec-
tion as they will permit.
In exceptional cases
birds that are particu-
larly tame will allow the
placing of a large coop
directly over the nest.
Even timid hens will
usually accept the situa-
tion if a fence of poul- 3 YOUNG BRONZE TOM
try netting is swung
around the nest at a distance of a few feet, and this will serve to
keep out dogs and foxes at least. Of course coop doors and fence
gates should be opened daily to permit the sitter to come off for food,
and again closed before night.

Each sitting hen should be given only such eggs as she can com-
pletely cover. The eggs are worth too much to be wasted.

At the beginning of the period of incubation, again at the end of
ten days, and a third time just before the hatch is due, the sitters

110 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

should be thoroughly dusted with Pratts Lice Killer. This is a
simple precaution, but it will prevent heavy loss in many cases.

The eggs hatch in twenty-eight or twenty-nine days, and at this
time the sitters should be watched very carefully. Sometimes a hen
will walk away from the nest with the first poults that appear, leaving
the rest to die in the shell. Losses of this kind are easily prevented if
the attendant will stay on the job.

From the time the poults appear until they have become well
feathered and reached the size of pigeons the turkey raiser is on the
anxious seat. The youngsters are so tender and are so easily killed
that they demand constant attention. Just how the wild turkeys
manage to increase in numbers when exposed to the weather*and the
raids of so many natural enemies is a question that is hard to answer.

When the poults are entrusted to the care of common fowls they
are easily kept close at hand. But the turkey hens, while they are
excellent mothers, delight in taking their young on long rambles from
which many never return. In view of this fact it is best to restrain
the turkey mother until the danger period is past.

The poults must be guarded against dampness and fed with much
care. This means constant vigilance, but it pays.

While the rations supplied by different growers very in many
ways, almost all recommend milk curds, baked corn bread, or Johnny
cake, cooked potatoes and greens, especially dandelions. A farm
woman in New York state who is noted for the number and quality
of her annual crop of turkeys, feeds as follows:

When the poults are twenty-four hours old each one is given a
good-sized pill made from equal parts of mashed potatoes, bread

crumbs and black pepper mixed with sour milk. Two hours later

they receive curds made from sour milk. The curds are supplied
five to six times daily for three or four days. Then an occasional
meal of mashed potatoes and bread crumbs is given, but the curds
still form the major part of the daily bill of fare. Gradually a little
chick feed is added, and at six weeks of age they are eating con-

Pratts Powdered Lice Killer is the best friend of the sitting hen. It is

powerful, but inexpensive. Buy it in the convenient cans with sprinkler tops.

Pratts Poultry Regulator, used according to-directions on the package, keeps
young turkeys in perfect health and induces rapid growth. It’s mighty good
for the breeders, too.

ee ee

TURKEYS Lit

siderable hard
erain.s<) Tints ss
Let ea Sedian
quantity, but the
curds are sup-
plied during the
entire growing
period.

AoC stue tole
poults are well
feathered there
is ,little-. te, -be
feared, and they
should be’ per-
mitted to range
7 at. well. Of
course they should be fed regularly, especially at night, so they will be
sure to return to the farm buildings and not wander away. As the
best market is usually at Thanksgiving it is good policy to push their
growth so they may be in condition to kill at that time. The thin and
undeveloped individuals may be retained until Christmas or New
Year’s, thus giving them an additional month in which to lay on flesh.
Directions for dressing turkeys will be found in the chapter dealing
with the marketing of poultry products.

Since good stock is the foundation of success in turkey growing, as
in other branches of poultry husbandry, the very finest of the year’s
crop of youngsters should be reserved for breeding purposes. Select
those specimens that make the most rapid growth and show the
greatest amount of constitutional vigor. Too often the best are
sold at Thanksgiving and the small specimens, those which are worth
the least on the market, are held over for another year and used in
the breeding flock. This plan brings in the most ready money, but
the policy is suicidal in the long run, as these birds will surely re-
produce their kind and the flock will rapidly deteriorate in size,
productiveness and the ability to return the largest profits. Keep
your best birds and breed from them! It pays big.

Adult turkeys are subject to comparatively few diseases, but there
is one which is peculiar to them and causes great havoc when it once
gains a foothold in the flock. This disease is commonly called

WHITE HOLLANDS

112 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

“ black head,” and it has nearly ruined the turkey growing industry
in certain sections where these birds were formerly bred in vast
numbers. :

The exact cause of the disorder is stiil in doubt, but it is undoubt-
edly a microscopic organism that is frequently found in birds of all
kinds. There is no known remedy, and in view of the present knowl-
edge of the disease the best advice seems to be to dispose of the entire’
flock in which it appears. making a fresh start with stock bought

:

A FLOCK OF WHITE HOLLANDS
Turkey growing is a good industry for women on large general farms.

from uninfected territory. It is also the part of wisdom to keep the
turkeys from mingling with other kinds of domestic poultry, so far
as this can be prevented. |

Black head attacks both old and young turkeys, being especially
fatal to the latter. It produces no marked external symptoms until
the advanced stage is reached. The victim then loses its appetite,
keeps apart from the rest of the flock and is inclined to sit with
drooping wings. The head and comb turn dark and diarrhea de-
velops.

TURKEYS : 113

If the presence of the disease is suspected a post-mortem ex-
amination should be made. In typical cases the liver will be found
marked with distinct whitish or yellowish spots. The organ is usu-
ally much enlarged also. The ceca are generally inflamed and
plugged with pus and fecal matter.

This disease is so obscure, so difficult to handle, that profitable
turkey production is most difficult on farms where it has become
well established. However, there is a strong probability that the re-
sults of the scientific work now under way at our experiment stations
will be of such a character as to enable us to control this trouble as we
now do the more common poultry diseases.

‘ “JAPANESE BANTAM __
The children’s joy. One of the most attractive
varieties of the bantam race.

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WATER FOWL

AFRICAN AND EMBDEN GEESE

Ducks and geese might well be given a place on every farm and
poultry plant, if for no other reason than to produce a few good
toasts for the family table. As table delicacies, water fowl have
long been held in high regard and they are grown in large numbers
in all parts of the world. In China, especially, duck breeding has
been carried on for centuries, and the goose was a sacred bird in
Egypt fully four thousand years ago. It is most interesting to note
that though this bird has been bred in domestication for such a long
period it has been modified but little as regards external character-
istics, and the goose of to-day is practically the same bird that was
so highly valued by the ancients.

Wild ducks of unnumbered breeds are uaa in all parts of the
world, and these display a wonderful variation in size, color and
markings. The plumage of certain kinds is exquisite, in many cases
having a wonderful brilliancy that cannot be described, but which
commands instant admiration when seen.

To our list of domesticated ducks Europe, Asia and America have
made contributions. The present interest in the breeding of wild
varieties bids fair to add several to the list of those now domesticated.
Some of the wild kinds are particularly attractive because of their
wonderful plumage, and these will naturally appeal to the fancier.

115

116 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Others have a distinct
value for table purposes,
and because of this they
will undoubtedly appeal
to the commercial poul-
try grower. :
The American__ Poul-
try Association recog-
nizes as pure bred ten
distinct breeds of ducks,
and two of these are bred
in two varieties. The
most popular are those
which, because of their

IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR BREEDING stock $1ze, are useful as tabie
poultry. The widely
bred table kinds are the Pekin, the Aylesbury, the Rouen and the
Muscovy. The Indian Runner is a great egg producer and is fre-
quently kept for this purpose. It might be added that English |
breeders recognize other birds, some of which possess consid- |
erable merit. q
The adult Pekin drake weighs eight pounds and the duck seven
pounds. The plumage is pure white, the legs and bill yellow.

This is undoubtedly the finest breed for market use, meeting the
market demand in color and
size, Siice* fae sexesare
about of a weight - the
youngsters can all be mar-
keted at one time, which is
a big advantage when the
business is conducted on a
large scale.

The Aylesbury is the
favorite English duck, but
does not equal the Pekin,
which it resembles, in popu-
lar esteem in this country.
The plumage is white, but
the legs and feet are paler = Goop FOR A LITTLE “PIN MONEY”

ee ee

pa

WATER FOWL M7

than we demand. The weights of both sexes exceed the Pekins by one
pound.

The Rouen has long been widely bred in small flocks, and ducks
of this characteristic color and marking are met with on farms in
all sections of the country. This breed has the same weights as the
Aylesbury, and by many is preferred for table use. It is said to be
the favorite duck of France, where some of the world’s finest table
poultry is produced.

The Rouen is undoubtedly a direct descendant of the wild Mallard,
which it stili closely resembles. Its color, a combination of brown,

DUCK HOUSE
Simple, inexpensive structures are entirely satisfactory for these hardy birds.

gray and green, prevents it from taking a leading place among
market ducks. |
The Muscovy duck is a native of South America. The drakes are
unusually large in size, weighing ten pounds, but the ducks are com-
paratively small, the desired weight being but seven pounds. This
breed is represented by two varieties, the colored and the white, the
latter being quite rare. |

Possessing the valuable qualities of hardiness and the ability to
make rapid growth, and at the same time about the best body lines
of any of the large ducks, this breed would be popular with market
growers were it not for some serious faults.

118 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

In the first place the adult birds can fly like hawks, and it is diffi-
cult to keep them confined. The difference in the size of the sexes
results in an uneven lot of ducklings, and finally their flaming red
faces covered with small bunches like warts, make them repulsive to
some people. However, there is no better duck for the production
of meat for the home table.

Duck breeding is one of the few branches of poultry culture that
can be profitably conducted on a very large scale. There seems to
be no limit in the size to which duck farms can be developed. There
are many farms that have an annual output of from ten thousand to
forty thousand ducklings, and in at least one instance the yearly
crop approximates seventy-five thousand. The reasons which under-
lie the. continuous success of large duck farms are probably the
hardiness of the adult birds, their ability to do well on ground that
has been continuously used for this line of work, and the comparative
ease with which the ducklings may be hatched and reared by arti-
- ficial methods.

There seems to be but little profit in commercially growing ducks
in small numbers, unless the producer has a private trade. The large
growers are able to practise many economies in the matter of feed,
labor, labor-saving devices, and in dressing and marketing that are
not possible to the small producers. However, the small flock is a

PEKINS ON LAND RANGE

WATER FOWL 119

valuable asset to the farm
since ducks at liberty require
but little care and the duck-
lings and eggs are particu-
larly good eating.

Instead of attempting to
discuss in the limited space
of this chapter the various
methods of duck growers, we
will content ourselves with
carefully describing exactly
how one successful man
houses, feeds and manages
his birds.

The exclusive duck farm
should be located within easy
reach of a large city market,
and close to a station afford- THE STOLEN NEST
ing good transportation facil-
ities. Any point within two hundred miles of the market will serve
the purpose, though the closer the better.

There should be a sufficient area of land to afford free range for
breeders at certain seasons of the year and to permit the growing of
crops for green food. The most suitable soil is that which is open
and well drained, as ducks soon make filthy the surface of heavy soil.
A good sized stream or pond is very desirable, though not absolutely
required. However, the breeding birds thrive better and produce
stronger young when allowed access to a large swimming place.

Ducks do not seem to require much shelter, even in the most severe
weather. Frequently they refuse to use buildings provided for them
and remain out under the open sky throughout the vear. This is
not conducive to early egg production, and as the earliest ducklings
bring the best prices commercial duck growers keep their breeding
stock in storm-proof shelters. |

A small flock may be left to seek such shelter as they require
about the farm buildings, or may be provided with a cheap colony
house.

On large duck farms the breeding houses are usually fifteen to
eighteen feet wide, as long as required, and divided into suitable pens.

