The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1908-12-12
WHY EGGS ARE HIGH.
Some Ways This Expensive Necessity
May Be Turned TO Profit.
By Jamee Dryden. Poultryman Oregon Agricul-
tural College Corvallis

the hens don't lay. The main reason
why they don't lay is because this is not
the natural laying season. In state (,
OF nature fowls lay and breed in the 1
spring season, and they haven't got |
quite away from that habit Old hab- !,
its die hard with hens as with men.
This explains why with little care the
hen will lay in the spring and with
much care in the fall and winter she
won't lay, or very seldom will But
through centuries OF training and
breeding the hen is gradually getting
away from her old habit Of laying a
few eggs in the spring and Matching
them, and il is possible now, with the
proper skill in handling, TO make her
lay in winter whether she will or no.
But the first thing we have to learn is
that to get eggs in winter means a fight
against nature, against the old hen ma
ture. Winter is not the natural laying
season.
When a pullet has reached maturity.
no matter at what season Of the year.
/ If she be maintained in good health and
yigor and gets the proper kind and
quantity OF food, she will lay eggs if
she has the laying capacity. Let us
a
The first point raised is a question Of
maturity The pullet must be mature
1 before she lays. If a pullet lays in Oc-
tober she must be Matched early enough
in the spring so that she will reach ma
turity in October. A Plymouth Rock
Matched the first of April should lay
the middle Of October or first OF No
vember If they are to lay a month
earlier they should be Matched month
earlier. The Leghorns should lay the
first Of October if hatched the first Of
April.
The next point refers to health and
vigor The pullet must come to ma
turity with good health and vigor She
must have had proper care during the
brooding and growing period. A stunt
ed chick, a chick Matched from an egs
laid by hen out Of condition. a chicl
that has had to battle with insect pests
or a chick that has not had proper fooC
and exercise, will not be a profitable
layer in any season. How to maintain
the health and yigor of the flock is tn
biggest problem in poultry keeping. II
get eggs in winter the hens must hav
constitutional vigor.,
The third point is that to get egg
the hens must have the proper kind an
quantity OF food The hen require
more kinds of food than a COW or
, hog. The COW needs no animal food
: the hen does The hen gives more con
sideration TO cleanliness of the produc
e than the cow She seals It up in
shell of lime to keep it clean. and sh
therefore must have a liberal supply @
mineral matter. All foods furnish
certain amount of mineral matter, bt
not enough to supply all the shell ma
3 terial when hens are laying heavily.
I What foods should they be fed
They should have grain, but grain alor
won't do. What will happen if ii
hen eats nothing but wheat? Remen
+ bering that she puts nothing into a
Y egg that she does not eat, that an eg
- contains about one-hfth ounce of fat an
that if she ate nothing but wheat 81
would get enough far for three or FOL
eggs a day and about enough prote
Il for half an egg day, the thing til
IS will happen will be that she will r
70 fuse to make eggs The hen does n
n adulterate her product, otherwise s.
"a could fill up the egg with surplus (;
like some people make butter, out
spurious oil or beef fat. She will ma
an honest article or none at all. +
W point is that the hen should have ST
foods as will furnish the necessary fo'
is elements in proper proportions;
other words, she should have balanc
ration. There are different ways
IN balancing the ration. For instance,
ls the hen has access to wheat, to Glow
rs or kale and to grasshoppers, ang
ID worms and grit, she will balance h
own ration. She will eat a little whe
: little clover and a few grasshoppC
or angleworms and eat enough of ca
to furnish the egg-making elements
right proportion. An occasional feed
corn or oats in place of wheat wot
improve the ration.
This much for the food. How sh
it be fed? Again you must take ;
count of the nature of the hen She
a busy creature naturally; that is p'
of her life, and you must keep her br
or let her be busy. If she has Fl
range on the farm she will keep hers
busy and her muscle and digestion
good order, but when you shut her
in yards you are imposing artihc
conditions and you must provide eX
Csc 1OI nCi- idNN NNpl AiSAAo III
year on a bare board floor in a SIN
pen and fed them we'll They laid abb
three dozen eggs each during the We
and at the end of the year with this 5
of luxury and ease they had lost th
= constitution and their usefulness; wi
other hens fed in the same way.
with a ground floor and deep litter
ost scratch in and yards to run in,
of over twelve dozen eggs each. and
di- the end of the year were still in
We, business The hen needs exercise.
Iii demand for animal food may be s
tly piled in different ways. Skim m
Its milk curds and buttermilk will take
to place of meat if enough of it can
he fed Skim milk is largely water.
OF a heavy-laying hen can scarcely DR.
raj enough Of it to get the necessary amo
lad of animal food. There is nothing
on ter than fresh-cut lean meat and BOZ
lies the danger from uncooked meat scr;
me however, being that they are liable
1s,- contain disease germs, and unless I
nu- known to be free from disease il
e. better to cook it. The commercial
- tcle Of beef scraps put up by the Ia
Ill packing houses are largely used. 81
of the stuff sold for poultry food
non only fit for fertilizer. however. Dui
Raspberry Ice.
Boil four cupfuls OF water and