Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-01-09
An Eaa.produclna breed.

If the farmer expects to be satisfied
with his efforts to make his pullets lay
in the winter, he must Gull out all in
ferior birds and give the remainder
such care and attention that soon after
they are brought into the winter house
they will start laying. They should be
laying in November at the latest.
When once started to laying, the same
methods will likely keep them laying
through the winter. Otherwise they
probably will not lay until spring.
The grains grown on the farm are
well equipped for fowls, and there are
only a few feeds that it is necessary
to buy to make a complete ration.
Bran, beef-scrap, and oyster shell
should always be at hand, the oyster
shell being kept available all the time.
There should be dry mash always
accessible This may be put in self
feeding hoppers which hold enough for
week or longer. This is a convenient
way OF feeding the ground grains and
beef-scrap, and allows the fowl to eat
at will. Seldom will fowl eat so much
dry mash but that she will be eager
for whole grain and wet mash.
Wheat, corn and oats are the best
of the cereal grains for poultry, though
the grains to use largely depend upon
the grains grown on the farm or those
easily available. The whole grain
should be scattered In straw litter. so
as to keep the pullets busy and active
during the day. The busy fowl is the
layer They should be made to find
all of the grain in the litter.
Sprouted oats in the winter is a
clever Inhalation of spring and stimu-
lates egg production. Oats may be
sprouted on a cellar floor, or in boxes
placed one above another in a warm
room. A few thicknesses Of wet cloth
laid in the bottom of the box will help
hold moisture. The oats should be
soaked over night in warm water be-
fore being put, three or four inches
deep, in the boxes. Moisten twice daily
until fed. Let the sprouts get about
one inch long. They will unusually
sprout sufficiently in a weeks time.
The following is a suitable method
to follow In feeding farm flock: A
liberal amount of a mixture of equal
parts of wheat, corn and oats should
be fed in the middle of the afternoon,
and kicked evenly into the litter This
will give them necessary exercise, be-
sides providing for hearty evening
meal. The first thing in the morning,
the fowls will scratch to the bottom
of the litter for the remainder of the
whole grain that they did not find the
night before. This should keep them
busy until about ten o'clock. At that
time they should be fed wet mash in
troughs. This may be composed OF
whatever is available of table waste,
alfalfa or clover leaves, and ground
feeds, such as cornmeal, wheat mid,
dlings, bran, oil meal and beef-scrap.
This mash should be moistened with
sour milk or buttermilk, if either is
available, otherwise water can be
used
Sour skim milk or buttermilk aids di,
gestion and keeps the fowls healthy.
Large poultry plants realize the value
of sour milk and frequently it is
bought in large quantities.
The Cornell mash" is well suited
for winter egg production. 1t has the
following composition:
Sixty pounds cornmeal, 80 pounds
wheat bran, so pounds beef-scrap, so
pounds wheat middlings, 10 pounds oil
meal, pound salt
STUART A. CODY,
West Virginia Experiment Station.