Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-09-01
About Brown Leqhorns.

An experience of five years with
brown leghorns has been profitable
both in knowledge gained concernine
them and in material income. Persons
passing by my place have remarked
that l have very fine flock of hens
and truly their bright red combs ano
wattles, their glossy plumage, upright
carriage and general appearance of
good condition, contrast decidedly
with many farmers flock. writes an
expert IN the New York Tribune farm
er These fine outward conditions in
dicate Enthusiastically that the egg
making machinery within is actively
n going on. The hens exterior is TINS
an open book, and, reading between
the lines, one finds not only the word
eggs but care" also. No breed re-
quires more constant attention per-
haps. While it is rumored abou,
among the neighbors that my hens
are laying abundantly, the care re,
CURED to produce this result is not so
often MISUNDERSTANDING not thought
of.
| seldom feel free to sit down and
say, Soul, take thine ease" because
the hens are turning 65 cents in eggs
daily on Is cents worth of feed.
Rather, | am thinking what NAV he
done to make them do better, or at
least maintain their present yield.
There are the droppings to rake out.
Ice and mites to combat, food to be
given them, setting hens to look after,
etc, The thoughtful and interested
mind will often hatch up something
new to do for the laying hens | feed
them three times daily on variety
OF grain, generally ground. In this
condition | can more easily mix in
poultry foods or condition powders. if
needed By watching the general con-
dltion of the hens and applying the
remedy ! seldom lose a hen from
disease. The barred rocks were for
merly kept mainly on account of their
supposed merit as winter LAYERS.
They do pretty well for heavy breed
as layers, but one cannot push them
tor eggs, any more than the beef strain
OF shorthorn. cows can be pushed for
milk and butter They will lay ma
teIlal on their bodies in the form O.
flesh. The leghorns will bear crowd
ing forcing) for eggs.
The brown leghorns are not non
settlers. Let them become four years
cid and upward and they will impose
a task on their keeper to break up the
CpttprC I Ill
10 become so old that they have de-
veloped too strong maternal instinct
me remedy is to rear more chicks.
These old hens VIII just help one out
IN that way. ] could now have 16
hens setting IL I wished The ten,
dency with this breed is to dwindle in
size, and one should set eggs only
from the most promising hens. There
is vast difference in the hens in my
flock. Could they be uniformly like a
dozen that might be selected, the egg
yield would be much greater In hold.
ing them up by the feet during the
process of busting for lice, l find some
that weight twice as much as others.
The heaviest ones are not the ones
to breed from; neither are the lightest
ones. The heaviest layers of fair
sized eggs should become mothers of
the most chicks. Their eggs, like
their bodies, are inclined to be under
size and so, unless they go on the
market as common store eggs, effort
should be made to increase their size.
A runt hen will lay small eggs ano
few of them, and thoroughbred runt
is the worst kind. All such should be
weeded out next fall or sooner. Sold
by the pound, they will not bring much
but they probably eat just as much
as the rest. They eat, but do not
weigh or lay. Old hens may be tolo
by their sharp spurs, which are quite
long when few years old. They be-
come pugnacious with these weapons
at hand, but rather than despur them,
let the incision be through the neck.
Care of Horses in Hot Weather.
How many drivers are there who