Evening star., 1915-01-31
WORK FOR POU[TRYMAN
PREPARING FOR SPRING
Now Is the Time for Progressive
Chicken Raisers to Get Busy
With Seasons Work.
Selecting Breeders, Cleaning House
and Looking After General Health
of the Flock Are in Season.
BY MICHAEL K. BOYER,
Poultry Editor of the Farm Journs


Poultry Editor of the Farm Journal.
Copyright, 1851
The poultryman's busiest season
should be the spring. Then 1t Is ne lays
the foundation for d successful or uh-
successful year.
There are the breeding pens to be
made up: the purchase of new stock
to be considered; the general health
of the stock, especially the breeders
to be looked after; the cleansing of the
quarters; warning against vermin. and
a score of other things to be done
that will keep the poultry raiser busy.
Repairs to the poultry house can then
be made and a general overhauling OF
the premises can be attended 10. Do
it now is the slogan for this season.
1t will pay handsomely later on.
Spring is the busiest season for the
poultryman, and it is none too early
to begin preparations at the beginning
of the year. The majority of poultry
men mate up their breeding pens in
January, SO their fowls may become
we'll acquainted with one another by
the time the eggs are needed for hatch
ing.
In making up the pens great care
should be taken in selecting both the
male and the females. The selection
must be made according to object de-
sired. If for fancy the standard re-
quirements must be met as near as
possible; if for meat, then plump. full
breasted and broad-backed specimens
should be selected, and if for eggs. the
long-bodied birds, with pelvic bones
wide apart, should be chosen. If in ad-
dition there is a trapnest record of the
birds in their pullet year, SO much the
better.
Poultrymen generally save the pull
lets from their March, April and May
matches for future layers, marketing
the rest as table poultry. If pullets are
selected from the matches of the above
named months it will be possible TO
have table eggs for sale during the
when the old hens are in their mott
and eggs, in consequence, are very
scarce.
Now is good time to purchase new
blood. A better choice might have been
had a month or two ago. Delaying the
purchase of new birds until spring
generally results in dissatisfaction, as
the choicest went with the early Or
derS.
It is assumed that good-sized pens
have been provided for the breeders,
SO that the floor may be heavily 1T
tered with straw, hay or leaves. EXer-
else is the keynote of success both IN
eggs and fertility. There Will be a
will be such as to make it unsafe to
allow the fowls outdoors. If the house
is comfortable and the exercising kept
UP they will not suffer at all by this
confinement In fact, it will do them
good.
As to the Breeding Flock.
In mating up fiocks for breeding, the
size must be governed by the breed. In
other words, in the Asiatic class (Brah-
mas and Cochins) l find six females
and male about right. In the Ameri-
can class, 10 to IA females to a male
is good In the Mediterranean class it
should be about u to 90 females to a
male. In order to secure better fertil-
ity and stronger chicks more than one
male (brothers), is possible should be
selected for the pen, so that they can
be alternated, about once week. This
does away with faVoritiSm, one OF the
prime reasons for infertlllty.
Broiler raising is Il branch ntted Tor
spring, and the months of January and
February are the best for Matching out
the chicks. During these months 100
good yearling hens should easily fur
nish sufficient eggs to fill an incubator
of from 100 to 200 egg capacity each
week. If "A machine is set each week,
a hatch will come off weekly, and after
the first shipment is sent to market,
there will be regular shipments week
ly throughout the season.
To have a uniform lot of chicks only
a single breed should be kept. The
eggs from mongrels Will produce
broilers that will not be uniform IN
weight, size or condition.
No time should be lost in placing or
ders for incubators, brooders and what
supplies are needed, as delay IN order
ing is very apt to postpone Shipment
causing loss of time.
In mating for future breeders. the