The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-01-25
Winter Treatment of Poultry.

Fowls should be treated in winter
with some regard to what is wanted of
them, whether eggs in winter or a large
number of early, strong chicks in spring.
If the latter are wanted it is not best to
force the hens to lay much in winter,
for by so doing they are no in a strong
and vigorous condition to have hardy
chicks in the spring. l have found that
the first patches of eggs laid by a hen
are better for Matching than the last, and
those laid in mid-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; small 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 is a good morning meal.
Whole corn should only be given for the
evening meal. If it is given them I'M
sparingly they are apt to eat it in pre-
ference to wheat, which is a better egg
producer. The birds should always 90
to roo 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 fowl-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
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.
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
be so constructed that during zero
WCdtucT all Cdu U6 ClOS0C, DuG, Oy all
means, open them as soon as the
weather moderatss, or disease will sure
ly follow. Whenever the thermometer
rises to sixteen degrees and the weather
is clear during the day, let out the iocks,
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 a hand
full of pulverized sulphur, which will
prevent parasites multiplying on tho
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 Immigration, or sprinkling
with carbolic acid, kerosene, or some
good insecticide. II is always requisite
to fumigate ono or twice during the
winter where many fowls are kept in
one building.-Henry Hales, in Rural
NeW Yorker.