The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1910-02-25
INEWS Of THE FARM.
EGG PRODUCTION.

Poultry Journal. says:
While the first factor in secur-
ing winter eggs is to have the right
kind of hens or pullets, their care
must not be overlooked. Some are
of the opinion that ii We feed cor
rectly. the hens must lay. While
feeding is important, it is not the
whole thing. A hen cannot do her
best without suitable food, and a
poor hen will not do credit to any
kind of care.
There can be little doubt that the
environment has much TO do with
egg production. During the winter
except in especially favored locali-
ties, hens are confined for most of
the time to the house, and 1t should
be made comfortable to them Hens
like sunshine, especially in cold
weather, and abhor dark and damp
houses. They will spend most of
their time out of doors rather than
stay in dark house, even in cold,
bad weather.
For the promotion of health,
which in most cases means an in
crease in egg yield, the house should
be light, dry and airy. Hens kept
most of the time in the open air, If
protected from wind and rain, will
lay better than those confined to a
damp, closed house, l believe in
and use houses open on the south
side. My houses have no glass
windows, the buildings being light
ed solely by the opening on the
south side. There is an elevated.
tight roosting room, also open on
one side, except for canvass cur
tain, which is lowered at night. So
far this season / have not used the
curtain in front of the reosts. Fifty
birds in the small space skis and
less than three feet high, have SO
warmed it sufficiently without the
use of the curtain, though this
leaves them with only one thickness
of the muslin between them and
the outer air. My fowls were kept
in similar houses last year, and |
did not have a female with FROST
ed comb.
If houses are of the closed type
the windows should be opened every
day, and if dampness gathers on the
walls the windows should remain
open during the night 1t is well
to cover these openings with mus
lin. l have one house built on the
scratching-shed plan, with a tight |
rootsting room, Sx10. This room
was made very tight and warm, but
several birds placed in it last sea-
son, with windows closed, froze
their combs. Then / removed four
7x9 glasses and covered the open
ing, and have since had no trouble.
This is the only closed house have
with glass windows, and / would not
have this one If it had not been on
the place when occupied it. The
birds can stand cold but not damp
ness. Make the portion of the house
occupied by the hens during the day
an open scratching shed and keep
them busy.
Have the dust bath where the sun
will shine on it the greater portion
of the day, as it is absolutely nee
essary that the hens be compare
lively free from lice, and body lice
multiply rapidly during cold wealth
er, when not molested by the red
spider mites, which drive them off.
If given a good dust bath the hens
will usually keep off the body lice,
with very little assistance, but the
head lice must be fought, as the
hens cannot get to them.
1t goes without saying that the
house should be kept clean. Just
how often the dropping boards
should be cleaned and the scratch
ing material removed depends
largely on the number of the hens
in the house and the amount of
room given them With fifty hens