Oxford Democrat., 1913-09-16
Poultry Supplies for Winter.

Make sure that you provide a prope
variety of rations for the poultry thi
winter.
Save every head of the late cabbag
for green feed. They are excellent TO
the layers in winter.
Clip every sunf1ower head off and saw
It for the poultry. The seeds make
fine feed for the fowls, being laxative II
their effect.
| All surplus carrots, turnips, etc.
should be carefully stored away and use'
as the vegetable part cf the rations fo
the poultry this winter.
The small potatoes, wasted by mos
farmers at digging time, can be boilet
and made to serve the flock we'll during
the winter months, working them int
the mash of bran and corn-chop.
Any old hooks and corners of wheat
millet, buckwheat, ETC., about the farm
can be mown or cut with the binder anC
stored away without threshing, with the
grain in the head. Such grain can bt
scattered in the scratching-shed, which
will make the fowls work for every
grain they secure.
The cane and kafir corn heads wasted
on many farms would, il saved, cut off a
large per cent of the feed bill for the
poultry this winter. The seeds can be
left right on the heads and tossed into
the scratcbing-shed, the poultry being
forced to take the essential exercise in
picking and scratching the seeds of.
The dust-b being a very important
item for the layers during the winter
months, one should store barrel or two
of thoroughly dry field or road dust and
ashes, having large box in one corner
Of the scratching-shed for the fowls to
dust themselves in and get rid of the
lice. A handful of sulphur in each box
full will prove an additional help in their
fight against these pests.
Few farmers really need to buy their
green feed for winter poultry, if they
would but be careful OF some of the
things that are counted as waste or
worthless products on the farm. The
clover and alfalfa shattsrings aud whit
lings around the barn-loft and feed-ways
make something fine for mixing in the
mash for the poultry as a winter feed.
The fine-cut leaves and stems of clover
Immediately behind the threshing ma
chine when threshing clover, also are e1-
cellent for this purpose. Store away in
barrels and boxes.
Charcoal is essential for poultry in
winter, but if secured commercially, 1t is
very high in price. The farmer may as
well make his own charcoal. Besides
the pit method, much simpler plan is
to pile old scraps of boards, posts,
chunks of wood, etc., into heap and
set them on fire. When they become
mass of live, glowing Goals, check the
burning by sprinkling water over the
fire, or better still, smother it out with
damp straw or hay, or wet cobs. This
will furnish an abundance Of charcoal OF
superior quality, and the cost Is practi-
cally nothing.
The winter meat-supply for the poul-
try is lacking on too many farms, and
accounts, without doubt, for q very
large per cent of the failures to secure
eggs in winter. This deficiency is easi-
ly supplied at small expense, especially
where one is inclined to do little hunt
ing and trapping around the farm. At
ter the skin has been removed from an
animal, the carcass can be utilized as a
meat ration for the poultry. Rabbits
are especially plentiful in most localities,
and by drawing the skin from them and
hanging them about Is inches from
the floor of the scratching-shed, the lay
ers must jump after them, thus securing
exercise as we'll as the meat, both of
which are essential to winter egg pro-
duction.
1t will be observed that all of the
above supplies for winter poultryiDg are
produced at small cost on the farm,
many of them being entirely wasted on
most farms. Where all or most of the
poultry supplies are purchased outright,
there must be better management and
more skillful feeding Of the fowls than
is possessed by many of US IL the flock
pays for this high priced feed and leaves
a reasonable profit above the cost of pro-
duction. Raising the poultry and pro-
ducing the feed they consume-surely
there is room for many more to practice
this system than are practicing 1t at the
present time. Grit is the only import
ant item omitted in the above mentioned
rations, and it can be secured at very
moderate price, the crushed oyster
shells being best, as they contain more
lime, and are ground up in more avail
able manner than the ordinary clam
shells.