The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-11-17
4 ZINC FLOCK.
Thorough Feeding and the Wedding,
Out Of the Old Hens and Scrubs s
Will Increase Profits. j.

= I once heard q good horseman say
that a man has no means Of knowing
the power and endurance there is in
q team until he has, under good care,
fed and worked on q lot Of hard
muscle the very utmost that horse
flesh is capable of putting on. He said
that it is possible to add 100 per cent.
to the strength and endurance of
horses in this way. I was reminded
Of this when, after dispos1ng Of one
third of my flock of hens, I ind that
I am getting about as many eggs from
so as did from Is. OF course. only
the old hens and the scrubs" were
Sold: The remainder are now helping
themselves to some ripening grain
and besides get a good mess Of meal
twice each day. They have squared
up and frightened up remarkably.
An underfed horse let's his rigs
grin at the owner and the owner can
either do something to cover them up
or bear the sight Of them. II hens
ribs could show through: her feathers
I fear they would be too often visible.
says the Michigan Farmer. Other
signs, just as plain as the ribs in q
poor horse, indicate an underfed con-
d1tion In the hens. Hens would keep
easier afterward, II once put in good
condition, and the feed then con-
sumed would be used to good pur-
pose. am therefore forced to the
conclusion that too large flocks are
kept on many farms.
II there are too many in the flock
when running at large. and feed only
is the deficient element, how about it
next winter when both feed and room
will have to be considered? I am in
clined to think that crowded poultry
houses and scant feeding have much
to do with making hens tax in win
ter instead Of source Of income.
With many It will be necessary to
diminish the flock or enlarge the win
ter quarters before cold weather
comes. Many will be disinclined to do
any lessening of the flock for fear OF
lessening the egg product in the same
ratio. This, however, is not apt to be
the case. In fact the effect Is apt to
be the opposite.
Last winter I had rs hens in 4
building 16x16z feet, and although
worked faithfully with them, they
held back their eggs much longer than
wished, and much longer than they
ought. In winters when only 60 hens
were in the same building eggs came
without so much labor on my part.
Whether the flock shall be dimin-
ished or the winter room increased,
depends. If the flock consists of
choice young hens the space for KEEP
ing them next winter should be in
creased, unless it is already adequate,
If the flock contains a lot of old or
scrub" hens, these had better be solo
pretty soon-before the market is
crowded as it generally Is every
autumn. + ~-. w.
No invariable rule can be given in
answer to this question. Ones ability.
taste and good judgment must govern
in the matter. Lumber that has served
a purpose in barn will be all right if
put together with a good admixture
Of building paper or some other ma
terial to shut out the cold and wind.
Dryness, light and warmth must be
secured at any rate. Filling the walls
with six or eight inches Of buckwheat
bulls will insure dryness much better
than two thicknesses of inch lumber
with building paper squeezed between.
Windows set in rather high will give
more light than lower ones. The earth
makes a good floor if free from sur
face water.