The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-13

Browns Mills. N. ].
 Copyright, 1915)
 Year by year the demand for fresh summer eggs increases. A great deal of this demand Is now being supplied by
 amateur or backyard poultrymen. who have found in the summer hotels a prof itable source of income.
 There are a number of ways of increas-
 pense and with very little additional trouble In this article MT. Hicks shows how results are achieved with small flocks of hens.
 The great packing houses and others
 who put away eggs in large numbers In
 cold storage vaults usually make the
 month of April one of their heaviest
 storing months. There are several req
 sons for this, but the main one is that
 April is the time of the average lowest
 price for good eggs that will do for pack
 ing and holding over for several months.
 Really good fresh summer eggs are hard 10 find except on the farms and ranches run by poultrymen. A large proportion of the eggs produced under average farm conditions after May l are often subject to heat that has started the germ to de- veloping. This developing germ dies in
 
 unfit for food.
 Owing to the scarcity of really fresh eggs in warm summer weather, the mar ket price in the larger cities usually shows a steady upward tendency from
 some time in May or June up through the summer and fall months, even until after the holidays
 As matter of fact, really good fresh eggs can be produced cheaper in the summer than at other tima of tho | year, but it requires more care and sys- tenn than just to allow the hens to at l tend to 1t themselves.
 They cannot be permitted to lay any where they please, nor can the poultry | raiser gather eggs irreguarly or occa- week end. dirty, stale and possibly spoil 1 ing because of being held too long In warm weather
 Separate Males and Females The first important step Is to separate | all males from the hens so the eggs will | be sterile. A warmth of 90 degrees for a | few hours will not start the sterile eggs incubating. If the males are of choice enough quality to be held over for breed | ing another year, they should be confined | in a yard by themseives, even if 1t Is | necessary to pull the main flight feathers l out of one wing on each male. But un- I less they have special value for future | breeders, 1t pays to send them to market | rather than to feed them a whole year before they will be needed again for | breeding purposes. The average male | eats too much in the 8 or 10 months he must be carried as useless drone. It is
 better to buy new males under these circumstances. thus adding new and i'm proved blood yearly.
 l The hens lay just as well, if not bet l ter, without the attention of the males and the eggs will keep fresher and l better. The sooner the males are dis posed of. either by selling them or put l ting them in the pot, the better for the l laying powers of the hen as well as l the keeping qualities of the eggs. The l earlier they are sold the better, because | chickens for the market get cheaper every week In the summer in con
 stantly descending scale instead of in- l creasing in price as choice eggs usual l ly do.
 Another feature too often overlooked Is the prompt gathering at least twice
 day, and, if at all possible marketing | the same day as gathered. If 1t is not l convenient account of the small number gathered; the eggs may be l taken up once day and marketed every other day. but while they are being held for the market they must | be kept in a cool place-never ir the l kllcntU or u WdTl1l A CtliUl
 makes the best place, If not damp or l moldy.
 l As the warm weather of summer aD- breaches. some special care must be l given the laying hens If the maximum ] egg yield is to be expected during the
 extremely hot weather.
 l Kinds of Feed Important l The feed should be gradually changed so as to have less fattening properties. | L. <l~. txo v,<, AAI I1 faf ff,, l material to keep up her body heat when she Is not resisting cold. This means feeding less corn and cornmeal l in the summer than In the winter and l spring. Vegetables and green feed | should be increased, as these tend to cool off the blood and increase the amount of water in the system of the | hens Since vegetables such as beets, | cabbage, etc, abound In the summer, l they should be fed literally Grasses, such as clover alfalfa and even blue grass lawn clippings. are a good green l feed for hens. especially in the days l in summer Green feed Is the cheapest | feed the poultryraiser can use, and should be freely used at this important l time of the year. If the proper variety 1 it given and If it Is properly prepared laying hen will eat from 20 to 20 per cent of her rations of succulent green feed.
 Again the methods of feeding should be different in the summer from those practiced in the winter. An abundance of exercise is necessary in the winter, but 1t is not so important in the sum mer There should be enough to keep the hens from becoming over-fat, but usually with range and open weather of summer, there Is not much danger of over-fat, especially if the corn. corn meal and similar foods are held down to not over one-third of the entire summer feed. Tn the summer 1t is not necessary to make the hens dig, unless the yards are very small. Shade Should Be Ample If possible, hens should have more range in summer and have plenty of shade. The shade should not be over more than one-third of their runs, or there will be trouble in a damp, rainy sea son. There Is such thing as too much shade even In summertime. but the fault Is more often the other way. Where
 no natural shade can be had. such as grove or orchard, sun-shades must be made by stretching cloth about four feet off the ground or else by building low
 frame sheds with all four sides open for
 the air to pass through, thus abling
 hens to protect themselves and at the
 same time have the advantage of any
 rassing breeze. It is impossible to get q
 good yield of summer eggs if the hens
 must stay in the coops during the heat
 ,f the day to protect themselves from the
 blazing rays of the summer sun.
 During the hot summer hens naturally
 drink more water. and this should be
 supplied at least twice daily. fresh pure and cool. The warm weather also devel-
 .l I Al