The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-05-16
For "THE UNION -
HEN WISDOM.

HEN WISDOM.
A convenient and I'D to- date house to accom-
modate 100 hens and ROSTERS is one built by
the following measurements: Fifty feet long,
Is feet wide, feet high on the back and IL feet
on the front; windows glass deep, l0x12 glass,
running across the entire front; shed roof COW
cred with Flintkote. There is nothing on the
market today that is any cheaper and few that
The cost is only $l.75 per 200 square feet and al
together it will exactly fill the bill. Line the in
side with vermin-proOf black paper which only
costs $1.75 per 500 square feet. This will make
nice dry room where the water will not freeze
in the fountains. Across the front just under
the windows run a row of 40 nests with drop
fronts, which will prevent the hens from roost-
ing in them at night. Fill each nest about three
inches deep with wood ashes, then nice mat of
hay, not straw, and your nests will never breed
vermin the year around. Carbolic nest eggs are
a fine thing to have in each nest. They can be
bought for 90 cts. per dozen. Every few weeks
take out the old hay mats and have them re-
newed. Whenever you set hen always powder
her well with Lees Death to Lice" and renew
Then the little chicks will not be troubled with
the vermin from the old hen, which leave her
as soon as the young ones are Matched. Many
baby chicks die from this cause.
At the back of the house run row of roosting
poles put feet from the floor, and under these
poles place 2-foot wide dropping board about
3 feet from the floor. In this way the hens have
the entire floor. where they can scratch and be
their grain and will not fret when bad days come
and they are compelled to remain indoors.
Always have your building facing to the south
so as to receive the full benefit of the sun
through the long cold winter days. Have long
feeding boxes, which can be put on the floor at
feeding time and hung on the wall when not in
use. Always see that these are kept very clean.
They should be secured every week with brush
and soda water and left to dry in a shady place.
Many hens feeding together in this way often
catch diseases by the old food remaining in the
boxes Every morning after cleaning off the
dropping board take tin can with holes in the
did disinfectaEt and will keep the atmosphere
pure. Keep the windows open as much as the
have plenty of good fresh air circulating through
the house. Tack fine poultry wire across the
window glass. This fs viii prevent the hens from
a.week have the roosting poles wiped off with
cloth saturated with coal oil. Whitewash every
thing in and around the hen house three times
year at least, and each time put one ounce of
carboic acid to a water bucket of the wash
How to feed these 100 hens. In the morning
give them quarts of grain thrown into the lit
ter. Mixed grain is best, as the hens soon tire of
one Kind. Take quarts of corn. quarts of
wheat, quarts of oats and l pint of sunflower
seed may be added. This makes fine feed and
is always relished by the hens. In the summer
give them less corn and more oats, as the corn.
is very heating and you want to try to keep the
blood cool. Atnoon give them pounds of green
bone Gutter prefer the HumpRre V to %iI anv
other. small one costs $12 but they will out
last any of the cheaper ones, and think it al
ways pays in the long run when you buy any
thing to buy the very best of its kind. A thing
cannot be cheap and good at the same time, for
you never receive more than the true value of
what you give, and often not that. So do not
look for bargains in machinery anywhere or you
will be sorry when it is too late. With this cut
bone give bushel of cut vegetables. Almost
any kind will do if the hens like it. They will
not eat carrots raw but seem very fond of them
when cooked. At night feed them quarts of
warm mash composed of quarts of cooked
mashed potatoes, quarts of good bran, 3 quarts
of cut clover hay that has been previously steam
ed. Sprinkle little salt into this and let it cool
Never feed while it is hot; only have it milk
warm. If fed too hot it will give the hens many
kinds of trouble resulting from cold taken from
running outdoors while their pores are open
from the hot mash in the craw and then standing
around and become chilled. No end of sickness
is caused in this way.
grit. charcoal and ground oyster shells. These
articles are very necessary to help the hen grind
her grain and make the eggs. See that they have
plenty of good, fresh water to drink, into which
put one gill of the Douglas Mixture" to every
one gallon of water. Give this every other day,
unless they are sick, when it can be used every
day. One hundred hens will drink from to
gallons of water day. See that the water is
kept in a shady place, as the hens are not fond
of warm water to drink. Notice the difference
in the quantity consumed each day, when it is
cool. See that they also have a shady place
where they can stay through the heat of the day.
This douglas Mixture" Is made by putting
ounces of sulphate of iron into gallon Of cold
water, and when dissolved add half ounce
of sulphuric acid. Slowly put this intoa jug and
use as directed 1t is fact that heavy drinkers
are heavy layers, so see that they have plenty of
it always within reach.
If YOU will keep young ROSTERS to every 100
hens you will never have any trouble with your
eggs not Matching. as nearly every egg will be
found fertile.
When setting time comes stop feeding the
mash and substitute grain. You will find that
the eggs from grain fed hens will hatch many
more chicks than those layed from hens fed on
mash. At this period never give any kind of
egg powders.
Thequestion is often asked, Do hens pay' The
following example is in answer to this question
and is only one of many could give: A few
years ago the Experimental Station had beef
that was made to pay $92. 23in year. 1t weigh
ed l,137 pounds and they found that the profit on
each pound of flesh was a little over cents and
the cost of feed for the year was $780, leaving
a profit of $52.63. Now this amount will feed l00
hens f0F year On ana Z fss each Chi, hen *
eggs per month or 1863 eggs a year, 1.400 dozen
eggs a year from the flock sold at an average of
Is cents dozen brings you in $210 year, and
after you deduct the 1890 for feed it leaves you
a fine profit of $1,000 for your years work. or
SHIFT more than was made on the beef. There
are few who can make this amount out of a beef.
But there are many hens to be found that will
lay over 168 eggs year. This is without taking
any account of all the young chickens that can
be raised and sent to market Soft is made plain
that there are great possibilities in the hen when
she is treated scientifically, and it is no wonder
the rooster crows so loud and puts on such lot
of style at having such money making little
mate THE NEWTIME HEN