Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-09-09
POULTRY
CONSULTING DEPARTMENT
Conducted by VI. w. HICKS

/
To make the farm flock return an
average large profit the hens must be
gotten in shape To begin laying early
in the fall. Some have their pullets
laying by the last week of August.
The pullets must be started To laying
before cold weather begins if they are
to lay this coming winter. Hens and
pullets that lay during the fall and
winter will return double the profit
over those that lay in the spring and
summer only. The aim should be to
have eggs TO sell when eggs are high.
one of the first considerations with
the flock of pullets and old hens at
this season is health Nigor and size
of the birds should follow next. Care
lessness is often the cause of sick,
weak and dead birds. Perhaps more
chickens die from eating dead ami
mails and purifying matter than from
any other cause The birds are
poisoned from eating such matter.
Chickens will eat almost anything, but
dead animals and purifying organic
matter are poisonous to them. All ami
mails that die about the place should
he promptly burned or carried to dis
tant fields and buried so deeply that
the chickens can not get at them.
/ They must not be allowed To eat
purifying meats from kitchen waste.
Such should always be buried or burn
ed
Some imagine that because chickens
will scratch in manure and all manner
OF filth in lots and around outhouses.
such foods are not injurious to them.
But here is where mistakes and
failures come in. The ground where
chickens run and feed must be clean
if the birds are to live and be
healthy, and if they are not healthy
the hens and pullets will not lay
Where the flock is allowed free range
of the farm grounds, rubbish and
filth of all kinds must be kept down
to a minimum. The birds must al
ways have clean grounds, clean food
and clean drink. as well as clean
houses to roost in.
Watering chickens well at all sea-
sons is one of the most important
items in poultry raising. They must
have clean drinking water where they
can partake of il at will all the time
If they are to grow or produce profit
ably. But in average cases both the
drinking vessels and the grounds
where the drinking vessels stand soon
become polluted. No matter what
kind of trough or drinking vessel, the
birds will soon pollute it and make
il insanitary The only thing to do is
to scald out the vessel every day or
IN. oil 4 no
il to "A new and clean place Too much
care can not be exercised in this
matter. IL is a preventive measure
that works for success.
Do not think because hot weather
is over and cooler days are coming
that lice and mites will cease to
trouble. These pests are one great
cause Of low egg yield. Make eternal
war against them. one way to lessen
the chances of insect pests in the hen
house is TO paint the interior heavily
to seal the small cracks in which they
hide and breed. If the boards of the
house are too rough to be painted
easily then whitewash heavily, using
carbolic acid in the wash and applying
it hot. Use sprayer for washing if
all of the cracks and corners can not
be reached with a brush. Dope" the
interior heavily TO make thorough
job of it, and few weeks later in the
fall give it a second doping to make
sure that not a single pest remains
alive to torment the hens over winter.
Then, after you are sure that all the
lice and mites in the house have been
destroyed, give each separate bird
busting with insect powder TO kill lice
on them. A good job OF busting
chickens is done by holding the bird
by the legs and rubbing the powder
into the feathers. BY holding the
head OF the bird down the insect pow
der will work into the feathers better.
Success with poultry is just as sure
and easy as success with hogs, beef
cattle or dairy cattle. Farmers who
make a success with these animals
feed and look after the general well
fare of their animals in the very best
way they know how. The good hog
raiser not only feeds a balanced ration
but he disinfects bedding, rotates feed
ing and pasture lots and does every
thing that tends to keep the animals
free from disease and growing rapidly.
The good dairyman looks after the
individual needs of every COW every
day, and the cows are fed literally OF
variety.
Keeping a flock OF laying hens is not
unlike keeping a herd of dairy cows
Both kinds of animals are kept as
producing stock. The composition Of
milk and eggs is much alike. III the
dairy COW must be comfortably
sheltered and fed well-balanced ra-
ton TO produce a large quantity OF
milk. so must the laying hen be com
fortably sheltered and fed a balanced
ration in order TO be able TO lay eggs
regularly