Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-07-12
How to Get Winter Eggs.

winter eggs at forty cents, there ls nc
good reason why the egg-basket should
be empty all winter. Ali the hens need
to make them "deliver the goods" ir
this time of high prices is little extra
care suited to the season.
| There are too many instances, ever
among well-to-do farmers, where nc
shelter is provided for poultry. A house
not necessarily expensive, but substan.
tial and comfortable, is the first requi'
site for winter egg production. Nearly
any building Of suitable size can DO con-
verted into poultry house with a few
days labor and little lumber or tarred
paper. The latter is cheap and may be
used on the inside or, better, the outside
Of the building; often over roof and all,
except for the windows, doors and ven-
tilatOrs.
Any open spaces around the floor
must be nailed up, and, If necessary,
the earth banked up around the outside.
This does wonders toward keeping out
cold.
Now for few "dOn'ts."
Don't keep more fowls than you can
accommodate without 0vercrOwding.
Don't keep hens and pullets together.
If only one house is at your disposal,
divide with wire netting into two apart
ments. Don't expect many winter eggs
from old hens. If not too old they will
lay fairly we'll in the spring. Don't
keep turkeys or other fowls with the
chickens. And don't forget that laying
hens require some sort of green stuff
during the winter.
There is nothing better in the way of
green food than cabbage. If the crop
has been short, it is good plan to SOW
a patch of rye early in the fall for hen
pasture. Poultry Of all kinds will eat it..
Apples, etc., chopped raw, will be found
valuable substitutes for greens"
We usually give the hens hot mash
mornings when the weather is cold. A
little before noon they are turned into
the scratching shed where they remain
until evening. Corn is then given, which
is always warmed in the oven before
feeding. Be careful not to feed it too
hot. Test it by holding handful of it
for a moment. Parched corn is some
times fed, but it will not take the place
of raw corn. 1t should not be burned to
a crisp, unless it is wanted for charcoal
TIE morning mash is generally made
of cooked vegetables thickened with
equal parts of corn-meal and bran, with
IA little cut bone or bone-meal added
All kinds of vegetables, even squashes
and pumpkins with the seeds removed),
are cooked and used as q basis for the
mash. When potatoes are used, they
are mashed and added TO the ground
grain after the latter has been thorough
ly moistened. II dry meal is added to
mashed potatoes, a tough, sticky mass
is the result. The moistening process Is
not necessary with other vegetables that
contain less starch.
Neither should onions be fed to laying
hens. They give the eggs an unpleasant
flavor.
A scratching shed should be provided
so they can be given their needed exer-
else without turning them out doors in
cold weather. A large shed at the south
side of the house is an ideal place for
this. Have the floor Tor ground) cover
ed about foot deep with clean litter or
dry leaves. Sawdust should never be
used in or around poultry houses. Scat
ter some small grain in the litter and
stir it in with pitchfork so the hens
will have to dig for it. This should be
attended to regularly, at times when the
hens are on the roost or confined in the
house.
In adding bone to the mash, care must
be taken not to use too much. Bone
meal should be used only when the raw
bone cannot be had. Either should be fed
not ofteuer than twice week, allowing
one teaspoonful of cut bone or oue-half
Fresh meat scraps are nearly as good for
laying hens as raw, or green" bone.
In butchering time We always save the
bones and scraps for them. Cooked
bones, as we'll as raw, are saved and
ground through bone cutter.
In cold weather, the morning mash is
thoroughly heated before being fed. 1t
should not, of course, be hot enough to
injure the fowls; it should be just warm
enough to bear the hand in without dis
comfort.
Sometimes the mash is composed of
boiled oats, bran and corn-meal. A
little salt is added about every other
day. Powdered charcoal is added fire.
Queutly. DEOkcu CudiOooi 10 oi"nJ
kept within reach, though occasionally
the fowls do not eat very much of it.
While charcoal will not take the place of
grit, it is very beneficial in keeping the
fowls in good condition. 1t is great
purifier.
When neither bone nor meat scraps
are at hand, we moisten the ground
grain with milk. We also give the hens
buttermilk to drink. But milk, as
drink, will not take the place of water.
Instead of the mash, we sometimes
feed scalded oats. This is always placed
in the trough, the same as soft mixtures.
Wheat is nearly always used in the
scratching shed. Oyster shell and other
grit is kept in small boxes nailed against
the wall about foot from the floor.
Cabbage heads are hung up against the
wall for the hens to eat at will. This
makes them work little more than
when it is thrown on the floor. We
keep erything as clean as possible.
Drinking vessels and feed troughs are
scalded frequently, and the floors are
cleaned, under the roosts, every day.
We never give our hens ice water to
drink.