Charlevoix county herald., 1914-11-21
Winter Eggs.

Winter eggs is a term used by
poultrymen not only for eggs that
are aid during January and Febru-
airy, but also for those produced in
the late fall. The so-called winter
egg" is the pullet egg; yearlings and
old hens after year of good work
cannot be expected to shell out the
finished produc. while they are un-
dergoinI the process of taking on a
new coat of feathers; so the object
should be to bring the young stock
into laying condition when the hens
begin TO mott. Just because the old
birds are not payin;. for their keep,
they are not to be neglected, but
should be kept in the pink of condi-
tion until the time they are wanted
to furnish eggs for incubation. The
yearling is the factor from which
material for the early wants of the
incubator is to be relied on as the
"pullet egg" is hardly safe to he
used until late in the season.
The method of feeding the pullets
is Of great Importance in order that
they may be brought into laying
condition just at the time the year
lings have stated to mott. The
principal object is to have them full
ly -natured, with plenty of constitu-
tional vigor; this is only to be ac-
complished through exercise and
faultless feeding. hey should be
made to work for very morsel of
grain before room. This means a
deep litter of straw. can now re-
call a pretty sight LAST summer
where nine youngsters were COM
pletely covered with straw, working
in the bottom of the coop for the
last hidden grains. Thee birds viii
be filling the nest bcx when the 9TH
er fellow is looking blue and glum.
We have been very successful in
feeding only wheat for the morning
meal; at noon we give the green
food, principally sprouted oats, as
lawn clippings are useless late in
the season. This brings to mind
gentleman who said that he could
not get his pullets to eat lawn clip
pings. He had run the mower over
some tough grass that was COM
pletely burned by the sun. ex-
planned to him that he might just
as well try to induce his flock TO eat
hay. 1t might be well for the be-
ginner to remember that grass dur
ing the months of August and Sep
tember is only fit for poultry after
a good hard rain.
In addition to the sprouted oats we
give our growing stock mash made
of bran, shorts, ground oats and
corn meal, to which we add 10 per
cent of beef scraps; this we place
in hoppers to be eaten at will by the
birds. At night we throw enough
commercial scratch feed in front of
the birds so that every youngster
will go to rocst with a full crop.
Our motto in feeding is liberality
and regularity.
In conjunction with intelligent
feeding it is absolutely essential
that the growing stock have char
coal always within their reach. The
Importance of charcoal is recognized
in a general way, but too often it
is neglected. If kept before the
birds, they will nibble enough to
keep themselves in prime condition.
Keep this great panacea for all bow
ell disorders away from the lock for
a few days and see how they will
gorge themselves with it when it is
again placed before them. This
ought to be ample evidence that it
is a real necessity. Charcoal is one
of the elements that tend to keep up
the stamina of the birds so that
they may be in the best of health
when they start laying. We might