The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-11-07
CARE OF THE FARM FLOCK
PUllETS SHOULD START lay
ING BEFORE COLD WEATHER..
lessor Of Poultry Husbandry in
the College Of Agriculture.

the year. Both old hens and imma
ture pullets should re ceive extra care;
the old to enable them to complete
the moult; the young to fully mature
SO as to induce them to lay before
winter. If the birds do not lay be-
fore cold weather sets in it is diff
cult to get them started until about
laying now there is no reason why
they should not continue to lay dur
ing the winter moaths.
Ii the hen house has not been thor
Oughly cleaned now is the time to do
it. All the foul litter and dirst should
be removed and new dirt put in to
take the place. During the winter
the birds are quite largely confined to
the house and it is more necessary
that the quarters which they occupy
Re perfectly sanitary. Hens will not
do we'll if the toc: of the house is
lamp. Quite often the floor is lower
/ Ean the ground outside caused by
cleaning out the oil dirt and failing
to replace with new. Ii the len house
| floor vas damp lar year now is the
time Ia remedy il. A good dirt floor
can he made by lili NJ in with about
four inches Of coarse material, such
as Clnlers. cCverliE this we'll with
two inches ut ciaM so as to prevent
the ''!.t from above siftinG down
through and th"n covering the clay
with 2 couple of inches more Of loose
earth This will prevent moisture
from working .p ..Cm beneath and
will make The hoor dry. The floor
Shout hen be covered with foot
or moe If straw and the grain fed
by hriHg buried in this litter. thus
keepin, the hens busy scratching for
their Iced pulets should if possible
be separated from the hens. Mature
hens will often fight and overrun the
young and the smaller will not do as
we'll as if kept by themselves
The rations which the University is
feeding at present consist of the fol-
lowing: Scratch feed is made up of
equal parts of corn and wheat-fed
morning and night. A mash. consist
ing of bran one part. middlings one
TART, cOrnmeal one part, beef scrap
one-half part. alfalfa meal one-half
part, by weight. is fed at noon in
hopper to which the birds have &C.
cess only in the afternoon. Approx
mately> twice as much grain is fed at
night as in the morning and twice as
rnllph scratch food iS
mash. Skim-milk or buttermilk is
kept in pans before the birds and they
have access to Erit-oystershel lis and
clean, fresh water. Green food, such
as cabbage, sprouted oats, steamed
clover, etc. should be fed to take the
place of the green food consumed dur
ing the summer. Often patches of
rye, etc, can be sown about the poul-
try house and DUNG mild weather
the birds permitted to range over it.
Where table scraps are available they
furnish an excellent addition to the
ration.
DIN general during severe and stormy
weather it is not advisable to let the
hens range. Quite often egg produc
ton is retarded by this practice. AT |
the University the pullets are being |
housed and kept enclosed Willie the
practice is subject to criticism it
seems the only way in which the
Dung pullet can be taught where her
rome is, otherwise the bird would seek
its old roosting quarters and would
nni.pGS1ta1a CATCHING
night. After few weeks they can be
Flowed range without danger Of their
paving their new home. On the farm
.reat difficulty is often experienced
because of the birds persisting in
costing in trees. etc. When confined
reduction much quicker than when
hey are permitted ranged.
The feed should be liberal. but not
90 MUCH. They should be fed all
hey require, but must be kept busy
and exercising during the
It night is the one which will be most
liable to produce.
Above all, make changes gradually.
quick changes induce mott and pull
ct thrown into the mott now will not
'e through until 80 days have elapsed ,
nd during this time she will not pro-
luce eggs. All weak, backward, I'M
ealthy chickens should be culled out
nd marketed. Culls are not produc. {
i've and a few will cut down the !
rofits of the remainder of the flock.
The essentials to be observed then
re, dry, we'll ventilated, comfortable {
uarters; clean food fed in liberal 6
Quantities to birds kept active, and i
eep stock, the young Of which are
ully mature, strong and healthy, and
he old Of which has q new coat of
lumage. S