The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1905-06-14
A We',-cared For Flock.

VStI'Narcu FOT TIOCKs
One of the best-cared for aocks OF
hens of which we know is owned by
Frank A. Windes, Of Winnetka, iii.
nois. Mr.. Windes had rs hens at the
beginning Of 1904 and now has 30. His
egg returns last year were by months
as follows: January, "a; February,
80; March. 1872; April, 1914; May 371;
June, 45S; July, 1853; August, ESQ:
September, 222; October, 90: Noven.
Der, us; December, 76; total, 2.7S7.
During this year SO far the returns
have been: January, 1874; February.
299; March, 654; April first nine
days., I'll; total, 1858. Total for both
periods, 4,145.
| Two-thirds of the fowls are Barred
Plymouth Rocks; these laid during the
winter. The other third consist Of
! Rose Comb Black Minorcas, and these
are doing most of the laying now. Be.
tween the two breeds Mr.. Windes gets
eggs most of the time. Mr.. Windes
says:
| When I first began to raise poul-
thy had hen house that l was
keeping my hens in during 1903. On
that account l got no eggs in NOven-
Der or December Of that year. The
fowls were lousy and that is perhaps
one reason why the egg yield failed
entirely. Before the beginning of 1904
had my new house built, and the
| fowls were receiving better care. The
result was that got "a eggs in Janu-
airy, but my flock had not then really
begun to feel the effect OF the i'm
proved housing and better care. The
real effects can be seen by comparing
the egg returns for the first three
months in 1904 with the first three
months in 1905. During that period
in 1904 a total Of 436 eggs was 70
ceived. During the like period this
year the number Of eggs received was
l,147. There was an increase OF five
hens, twenty per cent. Increasing tho
egg yield for the first quarter of last
year by twenty per cent we have 521.
against 1,147 the first quarter of this
year. It is seen that the yield is more
than double. During the first quarter
of this year my profits were over
$1,000, and the expenses included q
$1,000 bone cutter.
With one exception I have not lost
hen from any cause since l began
to give them good attention. l have
OF course lost some young chicks.
find the bone cutter great help in
my feeding operations, and the bone
does not cost more than ten cents q
week. The other feed consists mostly
OF wheat, oats and some cut clover,
which I mix up with table scraps and
the like
bought 200 head Of cabbagcs last
fall and these proved a great source Of
green food for the hens during the
winter. Since purchasing my bone
cutter. have been grinding up the
catbages in the cutter. Most OF the
corn the fowls get is given on the ear.
tie an ear of corn to a string and
suspend it 50 they will have to work
to get the kernels If I have some
loose corn left scatter it in chaff SO
the hens cannot get it too easily. !
do not believe in feeding corn largely
and my fowls do not get over three
bushels during the year.
Il clean out the hen house about
once in two weeks, which is often
enough under most conditions
bought 50cent kerosene spray pump,
and with it spray the roosts and
nests. l also spray the hens when
they are on the roosts, using for the
spraying liquid an emulsion Of one
part of kerosene to four parts of water
The nests are all OF earth and have
a little straw in them. These nests
slope 50 It will be easy to get out the
old straw and put in new. For the
nests use clay, mixing some lime
with it. use about handful of lime
to two nests, and cover the combina-
ton with little straw.
/ With everything arranged properly,
it does not tahe much time each day
to care for poultry. use about ten
minutes morning and night. plan
to give the fowls plenty of water,
and keep oyster shells before them all
the time in addition to grit and cut
bone. These latter are fed in hopper
having three compartments.
II have not been able to find mite
or louise since built my new house
little over year ago. The roosts are
all movable, and this makes it easy
to keep them in sanitary condition.
I try to keep the hen house warm IN
winter and to help in doing tbs l
used some old mesh wire, putting
straw between the uprights and hold
ing it in place by TIE wire. Not one
Of my hens got frosted comb last
| winter.
/ ventilate my house by means OF
a trap door in the floor which is open
! except in the cold nights of winter.
l think the ventilation is rot yet per-
feet and am planning other improve
ments in this line.
~ find that the best bone to use is
beef bone. Mutton bones silver, and
nog bones contain too much fat on
them. The hest beef bones are the
sections Of the backbone, as they have
| scre blood in them; the hens like