120 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Duck Raisine

ONVENIENCES ——~—

= WATER PAN
0 —_ =
eS SY | a aes
END SECTION SIDE ELEVATION

FEED TROUGHS

PIT PARTLY FILLED
WITH SMALL STONES

€------=--)----------9

pica eee as Attend 0 8 A Sore

END SECTION SIDE ELEVATION

Almost any form of building will serve the purpose, provided it
furnishes, during the winter, dry, well-ventilated quarters, free from
draughts, and is not excessively hot during the summer season. Dur-
ing the warm weather ducks confined in yards naturally retire to the
house during the daytime, seeking the shelter from the sun that those
at liberty find beneath the trees. An alley along the rear wall may
be provided, or a board walk running along the tops of the partitions
if preferred.

-On the farm referred to the pens are twelve by sixteen feet in size,
the dividing partitions being two feet high. In the south side of each
pen is a large window and a door to permit the birds to pass in and
out. The yards are made as large as possible, and run down to a
stream. Each one encloses a good amount of swimming space. The
fencing on the land is but two feet high and no gates.are provided
as the attendant can step over the fences when it is necessary to enter
the yards. The duck house furnishings are simple. The stream
supplies the drinking water, so no water dishes are required. The
feed troughs are of the common V-shape, long enough to permit
the flock to feed without crowding. A grit box and nests complete
the equipment. The nests are soap boxes with the fronts cut down
to four inches in height, set along the partitions. The ducks do not
always use these, many eggs being dropped on the floor of the pen.
However, it pays to provide the nests as they are an aid in keeping
the eggs clean. The floor of the pen is kept deeply covered with
dry litter, preferably straw or planer shavings. This is added a

WATER FOWL a

cn nnn ne LE EEEIEEEEIEEE Ean

little every day, thus keeping the surface clean and dry. This litter
is removed whenever necessary. 3
Pekin ducks are used, exclusively, and thirty are placed in each
pen at the rate of one drake to five ducks. In late spring two of the
drakes are removed and sold, leaving three with the pen of twenty-
five ducks. The drake is distinguished by the curled tail feathers,
and also by his lighter voice.

YARDS ADJOINING DUCK BROODER HOUSE
Note low fences, feed boards, continuous water trough, and brush shelter.

The breeding ducks are selected from the May hatches each year,
none but the strongest and finest being reserved. They are picked
out when six weeks of age and are at once turned out on a grassy
range with a large swimming pool.

The best of the old ducks are reserved until they reach the age of
three years. |

In the late fall these prospective breeders are again culled and
transferred to the laying houses where they are fed sparingly to
prevent too early laying. Fall eggs are not desired.

122 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

A WINTER SWIM

Pekins and Colored Muscovys in a hole in the ice.

On many farms the regular ration consists of corn meal, wheat
bran, beef scrap and green food in varying quantities. In this par-
ticular instance a better ration is used which may in a measure ac-
count for the superior results secured.

The ration for fall feeding is made up as follows, by measure:

1% parts corn meal.

1% parts ground oats.

1% parts ground barley.

14 parts wheat bran.

T+. part. beef scrap:

Y% part sharp sand.
24 parts green stuff.

This is moistened and fed twice daily. The feeding is not heavy at
this time, a little less than the ducks would eat if given all they wanted.

Early in December the feed is changed, both in make-up and
amount. The increase in quantity is made gradually until the birds
are receiving all they will eat morning and evening. The laying
ration is mixed by méasure, and contains the following:

2 parts corn meal.
2 parts ground oats or barley.
I part wheat bran.
2% parts beef scrap.
4 part sharp sand.
2 parts cut green stuff.

WATER FOWL 123

At noon a light feeding
of dry grains is given, con-
sisting of I part oats, I part
wheat, 2 parts cracked corn.
Coarse sand and crushed
oyster shells. are kept in the
grit boxes at all times.

By the first of January
the eggs begin to come, in
small numbers at first, but
in a perfect torrent later. The ducks lay early in the morning, be-
tween five and seven o'clock, and they are kept confined in the pens
until after the latter hour. The eggs are picked up promptly and
stored where they cannot be chilled. In hot weather they are gathered
early also and removed to a cool place.

Egg production continues until midsummer, and an average out-
put of one hundred eggs per duck is not unusual.

The eggs may be hatched under hens, or in incubators. Of course
the latter system is used where many ducklings are produced. Ducks
on range often steal their nests and hatch and rear their own young.
It is best to set the eggs while they are still fresh, but under proper
conditions they may be held for two or three weeks. Dirty eggs may
be wiped off with a damp cloth, but never scrubbed.

The incubator
should be oper-
ated in accord-
ance with the
special _ direc-
tions furnished
by each manu-
facturer.

Pekin duck
eggs hatch in
twenty-eight
days, while those
from the Mus-
covy require in-
cubation a week

ROUEN DUCKS

1 INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS
onger. Famous as egg producers.

124 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Hens will
brood and care
for ducklings,
but the small
lamp _ brooders
or hot water
pipe systems are
the reliance of
the duck farmer.
On the farm
under discussion
the pipe system
is used.

The ducklings
are left in the
incubators until
they are thirty-
six to forty-
eight hours of
age, when they
are transferred
to the brooder
pens. As each
one is dropped

TOULOUSE GEESE ;
The rough, rocky land here shown is excellent for goose into the brooder

growing, especially if streams or ponds are available. Hi itil dipped
into the water so that it will learn how to drink.

The hover temperature is regulated at ninety degrees at a point
three inches above the floor, and it is held here for three days. On
the fourth day the temperature is reduced five degrees, and then
eraduaily lowered to seventy degrees at the end of ten days.

The brooder house pens are littered with cut straw and are kept
clean and sanitary. Before each new hatch is placed in the brooder,
the floor, walls and pipes are thoroughly sprayed with a good dis-
infectant. This reduces the loss from diseases that appear in un-
sanitary quarters. a

Pratts Disinfectant keeps brooders sweet, clean and sanitary. Dow’t take a
chance of loss!’ Use Pratts Disinfectant regularly and liberally.

SR ORE NT OS

WATER FOWL 125

Ducklings are much hardier than chickens and may, in moderate
weather, be transferred to cold quarters after they reach the age of
three to four weeks. Abundant shade and comfortable quarters must
be provided, however.

When the ducklings are first placed in the brooder, dishes of water
and feed are set on a board close to the hover. The little chaps will
soon come out and help themselves, but frequently do not know
enough to return to the hover. They must be watched for a time
and gently pushed back after feeding, until they learn the ropes.

During the
first week they
afe ted every
two hours, then
four times daily
for five weeks.
Thereafter the
meals are given
three times per
day.

For three days
the feed ccnsists
of three parts
bread crumbs
and one part WHITE CHINESE GEESE

boiled eggs. In-
fertile eggs from
the incubators
are used for this
purpose. On the
fourth day a lit-
tle corn meal
and five per cent
sharp sand are
added. The next
day < the corm
meal is increased
and a_ small
AFRICAN GEESE amount of wheat

126 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

bran is worked in. The eggs and bread are gradually dropped and
the grain increased so that at the end of the first week the little fel-
lows are receiving the regular growing ration, which is mixed by
measure as follows: |

I part corn meal.
I part oat or barley meal.
2 parts wheat bran.

7/10 part beef scrap.

3/10 part sharp sand.

2 parts green food.
Slightly salted.

The green food is absolutely essential. Any vegetables, grass or
erowing grain will do.. In case of need cut clover hay may be sub-
stituted.

After the ducklings are six weeks of age they are fed the fattening
ration. This contains: ;

: ; 5 parts corn meal.

2% parts wheat bran.
114 parts beef scrap.
I+. part ceréen toed:
| and a small amount of sand.

This is continued until the time for killing arrives.

A regular supply of fresh water must be given. Any good fount-
ain of large capacity will answer for ducks, but many breeders pre-
fer to use open pans. Much of the sloppiness usually observed near
the water dishes may be prevented by digging a hole two feet deep,
filling same with small stones, placing a frame covered with quarter-
inch mesh wire over the top, and setting the water pan on this. Any
that is spilled will run off between the stones and be absorbed into the
earth,

The common V-shaped feeding troughs in suitable sizes will serve
the purpose fairly well, but they permit the ducklings to waste much
feed by walking on and soiling it. The protected troughs illustrated
are a big improvement over the old form. .

Pekin ducklings are dressed when from nine to ten weeks of age.
Refer to the cuapter on Marketing for directions. :

Ducklings eat heavily and must make rapid growth to return the largest
profits. Pratts Poultry Regulator will keep them in the best condition and
make them develop at a wonderful rate.

WATER FOWL 3 127

Ducks of all ages are timid and may easily be stampeded, piling
up into the corners of the building and killing or injuring many.
They must be protected against sudden frights.

The most troublesome disorders are diarrhea, catarrh, convulsions,
leg weakness and apoplexy.

Diarrhea is due to over heating in the brooders, filthy food or
water. Correct the conditions that cause it.

EMBDEN GOOSE AND GOSLINGS
Movable yard made of boards,

Catarrh is manifested by a watery discharge from eyes and nostrils.
It is due to sudden changes in temperature and is especially trouble-
some during the warm weather of spring and early summer. Dis-
infect the quarters and food and water dishes and prevent over-
heating.

When ducklings are permitted to get thirsty, then drink greedily
and go out into the sun, many of them will die in convulsions. Use
the proper precautions and no trouble will be experienced.

128 _ THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Leg weakness usually follows over-heating in the brooders. Keep
the temperature regulated properly. :

Over-feeding frequently brings on apoplexy, indicated by a stag-
gering gait, failure of eye sight, gas in the crop, small appetite and
thirst. Make the mash more bulky by adding green food and bran.

The growing of geese is seldom, if ever, made an exclusive busi-
ness. Most of the market stock is picked up by dealers from the
small flocks found on general farms. ‘These are either dressed or
sold to professional fatteners who put them in fine condition before
killing. The best market geese come from these fattening estab-
lishments, of which there are many. Some of the fatteners handle
thousands of birds each season.

Geese, like turkeys, do best on large ranges. They are grazing
fowl, and will make tender grass a large part of their ration if given
an opportunity to range over good pasture land. Like ducks, they
will thrive even if denied a swimming pool, but they do better if a
pond or stream is available for their use. 3 |

In many cases geese are permitted to roam at will over the fara
Some growers limit their activities by erecting a low fence about
some suitable field and confining. the birds within this enclosure. |
Rough, swampy land, with a fair proportion of dry areas, serves the
purpose beautifully.

Geese seldom seek the shelter of buildings, but most growers pro-
vide dry sheds to which the birds may retire in extreme weather and |
during long continued storms. It is well to supply protected nests,
and for this purpose barrels are generally used> These are covered
with heavy roofing paper to keep out the rain, and are laid on their.
sides, so braced as to prevent moving. Cut straw or. hay_makes |
the foundation of the nest, which the laying goose completes with
feathers plucked from her own body. |

The adult stock thrives on a simple ration. Where the pasturage
is ample the birds do not require heavy grain feeding. Some grow-
ers feed whole and cracked grains only, others supply a mash occa-
sionally. A very satisfactory plan is to give one feed of mash and one -
of grain each day. Animal food in some form is necessary, also
green food in the absence of good pasturage. Ovyster shells and grit
should be kept before the birds all the time.

Geese normally begin laying very early in the spring, and the Gea
eggs are especially valuable as the early goslings bring the greatest

WATER FOWL 129

returns. However, in practice it is not wise to hatch the goslings
until fresh grass is available for them.

The generally accepted plan is to collect the eggs daily, leaving one
or more nest eggs in the nest. The first litter of eggs, and fre-
quently the second, are hatched under hens, though these do not
ordinarily make good mothers for the goslings. Fortunately the
latter are easy to rear and may be grown in any good brooder. The
goose is permitted to incubate her second or third clutch of eggs,
and these goslings are safe in her care. In any event the youngsters
should be kept confined in rather limited yards until they have
gained strength and a little sense. In warm spring weather they may
be removed from the brooder, if one is used, and placed in a cold
coop when two to three weeks of age.

