River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-11-15
FIELD AND FARM.
Care OF Poultry in Winter.

1 care OF tOuiII3 III w AhbcE.
Fresh laid eggs m winter, says 4. &.
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 70 cents. In summer they
usually are from 10 to 20 cents The
important question, then, for those who
keep poultry for the eggs is, how 10
produce them in the season at which
they will bring the highest price. To
do this requires care and skill. 1t is
not enough to simply throw the fowls a
| sufficient amount of corn or rather grain
10 keep them from starving, let them
roost ON the trees, under the barn or
shed, or whatever place they find, as is
| the practice of money. Nor is il much
| better to have low garrett over the hog
pen, or some other out-building, with
| few poles across for .perches, and a
small hole for the fowls to 90 in and out,
and so dirty and filthy that they will
only go there to roost when compelled
| to for want of a better place. IL is no
wonder that fowls thus treated do not
| lay in winter.
My object in writing this article is
not to give the poultry fancier any new
| ideas, but to give the farmers and those
| that keep few hens to produce eggs
| for their own teble and to buy grocer
| les with few practical directions about
the care of poultry in winter, in order TO
secure the best result g; and we believe
| 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 a 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
place where it will be as much as pos
slble protected from the north and west
winds. 1t should be large enough to ac-
commodate the number of fowls de-
signed to be kept. For twenty to TWEEN
ty-five hens a house s l0, 5 feet high
back and feet front will 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 SUD-
boards, battened and Tired with tarred
paper. The perches should be placed at
the back, with platform to catch the
droppiDgs. The droppings 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 fowls should be permit
ted to run out part of the day.
Feeding fowls is always very impor-
tant matter. They should be fed regu-
larly, but not too much. We have found
the following successful: Have 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, and when it has boiled
a few minutes take two plnts 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 you can stir 1t. When
this is cold so as not to burn you when
YOU put your hand into 1t, give it to
your fowls, Do not give them more of
this than they will eat up clean in five
minutes. At noon give them a light
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 h
loft; scatter the grain over this 1t will
keep the hens in exercise all afternoon,
and prevent their learning bad habi its.
In the evening give 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 Kept
clean There is no animal that will
drink more, or that water seems to be
more indispensable to than the fowls. If
the weather is too cold for the hens to
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 it
is very good They should also be pro-
viaed with dust bath. A box two feet
square and one foot high, kept half or
two.thirds full of roa1 dust, is about the
best thing, but if the du has not been
saved during the summer, fine coal ashes
viii do.
There is a very great difference in the
Law ne qualities of the different varieties
ui fowls in winter. The larger varieties
usually excel as winter layers, and the
smaller as summer. But take the mixed
breeds. as usually kept by farmers, and
care for them as ABOVE directed, and
the result will be an abundance of eggs
in Winter.-Peultry journal Record.