The Bossier banner., 1883-02-15
Winter Treatment Of Poultry.


Fowls should be treated in winter
with some regard to what is wanted of
them, whether eggs in winter ora large
number of early, strong chicks in spring.
Ii the latter are wanted it is not best to
force the hens, to lay much in winter,
for by so doing they are not in strong
andEigorous condition to have hardy
chicks in the spring. / have found that
the first patches of eggs laid by hen
are better for. Matching than the last, and
those laid in n1id-Winter are too early
for Matching. When eggs are wanted
for market the winter eggs are most
profitable, and for their production some
attention is needed, which is generally
repaid with interest.
The first requisite is good, stimulating
food, The morning or midday meal
should be of warm, soft food, such as
corn meal, wheat middlings, oatmeal or
buckwheat meal, changing from one to
the other occasionally, or two of the
meals may be MIXED. With any of them
give boiled potatoes; sman ones are as,
good as large ones, and come cheaper
These should be mashed while boiling
hot and the meal stirred in, which saves
the trouble of scalding the meal sep
arately. The meal should be quite stiff
when fed; it is cleaner than a soft, pasty
mess, and the birds like it better. Wheat
or barley rs good morning meal.
Whole corn should only be given for the
evening meal. If it is given them un-
sparingly they are apt to eat it in pre-
ference to wheat, which is a better egg
producer. The birds should always 90
to roost with crops full of grain, to carry
them through the long winter nights.
Warmth is the next consideration.
No person must expect eggs in severe
weather without a good fewl-house for
his stock. All through our Northern
and Eastern States the walls should be
lathed and plastered. One coat on the
lath, if good, hard mortar is used, is
enough. There should be no openings
on the north or west sides; there ought
to be glass on the south and east sides,
and that low down to warm the floor.
Where it is not practicable to plaster
walls, they may be lined with straw to
stop all drafts; laths should be nailed
over the straw to hold it and to keep
fowls from pulling it down.. All houses
must be ventilated thoroughly near the
top or ceiling, and the ventilatofs should
be so constructed that during zero
weather all can be closed, but, by all
means, open them as soon as the
weather moderates, or disease will sure
ly follow. Whenever the thermometer
rises to sixteen degrees and the weather
is clear during the day, tthe focks,
and do SO when the temperature is at
twenty degrees during cloudy weather,
unless it storms. Near the glass, on the
south side, must be a dust-bath, where
fowls will dust and clean themselves.
This they are fond of doing when the
sun shines on them. The baths can be
made by sinking a box filled with sand
and fine coal or wood ashes and hand
ful of pulverized sulphur, which viii
prevent parasites multiplying on the
fowls; but this will not effect the perch
mite or little animal that breeds in the
woodwork, nests, etc. This can only
be killed by fumigation, or sprinkling
with carbolic acid, kerosene, or some
good insectieide. II is always requisite
to fnmigate once or twice during the
winter where many fowls are kept in
one uilding.-Heary Halss, in Rarsg
&eW YerkeF.