The goslings require plenty of water, sharp sand and crushed
oyster shells from the very start. They delight to pick at rotten
wood, and careful growers keep them supplied with this material.

In addition to plenty of fresh green food, preferably grass, the
goslings should be fed regularly in order to induce rapid growth.
Stale bread mixed with eggs, any good chicken or duck mash, and
cracked corn, scalded at first, will serve. Baked Johnny cake, made
of one part corn meal, one part ground oats and two parts bran, is a
favorite food. This should be crumbled before feeding. The addi-
tion of a smallamount of bone meal helps in the building of big
frames.

The fattening period arrives when the main wing feathers reach
the base of the tail, and continues for about three weeks. During
this period a heavy mash, composed largely of corn meal and carry-
ing tele per. cent of beef scrap, is fed liberally. At night a full meal
of while corn: 4s given,

Green “geese, ass the youngsters are called, are in demand all
through the summer resort season, and also at Thank <sgiving and the
Christmas holidays. They are killed and dressed in the same man-
ner as ducks.

Fortunately goslings are subject to few disorders and such as
they have are similar to the duck ailments previously discussed.

Geese frequently live to an advanced age and those that prove
to be reliable breeders should be retained. Good geese lay from -
thirty to fiftv eggs per year.

130 . THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Sometimes they are mated in pairs, but the usual custom is to
allow each gander two or three geese. Frequently four to six geese
are kept together and two ganders used, alternating them every day
or two.

The breeds most commonly used by market growers are as follows:

The Toulouse, an attractive gray goose, weighing ee fifteen to
twenty, and occasionally twenty-five pounds.

The Embden, white in color, ranging in weight from sixteen to
twenty pounds. |

The African, with mixed plumage of gray, black and brown,
weighing from fourteen to twenty pounds.

The Chinese, white or brown according to variety, from eight to
twelve pounds weight.

The Wild, or Canada, goose weighs about the same as the Chinese
and is largely gray in color. This breed is sometimes bred pure,
but is more commonly used for crossing on the common domestic
breeds, thereby improving the flavor of the resulting goslings.

DUCK BROODER HOUSE

Breeding pens on both sides of a central alleyway. Rooms for the attendant on second
floor of feed house in center.

vl

ER EN eae tae Sn OE ee ee re ee Ne en SE 7

SF

CHAPTER XII
SQUAB GROWING

BREEDING HOMERS

_ The breeding of fancy pigeons is a most interesting hobby, and
ardent pigeon fanciers are found in all parts of the world. Untold
generations of boys have taken pride in a few pairs of ‘“ doves ” ac-
quired in one way or another, and in many cases they have continued
to breed the dainty feathered beauties for a lifetime. Scientists have
secured most satisfactory material in the pigeon cote; business and

professional men have found these birds a source of interest and

amusement; working men have maintained small flocks as a source
of recreation. In fact, all classes of people are attracted by these
beautiful pets and for various reasons have found them to be truly
“worth while.” The ease with which they may be cared for, the
slight expense of securing the birds and providing quarters for them,
the wide range of shape and color in which they are bred, are all
good and sufficient reasons for their great popularity as pets.

The earliest recorded instance of man making use of pigeons in a
practical way seems to be found in that portion of Holy Writ which
reférs® to ie great flood. Noah took advantage of the pigeon’s
homing instinct and sent one out of the ark to determine whether or
not the waters were receding. Since that day, and possibly before,
pigeons have found favor with man.

131

132 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Just what kind of pigeon the wise Noah used is a question that
will of necessity remain unanswered, but it is certain that our domestic
breeds and varieties, of which between one hundred and two hundred
breed true, are descended from a common origin, the wild Blue Rock
Dove. Of this there are several types found in different parts of
the world; it 1s probable that they were early domesticated, and that
the mixture of the blood from these various sources made possible
the production cf so many distinct kinds. Certainly when we con-
sider the great range in shape, size, color and characteristics, it is
difficult to believe that all came from a single variety of the wild stock.

But while there 1s much pleasure in the breeding of strictly fancy or
exhibition pigeons, very few men are able to make much of a financial
profit from this line of work. There are very few breeders who make
this their sole occupation and a means of livelihood. True, there
are many who find it a profitable sideline to which they devote their
spare time, but as an exclusive business there seems to be “ little in it.”

A CITY LOT PIGEON PLANT

Neat, attractive, practical, affording quarters for a good sized flock. Upper floor reached
by inside ladder built in corner by the door.

SOUAB GROWING 133

Phere tsva
branch of pigeon
breeding, how-
ever, that is at-
tracting consid-
erable attention
and which has
business possi-
bilities for the
person possess-
ing the required
personal charac-
teristics and lo-
cated in the right
section of: the
Somntry: the
production of
market squabs.

Squabs—as
immature young
pigeons are called—are one of the most delicious products of the
poultry farm. The demand for them is steadily increasing and the
price has risen steadily in common with that of other special poultry
products.

The reason for this is plain. Our consuming population is rapidly
growing, and, in addition, table luxuries are more commonly used
and are constantly demanded. In comparatively recent years the
public markets commonly carried great quantities of game birds of
various kinds. Wild ducks, partridge, woodcock, prairie chickens,
quail and wild pigeons were abundant, and were widely hunted for
market. Selling readily at fair prices and costing nothing to produce,
they were systematically preyed upon by professional pot-hunters, as
well as by sportsmen. Many farm boys made a fair amount of pocket
money from this source, in addition to contributing the material for
many pot-pies for the home table.

Naturally the slaughter was appalling and game birds rapidly de-
creased in number.

The settling of the country, which decreased the natural covers,
also had its effect, and bird-lovers and sportsmen soon awoke to the

CARNEAUX SQUABS
Fully grown, ready to be dressed for market.

134 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

fact that the game birds must be protected or they would he exter-
minated. Gradually stringent game laws were enacted, and this
movement spread until practically every section of the country fell
into line. In a great many cases, especially in the East, these laws
are so stringent as to prevent the sale of most game birds, and they
are no longer commonly found in the markets. .

Under protection of this kind certain birds seem to be increasing
in number, but it is not at all probable that we wiil ever again see
the time when they will be marketed in any great numbers. This
opens up a special field for the poultrvman, as clubs, hetels and
restaurants must have something to take the place of the game that
formerly was found on every bill-of-fare. This call must now be
met with lightweight broilers, green ducks, guinea chicks and squabs.
Each of these specialties may be produced at a profit under existing
conditions, as*has been clearly demonstrated by progressive poultry-
men during the past ten years.

However it must not be thought that everyone can make a big
profit from these lines, as this is far from the truth. Within the
past few years there have been “booms” in both duck and squab
raising, and many people have embarked in them and experienced
costly failures. But a certain proportion have succeeded and are to-
day making nice incomes from these lines. The failures may,
therefore, be considered due to lack of experience, poor locatien, or
some other vital factor that was ignored when the business was.
established.

Squab raising possesses certain very definite advantages as com-
pared with other branches of poultry keeping or animal husbandry.
It may be conducted as an exclusive business, combined with other
lines of poultry farming, or operated as a side-line to furnish the
home table with a regular supply of delicious and nutritious meat.

Possibly the very best advice that may be given the interested be-
ginner is that which applies to all branches of poultry husbandry.
Start on a small scale and develop the business as experience is
gained and results warrant. Such a plan involves but a small initial
investment and prevents heavy loss if events demonstrate that the
individual is not fitted for the work.

Perhaps the greatest advantage enjoyed by the squab raiser lies
in the fact that all the work of hatching, brooding and feeding the
youngsters is performed by the parent birds. The experienced poul-

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SQUAB GROWING 135

tryman will tell you that the most exacting and trying portion of
his yearly duties is the raising of the season’s crop of chicks, work
that requires almost hourly attention on his part. Many persons
whose business calls them away from home the greater part of the
day and who have no one in the family to look after things during
their absence are for this reason prevented from attempting to rear
chicks. But such can keep pigeons and reach a reasonable degree
of success by devoting some time morning and evening to the care
of their birds. There are many men, and some women, employed
during the day who in this way secure much pleasure and some profit
from their pigeons,

BLUE BARRED HOMERS

A favorite variety among squab growers. The sexes are much alike, but the female is
usually “‘ trimmer ”’ than the male. In the above illustration the hen is at the reader’s left.

Another big advantage lies in the fact that the squab raiser needs
but a small amount of land, and quite a start may be made with a
comparatively limited amount of capital. The breeding pigeons are
never allowed their liberty, but on the contrary are kept confined in
the house and adjoining flight or exercising pen. The large amount
of land that the chicken raiser requires for his breeding stock and
growing youngsters is not, therefore, necessary for this particular line.

Vigorous pigeons make very good breeders until they reach the
age of six to eight years, and this does away with the necessity of
renewing the breeding stock every year or two, which is the most
vexing problem of the grower.

136 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Finally, there is no necessity for providing incubators, brooders
and special houses, yards and range for the growing squabs. They
are hatched and brooded by the parent birds and remain peacefully
in the nest until they reach market age. Poultrymen know that a
large part of the investment for chicken raising equipment must be
used to secure the special apparatus and buildings which are devoted
to the hatching and rearing of the youngsters. }

But while these good features exist, it must not be thought that
squab raising on a commercial scale possesses no disadvantages,
because this is far from the truth. It is a business of endless detail
and requires very special knowledge and experience on the part of
the manager. Disease may cause trouble, poor breeders may reduce
the profits.

But what is probably the worst feature in localities where doeal
market does not exist is the fact that the flock must be large enough
to insure a ‘sufficient number ‘of squabs each week to make good
sized shipments possible. The squabs must be dressed when they _
reach the proper size; they cannot be held until: enough accumulate ,
to make a lot which may be shipped economically, neither can they.
be kept until market conditions improve. This is one of the big.
problems which the owner of a small or medium sized flock must |
constantly face. =

It is exceedingly difficult to estimate the net income of ie.
squab plants, and little specific information on this point is available.
Claims are made that the profits run from $1 to $3 per-pair of
breeders. It is clearly evident that everything depends upon the
skill of the man behind the birds.

We know of one establishment that has been operated many
years, the owner of which states that his profits have approximated
$5000 per year for some time. This business was started by the
present proprietor, a mechanic, with an initial investment of $1000,
and the additional capital has been drawn entirely from the
profits.

Interest in squab raising has been steadily increasing during recent
years, and many breeds of pigeons which possess the desirable char-
acteristics have been brought forward. Some have proved them-
selves worthy of a place in the breeding pen; others have failed to
make good. Doubtless new kinds made by crossing the existing
breeds will be introduced from time to time, but the commercial

SQUAB GROWING 137

producer will do well to stick to the breeds of demonstrated value
until the new claimants have proven their worth.

The ideal squab breeding pigeon produces white-skinned squabs
which weigh eight pounds or over per dozen and which reach market
maturity in the shortest possible time. In addition they should be
hardy, active and vigorous, persistent breeders and good feeders.
These characteristics are more prominent in certain breeds than in
others, but after all selection is based on individual performance.
In all recognized squab breeds there are birds which combine all
of these good qualities, and these qualities may be preserved and
intensified by intelligent breeding. The offspring of such breeders
should be preserved to stock additional pens and the flock built up
in this manner.

Of course the largest squabs are most in demand and bring the
highest prices, but it often happens that these are not as profitable as
smaller squabs which are produced in greater quantities. It often hap-
pens that birds which produce
the very heaviest youngsters
do not breed freely enough
to insure satisfactory returns.

