‘Wednesday, April 22, 1970 CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK, My old friend, Jack Webster, Canada’s most abrasive. com- mentator is finding solace from the city these day's on a 90-acre farm where he has _ installed exactly 24 White Leghorns. This explains why I am getting a series of piteous letters from him imploring me to straighten out his problems. My.book, What Every City Boy Should Know About the Chicken, never actually got written, but -I _ have all of the material right here _in my tiny mind as the result of my own adventures in the poultry “world. I bring nothing original to this subject except a magnificent humility before the miracle of the egg. Each morning, on finding one in the nest, I used: to hippity- hop tothe house crying, ‘“‘It’s another one! Another egg!” If they had laid. golden dcorknobs I couldn’t have been more amazed. Oh, can hear you people out on the faryns snorting. The fellow who had the place next to mine used to snort, too. He expected to find eggs when he went out.to his chicken house and never, in all his life, passed among _ his chickens handing out cigars. But for me, city-bred, it always - remained a thing of wonderment and delight. If our pullets had a - ‘shifty; embarrassed look about them it was because I was forever. peering anxiously. over their shoulders when they were on the nest. ‘Before that I could take eggs or ‘leave: them: alone, _ shuddering _ Slightly at the cost per dozen. But” when I had birds of my. own and found. an’-egg in the nest. sometimes still warm and. lying -there in the straw like a gem ina” jewelry store window, 1 mar- ~Velled.. that. I: “coul have. ever. er, 7 taken them for: granted BY JACK SCOTT Here is fruit for the gods (did you ever eat an egp that was snatched from under a layer?) and wrapped in a. package of exquisite beauty. I never knew whether to eat them or put them on the mantlepiece. 1 purchased: my original six White Leghorns (pronounced ‘leggorns’ if you are one of us poultrymen) in a plaintive effort to save money. The pullets (not: “‘hens,”’ -you fool!) cost three bucks apiece. Then came the bills for. laying mash, grain, straw and chicken: wire. I subsequently estimated that if each of the pullets had laid an egg a day and lived to the age of 48-1 would have been in the clear. As it was, if my figure was correct, I was. paying about 80 cents per egg. That, of course, didn’t include the labor. If you’ve ever. seen what six White Leghorns can do to a chicken house in 24 hours (please, not while I’m eating!) you'll know that the manpower required is considerable. in addition to this, there are certain strange, macabre habits Details Asked On Fair Plans Further information on proposed: extensions ‘to..the buildings of North and. South - Saanich Agricultural Society will be requested by Sidney Council ‘before deciding. 0 on. a grant this year. “Details will be considered. by the finance committee which isin. -the last stages of f settling tl the 1970 : that are peculiar to the chicken. They get ‘“broody,’’for one thing. As far as I can remember a ‘“broody’’ hen is one that gets tired of laying duds, wearies of all the dry runs, as it were, and craves a rooster of its own and a little family. She then sits around on the nest all day reading True Love Stories and probably wishing. she were dead. This means that you get me egg less each day. and chaos descends on the poultry. market. Each “’broody’’ hen is a factor in our cost of living and a threat to our free enterprise way of life. The man who sold them to us said you have to be mean to “broody” hens. He even suggested tying them by one leg toa post aS a means of cooling the old ardor. I simply never had the heart to do it. Chickens go all against the Freudian theory, that much I know. They do their best .work when: frustrated, bored .and discontented. Sometimes watching: our six White Leghorns, which 1 did by the. hour, I could fancy: them. saying to themselves, ‘‘Oh, - life, life! Same old grind every day! Guess Pl go lay an egg just to break the monotony.” Still, as T have told Webster, ‘there was only one real crisis in the coop. When I went out there ‘one day, my. eyes shining. with greed, I found one of the. pullets attacking another. Tt was plucking viciously at the other's neck, had ripped the feathers 7 away and was drawing blood. I ran up and down, wringing my hands, but it did no good. Only. laterdid I learnthata little salt in the mash or the water would, have solved: that. : - : As it was Isolved everything by simply moving. back’ to ‘the city and the ‘supermarket CHAIRMAN, of Saanich School District and of the Metropolitan Board. of Health, Mrs. Rubymay Parrott, is receiving treatment at Rest Haven Hospital fora back injury. It is expected that she will be in hospital for the next two weeks. Saanich School Trustee Charles. MacNeill is now convalescing at home after a stay in Rest Haven Hospital. Assorted Neat Varieties. 1i oz. Each Apple, Grape or Orange. 48 fl oz. tine. a Town House Choice Quality. Delicious Hot or Cold. 19 fl. oz tin... Safeway ~A blend of the world’s finest coffees. Special a Offer. 1 Ib. Te FASHION SHOW AT SANSCHA SATURDAY Jobs Daughters of Bethel 54 will present their Sidney Fashions on Parade .show at Sanscha Hall at 2 P. m. next Saturday, April 25.0 The girls will, model clothes “from. Brenda- Lu, Seaside». Boutique “and Sidney Drygoods © steres. Tickets are $1 and 50-cents ‘tea, coffee and sandwiches. They may be obtained from “mentioned, - -*Jobie’? or. at | the: door on.» Saturday. oo: , Snow Star Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate | —s or Neapolitan.........c008 - Ontario Cheddar. Random: Cuts... ‘for children, and include ©: either of the. fashion. shops from’ any Town House Fancy : - Assorted Quality. 4 fh oz. tin, wen ae pe fev i el sho ha ent Dut ; is Gilge i) ee oH went ve ¥) +i i Mi ah he Re i i 2 ais wi rihng iy be ie We yy ternal Hoey sheet Raval merger eae ne " at aoe canen ems fC lad Tio Pe tice “Oregon, Fresh, 2. 39 POW ay a Aa tay i S sa Mag AM 4 ih me ail yi NO? a aN CO , ih ed tigate i Si sell’ ‘New — ‘Just oe "and serve buttered... “atwmmnwennny Fer, ®, Large Heads. ’ California. Green bs leafy heads sy for A : i 1 fi Superb Beef _ ee Roasts.” Government inépected oP Canada Choice, Canada Good....... 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