Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-05-25

good as where more care is taken with
the hens in winter. but as the expense
is less the profits are probably just as
great. The other plan Of winter houS-
ing and care for egg production in
wolves the use of the scratching shed.
which is kept full of leaves. straw or
other litter. into which the grain is
frequently scattered so that the fowls
are kept busy exercising.
The distinction should also be made
here between the Leghorns and heavy
breeds. enforced exercise being much
more essential in the latter case. Hens
that are kept shut indoors must be
provided with something to occupy
their attention, for If standing around
in a restless fashion they will fall
into the egg eating. feather pulling
and other obnoxious habits. In add1-
ton to grain in the litter. cabbages or
split mangles may be fastened to the
walls of the henhouse for the hens TO
peck at. The whole attention and care
of the successful poultryman should
be directed toward seeing that the
hens are busy. contented and happy.
There is a knack about this that is
very hard to describe in words.
Feeding.
The principle of feeding hens is not
particularly different from that Of
feeding young and growing chicks.
Water, grit, meat, grain and green
food are the essentials. and if any one
is neglected good results cannot be
obtained. A great deal has been writ
ten and said in poultry papers and
government bulletins about balanced
rations. As a matter Of fact, the effort
to balance the poultry rations by chem
ical statistics is more or less a miSap-
plication of scientific knowledge. The
point is that hens have individual pref
erences and will not consume their
food in the portions they are given
and, what is more, will, if allowed to
follow their own Individual instincts,
probably get the chemical elements
they need better than if their owner
attempt to force so much food down
them in machine-like fashion.
The custom of feeding hens by ex-
posing grain in hoppers has progressed
rapidly within the last few years.
This method simpifes the feeding prob
lem very much and is applicable to all
| birds on range and Leghorns indoors.
1t will not do, however, for heavy shut
in fowls. as they will become lazy and
| overfed. The foods exposed in the
| hOppers should be whole grains, and it
is best to have separate division in
! hopperS for each kind of grain; other
wise the fowls in scratching for the
grains they most like will waste the
other kind of food. This is especially
noticeable when the so called dry
mash or mixture of dry grains is fed
in the hopper. | do not recommend
ground grains fed dry for laying hens.
The feeding of a wet mash is one
Of the simplest ways of giving vege-
tables or grain food to large number
Of hens quickly. The warm mash may
also have some stimulating effect upon
egg production: at least it is used by a
great many successful egg farmers.
Such wet mash made of clover. alfalfa
leaves or any cooked vegetables mixed
up to a stiff mash with warm water,
bran shorts and cornmeal is fed once
a day. The hour of feeding is inmate
rial. provided the hens have before
them at all times shelled corn and beef
scrap in hoppers.
The provision of green food in egg
farming is very important both be-
cause green food is necessary to get
hens in good laying condition and be-
cause one can materially cut down the
expense of the grain and meat food
bill by growing abundant forage crops
for poultry. If the colony plan Of
houses is followed grain food should
be provided by sowing a series of crops
which in your locality will keep some
thing green on the ground at all times
of the year and moving the house
about so that the fowls may have
fresh pasturage. If the fowls are kept