The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1913-01-09
CARE Of THE FARM FLUCk
PULLETS SHOULD START LAY.
ING BEFORE COLD WEATHER.
BY n. L. kempster, Assistant Pro-
fessor of Poultry HusL andry in
tire College OF Agriculture.

The farm hen should come in 70
special consideration at this time 0
the year. Both old hens and in.Ma
ture pul.aly should re ceive extra care
the old 70 enable them to complete
the moult the young to fully mature
so as t. induce them to lay before
winter If the birds do not lay he
fore cold weather sets in it is diff
cult to get them started until al~l,
February lst, but if they comnenc,
laying now there is no reason wiz,
they should not continue to lay du
ing the winter mOnths.
If the hen house has not been thor
oughly cleaned now is the time to do
it. All the foul litter and dirst shoulG,
be removed and new dirt put in to
take the place. During the winte!
the birds are quite largely confined &c
that the quarters which they ocrup.
I've perfectly sanitary. Hens will nc
do well if the floor of the house H.
damp. Quite often thu door Is lower
than the ground outside caus"d by
cleaning out the oh dirt and lailins
to replace with new. If the ncn house
floor was damp LAT year now is the
time to remedy it. a good dirt floor
can be made by fiji NJ in With about
four inches Of coarse material, sUri;
as cinders. coverllis tliiS well wit!
two inches of ella, 50 as to prevent
the dirt from above siftin~ down
through and then covering the clay
with a couple Of Inc h. 5 more Of loose
earth This will pgcvrn, moisture
from working up ron beneath and
will make the floor dry. The floor
should then be covered with foot
or more of straw and the grain fed
by being buried in this litter, thus
keeping the hens lusy scratching for
their feed Pallets should if possible
be separated from the hens. Mature
hens will often fight and ovelrun the
young and the smaller will not do as
we'll as if kept by themselves
The ratons 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
mart, cornmeal one part, beef scrap
one-haf part, alfalfa meal one-half
part, by weight, is fed at noon in a
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
much scratch feed is consumed as
mash. Skimmilk or buttermilk is
kept in pans before the birds and they
have access to grit--oystershells 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
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 il
seems the only way in Which the
home is, otherwise the bird would seek
it's old roosting quarters and would
neccssiate catching a number cacL
night After q few weeks they can be
range without danger of thpit
leaving their new home. On the far
Great difficulty is often experience
i ecause Of the lilds persisting in
costing in trees, etc. When confined
ire immature can be forced into egg
much Quicker than wleL
hey are permitted ranged.
The feed should be liberal. but not
TOO much. They should be fed all
they require, but must be kept busy
and exercising during the
lay An active hen with a full crol
AZ night is the one which will be mos
able to produce
Above all, make changes gradually
Quick changes induce mott and pull
1T thrown into the mott now will moi
e through until 80 days have elapsed
a1d during this time she will not pro
lnce eggs. All weak, backward, vi
ealthy chickens should be culled out
and marketed. Culls are not produc
i've and few will cut down the
profits of the remainder of the flock
The essentials to be observed thei
ire, dry, we'll vent lated, comfortable
luarters; clean food fed in liberal
Quantities to birds kept active, AMI
leep stock, the young Of which ar,
ully mature, strong and healthy, ant
ha old Of A1l,hioh har III