Health Means Wealth In Fowls

The one, of all, most important things in Poultry Culture, and the one thing essential to all success and development, is health of the fowls. Without this health in our birds, we need not look forward with anticipation of attaining any wealth. In every inquiry the breeder gets, these points are most strongly emphasized. Health, vigour and vitality. The two latter qualities cannot be found without this paramount; health. In fact every success in the poultry business thoroughly depends upon the one greatest essential. For the beginner in the poultry business, it is very important that he look to the health of the birds he is to buy to make the start with, for without health in the parent stock, it is nearly impossible to breed up to this point. The one most important point in connection with the hatching and rearing chicks, either by natural or artificial incubation, is the health of the stock in the breeding pens. A strong healthy germ in a rich well-formed egg is most positively calculated to produce a strong, healthy, vigorous, chick. Bad health in the parent stock is the surest beginning of White Diarrhoea, (so called) in the baby chicks. Indigestion, weak legs, and a score of other ailments that take away the downy little fellows by the dozens can all, more or less, be traced directly back to bad health in the parent stock.

The parent stock being healthy, it is comparatively easy to maintain this health throughout other generations, and on the other hand it is very easy to let the health go down so that the generations will get weaker and weaker each year. This all depends solely on the care and attention the birds receive. Give the birds proper care and they will be healthy, strong and vigorous breeders, and will produce youngsters of this same strength and vitality. Lice and mites only exist where the birds do not receive proper care, and there is no more deadly enemy of health in fowls than lice and mites. Feeding improper and unclean feed is another great enemy of health. We once heard of a man in the poultry business who had all the slop and refuse from a neighboring town hauled out to his place for chicken feed. This was fed in the houses and around the yards, until the entire place had a foul odor. That was very repulsive. The floors (dirt) of the houses were wet and sloppy. The houses were wet and dark, no opening save a door and what cracks that had not been covered, and the owner was ever complaining that his fowls did not seem as bright and healthy as other men's birds, and he couldn't see why, for he gave them plenty to eat. This sort of treatment of birds is sure to lead to sickness and weakness, and utter failure in every branch of the business. The healthy birds are the birds that are fortunate in having an owner that lives with them, so to speak, feels their wants, simply applies the golden rule to them, and treats their wants and necessities as he would like his own considered.

He gives them a clean well lighted, well ventilated, dry, sanitary house, well white-washed, thoroughly relieved of those enemies, lice and mites ; gives them a good scratching pen with deep clean litter for healthy exercise, so necessary when we want health. Such care will not only repay you with healthy fowls, but a greater egg production, stronger and more vigorous chicks, free from disease, and in proper condition to mature into well developed breeders and specimens to grace the show room, and win the ribbons. Don't neglect your birds — if you forget them even for a day, it is detrimental to their health and welfare, and you suffer just that much loss. — Fount H. Rion. Unless the farmer has a special aptitude for poultry it is better left to his wife or other female member of the family. Of course his assistance is often very helpful.