Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-06-11

OF the various kinds of live stock,
poultry is most widely adapted to sub
urban conditions for several reasons.
| 1t can be handled successfully on a
very small amount of land. The waste
products from the kitchen and the ta-
bic may be used to advantage as feed.
The care of the chickens is pleasant
work, is comparatively simple, and
may be done by any member Of the
| family. Eggs and dressed poultry are
always in demand and may be sold
to advantage in any quantity, or used
at home, thus furnishing strictly
fresh product which is hard to secure
under general market conditions; and
in addition, the care of poultry may
provide recreation for adults, employ
| ment and good discipline for the chill
dren, and be source of income to
the housewife, or saving in the food
account for the family, say poultry
| specialists of the department of agri-
culture
The following breeds are among the
most popular in this country: Ply
mouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Rhode
island Reds, Orpingtons and Single
Comb White Leghorns. The Leghorns
belong to the egg-laying class Of
fowls, lay white egg and are espe-
cially adapted to large, commercial
egg farms or to sections where a white
egg brings premium over brown
eggs. The other breeds belong to
the general purpose class, and lay
brown eggs. They are better adapted
to the average person, or the farmer
who keeps only saall number Of
fowls, as they are good layers and
also make good table poultry. An
other advantage of the general pur-
pose breeds is that they will hatch
eggs and brood their chickens, while
the Leghorns and other breeds Of the
| egg-laying class are non-sitters.
A great variety of methods of feed
Ing and caring for poultry are used
successfully. Matching and brood
ing, or rearing chickens under hens is
the best method to use where a small
number of chickens are raised. and
especially ii the care is apt to be ir-
regular. Incubators and brooders may
be used also, but they increase the
cost of equipment considerably.
Chickens can be reared under hens
successfully by keeping the hens con-
| fined In the brood coop, while allow
ing the chickens to roam at will.
When many fowls are kept in a
small space, the ground becomes SO
foul that in time it becomes difficult
| to rear chickens with good success
In order to avoid this condition, it Is
advisable to divide the lot and SOW
| part of 1t with some of the quick-grow-
| ing grains, such as oats. wheat or rye
BY this method the yards may be ro-
tated every three or four weeks dur
ing the growing season. turning the
hens onto the growing grain when it
| Is few inches high. A good combi-
nation of grains is oats and wheat in
| equal parts, sowing six or seven bush
| els to the acre (43,560 square feet),
and using wheat alone for the last
seeding in the fall.
The prime essentials in poultry
| houses are fresh air, dryness, sunlight
and space enough to keep the birds
| comfortable. Allow about four square
feet of floor space per bird for the
smaller breeds. A good egg-laying
ration may be made of dry mash
of equal parts of corn meal, bran. mid
| dlings and beef scrap, which Is kept
before the birds in a hopper all the
| time; and a scratch ration of equal
| parts of corn, wheat and oats, fed In
| litter four to five inches deep twice
| daily. Regulate this feed SO that the
| birds eat about one-half mash and one
half scratch. grain, which will mean
feeding about one quart of mixed
| grains daily to IL Plymouth Rock
hens OF to IA Leghorns. In order to
| utilize the waste table products to the
best advantage, moist mash may be
used In place Of the dry mash. feed
ing once daily. II it contains much
meat, table scrap may be substituted
for the beef scrap; II not, merely add
1t to the mash given above.
| The selection Of stock is matter
| Of considerable Importance, as q great
deal of ones success or failure with
poultry depends upon the individual
| specimens used to breed from. Care
| should be taken to select the early
maturing. fastgrowing pullets. Hens
will not, as rule. lay until they are
well matured; consequently it can be
readily seen that the slow-growing
breeds will not begin to lay as soon
as the former. A good index to .
hens ability to pay a profit over the
cost of feed and labor is her ability to
be continually on the move. 1t is adj
visable to keep but one breed Of pure
bred fowls, as the product from a
i aock If the same variety is more uni