At present there are two
breeds contending for first
honors in the squab producing
field. These are the Homer
and the Carneau (plural Car-
neaux ), the latter being a com-
paratively recent introduction
into America.

The Homer is more gener-
ally bred than any other breed,
and it deserves its popularity.
It possesses in a large degree
the desirable characteristics
already specified, and Homer
squabs are plump and heavy,
and come to market size in
about four weeks. Further,
the eggs are unusually well
metuilized -and byw tar thie
greater portion of them hatch.

BLUE CHECKED HOMERS

138 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

This breed comes in a wide range of color, including blue, blue
checked, red, red checked, black checked, white, silver, etc. It
might be added that the color of the plumage does not affect the

skin color of the squab. Some poor and dark squabs will come from
any variety, and this difficulty must be overcome by selection of the

breeders.

Because Homers are so widely bred it is possible to secure good
foundation stock of this breed at lower prices than are commonly
charged for breeds that have not vet become generally distributed.

The Carneau is somewhat larger than the Homer and produces

very fancy squabs. Carneaux are usually deep red, splashed with
white, though individuals, with solid red, solid yellow, or yellow
splashed plumage are found. |

A cross of the two above breeds makes fine breeding stock. The ac-
cepted cross is a Carneau cock and a red checked Homer hen.

The largest pigeon is the Runt, though this breed is seldom
found on squab farms. The young Runts are too slow in reaching the
size for killing, and many of them are dark skinned. Sometimes
a slight infusion of Runt blood in other breeds is used to increase
the size. ?

In certain sections, notably in New Jersey, the Duchesse is a
favorite. It possesses no advantage over the sturdy Homer, while
it has the disadvantage of feathered legs.

Another very good pigeon is the Dragoon, w hich is a large, close-
feathered bird with many good qualities. Its. squabs are somewhat
slower to develop than Homer squabs. However it makes a very
good bird for crossing purposes.

The Swiss Mondaine is a large, clumsy pigeon, but has an

immense breast development. Like the Dragoon its chief value is

for crossing.
Remember always that the value of a breeding pigeon is deter-

mined by individual performance. Bearing this in mind the question

of breed resolves itself into the following: Use Homers, Carneaux,

Duchesse or Dragoons, pure or possibly crossed, or with a slight —

addition of Runt or Mondaine blood.

Get good stock to start with. Purchase well developed, mated
pairs, either locally or from a reliable dealer who will stand back
of his goods. Then build up your flock with the offspring of your
best breeders. |

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Plan
UNIT SQUAB HOUSE, FLIGHT. AND FURNISHINGS

This t se i i
ype of house is very satisfactory. Each unit is complete in itself, and additional
units may be added as needed.

140 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Quarters for a small flock may usually be provided in some existing
building. As the business grows special houses should be erected.
But regardless of the character of the breeding pen, it should always
be dry, free from draughts, Ifght, sunny and free from all kinds of
vermin. Allow the birds as much house room as possible, though
they will do fairly well even when somewhat crowded. Not more
than fifty pairs should be kept in a single flock, and a room ten feet
square and eight feet high will accommodate this number.

The unit squab house is the type most favored by Mr. E. E. Rice.
The illustration shows one pen or unit. The building may be ex-
tended as occasion requires by merely adding more units to the east
or west ends of the original structure.

This building is twelve feet wide, sixteen feet deep, seven feet to
the plates and twelve feet to the ridge. The roof is even span
sloping north and south. |

The entire frame is covered with inch boards, then building
paper and shingles. If preferred, a good prepared roofing may be
substituted for the paper and shingles, thus reducing the cost of
construction.

The floor is made of two thicknesses of boards and is elevated
two feet above the ground.

Two double-sash windows are set in the front or south wall of
each pen, and a small window in the north side to light the
passageway.

An alleyway three feet wide extends along the north side of the
building, in which much of the regular work is done without dis-
turbing the birds. Water fountains and grain feeders are frequently
placed on the floor of the alleyway, next to suitable openings in the
partition. These appliances may be set on the floor of the pen if
preferred.

An enclosed flight is an absolute necessity. Pigeons kept in
confinement breed better and are protected against shooters and
other enemies, also from vermin and disease which might be in-
troduced by stray pigeons.

From end to end the flying pen is twenty feet in length. It has
the same width as the pen. Next to the house is placed a series of
roosts on slanting supports. The floor of the flight should be of
clean sand or earth, renewed occasionally as it gives indication of
becoming filthy.

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SQUAB GROWING 141

The furnishings of this house will serve for any pigeon pen. The
more important things are shown in the drawing.

Nest boxes, two for each pair of breeders, may be empty egg
cases piled one above the other, or specially constructed, similar to
pigeon holes in a desk. A good size is a foot square, but ten by
eleven inches will do. In the boxes place nest bowls, or nappiers,
purchased from any dealer in pigeon supplies.

Drinking water may be supplied in any of the accepted poultry
fountains that keep it fresh and free from contamination.

Water must also be provided for bathing purposes. Any large
pan will serve for the bath tub, provided it is not too deep. Gal-
vanized iron pans such as are commonly used to catch the drip

under refrigerators will do nicely, but they should be filled only to

a depth of three inches.

In the warm season the bath may be given out in the yard, but
during cold weather it should be located in the pen. Much water
will be splashed out, so it is well to set the pan in an old sink or tight
box with a waste pipe, to protect the floor from constant wetting.

Pigeons spend much of their time in the nest boxes, but a few
perches should be attached to the wall. A very simple form is the
“A” perch, built of pieces of board six inches wide and seven or
eight inches long. These may be placed one above another, as their
form prevents the soiling of any bird roosting below another.

Common berry crates make excellent holders for nesting material,
as they prevent the birds from soiling or scattering it around, and
still permits them to help themselves.

Hoppers of the usual form, as described elsewhere, are used for
grit and shell.

FEED HoppeR_ fer PIGEONS

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142 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Feed hoppers similar to those used for poultry may be adapted
to meet the needs of pigeons. They should be so constructed as
to prevent the wasting or soiling of feed, and large enough to permit
several birds to eat at the same time. |

A very simple, yet satisfactory, feed hopper is illustrated here-
with. The one shown has one large and two small compartments,
but it can be made any desired length and divided as desired.

Anyone can easily construct this appliance. The bottom is a box
three inches deep, seven inches wide inside, and as long as necessary
to permit a fair proportion of the flock to feed at one time. The
partitions are solid pieces of board ten inches high, and on these
the upper frame is nailed.

The slats are made of lath, the edges of which have been planed
smooth. These are set one and a half inches apart, and through
the openings so left the birds thrust their heads to get the food.
They may eat at will, but cannot throw grain-out, nor soil it in the
hopper.

The cover is flat, merely a board projecting two or three inches
over all sides of the hopper. A few cleats nailed at proper places
inside prevent the cover slipping either way when in position.

A soft net stretched on a large ring, and the latter mounted on a
light pole, will be found a great help in catching individual birds,
either in the pen or flight. This work should be done outside
whenever possible, to avoid confysion among the nesting birds.
‘Leg bands are a necessity. These come in two forms-——seamless
and open. All are made of aluminum, the open band being a strip
of the metal which is bent around the leg. The seamless band is a
ring which is slipped over the foot of a squab early in life. By the
time the youngster can leave the nest the foot has grown so large
that the ring cannot be slipped off, either intentionally or by acci-
dent. In this way a permanent means of identification is provided.

Leg bands may have numbers, initials, etc., stamped upon them,
making record-keeping a simple matter. :

Rations for pigeons are much alike, varying only in the propor-
tion of the various grains used. The staple feeds are cracked corn,
red wheat, kafir corn and Canada peas, with hemp, buckwheat and
German millet as dainties. Where stale bread is available it may
be used to advantage. Recent tests seem to indicate that broken
- peanuts—peanut waste—make an excellent feed.

a

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SQUAB GROWING 143

A COMBINATION BUILDING
Pigeons in the two-story section, hens in the one-story wing.

The following mixtures have all been tested and found satis-
factory:

45% cracked corn,
45% red wheat,
10% Canada peas.
Hemp and buckwheat in small quantities at intervals.
During the winter increase the corn; give more wheat in hot weather.

~

25% cracked corn,
25% red wheat,
25% kafir corn,
25% bread crumbs.
Add 10% hemp seed to the above mixture.

50% cracked corn,
50% red wheat.
Give an occasional meal of Canada peas, buckwheat and hemp seed.

. 50% red wheat,
10% cracked corn,
10% kafir corn,
10% buckwheat,
10% Canada peas,
‘ 10% millet.
In addition, supply an occasional meal of hard-baked corn bread.

144 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Feeding methods vary as greatly as in other branches of poultry

husbandry. Some prefer to give the birds heavy meals, morning

and evening, with a light feeding of dainties at noon. Others keep
feed in hoppers available at all times. Probably the latter plan is
best when squabs are being hatched in large numbers, as they must
be fed regularly and heavily in order to secure satisfactory growth
and heavy weight. On the other hand birds which are not poe
youngsters may get too fat on unlimited feeding.

Everything considered, the best plan is to give non-breeders meals
at regular intervals, just what they will clean up in a short time.
Those rearing young should have a mixture of the staples available
in hoppers practically all the time and be given an occasional meal
made up from the list of dainties.

Remember, big squabs are never found where scanty feeding is
practised. They cannot make quick growth of bone and flesh without
a liberal supply of raw material.

In addition to the grain mixture pigeons require a supply of grit,
crushed oyster shells and salt. Granulated charcoal is often a help
in keeping the digestive | tract in proper shape to perform its
functions.

For nesting material nothing equals tobacco stems. These should
be cut or broken somewhat, as the birds make bulky, open nests
from long stems, and many eggs are lost. Pine needles are also
excellent. Straw or coarse hay may be used if the above are not
available.

Prior to nest building the birds begin “ driving,” the male following
the female about and picking at her constantly, apparently endeavor-
ing to show her that it is time to begin nesting. Where much driving
is observed there will usually be many nests in a short time.

The eggs are two in number, laid at intervals of about thirty-six
hours. During the time between the laying of the first and second
egg the nest is watched with jealous care, but incubation seldom
begins until both eggs are deposited.

The cock and hen both do their share of the work of jae
taking regular turns on the nest. The squabs appear after about

Since steady breeding puts a constant strain on the pigeons, their health
and general condition deserve most careful consideration. Pratts Poultry
Regulator, the greatest poultry tonic and conditioner, is of wonderful benefit
to pigeons. Give it to your entire flock. See special directions on the package.

¥

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PR a ee ee aT ieee

SQUAB GROWING 145

seventeen days. At first they are the most helpless creatures imagina-
ble, but they soon begin to grow at an extraordinary rate and often
equal or exceed their parents in weight at four to five weeks of age.

Until the squabs are able to leave the parent nest, they are fed
entirely by the old birds. The feeding process is interesting, the
food being disgorged from the crop of the old bird into that of the
youngster. For the first few days the food is a soft material called
“ pigeon’s milk ” which is secreted in the crops of both parents. By
degrees half-digested grain is included, until at last the grain is
given in its natural state, and only a little softened by soaking in the
crop. .

The rapid growth of a squab is probably due to the fact that it
practically has two digestions at work for it in addition to its own.

After about four weeks healthy Homer squabs will be found
large and heavy, firm in flesh, and with wing and tail feathers two-
thirds grown. They are then ready for market.

The evening before they are dressed they should be placed in
crates where they cannot be fed by the parent birds. This is to
insure empty crops, a point which must not be overlooked.

Some markets will accept squabs unplucked, but the better plan
is to dry pick them, taking off all the feathers excepting those on
the head. ;

The squabs are usually hung up by the feet and stuck with a
sharp knife in the same manner as chickens. A hook with a small
weight attached is inserted in the lower jaw and picking commenced
at once. Some prefer to simply break the neck, but the other
method seems to be better.

