Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-11-09
Making Poultry Paw.


To succeed with poultry, fowls that
will lay a reasonable number of eggs
during the year must be kept. Hens
over two years old will scarcely pay for
their keep. The profit in eggs will be
made each year from pullets hatched
in the early spring: pullets that are
batched late in the season will not re-
turn much profit in eggs for their first
years keep.
Extravagant expenditure for buildings
and fences is unwise. Poultry buildings
should not cost to exceed $50 10 500
for the keep of 100 hens. A building
that will accommodate 800 should be
built for not to exceed $500. People
must reckon the cost, care and attention
necessary for keeping poultry, and they
should not expect to gain unwarranted
profits from hasty exploitation.
Poultry will not pay unless they are
sufficiently well fed on good, nourishing
food that will produce eggs. A flock OF
hens badly housed, poorly fed. and that
eat musty corn, will scarcely pay for the
trouble of caring for them in eggs dur
ing the winter. Entirely too much OF
the poultry is more poorly kept than the
pigs. Their houses are not tenantable.
Their living places often are overrun
with vermin, and the dampness within
the building causes the asthma. The
houses are closed at night and the fowls
are poisoned, thus giving rise to roup
and other ailments. Feeding unwhole-
some food in the hope of forcing the
egg yield will not supply the needed
| protein. The ration for eggs must con-
tain sufficient egg-forming material to
produce the eggs, or the hens will not
iay them. When this is neglected, fail
ure to provide proper food cannot be
made up by feeding drugs or prepara-
| tions.
II the roosting houses are sufficiently
large for each ben to have comfortable
place at night, and il these houses are
kept clean enough to be wholesome, the
hens should do well. Muslin curtain
windows TO a reasonable extent are bet
ter than glass windows. Hens must
have places TO exercise in winter months
the same as they have when running
about in summer. Ii the floors of the
poultry houses are kept clean and GOV.
cred deep with straw, this makes place
for the feeding; small grain thrown into
this litter will provide exercise, as the
fowls must scratch and dig for food OF
they cannot get it when bid beneath the
| straw.
An old adage says that il fowls have
vet feet they will not lay eggs. This
means that If the hens must wander
through snow and slush TO hunt for the
morsel to eat which they obtain with the
greatest difficulty, they will not produc,
eggs. Plenty of fresh, clean water is a:
necessary for egg production as food
II the hens are permitted to drink th,
water from the slough holes and pond'
about the barn, the eggs that they d,
Law will taste like the water they drink
Water vessels that become filthy and
contaminated spread disease thron. b ~
the flock.
Enthusiastic ambition is one of th'
necessities for success with livestock o
all kinds. Poultry that are frightened
whenever the attendant approache
them will never be satisfactory as egg
producers. Fowls that love % cluste
about the attendant are usually prof
able. The farm is the place whore poul
try can be kept with the least trouble
and attention, because they can wande
about the greater portion OF the year
They can gather waste products that ar
good for egg production, and they cal
be housed and fed at 30 little cost tina
almost their entire product Is prof
But when these necessities are neglected
with the farm focks, they will do g.
badly as to become an expensive branc'
of farming rather than profltabl
branch as they should be, and can be i
reasonably well-cared for.