Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-01-08
Written FOR the oxford Democrat.
POULTRY NOTES.
MORE ABOUT FEEDING.

the methods of feeding the laying hens.
/ Let US remember that by the time a pull
/ let has arrived at laying maturity, she
/ has AZ the same time, arrived AT nearly
/ the end of her growth 80 far as size Is
concerned. Up TO the laying of her
/ first litter of eggs the pullet has been
growing has been developing bone and
muscle. The food she has taken has
/ gone almost wholly to meet these de-
mands. Fat forming food should not
have been fed the chicks during This
time, because il i desired To deyeh 4 II
the possibilities OF the chicks fram,-',o
give her all the growth she Is capable of
marking, aud for this purpose the great
staple article Of food il always wheat
and never corn. Oats are 10 be ranked
next 70 wheat ia building of muscles,
and the two ia combination make per-
feet food.
But after our chick becomes a pullet.
aud begins 10 pirate and talk OF the
great things she l. going to do, and puts
on the rosy hue of maturing pullet-hood,
her food begins To serve double pur-
pose-hrst. that of maintaining the sys-
temic nourishmcnt, Of supplying the
daily wear aud tear of tissue,-and
secondly, Of maturing the laying organs
aud supplying these with the needed
amount OF material for the carrying on
of their special work.
But one great source of drain upon
her has ceased, namely, that of growth,
As a chick she had not only To supply
the daily waste of material. but she had
also 20 do more than that, she had To ae-
cummulate surplus for the building up
OF extra tissue. Now, however, the de-
mand for surplus fer additional growth
has ceased. the surplus that was requir-
ed for this extra growth j. drawn upon
by the egg-prodncing Organs and Is In
measure given up again in the form oi
eggs.
Now has come the time however, when
the pullet has TO be fed upon "a new
hasis-we have 10 adopt diiierent tactics
aud no longer give her all she will eat,
a. We did willis; she WAS a growing
chick. We have 10 re-tdjust ourselves
and carefully discover, by patient oo-
>eryation, lust " hat that nice amount -
that will supply the necessary demands
of The pGllet'> economy, and no more.
We are desirOUs OF having her maintain
her normal weight that of a well-nour-
i,hed aud healthy Bird, aud OF laying
the maximum amount of eggs, but
whilst We are irving To bring this about,
or keep il so IL Ne have succeeded ~ es-
tabliShing il. We are in the greatest dan-
ger OF thwartiug our own aim. just as
soon a. our young Biddy has taken from
the food furnished her. the exact amount
she needs for maintaining her bodily
waste. keeping her warm, and produc-
ing that wonderful product known a.
the egg. she very prudently saves up at
'he remainder aud banks IL, IN the form
OF fat, \ most prudent aud thrifty
creature i the hen No a>tefUlaesS
ia her housekeeping, everything i saved
and stored away for future use, aud
With her the best convertible coin i lat
This fat she tuckS away In various
places, Al first always out oi the >lght oi
The casual observer. But after she hSs
hrru aCcumulating a while, she l. ID"
longer 80 secretive, evidently becoming
litthr calloused by prosperity and the
usedness Of a long succession OF days
wherein her owner has fOolishly allowed
her to ''swipe" more than she really need
ed usually through said owners own
blundering), and she brszeuly carries
heavy load OF IL under the Hun, allowing
IL 10 hang down behind. pAlpAbly visible
To even her stupid owner,
By this time the owner, too, begins 10
feel that something i awry-he misses
the almost daily egg his oVer-well-cared-
for Biddy has been LAYING, aud usually
attributes the trouble 70 every cause Out
the right one.
Too much fat il the trouble, and with
too much fat whole vista OF unNl>t
feeding aud care opens Up In retrospect
10 the knowing POultrymAn. tie knows
AZ once that the hvns have not been
Obliged % work for their dinner and
supper that they have not had either
the right sort or the right quantity oi
food: that thev have been too fondly
but too foolishly dealt with.
Too much food does not 90 70 make
the hens lay eggs the faster, Out on the
other haud ANYTHING above Just that
right quantity goes TO make them lay
the les frequently.
Here is u here most Of u are continu-
ally erriug. We mean we'll but We are
slow 70 learn, even by our own expert
euces, and are very apt 10 repeat the
same mistake all too frequently.
IL upon feeling OF Biddy's huh We
lind that she has actually a bag OF lat,
she is certainly not in the best laying
condition. She may lay some, but she
cannot Law a. many eggs as though she
were without the incUmbrance.
la feeding our hens then, We must bear
In mind that We are not 10 feed them a.
much a. they would eat, or as much "a
We would before they were matured
birds, bat just enough 10 keep them nice,
ly afloat, in good health and spirits anu
in good laying trim. They must always
be hungry during the day. The question
of food. even its suggestion by the sight
of the attendant, should always be one
of intense interest 10 the flock. IL Is
really astonishing how little food una
tured pullet or hen requires For any oi
the Asiatic breeds the following may be
taken as an approximate suage. For one
day. large tablespoonful OF mash III IN.
morning. tWO-thirds of a handful OF