After the feathers are romoved the squabs are left in cold water
for several hours until the animal heat has been completely removed.
They are then removed, the feét and heads carefully washed, dried
and packed. The most popular packages are light wooden boxes
holding from one to four dozen. These boxes should be neat and
clean, and where the shipment is not iced, should be lined with clean
paper. — . |

Local markets should be developed by the small producer, as it
is not a profitable procedure to pay express charges to distant points
on small shipments. The large breeder will usually do better to find

an outlet in some city, selling direct to hotels, clubs and restaurants,

or through some commission man who specializes in this line. The

146 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

demand is steady for white skinned squabs, plump, fat, weighing
eight pounds or more per dozen. Of course smaller, inferior stock
sells also, but the price is usually low. Therefore it is evident that
it is good business to retain as breeders only such birds as breed
freely, feed heavily, and grow youngsters meeting market ae
ments. All others shpain be instantly discarded.

Before their squabs leave the nest, good breeding pairs will have
another nest built and eggs incubating. This explains the necessity
of providing two nest boxes for each pair of breeders.

Pigeons are unprofitable when constantly disturbed by strangers,
when the house and appliances are permitted to become filthy and
unsanitary, when vermin torture young and old, or when rats have
the run of the loft, eating eggs and squabs. Rats are particularly
destructive and must be kept away at all cost. Elevating the floor
of the building is one means of discouraging these pests, as this
does away with their favorite hiding place.

Regular cleaning of the nests, perches and floor is essential. The
droppings should be carefully preserved, either for use as fertilizer
or for sale to tanners, who use this material in the preparation of fine
leathers. Quite an income is frequently derived from this source.

Cleanliness does much toward keeping down lice and mites. Where
necessary, the nest boxes should be painted with liquid lice killer and
squabs and adults dusted with lice powder. A liberal pinch of the
latter in the nest is a preventive, and it is a good scheme to add this
as soon as the baby squabs appear. ?

Probably the most troublesome pigeon disease is canker, a cheesy
growth which forms in the mouth and throat. It is transmitted
from old to young while feeding, and also sweeps through the ma-
ture flock. {

Remove the canker with a flat stick and swab the sores with
Pratts Disinfectant, undiluted; repeat as needed. Also use Pratts
Roup Cure in the drinking water.

Every pigeon breeder needs Pratts Disinfectant to keep everything clean,
sweet and sanitary. Spray the house and wash nest bowls, drinking fountains
and bath tubs with it regularly.

Pigeon lice can’t live in nest boxes sprayed with Pratts Liquid Lice Killer,
Use Pratis Powdered Lice Killer on breeders, squabs, and in the nesting miate-
rial. You never find fat squabs and lice in the same nest. The lice win every
time !

1
4
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;

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SQUAB GROWING 147

“ Going Light ” is a wasting disease, the exact cause of which has
not been determined. Keep the birds in the best physical condition
by the use of Pratts Poultry Regulator.

Bear in mind these simple facts: Success in squab breeding is
secured only by using as breeders selected birds that produce the
right number of squabs; keeping the stock in prime physical condi-
tion; keeping the quarters clean, sanitary, and free from vermin;
furnishing an abundance of suitable feed; studying the market and
selling to best advantage,

A COLLEGE CLASS IN POULTRY HUSBANDRY

The agricultural colleges and experiment stations are doing great work in behalf of the
poultry industry. The above cut shows a typical “ short course” poultry class containing
men and women from all walks in life.

148 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

PRATT EXPERIMENT STATION

The Pratt Food Company is sincere in its desire to help the poultrymen
of America make a success of their business, to be a big factor in the
development of the great poultry industry. Each year we expend a consider-
able part of our profits in work of a constructive character.

For years we have been conducting a Poultry Service Department, the pur-
pose of which is to give our customers personal advice and assistance in
the solving of the many perplexing problems which are constantly arising.

No charge is made for this service. Every letter of inquiry is given con-
scientious attention and receives a frank, detailed reply. “Thousands of our
customers regularly take advantage of this service, and all bear testimony
to the fact that we are able and glad to help them. If you need help in the
matter of poultry buildings, breeds, rations, incubating, brooding, diseases,
write us. Address your communication to Poultry Service Department, Pratt
Food Company, Philadelphia. You will receive a prompt, helpful reply,
without charge.

We have established the Pratt Experiment Station for practical research
work in poultry husbandry. Photographic views of this place are repro-
duced on pages 80 and 81:of this book. These show most of the principal
buildings, but.convey=no adequate idea of the beauty of the location, the
extent of our operations, or the quality of our flocks of breeding fowls and
ducks. To really appreciate what» we are actually doing one should pay a
personal: visit to the Station. The invitation to do so is freely extended.
Come any day except Sunday. The Director will be glad to welcome you,
and will give youvany information and advice which you may require.

The Pratt Experiment Station is located at Morton, Pennsylvania, a suburb
of Philadelphia. There are both railroad and trolley connections, so that the
station is easy of access. Side

In character, the entire establishment is unique. It is not operated with
a view to securing financial profit. Rather as the name indicates, it is a place
where careful research work is conducted, bearing especially upon the in-
dustry as it affects the business of the Pratt Food Company and its hosts
of customers. Here we conduct careful tests of the various Pratt prepara-
tions before and after they are offered to the public.

The equipment is complete but not extravagant. Everything is designed
to produce practical results.

Several varieties of chickens and ducks are bred, sufficiently high in quality
to win leading prizes at the largest poultry exhibitions. We are usually in
position to furnish breeding stock and eggs for hatching at moderate prices.

When in Philadelphia, be sure to visit the
Pratt Experiment Station

THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK 149

ca A i ed nO

THE NEW PARCELS POST LAW

Poultrymen will be much interested in the new Parcels Post Law.
Poultry products, including hatching eggs, eggs for the table, dressed
poultry, etc., can all be mailed, when properly boxed, to all points
throughout the United States.

The law provides as follows:

“That hereafter fourth-class mail matter shall embrace all other matter,
including farm and factory products, not now embraced by law in either the
first, second, or third class, not exceeding eleven pounds in weight, nor
greater in size than seventy-two inches in length and girth combined, nor in
form or kind likely to injure the person of any postal employee or damage
the mail equipment or other mail matter and not of a character perishable
within a period reasonably required for transportation and delivery.”

For the purpose of carrying this law into effect the United States is divided
into zones with different rates of postage applicable to each, as follows:
ist zone. | 2d zone, ; 3d zone, 4th zone,| 5th zone, | 6th zone, | 7th zone, | 8thzone,

ue 50 TSO. | 300 600 1,000 1,400 allover
Weaiehi | | to 150 | to 300 } to 600 to 1.000 | to 1,400 | to 1,800 1,800
a “Daves Zone | smiles | miles. ! miles. | miles. | ‘miles. miles. miles.
Gabe.) i | !
Ghee somiles., Kate. ; Rate. | Rate. | Rate. | Rate. Itate. 2 kate.
1 pound $0.05 | $0.05 $0.06 $0.07 {0.08 $0.09 $0.10 $0011 uO, 12
2 pounds 06 od ee en een LOM. TOs th | 21 at 24
3 pounds Oe See ye wa ig eT 7 poll re. 2O CS Ih ee Se ae | . 36
4 pounds | .08 0 EN gets | 222 | 26 E30) a) oy roy i AI 48
5 pounds OG SS os el a Pe eta 28 A ete) aa Co eh ee ST .60
6 pounds LO'5 yr ee PH 20 3) 32 Pees Lee pee e55 |. OL | ze
zpounds | .11 | .23 agOia ap 44 Sl 64 71 84
8 pounds Sie eee esd | ee a Soe WY 58 | 5-473 81 96
| | i
g pounds Peek ae | Wola Oa Vad 50 | HO sO a Bet oy Lo OTe | 1.08
to pounds | .14 ike AA ae 02 | ye ee or \ TeOWees. 20
Meet potinds | 15 fe. 35 AGE 57) OS | -79 | 1.00 Tord 1 32

a a a

The local rate is applicable to parcels intended for delivery at the office of
mailing or on a rural route starting therefrom.

It will be observed that the rates of postage are largely reduced and that
the limit of weight is increased from four to eleven pounds. Parcels will be
delivered at all free-delivery offices and to patrons residing on rural and star
routes; they may be registered and may be accorded special-delivery service
on payment of the usual fees, and they may be insured against loss in an
amount equivalent to their actual value, but not to exceed $25, upon payment
of a fee of five cents. Distinctive stamps must be used on all parcels, but
they may be mailed in quantities of not less than 2,000 identical pieces without
stamps affixed, the postage being paid in money.

150 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

Read Our Sworn Statement in Reference to the
Purity of Pratts Preparations

J. S. Ketxer, President Pratt Food Co., being
duly sworn according to law deposes as follows :—

Pratts Poultry Regulator, Pratts Animal Regu-

lator, and Pratts Conditioner for Horses and
Cattle are all free from mineral poisons or
poisonous matter of any kind and contain nothing
but that which is highly beneficial.

(Signed) J. S. KeLier,

PRESIDENT Pratt Foop Co.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this toth day of
October, A. D. 10906.

Witi1am Biase, Notary Public.
[SEAL]

OFFICIAL CHARTS OF POULTRY IN COLORS

We are the only Company publishing two Official Poultry Charts of
all recognized breeds of poultry. These charts are lithographed in full
colors showing form, feathering, etc., and can only be obtained from
us. They are lithographed on coated stock, size 18x 24, and will be
mailed to any address upon receipt of 1oc. for each chart, provided the
request is accompanied by a coupon or Trade Mark taken from any of
Pratt Food Company’s products.

_ THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK 151

EXPERIENCES

If you would like to read some rather interesting experiences with
Pratts Poultry Regulator, just peruse the following:

December 7, 1g1t.

I am enclosing order for some more of your supplies. After a long experience I find
Pratts Poultry Regulator to be absolutely the best tonic to keep a flock of poultry in con-
dition. Just as soon as I find a pen is not doing well, I use the Regulator in their mash.
Almost immediately I notice their appetite improves, their combs redden and they lay
better. JI have also made trial of your other remedies and I find them all absolutely reliable.

Joun S. Martin, Breeder,
Regal Strain, White Wyandottes.
Port Dover, Canada.

September 24, 1911.

I have used Pratts Poultry Regulator for the last 20 years and always had the best of
results. It is a great egg producer and the best feed to keep little chicks strong and guard
off that terrible disease, bowel complaint. In fact, I cannot do without it for its good is
seen in every part of the poultry business.

: Geo. Wm. Lyon,

Cherokee, Iowa.

February 20, Ig1t.

I am a breeder of “ Buff Rocks” exclusively for 8 years and have never been without
Pratts Poultry Regulator.

I recommended your Regulator to Charles T. McIntosh & Son, 268 King Street, this city.
They begged me for your address. Quote them prices at once. They will give you an

order. Z Gro. G. HUNEKEN,
124 Cannon St., Charleston, S. C.

May 15, 1912.

I have had such satisfactory results in the use of Pratts Poultry Regulator, that I now
use it every day at the rate of 36 lbs. of Pratts Poultry Regulator to 1800 lbs. of mash.

A year ago last winter, cholera, or some bowel trouble broke out among my fowls, 75
soon died, others became droopy and lost appetite and I feared the trouble would go through
my flock of five or six hundred. Egg production dropped from two to three hundred a
day to only 25.

My attention was called to Pratts Poultry Regulator and I began to use it every day.
The bowel trouble was checked, and gradually, in a few weeks my fowls picked up, were

_soon in good condition and egg production normal.

