Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1910-01-06
CARE OF CHICKENS
Management ard Care Essential Yea
turea-1rsdual Decrease n Lay.
Inc Of Hen After the
First Year.

The question: as to which "a the
most profitable breed Of fowls Is very
frequently asked me. There are IN.
coubtediy differences in breeds. but
undue importance should not be
placed upon breed. The tray nest has
shown that there Is more die ence in
individuals than ID breeds. i.so1 Is
not everything. Gays q writer IN At
lanta Constitution You mast keep
away from that idea in poultry keep.
iig II one starts IN the poultry bust.
ness. with the best breed" as they
believe. and has with It the notion
that breed Is everything, there win be
Inevitable failure. The breed may
be all right but the fowls must be
encouraged to do their best by good
care and management When eggs are
steady at 30 cents a dozen and the
hens fail to respond. the owner is like.
y to become unreasonable and take
Up with another breed. and most like
" the fault was not in the breed. The
fault Is usually ono ~ two things;
enther the hens. are Of a poor or non.
productive strain Of their breed, or
the management Is poor
It is q point Ia management that I
wish to write OF here, one point Of
many that may be taken into account
II poultry keeping is to be made
success. 1t is a question Of the most
profitable age Of the hen. Poultry
raisers who have kept in touch with
poultry Investigations during the past
few years are pretty well informed on
this point, but the importance Of the
subject is not yet generally appre
clated. 10 determine this fact, a line
@. experiments was conducted by sew.
eral experiment stations with the OBJ
iect Of determining the value of the
hen at different ages for egg produc.
ion. The same hens were kept year
after year under similar conditions,
and a record was kept Of production
and food consumed. These expert
ments proved that the hen Is different
Gom the COW, which retains or inn
proves her productivity with age. The
drst year was The most profitable, and
there was a grsdual decrease in pro
ductiveness each succeeding year. Il
is safe tc figure this decrease at rs
per cent. each year With average
prices for food and for eggs, It is
not profitable to keep hens after they
have finished their second year Of
laying. The first, or pullet year is
very profitable, the second will give
satisfactory profit, but during the
third year the egg yield win seldom
pay for the food consumed.
These conclusions apply only Of
course, where the eggs are sold at mar
ket prices. Fowls that have a special
value as breeding stock should be
kept longer, but the notion that "the
old speckled" hen is the good layer
should not be cherished unless she Is
canght in the trap nest. The fact that
she sings a joyful lay, paints her
comb a brilliant red and scratches a
brilliant scratch should not be accept
ed as sufficient grounds for commut.
ing the death sentence.
It Is safe T. say that poultry RATS
ers Of the south would be many thou
sands Of dollars in pocket by Yigor-
ously killing OF the hens every two
years and replacing them with new
stock-with exceptions noted above.
When pullets and hens are allowed to
run together it viii be necessary to
mark them, otherwise it will be dim
cult to separate the old stock from the
Joung when It Is desired to market
them. The usual method Of marking
is to punch a hole In the web be-
tween the toes when the chicks are
Matched This is easily and quickly
done with a punch, that may be pur-
chased from poultry supply houses for
% cents. A number Of different mark.
ings may be made in this way. Cut.
ing Off one toe nail is another good
way Of marking chicks. Do this when
chicks are first Matched and before
the first feed When the practice is to
dispose Of the hens every two years, It
will be sufficient TO mark them every
other year.
The above suggestion Is timely, AZ
the Matching season will Be over By
latter part Of May, and It is a useless
expense carrying over a lot Of old hens
another year. Dispose Of them be-
fore they begin to moult, giving their
room and feed to the youngsters com.
ing on.