Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-09-11
Poultry Breeding.
HOW TO GET MOST EGGS,

Ou1 llSuG W CARNNO NAAttO ~ N4AA
Poultry Breeding.
HOW TO GET MOST EGGS.
The manner of feeding poultry that
are layers, is considerably different from
that Of feeding those that are breeders.
In the latter case we want eggs that
will hatch chickens with a strong con-
stituten and good qualities ; while in
the former case we wait eggs, and only
eggs we care not whether they will
hatch or not, our only aim Is to get the
greatest number of eggs from our
fowls.
In order to accomplish this end, we
keep only pullets Of last years hatch
and feed all they will eat Of rich TODD
constantly growing richer. If they
fac. we give a stimulant to lmpart to
them a fresh start--red pepper is the
cheapest and perhaps the best thing for
the purpose. Fowls VIII continue to
lay well the second year, but it will not
be found as profitable to feed them
through their melting season as it would
be to keep them ''laying their best' for
one year and then kill them, Another
thing If you only keep them one year,
YOU will have no tough fowls" to
haunt your dreams.
KILLING YOUNG HENS.
Young hens may be killed two weeks
after ceasing to lay, and, if we'll han
died, they Will be fat and may be
thrown on the market at an advance OF
from one TO five cents per pound above
common ''choice lots" if they happen
to be Brahmas. Many will, perhaps,
object to this dollhouse system as being
detrimental to the constitution, but as
we set no eggs from these folws, the
objection has no valid foundation, and
falls through Do men object TO fore
ing steers, by high feeding, into rapid
fattening on the plea that it is injurious
to the constitution Of Others which are
not so fed?
FOWLS CAN'T BE TOO FAT TO LAY.
There is one point to be remembered:
il takes a certain amount efisod TO Ike p
the animal alive, and after that all tie
food eaten must 20 either to make eggs,
to build the body, or TO produce fat.
1t is nonsense to talk Of pullets being
''tee fat to lay" With old hens it may
be possible, but have never had this
happen to any Of nine, nor have l
known of any one else that had fowl
so affected, although a friend Of mine
keeps hopper Of corp always before
his fswls, and from October till March,
in addition to this, gives, night and
morning. a feed of boiled corn-meal,
and yet his fowls lay extremely well.
Some time ago l gave the results OF
some experiments with pigs, which
showed that it took fifty pounds of
corn-meal to keep a hog one month
and that one hundred pounds OF meal
per month produced a gam Of about
twenty pounds; that is, fifty pounds
went to supply the waste Of the system
and all above that went to increasing
weight. In cows, pair consuming q
small quantity produced five quarts Of
milk for every 100 pounds OF green
Lucern eaten, while a pair consuming a
large quantity, produced six quarts OF
milk for every 100 pounds Of lueern they
eat. The same will be found to be the
the case with fowls-"the fowl that
eats most will give the most profit" as
a rule, though, Of course, there VIII be
exceptions, but not many.
EXERCISE AND FOOD FOR LAYERS.
Make Your layers take exercise, not
as much as the breeders, but still
enough to ward of disease, Oae-half
the feed formy layers is ground. The
natural mill of fowls gizzard is
capable ofgrinding all sorts Of grain;
but, though it is involuntary, 1t Is at
too great an expense Of muscular force.
All the ground feed is cooked. l should
cook all, only the part raw is preferred
by the fowls and they need it TO keep
them by. The cooked food IS placed
in trough, with slate over the top, to
prevent the fowls from scratching it out
and dirtying it. The unground, raw
grain is so placed IN a trough, with Stats
over the top, to prevent the fowls from
scratching it cut and dhtying it. The
unground, raw grain is so placed that
the hens must scratch in order TO get il.
This is accomplished by buryias it
slightly in the ground i'll the summer,
and in a pile Of chat or cut straw Oh
the floor Of the poultry-house in The
winter.
The fowls should also be supplied
with some vegetable and flesh food every
day, winter and Summer. The best
way to get this is in the winter TO feed
turnips and potatoes; and in the sum
mer cabbage leaves, tops of vegetables,
weeds, ETC., ETC., will furnish what you
want in this line. For flesh, butchers
waste is my staple, but | often get
worthless fish which arc both cheap
and for this purpose good. Anything
that is animal food will do, and where
any one has but few fowls and can
get skim-milk, he need look no further.
TIMELY.-The London Farmer has
the following: a capital plan Of pro-
tecting horses and cattle from the
tormenhng attacks Of flies in hot
weather. is to wash their coats in the
morning with a decoction Of walnut
leaves, the peculiar smell Of which
efectually keeps the would-be marau-