Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-10-31
Profitable Hens.

al There is many housewife on the farm
who, after reading something about poultry
the family paper, says mentally if not
cloud IF John would only fix me up a
slice hen house, get some blooded fowls and
buy some poultry food, I, too, could make
some pin money out of eggs" In con
'tsmplative frame OF mind the good wife
" al&s gu. toward the carriage house, think
ing out favorable location for the new
tiennery, hich John will never build in
the world The scheme she has in her
for her husband to be inveigled into,
even though the prospect may look al
during. The barnyard fowls about her feet
she looks upon as mo account" for in the
summer the hens steals their nests, and ia
the fall and winter the few eggs that they
Jay in the hay-mow do not pay for the corn
7hai is thrown 10 them.
Yet these same barnvatd fowls ere the
bottom round in the poultry ladder. am
sure that you can make Them pay this COM
ny winter if you will pursue in general the
following plan; Select the oldest and
most i kelly looking pullets from the motley
sarnyard flock. Also choose hens one to
.wo years old, hut any older than that throw
eside. Do not save mere than one rooster
| 70 dozen hens. All the rest of the boosters
| ind the old hens sell 10 tAs first poultry
yayer that comes along
| Now that you have new, carefully-se-
ected flock. do not let them at night perch
| IL over the barn. for thy must have a
| home" the same as the COW has her stable
| AID the horse MS stall. Utilize any con-
yenient building not in use for this purpose,
ra a lean-to addition to the barn. Make it
YARN and light, or your whole project for
he winter may fail. Tack heavy brown
Paper carpet paper is good over the walls
la insure warmth. Perhaps John will do
thi, for you. AMI also get him to put a lot
# gravel aud sand on the floor, six inches
leep at least. 1t doesn't matter whether
mere Is cohEu ltpoT uHuei this Va ho''
lave plenty of straw filed boxes
lasi ed to the walls, so that the
llens can perform the function of laying
lyithou, being disturbed by their sisters
Ct king a nest. As winter comes on feed
HE hens a variety of food this is very i'm
bor,ant. have found the following varie-
" to produce eggs when nothing else would :
l.. moderate feeding twice a day of corn and
ats ground and mixed up wet, and in cold
Heather fed hot Ii is better to alternate
he evening feeding of this every other day
it'll wheat screenings mixed with corn in
lac kernel. Take all the scraps left from
he table and to them add small potatoes,
boiled or baked waste meat from the
market, such as liver, and little red pep
Z per and salt. Make this into a hash
.and serve it to the hens hot, rs they come
.off from the perch in the morning. In cold
weather. give them this hash twice day.
A. you p1ll your cabbages this fall save all
of those that did not head, and throw one
into the hen house every day or two through
the winter. Find some green sweet hay in
the nov and feed them an simfdl of this
every day. See that they have lime in
some form. as ground bone. Keep water
BY them every day, and in winter give it to
them warm. Sprinkle ashes under the
perehes to keep the hen house sweet. No
respectable hen can fail of laying under
the above treatment, but they need lots of
fussiuz with and strict ats ntion. Just as
soon as YOU can do so work into biooded
breed.