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Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James), 1848-1923

"One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered"

A little, not too much,
fed whole is well relished by fowls and is said to give luster to the
plumage in fitting birds for shows. Sunflower is greatly overrated for
poultry purposes. It is an ungainly plant of no use for forage and its
seed is so well liked by the sparrows that the only way to keep them
till ripe is to cover the heads with netting.

Clipping Hens for Cleanliness.

My hens foul all the feathers below the vent; they appear healthy, but
do not look nice. What can I do?
Take a pair of scissors and clip the fluff away from that part of the
abdomen, give a teaspoonful of olive oil, and notice of they have any
discharge that is of an offensive color or odor. Sometimes it is nothing
but pure laziness with hens of the large breeds that causes this matting
together of the fluff below the vent. We rarely see hens of the small
breeds so affected. Whenever a hen soils her feathers clip her at once,
and, in fact, it is a good custom to follow in any case. When hens are
very heavily fluffed it interferes with the fertility of the eggs. In
such cases there is not anything for it but the scissors.

Bowel Trouble in Chicks.

What is the cause of bowel trouble in young chicks, and what to do for
it?
Bowel trouble in very young chicks is usually caused by a chill. It is
very hard for us here to believe chicks get chilled because, not feeling
the cold ourselves, we forget that chicks have really undergone a
violent change from incubator to the outside atmosphere.


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