The Newtown bee., 1894-12-28
Live Farm Topics
MoULT1HG HENS AND 10 EGGS.
THE PERFORMANCES OF AM1NK. s

THE PERFORMANCES OF AsMINK.
 have 65 hens and had believed all along I was getting enough eggs tor the needs ot the house (six in family), until discovered last night we were buying them from our neigh. bors, and that in the last three days all the 65 hens had laid only four eggs. Iasked my man in charge, and he said he could not ac count tor it, only that they were not laying st present, although well housed and well fed Is it possible such 8 thing could be true9
 Last year had 20 hens and collected from six to 10 eggs day, just about the same sea son, which makes me believe the 6o hens ought to be laying at least two dozen eggs g day.
 Last spring had funny experience, losing about 200 of my earliest matched chickens, and strange to say, those I lost were of the largest size, being carried away. as stated to me by the man have in charge of my place. This took place early in the month of May, so that when came in Juno had no broilers for the family use for about six weeks. My man said the mink carried them away-25 in one afternoon. They were not killed and left behind. but they were, carried away. I do not know whether such is the peculiar performance ot the mink or not.  the middle Of June when arrived, one of the young ones of the mink was killed. Kindly tell me whether all have stated can be pos sible-[J. E. F., Monroe County. Pa. "
 Sixty-fiv hens, well housed, we'll fed, and we'll cared for, ought certainly to produce enough eggs for family of six. Common gratitude should prompt them to do that much, even though it be the moulting season.
 Still. nearly every flock in the country has behaved exactly that way this last fall. One poultry keeper attributed it to one thing, and another to another; some said their hens were too fat, some vowed theirs were too poor. Others at tributed the scarcity of eggs to the fact that the hens were all moulting, and be- sides, on account of the long-continued drouth, food procurable on their range had been so much scarcer than usual in the late summer and fall.
 Perhaps, too, the early cool weather had good deal to do with 1t. When moulting, fowls are very sensitive, and feel the chill as acutely as we would should the first winter weather come up- on us suddenly before we had put on our warm winter clothing. The flock at this time requires extra attention, com fortable shelter from the cold fall rains and the chill penetrating winds, which bring to us our share of snow and ice from the more northern attitudes. Some addition should also be made to their daily bill of fare in the way of an extra amount of heat-giving food in or der to maintain the normal bodily tenn perature, and to induce, if possible, a continued egg supply. And when green vegetation fails on the range we should endeavor to supply our fiocks with some thing of like nature as far as possible, as good clover hay cut and steamed, or
 winter vegetables, as turnips, cabbage and the like. All grain food Is too con
 centrated diet for poultry They need
 some sort of bulky materal, even though less nutriment be suppledsae
 Has the writer machine for cutting
 green bones for his hens2 One meal a
 day of fresh bones, with bits of meat
 and gristle adhering, all cut small enough for the hens to swallow, is said I to be an infallible promoter of egg pro
 duction. Poultrymen everywhere are loud in their praises of cut bones, pro
 nouncing them the one perfect egg food I If hand machine be bought, one should I select the smaller, softer bones of beef
 and pork, as backbones, spare ribs and l the like. Hard shank bones can be cut, it is true, but it is much harder work to
 cut them, and there is danger of injur- l ing the knives. Sometimes hens do not
 take to new food like this at first, but
 that need not discourage once Thesh only want to look at It . littlea and taste it few times-thens they soon come to the conclusion that 1t Is just what they have been wanting All their lives.
 Some also, we think, are rather too exacting with their hena. We should not expect them to lay straight along all the year round. They must take rest sometimes, and ours generally do when moulting. The best way is to push on the early bullets and get them to laying well by fall.
 In regard to the performances of the mink, as we have not had much exper- fence with the animal, we referred the. letter to we'll informed friend. who said ...
 s.Oh! yes, we knoR III about minks 1; we raised family Of mtnks ono spring.5 right here In tho house. They must have gotten Into tle collar drst. and then worked their MY m behind the plastering into the attlcs n tho days time they kept ont II sfGht, they wore SO sly, and II night whom wsb beard them running around ID there We thcuE1tl they were just bi1I ratls ssI put out quite naubex n gourg chickens and tnrkeys that yeaf, but very few ever lived to get frown. Tn minkl deatroyed then. But II Int - pof- soned the old mink md ths little onesl fell down in the cella
 But how does tho mink u4ake Weys With theme we Saked. Doe1 II III, TIT afowls and le1Se i'm does if car1y tI,sz M N