The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1910-09-10
Some interesting
Poultry Facts

suit of feathers, others are fororn
looking in the extreme; there may be
one old tail feather here and there.
or there may be none. The egg
yield is low, il not entirely cut off,
and some OF you have greatly reduced
rations for this very reason. 1t
would be hard to do the fowls
greater injustice, and what is worse
the practice is not uncommon The
Noting period is one OF the hardest
in a fowls lie time More than ever
does il need the best of care and at
tention during the sixty days taken
up by this once -a-ycar change
The birds noting early are the
winter layers; at least they should be
with proper food and house condi-
tons When you cut off or reduce
the food, you are making it infinitely
harder for the natural functions to
take place. There must be something
out Of which to build an entirely new
set Of feathers, not only that there is
period OF recuperation after melting,
which must be borne with and pro-
vided for. 1t is your hens vacation,
and you will be dollars in pocket if
you help to make it agreeable. For
ten months your fo,tr or five pound
egg plants know no Sundays, and
then the first thing YOU know. they put
fftytwo OF them, one right after the
other. The wise poultryman will
make it point to help his 'ttl" work
ers to enjoy their just days OF rest.
have known hens, as late as Feb
ruary Ist, to still be suffering from
neglect which Occurred during the
natural melting season. The owner
of the fowls which | have in mind,
showed me his flock and made re-
marks to the following effect when
they stopped laying | stopped feed
ing-let them hustle for a living
they weren't bringing me in any
thing. Bought them from a strain of
great winter layers, too. They did
right well last winter, but here it is
February and no eggs; no, nor pros
poets. Guess | got stuck The
above was a very unusual case and
happened with a man who put more
emphasis upon housing his fowls than
upon feeding them He was disas-
tcrously lax i'll his appreciation of
Noting demands, and OF course paid
the fiddler
Here are few facts concerning
the noting OF fowls;
'st. A lean hen can't grow new
feathers. A
md. A fat hen won't shed old
ones.
3rd. Hens carefully housed and
fed produce large yield and keep
their old feathers even past the profit
able time for melting.
4th. Hens housed careIessly with
out due regard to cleanliness and
ventilation) and indifferent,y fed will
start to mott early and keep it up
late.
All through the melting period the
average farmer, if he feeds at all, will
get some eggs, and the better his
housing conditions the greater will
he the number. but his receipts can
never represent a profit. The period
is too much drawn ont and recupera-
ton is too slow. The writer has
known fowls to molt on corn and
water and nothing Else, but it would
not be paying method Some peo-
pie, some writer's, suggest sunhower
seed as a help at this time, because
Of the oil contained therein, but as
there is about 90 per cent of waste
matter in this product, the value is a
question. Protein in the ration is
necessary and oil helpful
The fowls may often be induced to
hasen their shedding and renewing
Of feathers by short period OF re-
duccd rations If fed almost no food
fot a week in late summer, egg pro-
ductlon may be entirely stopped and
mouting will most always follow.
Abundant (,eding should .hen be
pracliced, using linseed meal. animal
meal and gluten iced to supplement
the ration. The nutritive ratio OF the
ratiOns for producing eggs is /: 40 for
LcghOrns, and IA for Plymouth
Rocks, but during the mott a ration
standing IS would be better. This
method Of starving and following with
heavy feed, applies most where the
fat hen s concerned and for condi-
tons represented under TACT grid"
For the average farmer the prompt
melting and early consumption OF egg
production are more apt to be in
duced by omitting the starving pro-
cess and feeding very abundantly OF
the ration having nutritive ratio OF
is, beginning the middle of August
But one wants to remember that
when hen stops laying. her ten
dcncy Is to iaze around and put on
fat. She must be kept busy-exercise
at this time IS imperatiye--.it is abb
solutely necessary if the fowls are to
Re kept over for winter egg produc-
ton; that is, if the owner expects to
get eggs.
These nutritive ratios may seem
like worthless information to some
who may read, and for such it might
be well to say in general, when your
fowls mott, feed them during the per-
iod Of recuperation, which follows,
continue to feed them. The ten
months OF laying has reduced the vi
tally OF the fowls--the mott comes
as a further tax. Whatever else you
do or fail to do, FEED. The thin
hens can't grow feathers without
something to build from-the fat ones
Ea5sahtr Enss1J,.