Milford chronicle., 1910-01-14
JANUARY POULTRY NOTES.

Market poultry mas Deeu ootu .
scarce and expensive through the
holiday season. For the first time
in many years even the wholesale
storage houses have failed to supply
as many turkeys as have been called
for, and the fresh dressed supply IN
rural districts has been more scarce
than is usually the case. Thanks
giving turkeys sold in country
town, in New York. Pennsylvania
and Ohio at retail for over 80 cents
a pound A I2-pound turkey at
this price would sell for s. 90 this
amount certainly is a profitable re-
turn for growing them.
January is the month in which
turkeys begin to mate. Every un-
desirable tom should be removed
Immediately from the company OF
the turkey hens Only those to be
used for breeding should be left with
them. If this is neglected, uHde-
sirable matings may be made. There
is no reason why the turkey poults
should not be as strong and healthy
as are the young Of other fowls.
This would be the case if there were
greater care given to the selecting
of the stock to produce the eggs for
Matching. Only two-year old tur-
key hens or hens that are older, all
of good size, strength and vigor,
should be used. These should be
paired with a tom turkey hatched
in 1908 or 1909, and the tom should
not be related to the hen.
To invigorate or strengthen the
vitality of the blood, the use OF halt
wild toms is recommended. Many
Of these have been crown in and
about Richmond, Va, and large
numbers of them are sold through
out the country for this special Pur-
pose. Where the half-wild blood
cannot be obtained, new toms Of
the bronze or black variety or what
ever is preferred should be brought
into the flock from more than 100
miles away, so as to be sure of hav-
ing blood that will not be akin to
the home stock.
The question of winter eggs IS
foremost in the minds of all who
keep hens. The farmer cannot make
better use of the surplus milk than
to feed it properly to the hens. To
do this the milk can be used either
sweet or sour, heated to about 100
degrees and used to scald the mash.
The mash will serve best it made OF
oats, ground very fine with all the
husks sifted out, one-fourth wheat
middlings, and one-fourth corn
meal. If a pound of good sweet
beef scrap or meat Of any kind IS
added to each gallon of the meal
used for the mash, it will be much
better for the hens. Milk and meat
mixed With ground oats, wheat mid
dliugs, and a small proportion Of
corn meal are almost certain to
make the hens lay.
Food of this kind given at noon,
all the hens will eat up clean, IS
best. The morning meal should be
composed of small grain mixture
of equal parts of wheat, oats and
cracked corn, or barley in place Of
the cats. is good This small grain
should be fed to the hens at morn
ing aud night, and it should be fed
in straw or other litter that is SO
deep that it will compel the hens to
scratch for their food.
Those who feed a large quantity
oC whole corn and who cast it on
the ground and permit the hens to
help themselves, need not expect to
get many eggs during the winter.
When hens do not begin to lay in
January the reason is usually found
"a the fact that they have too much
com to eat and too little labor to
perform in gaining their food sup
ply.
Pullets hatched last April or the
ea-ly part of MAY should be laying
nov if they have been properly
e-ouu and fed. There cannot be
any reasonable excuse for pullets s
months old and not laying. The
oaly reason that they do not lay is
that they have not been properly
cared for
There has been a great scarcity
of eggs in the city markets since
October 1st. If it had not been for
the storage supply there would not
be eggs sufficient iii the market to
provide the necessities of the bak-
e-.es and to furnish eggs to eat.
What are known as fresh hennery
eggs have been in a class by them
selves. They have sold readily at
wholesale at from 5S to 81 cents.
Some kinds that have been called
4 ! g.. fas