Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-09-20
THE FARMERS COLUMN,
HINrs ON ECONOMY IN FEEDING
HENS.

the Refuse From the Kitchen nna fts
important Bearing on the Food Qusa-
tton-Pure Breeding and Cross Breed :
inE--vermin and How 10 get Sii ef
Them.
The raising of eggs and chickens has be-
come quite an important part of the farm
Indeed, many residents of suburban
eitios devote a part OF their homestead 10
their use and dabblers In fancy stock
often find, greatly to their chagrin, that
the cost Of feeding them far exceeds the
ordinary amount paid out for poultry and
eggs for the table but there is a way to
feed 50 that The eggs and poultry, in
Which many delight, are q source OF rev
eaue rather than an expense.
Al the refuse Of the kitchen Is pro-
served for them. Potato parlng5, and
their baked skins, all bits Of fat, and all
kind5 of food-eyen coffee grounds-are
poured into o large kettle, which Is kept
in a convenient place, and every noon
time q goodly dish of soup Is prepared
Tor the hens. Boiling water is added,
and two quarts Of Indian meal are stirred
.u and boiled for ten minutes. Once a
vcel, heaping tablespoonful of rcd pep
per ls added to the six quarts OF food.
This is a needed stimulant during The
months Of December, January and Feb
ruary. 1t keeps the blood warm, anu
certainly increases the number oil egg7.
his hot soup Is given at } o'clock p. IL.
Ia the morning they arc fed with corn
sHi OGts, cracked together at the grist
mill, and afterward swclicd in water
over night. For twenty hens half peck
Is prepared each night, and ii furnishes
food for one day-morniug and evening.
Fed in this way the hens are kept in
the best condition, and will commence
laying early in November, and supply
you with all the eggs you can desire Tor
your own table or TO sell,
All the bones of meat which are used
r the table are carefully saved and
.lrno: in the kitchen stove until they
III crumble easily. Then they are added
. the soup just before it is served Bone
neal IS an improvement upon them If II
could readily be obtained In all localities.
Hens must be provided with food suit
able for the shells OF the eggs. Old
bits of mortar, gravel, etc, should be
always at hand, for without such food
they will not only withhold all eggs, but
will often droop and their feathers will
idIl out. Pure breed is the fashion with
The fancier Just now, but. it is said, that
more healthy chickens would be pro-
iuced by crossing the costly breeds with
ne barnyard fowl, and that more hardy
and better layers would be thus OBJ,
tanned. Gapes, Group and cholera would
certainly not be so common a5 at present.
Lice are general inniction among all
breeds of poultry; little attention will
route all their forces. An oiutmen, OF
lard and sulphur will drive them of, ana
Ii the roosts are rubbed over With kuru-
senc, or a solution OF c&rbulic acid jhey
will often disappear. II the wslis Of the
poultry house. are whitewashet with
mixture of lime and cafboilo acid, it will
aid in their discontinue U-c the car.
Jolic acid in the proportion of three
ounces of acid TO ten quarts OF wh,y-
wash, and after i. isapniied, no u@iu-ites
viii remain IN the ch.nke OF cIeviyes OF
the house or on the roosts.
Some persons dip the fowls Infected
with vermin into a weak solution of the
acid-say one part of acid TO sixty parts
of warm water-and hold them in 1t IN
til the liquid penetrate- TO tl.e skin. II
you give them such 4 bath on warm
dpr, the sun will dry quickly their
feathers.