The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-02-17
WINTER EGGS
Some Of the Experiences Of Loea
Poultry Fancler

Some Of the Experiences Of a Local
Poultry Fancler
Editor OF The Banner:-As the
poultry raising season is near at
hand, many poultrymen will at that
time plan for eggs, not winter. There
is no reason why any person who has
the time to care for poultry should
not make success in raising poultry
for winter eggs.
My intention in writing on poultry
for winter eggs is to give the readers
of your paper some of my personal eX,
perience in that line. In the first
place it Is very difficult to make some
people understand that hens cannot
make eggs while growing a new coat
OF feathers and you will find those
conditions every time with old hens
for winter layers, and they are out OF
commission the larger part OF the two
best months of the year for egg mon
ey and for that reason one should
have pullets sufficiently matured fol
winter layers and by so doing you
can avoid the Noting season every
year.
My experience in the last six years
has taught me that pullets Matched
from April 10th TO May Goth make the
best winter layers and will not moli
that fall, If Matched in early spring
such pullets very often mott after
they commence laying, then two Of
the best months OF the year for eggs
are lost. II pullets are Matched later
than May 1t is hard to get them lay
ing before cold weather, in that case
they usually make poor winter lay
ers.
have this winter fifteen pullets
that were Matched the 18th Of May.
produced them by a first cross from
Buff Leghorn cock with a Buff Rocl
hen and they are certainly fine layers
They began laying the 5th OF Novem
Der and the fifteen pullets laid nine
ty.nine eggs that month and twenty
one dozen and seven eggs the follow
ing month in December. which / con
slider a very good egg record. Fol
the month of January the same pull
lets produced twenty dozen and foul
eggs which | consider very good al
the month Of January was very cold.
My method Of feeding is very sim
Pile When ! have my chicks hatch
ed do not feed them for thirty-si,
hours after they leave the shell. Tit
last act the chick performs is to alb
sorb the yolk before breaking tn,
she'll Many people do not know thii
and that is why they make mistake
in feeding young chicks too soon, alb
sorbing the yolk as they do makes
food unnecessary for at least thirty
six hours. When they are old enough
to feed | give them some good com
mercial chick food such as critics.
chick food that contains a grain see,
and meat ration that makes 1t appel
lzing for the little chick. They arr
given this food three or four time
day on board so that they cal
pick II easily, for the first week.
The second week feed them III,
gritless chick food in litter and iron
that time until two months old, fee,
them the gritless food with fine gri
mixed with It, with a dish OF sou
milk every day.
When the chickens are two month
old feed them intermediate chic
feed in litter or clean sand. and late
on they are given screened scratcl
feed, with sour milk every day an
a little meat scraps two or tire
times a week until they commenc
laying.
Tins Is all done under one.inc
mesh wire frame which | move ever
day. The pullets are shut up abou
the first OF November and are not le
out again until spring. keep befor
them in the house ground oyster she
dry mash and luke warm water wit
scratch feed In the morning an
whole corn at night to keep ther
warm during the cold nights In viii
ter.
With my method OF feeding | neve
had chicken die with the gapes an
| usually raise every chicken hatche,
II not injured
II is hard TO understand why on
farmers do not take more interest |
poultry than they do. About seve
out OF ten consider poultry raising
nuisance and | do myself when pou
try are let run out In all kinds {
weather, and their grain thrown I
them In the snow or on the froze
ground where they can eat II all will
out any exortion. then they stand o
one leg In some corner until 10
again, and then they can't see VIII
their hens don't lay.
Some farmers inbreed too mucl
and II should be avoided, that is
get good layers. Line breeding is IN
only way to success, so whateyo
breed one wishes to keep. should b
bought OF some good reliable poultr
man who makes that his business. Il
doing this every year one introduce
new blood to the flock.
There is more easy money In pou
try for winter eggs than sold "a
breeders after laying twelve month";
than In any other stock on farm
that is considering the money inyes
ed and the farmer does not seem /
realize Il.
William II. Murray