I have since used Pratts Poultry Regulator regularly and my flock has been in good con-
dition and egg production large.

The egg record for 900 fowls for 5 months the past winter, was as follows: Dec. 50%;
Jan. 43%; Feb. 55%; March 69%; April 69%. The lower record of January was caused by
some pullets moulting.

I have been asked if the use of Pratts Poultry Regulator affected the fertility of the eggs
for hatching and would say that fertility of eggs averaged 87% in December to over 90%

_ later in the spring. © J. H. Ranxin

South Easton, Mass.

P. S.—This spring I made a test for fertility of eggs taking ten eggs from each of 38
pens with the following results: -

II pens tested 100% fertile.
only ae ce os as low as 60% *
a few és ee 7090 “e
all others ~ a 80% and 90% ‘*

One of the four pens testing only 60% tested 100% on second test and with one of the other
three pens the fault was in the cockerel and he went in the pot.

152 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

December 5, 1911.

I am both selling and feeding Pratts Poultry Regulator, and make a specialty of high-
bred Buff Orpingtons. I have at least 12 cockerels worth from $20 to $75 each, and they
were all placed in healthy condition by use of Pratts Poultry Regulator and their quarters
disinfected with Pratts Disinfectant. W. H. Topp,

: Westgate, Iowa.

June 12, 1912.

I have used Pratts Poultry Regulator and find it excellent for moulting and also for
making hens lay. They lay 50% more now since I used it. 4
RupotpH Kuzpas,
1235 64th Ave., Oak Park, Ill.

May 3, 1912.

I have been using Pratts Poultry Regulator and consider it fine. It certainly does make
the hens lay and eggs hatch well; out of 112 eges I got 106 chicks and have only lost two.

IT am recommending your Remedies to all of my friends. J. Cine
Fink, Va.

January 27, 1912.

Anybody that keeps chickens and wants eggs when they are high should use Pratts
Poultry Regulator. J am glad there is such wonderful food for chickens.
A, E. Hopxins,-
128 Webster Ave., Syracuse, N. Y.

March 11, 1912.

Up to two weeks ago I was using — Poultry Food, but it did not do the work so
I tried a package of Pratts Poultry Regulator, and was surprised to see a change in two
days. I have at last found the one food that does what they claim for it. I might say I
have tried several different kinds, but they do not compare whatever with Pratts.
Henry H. Watker,
Box 11-A, Alvin, Texas.

RAISING LITTLE CHICKS

You will gain many valuable pointers about growing little chicks
if you will read the letters printed below:

: July 19, 1912.

I want you to know what I think of Pratts Baby Chick Food. I have great faith in it
and have had wonderful success in starting my chicks this year, having hatched out about
2800, and I think I have lost less than 200 altogether from the start to the present day: a
part of these were taken by hawks and crows and a few got caught out in the rain. But
the little, weak chickens which we generally expect to lose within a few days seem to live
and grow just as well as the others on the Pratts Baby Chick Food.

I cannot say too much in favor of Pratts Baby Chick Food. For starting them it cer-
tainly produces wonderful results and no need of losing any chicks.

have just got to feelixg I must have it when I have little chicks coming along, as
they take such a start and the weakly ones brace up and seem to be as strong as the rest.
LesTER TOMPKINS,
Concord, Mass.

May 13, 1912.

When I received your glowing recommendation of Pratts Baby Chick Food, I made due
allowance for the enthusiasm of an agemt, but was considerably impressed by what you
wrote; sufficiently so to order two bags. Now, after trying it for ten days, I want to report
that you did not say half of what that food would warrant. I did not conceive it possible
for the mind of man to invent a chick food that would give such astonishingly good results.

I took off 295 chicks ten days ago, hatched by sixteen hens and my incubator. I gave
the chicks to fifteen hens, twenty chicks to a hen, and fed Pratts Baby Chick Food only.
Two weaklings I killed, ten have been trampled to death, two of them by a locse hen
fighting with one in a coop. That leaves 283 ten days old. I went over them carefully
this morning and could not find one case of ‘‘ pasted up behind” or any sign of bowel
trouble of any kind, and not a case of “long wings ’’; every Leghorn breeder will know
what that means. I never saw a plumper, thriftier looking lot of chicks.

I honestly believe that if Pratts Baby Chick Food were used exclusively for the first
three weeks by all the poultry raisers in the United States the saving would amount to
millions of dollars, GrorGE A. CosGROVE,

Willington, Conn.

THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK 153

June 20, 1912.

I have just had a chance to test out Pratts Baby Chick Food. On June 1 I took off a
hatch of 263 White Rock chicks, as bright a lot as I ever saw. On the morning of the 7th,
when I raised the hovers, I found forty of them dead. Upon examination I detected that
bowel trouble had set in and I at once thought of Pratts Baby Chick Food. I immediately
began feeding it with the following results: June 8, 17 dead; June 9, 8 dead; June 10, 3
dead; June 11, none, and June 12, one. Since the 12th I do not think we have lost a chick
from that hatch, and they are now growing like weeds.

Kindly send me, by express, to Plainfield, Conn., ten pounds. I feed it dry and the
chicks are crazy for it. W. J. Triiey

Packer, Conn.

August 12, 1912.

I take great pleasure in heartily endorsing Pratts Baby Chick Food and in recommend-
ing it to any one that raises poultry. The early part of this hatching season we had tried
several other Chick Starters and had had considerable difficulty in raising our chicks past
the danger line, in fact, lost quite a few chicks. Pratts Baby Chick Food was recommended
to us, and since using it we have had little or no trouble in raising our chicks. We now
have over 2000 young stock on hand growing nicely, all of which were started on Pratts.

I consider that there is nothing as good for baby chicks as Pratts Baby Chick Food.

ANGELO J. Myers,

Prop. The Linfield Poultry Farm.
Linfield, Pa.,

‘ ; June 25, 1912.
Pratts Baby Chick Food is the best thing for little chicks that I ever sold or used. I
am in the Poultry business and have been for twenty years. Don’t change your formula;
you have it just right. T oH. Ireranp
Mexico, Indiana,

July 6, 1912.

I wish to state that Pratts Baby Chick Food has proved most satisfactory. Never had
chicks do as well. They feathered very evenly and made that growth so much desired,
those long, deep and shapely bodies, and give every promise of being very fine show speci-
mens, having taken on their first feathers in a most pleasing way. Am much pleased and
have now purchased a large bag. Franx B. Hoop,

Somerset, Mass.

s

March 20, 1912.

I must say J am very much pleased with Pratts Baby Chick Food and would like to
know who has it for sale in Moorestown, N. J. I have used it on a flock of young chicks
that I put out a week ago, and they are all hale and hearty, and I have not lost a single
chick. B. W. Cooper,

Geo. L. Wetherill & Co., Inc.,
114 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa.

A GOOD LICE KILLER

is needed almost every month in the year. The testimony of some
prominent breeders printed herewith may assist you in getting the
best: 3

Pratts Poultry Lice Killer is the most meritorious preparation of its kind I have ever
sold or tried. It certainly destroys the lice. Dr. A. C. Brown,
Secretary Board of Health, Mosells, Mo.

I found recently 200 red mites under the end of each roost. I painted the roosts and
inside of the brooder with Pratts Liquid Lice Killer, using it freely, letting it flow into
all the cracks and creyices. A few days later I found a few mites and I gave it another dose.
I painted the roosts with your Lice Killer once a week until cold weather, and after
the first week I did not find a single mite.

In the big coops where I was troubled with mites last year I painted the roosts once a
week all summer and found no signs of mites, Wm. B. Jaycox,

Peekskill, N. Y.

154 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK

November 3, 1909.
I have used Pratts Lice Killer on vines and young plants and find that it destroys all
lice and bugs on them and leaves them in a healthy growing condition.

W. S. STANDARD,
Hyde, Ga.

March 9, 1911.

I have been using Pratts Lice Killer for three years and like it better than any I ever
tried. I use it for killing all kinds of insects. I can’t afford to quit using it.
Mrs. W. W. Botpine, ;
Route No. 2, Houlka, Miss.

May 27, 1912.
I used Pratts Lice Killer last year and found it very good. I used the
Powder but lost eight chicks in two days so I don’t like to run any more chances of

losing more. Mrs. H. Patcut,
184 Thompson St., New Haven, Conn.

ROUP IS DEADLY

See what these folks have to say about the methods they used to
quickly cure this disease:

December 29, 1911.

All our chickens were sick two months ago and we purchased a box of Pratts Roup
Cure and found it very successful indeed. One of our neighbors cut off the heads of
twelve of his chickens before he knew what was the matter with them. I told him to get
your Roup Cure. He did and saved all the rest of his fowls. I told eight of my neighbors
and they all found it successful. FRANK SWEIGERT,

ressona, Pa.

March 7, 1911.

Lust want to let you know how good Pratts Roup Cure is. My entire flock was in-
fected with cold and roup, so I bought a box of your cure. In less than 9 days my whole
flock was in as good a condition as ever. Witiram C. Metcurr,

Bally, Pa. .

January 3, I9It.

I gave Pratts Roup Cure a careful test on a flock of 50 growing White Wyandotte
chicks in October which were infected with bad colds, nearly all running at the nose, and
after treating one week with your Roup Cure, nearly every one was well. This I never
accomplished with any other Roup Cure before. Epcar Briccs,

Pleasant Valley, N. Y.

January 9, 1912.
In. November and thereafter and until present date I gave my 16 chickens Pratts Roup
Cure about two times a week in their drinking water and the result was that they do not
know anything about roup. My mother has about 200 chickens, and she did not give any-
thing to them, and the result was, she was losing two and three every week with roup.
I told her to give them Pratts Roup Cure, and you can go out now and you won’t see
another roupy hen among the flock. FE. M. Mencet,
Drehersville, Pa.

August 10, Igri.
My hens were sick with the roup last winter. One nearly died and another was past
eating. I got a box of Pratts Roup Cure, gave it to the one so near dead. To my surprise
she was able to eat in two days, and the rest came along nicely, and up to now I have 148
chickens from 11 hens and have not lost a chicken this summer. My chickens are laying
and moulting right along. Mrs. Wu. SurIPtey,
Ordway, Colo.

’
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ie a te

Tees oS a ee

|
id
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q
“

THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK 155

March 3, 1910.
I have used Pratts Roup Cure and cured the severest cases of roup where all other
roup cures failed. I can conscientiously recommend it to any one wanting a sure cure.
L. B. Witson,
Edinburg, IIl.
(Breeder Rhode Island Reds, Partridge Cochin Bantams.)

January 25, 1912.
Please quote me your lowest figures on quantity lots of Pratts Roup Cure as I have a
large flock of fowl, and have found that this remedy is the best that we have so far tried.
I want to get it in quantities from one dozen lots up. J. E. Sranzey, Genl. Mer.
Wallkill Land Co., Sussex, N. J., R. F. D. No. 2.

April 11, 1912.

I am using Pratts Roup Cure and Regulator. It does just as you say. I had a cockerel
that had a bad case of the roup; his head and tail hung on the ground and I gave him the
Roup Cure as directions said, and in three days he was walking around and eating. Now
he is as well as ever. Geo. O. ScHEIRER,

Box No. 105, Hokendauqua, Lehigh Co., Pa.

April 16, 1912.
Enclosed please find soc. for another box of Pratts Roup Cure. I got a box last fall
and think it the best I ever used. I don’t care to be without it now, for with that on hand
I feel safeguarded against roup, so please send at once by mail and oblige.
? Mrs. Frep M. Nasu,
Baynesville, Va.

