Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-03-09
eAll AND WINTER LAYERS.


FALL AND WINTER LAYERS.
We are now at the season for setting
eggs to produce fall and winter layers
| II In doubt what breed TO choose for this
purpose, no time should be lost In de.
Gliding.
In the Eastern states brown eggs sell
at premium over white. This Of course
| Is only matter Of fancy, as there Is nc
difference In quality. II Is not hard
matter TO choose, therefore, brown
egg strain, "a nearly all the popular and
well-known breeds lxy brown eggs ex.
cept White Leghorns and Minorcas. II
the market is, for example, Boston, Il
would paw better to produce brown eggs.
We may choose between the plymouth
Rocks, wyandottes, Brahmss and Lang
shsns. or these four, Plymouth Rocks,
either barred or white, will give the best
general satisfaction. The Others are
claimed by their admirers to be the best
Of winter layers, but, in my opinion,
they are not as reliable as the Plymouth
Rocks. For thrifty, healthy and thor
oughly satisfactory fowl, these have
never had their equal, and as layers,
when eggs are worth the most money.
they are the ideal egg producers.
lf their eggs are set the first week In
March, we can bring them to maturity,
with careful feeding and plenty OF exer-
else to make them grow, by October.
Once they start, they are regular steady
layers. Zero blasts have no terrors for
these hardy specimens. Comfortably
housed and judiciously fed, so as not to
be allowed to lay on flesh, they will sur
prise many by their great laying powers.
When spring comes and eggs are
cheap, they will be ready to sit, and will
hatch their broods, or can be easily
broken up, when seized with the sitting
fever, and made TO continue laying.
Those who have never had much ex-
perience with Plymouth Rocks are
taught to consider them heavy and cost
ly feeders. This Is true Ia measure
they viii eat as much as l. given them.
Judicious feeding is necessary for all
laying strains. Egg-producers should
be kept with sharp appetites, in order to
compel them to exercise. The hen that
eats full meal for breakfast and then
sits around, cannot be classed rs an egg
producer, no matter TO what breed she
may belong. Ii Is better TO feed half
portion for the early meal, and thus in-
duce the inclination to hunt and scratch
for more The harder they scratch
aud the more they hunt, the better the
chance Of eggs.
On general principles, hen little
under-fed will prove healthier fowl and
a better layer than one given all she will
eat at every meal. There has been 4
great deal written In the poultry press
against feeding corn. Whole corn. |
admit, Is little too heavy, and Is right
ly called the lazy mans feed. But
cracked corn. mixed with equal parts OF
either wheat or oats, constitutes very
proper night ration for laying Plymouth
Rocks during the fall and winter months.
They will thrive on il, aud lay well when
fed on IL.
IL the market Is New York, there will
be a demand for white eggs as well AS
brown, and in order to suit the fancy OF
our customers we must produce both.
In choosing a white egg breed We must
decide between the White Leghorns and
Minorcas.
We will derive more general satisfac-
ton from the White Leghorns. think.
They are quite hardy, and are said 10 be
the best OF all laying strains. Those who
have not had experience with this breed
are told they are not winter layers. As
a matter Of fact, they are more properly
spring and summer layers. but they can
be made to lay iu fall and winter. They
must be warmly housed. A tight house
in sheltered location Is what they re-
Quire. Just ss soon as the cold weather
sets In they should be shut up and kept
so until spring. They do best so and
cannot, like the Plymouth Rocks, stand
freezing or zero temperature.
As we set the Plymouth Rock eggs the
lst Of March, we must set the Leghorns
a little later-say March 90, so as to
bring them out about April 10. This Is
quite early enough. They mature rapid
ly and should be ready 10 lay by Oct. l.
III they are set earlier, the chances are
they may moult in the fall with the old
er stock and hence not lay again until
spring. Leghorns ara very active
breed; they eat fast and live fast, and
their useful qualities are soon exhausted,
so that il rarely pays TO keep them over
two years old. For layers, the pullets
turn Us iu the most profit, and for
breeders prefer the yearling hens. Ii
has often been said that Leghorns can
not be overfed. That they are great
foragers and rapid movers would seem TO
prove this, but they can be overfed quite
as easily as any other breed. To COM
pei them 10 produce the large, pure
white egg which belongs 10 them by
nature, great care should be used In feed
ing. liz trifle oyerfed, the eggs will
grow small: this Is about the first indi-
cation they give OF too much food. They
are by nature active. and therefore they
must be KEEP; so. A sharp appetite ap-
plies as well to them as to any heavy
breed.
As they are lighter feathered than the
Plymouth Rocks, they naturally feel the
cold more, and hence they will stand
cracked corn mixed equally with wheat
every night. during all the winter
months, and on very cold nights an ex-
ira allowance will make them brighter
iu the morning.
For fall aud winter eggs we can
not make better choice than these two
standard and reliable breeds. With both
brown and white eggs we suit every
ones fancy, and | find the Plymouth
Rocks TO be the brownest, and the White
I.eghorns to be the whitest OF them all.
Producing eggs in October Ia not the
easiest thing imaginable, and 1t can be
accomplished only by Matching ones
stock at the correct time and keeping 1t
growing so that II reaches maturity in
the month when fresh eggs are getting
scarce and the price Is climbing up.
October is the month 10 which to place
our orders for the winters supply. A
customer gained then is good for all
winter, and generally until March; and
as the prices begin to increase then, We
put ourselves In the position Of realizing