Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-09-26


nothing else, 1 give them fresh-cut
grass. What are your hours for feed
ing?
We have only ten hens and / think
they have been doing pretty good;
until recently they averaged about
eggs per day, but now some days
there is only 1, then again. 8, 4 or 5.
The falling off is probably due to
their moulting-then there are several
broody all the time. We have about
IS young chickens, ranging from to
months old. One of the young male
birds, we think, is going to be pretty
good-of course we are no judge.
Some of them have a good bit of
white in the wings, and shows when
wings are folded. Are such worth
keeping? The rest of their coloring
seems pretty good. Could such a cock
erel be sold for $3.50? Then we have
some cockerels that are light-are
they worth keeping? The pullets, some
of them are real good color. others
are not.
I am so anxious to set some eggs
now, as you advised in your article,
but we have only one or two hens
that l would care to breed from. and
one of them has just been broody
and is not laying. The pullets have
not commenced to lay yet, but am
hoping they win soon, and we do
not feel able to invest just now in
eggs. Our runs are not going to be
properly mated, either. Our year-old
male bird is very pretty and we
are going to mate him to some of
the prettiest pullets. That will make
one run as you advise. Then the
cockerel that / mentioned as looking
all right, we are going to mate to
two or three of the best hens we
have, but the rest in that run viii
have to be this years pullets, and you
said 1t was not good TO mate them
this way, but we have only the one
old male bird. The hens that we have
which are not nice to breed from,
we will keep in separate run. just
for the eggs.
clean my coops out every day,
and try in every way to do things
right, but am such aanovice and need
advice. trust you viii pardon this
long letter. but will feel encouraged
If you will advise me.
ANSWER.
/ do not believe / could make any
suggestions on the care of your chick
ems. From the report you give In
your letter, it seems that you have
gotten results. and as every one has
their own way of doing things. IL
they get results, of course 1t is best
to keep up their method.
At this season of the year you can
not exp ct many eggs as your hens
cannot moult and lay eggs, too.
I feed my chickens only twice each
day, but they have the dry mash be-
fore them at all times. They get a
wet mash Of the boiled oats and al
falfa, with some meat scrap, mixed
with it's equal in bu---, after being
cooked, of bran, shorts and corn meal
This feed they have In the afternoon
every other day. The other feeds all
consist of equal parts of oats and
Como scratch feed, which Is given
them in the morning in a litter, and
the time they do not have the wet
mash feed. they also have this grain
feed, but do not soak the oats. How
ever, it is not a bad idea to soak the
oats over night and then mix the
scratch feed. We have such a large
numer to feed here IT would be a
lot of extra work for us to do this.
The light yellow Reds are not worth
keeping to breed from. The ones that
show some white as chicks will ordi-
narily throw out these white feathers
and will get a good color when they
moult out their last coat of plumage.
especially IL they are well cared for
1t is almost impossible to tell what
q Red will be until 1t gets its last
coat of plumage.
You can take your best females, old
hens, and mate with the best young
male bird. You can, from 10 or u
hens, get enough eggs to raise 500
to 1000 chickens. If you viii take care
of them, and set them under other
hens and keep your good hens laying.
Therefore, 1t win not be necessary to
breed from the inferior birds. You can
keep them for laying purposes.
1t would pay you to sell of 4 few
of your culls and invest that money
in one or two settings of eggs. You
could easily do this and not have TO
spend any extra money for this pur-
pose.
If can be of any further assist
ance to you, will be pleased to do
so.