WHITE DIARRHEA IN LITTLE CHICKS

No need to lose the baby chicks if you follow the advice of the

breeders printed below:
' May 21, 1912.
Please find post office money order for which send me Pratts White Diarrhea Remedy.
I have tried four different kinds without any results till I tried yours, and have lost but

few. You will rush it as I am out. . D. G. Wurtz,
R. D. No. 1, Creston, Ohio.

July 1, 1912.

I have used Pratts White Diarrhea Remedy with much sucoess, and my neighbors are
now wanting to try it too. So please send me two soc. boxes of Pratts White Diarrhea
Remedy at once. Mrs. I. E. Moore,

R. R. No. 2/14, Perryville, Mo.

April 18, 1912.

I received Pratts White Diarrhea Remedy. It certainly is fine. I didn’t lose one chick.
I want another 50c. box for myself, and a 25c. box for a neighbor. I also want a soc. box
of your Cholera Remedy and a 25c. box of Head Lice Ointment. Also one soc. box of

Gape Remedy. kay Miss Bertua DeWitt,
: Hoyes, Md.

April 15, 1912.

I enclose check for two dollars for which please send me by return mail its worth in
Pratts White Diarrhea Remedy. It is a good thing. E. E. Wueat,
Downs & Wheat, Ramsey, N. J

December 4, 1911.

J have used Pratts White Diarrhea Remedy and I wish to say that I have had some
chicks that started with the White Diarrhea and I gave them the tablets in their drinking
water, and have not had any trouble since. They are growing fine. Sey

. C. Foster,

Box No. 67, Summerville, S. C.

HERE ARE

PRATTS POULTRY REMEDIES

“MONEY BACK IF THEY FAIL”

Pratts Poultry Regulator

This is the original
Poultry Regulator of
America, in use by
the most successful
poultry raisers every-
where.

It. is a guaranteed
egez producer, and
when regularly used,

— Th
eT THB

xa

es

hens lay throughout
\ the year.
Ifeasiaa plerke et

digestive and _ tonic
and will prevent
chicken cholera,
gapes, roup, rheumatism, expel worms,
prevent leg weakness, egg eating. It also
greatly improves turkeys, geese, ducks,

pigeons and guineas—insuring quick,
healthy growth.

too-lb. bags, $9.00; 25-lb. pails at $2.50;
50. pkgs., weight 4 lbs.; $1.00 pkgs., weight
9 lbs.

is the strongest liquid
preparation on the market
for the destruction of
poultry lice and lice on
horses, cattle, cows, and
hogs; ticks on sheep, and
fleas on cats and dogs.
1 qt., % gal. and 1 gal.
cans.

Pratts Roup Cure

is a scientific preparation
compounded into a fine pow-
der, and when mixed with
water, is absorbed by _ the
blood at once, purifying
the system, allaying in-
flammation and reducing the
fever. It not only cures, but
prevents roup, colds, canker,
catarrh and diphtheria, and
should be given to all fowls
frequently to keep diseases
away.

Pratts Roup Cure is quite
different from many so-called
roup cures, which may cure
a cold, but never a genuine
case of roup.

Extra large boxes, soc. and $1.00; smaller
Size, 25¢.

Praits Baby Chick Food

This is one of the
greatest Money Sav-
ers and greatest Chick
Savers ever placed on
the market. Every
man, woman or child
who raises little
chicks, turkeys, ducks
and geese should try
at least one package
of Pratts Baby Chick
Food. It is a scien-
tific food ration to be
fed for the first three weeks. If you want
real success with your hatches, if you want
to save all the baby chicks, if you want them
to grow fast—get Pratts Baby Chick Food
on our recommendation for your first trial,
after that you will never be without it. Put
up in 1-lb., 3-lb., 614-lb. packages, also 14-lb.,
25-lb., 50-lb. and i100-lb bags.

Pratts Lice Killer
(Powdered Form)

It quickly and thoroughly ¢
kills all lice on little chicks, (>
big chicks, setting hens. and ff
incubator chicks. It rids|§
horses, cattle, hogs, dogs and}j
cats of lice, and destroys |=
ticks on sheep. It destroys
insects and bugs on _ vines,
plants and flewers. <A valu-
able deoderizer and _ disin-
fectant, for all poultry houses, |."
barns, stables, and dwellings. | ==
Drives out moths from
closets. furniture, carpets \&=
and clothing. 25c. and 50¢. ae

Pratts White Diarrhea
Remedy

This remedy will positively
save many dollars worth of
little chicks to poultry raisers.
It has taken us nearly three
years to find a remedy for
White Diarrhea and we are so
sure that we have it in this
article that we authorize our
dealers throughout the world
to refund the purchase price in
case it fails. Extra large box,
soc.; small size, 25¢.

Pratts Poultry Remedies continued on next page

PRATTS POULTRY REMEDIES

Pratts Poultry Disinfectant Pratts Bronchitis Remedy

If poultry keepers would
regularly spray the chicken
houses, roosts, dropping Bronchitis in poultry is
boards and utensils with
Pratts Poultry Disinfectant,
most all their troubles promptly checked with
would vanish. This great
Disinfectant is a real won- 2ey ,
der-worker in the poultry This remedy is sure, safe
yard. Put up in t-qt., and quick and will save
a and t1-gallon' cans,

1.00.

fatal in a few days unless

Pratts Bronchitis Remedy.

Your birds. 25c- and. soc.
boxes.

Cholera Remedy

is an unfailing remedy for eae
Ng eae ae Re Pratts Condition Tablets

anteed or money back”
article which is prepared a
under our own _ supervision A“ bracer for over-
in our own laboratories. It worked, run-down poultry.
is administered in the drink- Keeps show birds in the
ing water, and will be found pink of condition; puts
of great value, not only for flesh on thin birds; pre-
treating cholera, but also in vents colds, roup and liver

cases of indigestion, sour sore WwW 4
crop, dysentery, diarrhea and OUes. e€ guarantee
bowel trouble. this Remedy to satisfy you

or refund purchase price.
25c. and soc. a box.

2 Cuan s50G. a nox

Pratts Head Lice Ointment

causes immediate
death to the Head

Pratts Sore Head (°"ii") Remedy

Lice which kill so Brom costly. experience
many thousands of <r wee
little chicks yearly. Poultrymen have jearned to
Ene ae lice weaken dread the disgusting disease
i ae sens Bee ak known as Sore Head or Chicken
H nd a chick in weak- : ME Trio, ee hs :
sinc ened condition easily Pox. They know it will prac-
/ contracts many other tically ruin the flock unless

diseases. Pratts Head quickly checked. We guarantee

Lice Ointment pre- eae: Bei
vents this. It is non-poisonous, and is also 9 SUT® rapid cure if Pratts Sore

the best remedy for Scaly Legs. Sold in Head (Chicken Pox) Remedy is
25c. tins. used. 25¢, and \soc.. a. box;

Pratts Gape Remedy

An unfailing guaranteed

Pratts Scaly Leg Remedy

: remedy for Gapes. If used You can quickly root out
; ; See the little insect which digs
; in the drinking water from feeelicsn attach acd

I il hick legs of your chickens by
the start until the chicks foe ee EL Sealy

‘are four week old, gapes Leg Remedy. This disease
not only impairs the vitality
of your birds, but also ruins

will be practically un-

ie Pinaceae d their appearance. Our rem-
ee Ar eae ete edy will keep the legs clean
+ 50¢c. and healthy. 25c. and soc. a box.

-
a
a
P

J
E.
oF s

+

a

PRATTS PREPARATIONS—for Horses, Cows, Hogs & Sheep

Pratts Healing Ointment

(For Man and Beast)

This is a humane prep-
aration for the quick
cure of all sores, cuts,
scratches, grease wounds,
burns, scalds, corns, har-

ness and saddle _ galls,

A barb-wire fence _ cuts,

y itching, oe and erup-

Ray Mew tions. eals naturally,
x TT FouD co permanently and_ leaves

no dangerous scabs.
Excellent for human

use, too. ‘Extra large box,

50c.; small size, 25¢.

Pratts Worm Powder

Specially prepared for
‘destruction of worms
in horses, cows, hogs
and sheep. Has a strong
tonic effect that builds
up and helps the animal
to regain strength. Un-
questionably the quick-
est, surest and most thoreugh worm-de-
stroyer procurable. Soc.

Pratts Veterinary Colic Cure

It is a positive remedy in

all cases of flatulent colic
(sometimes called bloat),
spasmodic colic, gas colic,

kidney colic; and acute in-
digestion. Its action is quick,
and a cure certain.

Extra large bottle, $1.00;

small size, 50c.

Pratts Liniment

(For Man or Beast)

acts both as a counter-irri-
tant, drawing out the inflam-
mation, and as a penetrant.
Can be used either to blister
or without blistering by regu-

lating application.
Cures rheumatism, lame-
ness, sprains, bruises, con-

tracted muscles, shoulder or

stifle lameness, thrush or
canker, sweeney, kicks,
quinsy, curb, splint, capped

hocks, shoe boils.
Large bottle, $1.00; smaller sizes, 25¢., 50Cc.

Pratts Distemper and
Pink Eye Cure

goes direct to the seat of the
disease, purifies the blood, pre-
vents weakening of the internal
organs.

soc. per bottle.

Pratts Animal Regulator

This is the original
and pioneer Stock Reg-
ulator of America. It
keeps horses, well and
strong, improves their
wind, and makes their
coat ‘sleek and glossy.

Cows give more and
richer milk, the per-
centage of butter fat
being increased, and
their calves are strong
and healthy. Steers
fatten in half the time.

Hogs are raised and fattened quickly and
kept free from disease. Sheep are kept
healthy, and their meat and wool improved
by its use. Test it on our guarantee to do
the work or money refunded.

25-lb. pails, $3.50, are popular with our
customers; also in 50e- and too-lb. sacks and
small packages.

Pratts Dip and Disinfectant
has received the U. S.
Government rating for
sheep scab (1 part Dip
to 70 parts water). Cures
sheep of ticks, foot-rot

and other diseases; cures
cattle of mange, ring-
worm, scabies, screw
worms; cures horses of
mange, ticks, lice, ring-
worm, thrush, galls, cuts,
wounds; cures hogs of

mange, lice, eczema, fly
and maggots; cures dogs
of fleas, lice and mange.

1 qt., %-gal. and 1-gal. cans.

Pratts Healing Powder

A guaranteed remedy
for harness galls, sores,
grease heel, bleeding
ulcers, etc. It will arrest
hemmorrhage and check
blood flow. Dirt and
dust cannot get into
wounds as the Powder
forms a coating over it.
Large 4-ounce can, 25c.

Sample tin free for 4c.
in stamps.

Pratts Heave, Ciel and os Cure

is a positive remedy
for heaves, coughs,
cold and catarrh. A
single day’s. treat-
ment helps the worst
case of heaves. Sevy-
eral doses show a vast
improvement, and in
a few days the cough
will stop and _ the
breathing be natural.

Large box, $1.00;
smaller size, soc.

