Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-12-28
Notes for the Poultry Keeper.

To know whether you have made a
forofit on your hens or not, is not easily
old unless accounts are kept. Charge
The hens up with all the food given
them and also interest on capital in
vested. Then give them credit for all
sales and what eggs and poultry is
used in the family; the difference rep
resents the profit, unless you charge
FOR your labor, the value of that de-
pending upon how much it was worth
1t the time.
Eggs or stock, which will you begin
With? If you buy four or five head
his fall you will be able to get all the
agss next spring required to give you a
good start. You may be able to buy
some pretty good old birds for a little
money, and your stock can be bought
heap any way. at this ason, for
there are lots of them and breeders
want to reduce the number for winter.
If you wait until spring and buy breed
ing stock you must expect to pay more
money, as then they have been winter
ed and are matured, so the owner can
tell better what they are and about
their value. Then if you wait until
spring and buy eggs to start with, that
means to wait a whole year before you
can raise more than what you get from
| these eggs, and unless you get hun
| dred or more eggs the number of
chicks is not likely to be large.
If you want to make the winter sea-
| son most profitable, do not feed the
| nom producers. 1t is not fair to put
| the flock down as a loss when some of
no loi
| support a lot of drones. The use of
| trap nests is the only definite way to
get at this matter. For the best re-
suits it may be even necessary to dis
pose of the pullets; they may appear
ever so promising, but as egg produce
erS be a complete failure. Just the
same as a growing heifer promises to
be a good dairy COW, and when she
reaches maturity her qualities as 81
milk giver are wanting. Some hens
that should have been killed before
they mouted will feather out and look
nice and healthy and perhaps lay Il
few eggs and quit. Find out whica
ones these are and dispose of them.
1t is the only way to do to have a
clean cut and profitable flock. Then,
after you are pretty well satisfied that
only the egg producers remain. go to
work and make them comfortable. and
take care of Them Do not have the
flocks too large. Ten square feet is
the rule for each hen. but | know that
just as good results can be had with
a flock of ten to fifteen hens, allowing
six square feet, as more. But if you
must keep forty or fifty, then more
space must be given per hen. Large
flocks are not so apt to be properly
fed as small ones. and as a rule 1 pre-
fer the small flock every time.
Did you know that onions were a
great tonic for fowls? For fowls as
well as quite small chickens they are
most excellent as n bowel regulator.
At this season of the year when the
hens are run down by heat and strain
of moulting. the onion will be found
very beneficial If your hens show
signs of dysentery at any season of
the year, cut up some onions quite
fine and give them to the flock two
or three times week. Boil them and
mix through the mash and feed at
any time. Quite a lot of onions may
be raised on a little plot of ground
and a half bushel will go quite a long
way toward stimulating and bracinr
up the flock. 1t is claimed that when
fed raw. they impart their taste to the
flesh and eggs of the fowl, but when
fed moderately, l believe that the
cheapest green food that can be had
for winter use is the white or red
clovers or alfalfa, we'll cured but not
over ripe, fed either dry or steamed,
but better given in a mash cooked
Waste vegetables of all kinds should
not be overlooked. they help wonder
fully in winter time to give the ration
variety.