The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-03-01
COLUMN.
Eggs in Early Winter and Ege-Produoing
Fowls.

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Fowls.
There are certain methods 10 conform TO
by all poultry fanciers that, II followed out,
prove remunerative, without wasting time
or patience-that is,the proper care Of poul-
try in wipter to make him profitable as wei
os productive. Eggs at this time of the
year. fresh, are as profitable as any farm
product, il not more so. With very little
trouble hens can be made TO produce them
in paying quantities. In the first place
poultry should have good, warm house
one that is rocmv and comfortable, they
should not be over fed, but the food which
is given them should be non fat producing.
Care is the tirst essential to success. While
eggs are worth in the market from thirty
five to forty cents dozen il pays to look
after things.
Our plan, which has proved successful,
when we were breeding for the product Of
fowls as well as for the best breeds has been
to look well after the welfare Of our birds,
and get as early winter producers Of eggs ss
possible. Our feed has been oats Drowned
mush or cooked Indian meal, buckwhen',
wheat screenings,but very little whole corn,
and refuse from the table. Plenty Of fresh
water was given daily, with coal ashes for
dust bath. Bones were thrown in the
kitchen etove and burned until they were
brittle, then taken out OF the fire and ground
and given them weekly. We have occas-
ionally bought at our butchers pluck or
other refuse meat and hung it up IN the
hennery just in reach, so the fowls could fly
up aud peck at 1t. In this way they have
proved with us successful egg producers.
We have kept all cockerels away from the
hens until late in February, and thereby
avoided their sitting propenstles.
The breeds treated in this manner have
been all of the Asiatic breeds. White and
Gray Dorkings, Silver Spsngled Polands |
and White Leghorns. We have bred from
these varieties of iows for the past thirty |
or forty years and found no trouble in keep
ing fresh eggs all winter long, as well as
having early chickens.
The Polish class Of fowls have proved
good egg producers, but their eggs are small
and not at all on a par with those OF the
Leghorns. The Asiatic breeds proved with
us, early egg producers, but their persistence
as ncubators destroys, in our opinion, their
usefulness ms early egg getters. As a table
bird they are hard to beat as to size. OIL
course, the flesh is coarser grained than that
Of other varieties. If they were crossed with
the Dorking variety they would prove
mach better table bird, as far as buttery sp.
pearance OF their flesh is concerned, and it
would give them a much more plump ap.
pearance in our markets.
All prize fowls should be kept separate
fr'm the cockerels unit! at lolst as late as
the 1ith of February. After being mated
or matched in the pens, all eggs gathered
Tor ncubating purposes should he kept in
warm place, or in place where they will
not be liable To become chilled. Early birds
for the market are profitable as much so
as winter eggs. If you have good, warm
cellar TO set the hen in we think it prefer
able to the hennery. The hens will be less
liable to leave their nests for food and their
eggs will not become chilled and the germ
killed. We have occasionally sprnkled
the eggs Of early sitting hens with luke
warm water, then turned them aud nut the
hen on them again. We meyer have ex Peri
enced any bad results from this manner of
treating our fowls, and have no hesitancy
in recommending il to others Now is the
time for trial.-WM. NJ. LEWIS, in Tie
Poultry Monthly.