Sass see Te

THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK 159

INDEX

PAGE

PNGWICe MLO VDESINNIEES: fac. aidi- an cece « eu 16
BMI ANY OCSE + sa) a1 ca) wee evolane Ce Sos ele espela ys 125
PMG ETC AT CLASS holla s Perea clases hoe eres oi
PMG LOOCL.14 shies Gis = gloves eed cas 57
MMI MESSY eal a ays) 5, Shedaen! wiaresanseavaaialst eevee jens 93
Appliances for poultry houses ........ or
BMGT ICC LASG Sar N ors et ailaeee er ee ated ots iT
PEMD EMESIS sllace c's, oe i alesis Melo svine fale Wage e's 93
PANE SING ye CUGKG.- cas su acs cls eperee els wees 116
BeatmerOiick Food is ce beens 62-68-152
Banbdine Japanese sw. Se a ieee es 113
barred. Plymouth Rocks i. 222.0. %«<.- 48
LEVIES: “Wife reakccy ph v Ue eee ara Pa eebaer BER Ben ae ee)
HAC EMME AME Scie ste ca alee 2 al ae es at stare Sin we an
BIOQOC~SDOLS: MANE LOS ventas) oa oneal spell <= 05
HY enters ee O leet ny cuss elileniie sere tel aus Saterday 95
Book: ‘‘ Standard of Perfection” .... 49
Boxes, sizes for shipping ............ 84
Boxing, and icing poultry .2..........- 84
(pis Seve iy ni ae ee ee ae ieee eee ear 53
TEU SVE ISY Pa teas 00 aca ede ae ae AZ
Broilers, preparing for market ...... 83
PeMOMUCNIEISH cs fice c'e n'c seereccls are: = BER ind 05
BmonZe turkey wo. ye ee ete eee ae os 105:
BBErEMocet= Mot taiic: .ssctvianecoalas wieilsreiele os 44-45
Brooder house described ..........- 33-34-35
Brooders;colony ....-.- <2. ste eeeees 69-70
Tend O@ense MRCLESSIs iiss sc ccs ecme swan 69-72
Brooders, lamp-heated *.5.. 0. 5..--. 71-72
Brooders, the kind to biys.-......... 159
POO Gui emtit n CMI CK Gace stents veueleye ol scree 30-67
Biron Coe LOWS tass. creic acids su eile psi ais 53
Ere hOOt eo stereo ceegie ola e Sele bose 96
Ganiketr ace tiere wists estat oa pai onpetai ats rays 96
APOMS ie tac ea ee sete sb aegis Oat tank eee 52
Carneaux squabs ...... Peet eae ons 133
Carmien hor diye teedun sc avce. Geers nds 39
(Waitara thay ieee te ricer Bocas Skeid GON eiehentia wou 6 96
Chicken “pox rnc... Soe SIRE seas oat a 6d 96
Chieks=— Carine LOR iss delet ceein «eos ee ciw wo 67-68
iChoteran jo os. Rowe emits spotaraceonch.&: s Care 07
Classes in poultry husbandry......... 147
@lasses| Of fowls’... ss. ec SR tye ere 50
Cockerel and conditioning house ..... Beat
GoldvstoraserEs een Sui koch wanes 3 Mince) ss 77
Colony house—Tillinghast type ..... EWES.
Colony house—Tolman type .......... 31
Columbian Wyandotte (illus.)........ 50
@omib. sieazenineg) hos ante wee oe « iat, 98
Commission houses ......... PORE ae 76
Condition: MAPLES viv deve slwie ¥, sce isa leeks obs 158
Prope DOUG >. sic e icatecs scree sin x hombre 97

Boston: Nate isle cas acbicleeets ane rs

VAG!
Development of poultry industry...... i)
BESANT a eae eia da thw) Sinha Cheyer ada“ 's 37
Disinfectant, fon Poultry 2. sais. oe 153
DEAS OOH ea ees roars aise leet wncheraiove where 138
ID SeSSIsylr algae" 2 oXe>< U eeoey Sere ao a ae 82
Dressing poultry for market.......... rae
Drinikinlomrourtaninsyetes 2 tae accin 2st AI
Wo ppimcmbOand solr sain oes arelene, 0 40
DROS wenerseme es uae ekinte onc are v's lace an 98
Taye PUe kami ore cain tre ehe lene aitcwe cpm woe es 79
ID CITESS eR ttareias. . ecene eae Se wee enti Seaton ei 138
Direkaspreediniore nak gone wasters ee aes © 118
Duck brooderulouse! <..e 0 se sec ure 4 130
Duck boildinigs andUpetion ones. «20 120
DW elseGiSeaSeSrieenn <keraheee as chee’ 2 Webstats 127
Dickiepee or Mnateiiiely sist. ae cts. oes 123
MD gelie Ra tUMSE cre coe an ceng Vira a vices oie sige 119
Duck raising conveniences .......... 120
Digest wrens Ge kee oe cn aces peeaes I15
Ducks, different breeds .............. 116
Dicks diow. tor feed so yo 2e a aes. sss 122-123
Ducklings, how to feed .....:.... 125-126
Duckitags. howe fo mraise sc 60"... oo. 125
ID exte> TOYORTROTGL” Bia h eu ine Ola Nee 98-100
Ege prices—high and Jow..........-..... 76
owas hor Wa reminig? see vcs. evackia Se s/s/s0s 6 « 63
Kegs, howto: pack and ship. -........- 77
CSI Classe gts arg ccc we = 9) 55 as os 51
Equipment for poultry houses ........ 37
eedcguamduheedimecs siete. csc eat. k 56
Bloor spacer per hens <5 cass. cs ses te 23
IBNIGYOTES. Sia iit clcee Rone RICO irae co Ce age 2
Pormilasdog digy-ainash os. «7.1.42 «+ > 60-61
Bomiiitldetor Scratch feeds: 5: )i5..50e 6 « 60-61
Free Information Bureau............. 87
Garnemeo chia tirercnalecs cre nyomatis sae ewes ie 54
Games i. ta. la- Se CRORES TR PCE eer aT 52
CSG ee ted Miata, US PaE Pate Po av ei aiseaee 98
GeEeSee eisie aie imatcrereraea ieee | vacone Gerace ys 128
Gipadths PECES asp neem eae tare samen eaten es 57
Green teedSercnes wacked wale te men ne 57
Greenvfood@iname ksi y cies osteo eons 2
SY CrP Aa tet aa MATE coals Sac oa eet sta oor os wianteis/al a es 57
Se GPL Gin ota el ereoeere aie sfovand, geky eaters wlgse, ee 57
Wend vkices Ointment... 2) sca <ne ee. ¢ 158
LOST Su Penct aromees cise at Seeker onsratetiic: =e 131-135-137
Hopper for dmv mash ones: of Se. 0 a0 8 40-41
Topper tom TEGGe aac chars ake die sie cle so « lacs 40
Hopper tor enitvand Shell) 2iage cee. s 39
Piguse coe SHAM eM ek aie sia ce 0:5 s'sleiain cd 22
House—Clark) type cecec cee nescetes 32
House—Maine type modified ........ 36
House, two pen—curtain front ....... 36

FeB 27 1913

160 THE POULTRYMAN’S COMPLETE HANDBOOK
INDEX—Continued
AGE PAGE
House with scratching shed .......... 21 Remedies for poultry diseases ..... 157-158
House—Woods, semi-monitor type..... 32 Rheumatism <i) s0)«acc)4+2 60 100
Houses—closed front ...............- 19 * Roasters") ..4i¢. in. eee 75-83 -
Houses—colony type ........... 20-21-22-29 Roofs *for houses ’: 722s gee i hehe: geal
Houses—curtain front 2... 05).(00..7.20:21 “Roosts ..:1...:..t7 tee ee eer 38-39
Peuses Tor poultry «0.1 one oe eee 17 Rouen ducks . 7.0.2.3, 117
Houses—apen front.” side ee 20-29 Roup’ \. 552-42. shs seh ene IOI-154
1 (Se at bath Re de on RUMt=- dais dinie' oboe taht 18 1 138
Dmiberiest teees. dP eee ome 64 Stalding.. Fiacs. ssc dee.s 2 oo 83
Taree Se kiok ee Pe ee B3 Scaly seers." Reet io Sen toes tee eee eeees 101
Incubation Vik. eee. 63 Seasons when poultry in most demand. 85
Tete AGOS 9a \eroreeich ich ARR ee ES 64-65 Selecting the best layers :........... 54°55
Indian Runner ducks 2%: ot. oe, 123 Selling direct tonconsumets 75
internal “organsy + hss veee se Nhe ee 89-90 Selling live’ poultry |<. 77
2 ‘ypelline thie seges! 4... nw hae eee Pree 74°
Laying house—Gillette type ......... 27-28 Selling’ to retail dealers .+: 2222S 76
Laying house—Lambert type ........ 24-26 Silver-laced Wyandotte (illus.)....... 49
Weel weakness: y. woye reser ee ee 99 soil—desirable kind ..> so... eee 25
Eiees sete ee ee Sea eae: 99 Sore ‘head 203 4h:... ia See 96-101
TACs ARMREST secs oye eet) te rg eae wee ome 64-153 ‘squab house and furnishings...... 139-140
Lice om isitiing, Nens sta. . ete: oie 64 squab -profits o..s..<'. ys >: 136
Lice powder, how to apply = 22:.. 2.08 93 SOMADS a0 o6 ste gs nee ae 131-133
Light Brahmas. (lus: eo tee ee 51 Squabs, how to prepare for market ... 145
Limberneckp wae’. cverts ac: eee ees 99 Squabs, how to raise and feed........ 145
Liquids; How fo (sive 2... 800s: 02 Swiss” Mondaine+. 2). ..2. . + sn 138
Thivers digenses cae See ae ae 99 Symptom chart) ). 2 i.32.,.235 ae 94
Location of poultry houses .......... 2 Tonic and Regulator for poultry....88-151
Morkerias poulpay produced eet eee ut Toulouse’ geese-".. .. 505... 124,
: Trap ness! 2320.72... aan. See 42-43
Mieditermanediniclass:. .. ss abe ne eee 51 :
; Tuberculosis “2277.2... 7. eee IOI
MERGES ore hime. eerie. Way oo npr eae 100 :
Turkey diseases .4'.. S232 eee ItI-I12
Mouscovyrdeks sas ans ei aa II7
5 Turkey’ .eggs*.. 3433558. 52 5.2 ee 108-109
Nests: .c oh he Rina ee eee 42-63 Turkey foods and rations .:......... 110
Nios Ward]? shioiscm crs tame emo 29 Turkey park oop eee la alin ey som. & Tou el al sil fomamets 104
Turkey poults °..2. 22.22. 2 Ilo
Oviduct, “eversion:;ob 5. 2 a. se see 98 Turkeys (os oo date ee 103
Oviduct, obstimetan oi poi ee Varieties of turkeys .. 2: 2..e See 105
Parasites. rinterhal. st wal ece ae eee go Vent gleet ......-..+--+.. 22+ sees 13
Parcels post for poultrymen.......... T4Q Water: barrel casts Pipe aco 38
Partridge Plymouth Rocks (illus.) .... 48 Water ) fowl resi. i <5. oe) eer Fis
Pekin: ducks i.20'p 2. ieee ice i apenas 116 Weight loss in dressing... 42. see 84
Pigeon diseases? #2 <. .-Seeees oo . e 146-147 Wet mash .. 0.2.50 US eee 5
Pike *eges ness tee Rote ck et eee 144 White Chinese geese ........... ie Ses
Pigeon) feed shopper: + aiiso sm Gs <6 e T41-142 White: Crestéd ‘Black Polish {3 225see0 57
Pigeon: House «owe Sa, hee eh Ae 143 White: diarrhea .-.he: 42. eee 95-155
Pigeon® plant-on: city. lot... 6.. ws. oe. 132 White: ege fowls. 0.82 SE as Se eee 52
PIBEORS © 5554504 Vas Se ee Vee White: Holland turkeys’ 2... .s2t"98 105-112
Pigeons, what to feed them ........ 142-143 White Leghorns‘)... .43. 7 pee 52
Pills, ,how tovgive<. acesevue. sm: Jets 92 White Orpinston (illus.).. “cee ee 50
Poultry. chart in/colors....s.p-e0s. ees. ro, , White: Polish... 1... See 52
Poultry Regulator in mash............ 60 White: Wyandotte .. J. See oe 49
Pratt Poultry ‘Experiment® Station? 80-81-1748 ©» Worms © sic cio eeu 102
Profits from -potiliry Wi22 sos te. Ve 15 Wounds. (ene eee 102

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Toronto, Canada.

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