The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1883-11-17
FIELD N FARM.
Cnre OF Poultry in Winter.

Saft III oAlhIA u"
Fresh laid eggs in winter, says A. B.
Thompson Of Mercer, Pa, are generally,
n country towns, from 20 to 80 cents a
dozen, and in large towns and cities
from 80 to IS cents. In summer they
usually are from 10 to % cents, The
important question, then, for those VINO
keep poultry for the eggs is, how to
produce them in the season at which
they will bring the highest price. To
10 this requires care and skill. 1t is
not enough to simply throw the fowls a
sufficient amount of corn or rather grain
to keep them from stan wing, let them
rOOst on the trees, under the barn or
shed, or whatever place they hnd, rs is
the practice Of money. Nor is 1t much
better to have q low garret over the neg
pen, or some other Out-bulldlng, with a
few poles across for perches, and a
small hole for the fowls to 90 in and out,
and 50 dirty and filthy that they VIII
only 90 there to roOst when compelled
to for want of a better place. 1t is no
wonder that fowls thus treated do not
lay in winter.
My object in writing this article is
not to give the poultry tancler any new
ideas, but to give the farmers n those
that keep a few hens 10 produce eggs
for their own table and to buy grocer
les with a few practical directions about
the care of poultry in winter, III rdert to
eCure the best result S; and we beheYe
if these directions were followed we
would seldom hear the remark that
hens don't lay"
In order to pro ;uCe eggs in winter the
hens should have q comfortable house.
This can easily be built by any farmer
reasonably handy with tools, and at a
very small outlay. 1t should be built IN
ii place where it will be as much as pos
sIble protected from the north and Vest
winds. 1t should be large enough to aC-
Commodate the number Of fowls de-
signed to be kept. For twenty TO TWEEN
ty-tive hens a house 8 X IL, 5 feet high
back and s feet front viii do. The front
should always face the so 18th, and be
well supplied with windows. You
cannot get too much sunlight in winter
into a poultry house. A cheap and sub-
Slantial house may be built OF inch
boards, battened and Tired with tarred
paper. The pcrchps should be placed at
the back, with platform to eaten the
droppiDgs. The dr0ppings should be
removed frequently. The ground al
ways makes the best floor for the hen
house, but should always be kept dry.
If not too cold 70 Wis should be permit
ted to run out a part of the day.
Feeding fowls is always a very impOr-
tant matter. They should be fed regu-
larly, but not too much. We have found
the following successful: Have q kettle
In which all the scraps Of bread, meat,
potatoes, potato and apple skins, &c,
from the kitchen are thrown. Put this
on the stove in the morning as soon as
the fire is built, ard when it has boiled
a few minutes take two pints of chop,
ma lie of corn, oats, and barley or rye,
and one part wheat bran, and mix into
it. Be careful to have the mash thus
made as thick q you can stir it. When
this is cold So as not to burn you when
| you put your hand into 1t, give it to
this than they will eat up clean in five
| feed of oats, 5uckwheat, or wheat
screenings. Have Your house well litter
ed with straw, or, what is still better,
the litter from the barn floor and by
loft; scatter the grain over this. 1t will
keep the hens in exercise all afternoon,
and prevent their learning bad habits
In the evening give a light feed
of whole corn. 1t is a very good plan
to give laying hens meat and
vegetables, such as cabbage, potatoes
and onions, once or twice @ week. They
should always be supplied with pure
fresh water, in vessels that are KEEP
clean. There is no animal that vii
drink more, or that water seems to be
mere indispensable to than the fowls. L
the weather is too cold for the hens K
stay out of the house, or if the ground
is covered with snow, they should be
furnished with lime in some shape. A
box kept filled with old plaster and
placed where they can have access to !
is very good, They should also be pro
vided with a dust bath. A box two fee
square and one foot high, kept half o.
two.thirds full of road dust, is about the
best thing, but if the du t has not beer
saved during the summer, fine coal ashes
will do,
I There is a very great difference in tn,
| lay ng qualities Of the different v~arietie
on fowls in winter. The larger varieties
usually excel as winter layers, and the
smaller as summer. But take the mixet
breeds. as usually kept by farmers, an,
care for them as ABOVE directed, ans
the result will be an abundance of egg
in winter.-Poultrv Journal Record.
PINK Eye in Cattle.
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