Evening star., 1915-12-12
Poultry Yard Notes.

| The pullets as well as the mature
| hens should be- laying we'll by this
time. and it is up to the poultrymen to
keep the fowls in condition to continue
doing their duty. Strictly fresh eggs
| the Neutrality-suspicious. old kind-have
| been selling at from so to 60 cents a
dozen in Washington for several weeks,
| these prices being paid by private Gus
| toners who demand that the eggs they
use shall be as fresh as it is possible
| to get them.
| at this price there is a fair profit for
the producer. even though the price of
| feed of all kinds is higher now than
it has been at any time in the memory
| of most poultrymen. But to obtain
| these prices the eggs must be of the
| very highest class. The shells must
| be imma aculately clean-and Washing
| rule, though consumers are not will
| ing to pay a premium for them-and
| the eggs must be gathered fresh at
| least once a day.
| By the plentiful use of clean, bright,
| dry straw or clean leaves as litter
the litter being at least six inches deep
on the floor of the house-the eggs
| may be kept perfectly clean. an end
which cannot be attained If the floors
are allowed to become and remain
| filthy. or If there are damp and muddy
| spots, or the fowls are permitted to
| run at large during bad weather.
| AS long as the ground remains dry
| and free from snow the fowls may be
| permitted to range all day though
| they must be housed at night, of
| course. Much growing green stuff re-
mains around the garden. the yard and
| the fields. and the fowls relish such
| stuff gathered by themselves much
lyron n1Ny fan hoy n
| kind of material given to them by the
poultryman. Besides, the fowls will
find and swallow much sharp, gritty
material, small stones and gravel, all
One poultryman has devised a dry
I mash ration which he says has made
his pullets come through" with eggs
at an amazing rate. He buys the
cracklings remaining after lard has
been expressed, getting the residue at
a very low price, and mixes these
cracklings with the dry mash, in the
proportion of about a pint of the finely
ground cracklings to a gallon of mixed
mash. composed of bran. middIings
cornmeal and alfalfa meal with a
Tablespoonful of salt and a handful of
eranulated charcoal. The fowls eat
this mash with avidity, and it's effects
according to the poultryman, have
been wonderful
Inquiry at several market stands in
washington which make the lard they
sell indicates that the cracklings NAV
be bought for about cents a pound
or less II they are bought in quantities
AT this price they may be fed econom-
ically, though as they are undoubtedly
| very fattening-beng the residue re-
naming after hog lard has been ex-
tpressed-caution should be exercised
In feeding them 1t is doubtful. too, If
the cracklingS would satisfy the ap-
petite for animal matter supply the
lack of other meat feed if continued
too long.
In housing the fowls for the winter
keep the pullets and hens separated as
far as possible. If space permits keep
all pullets in one house and all the
hens in another. The reason for this
is that hens require less feed than pull
lets. and also a ration not so rich in
protein. Pullets. not being fully ma
tured, require more and richer feeds
than hens. If housed together, the flock
being fed according to the needs OF
the hens, the pullets will be underfed
while if the ration is based on the
needs of the pullets the hens will over
eat and become too fat to lay
Two leading experiment stations
| Maine and Connecticut. use mercuria]
ointment to control lice and mites in
poultry. Ihe connecticut authorities
make a salve by mixing equal parts OF
so per cent mercurial ointment and
| vaseline. without heating. the two
being thoroughly blended together
The quantity for each adult bird is a
piece the size of a grain of corn, smear
ed and rubbed in the skin over an area
the size of half dollar, about half ar
inch below the vent. 1t is claimed tha,
two or three applications a year will
keep the poultry entirely free from
lice This ointment kills not only the
lice but the eggs. The mercurial oint.
ment can be procured from any drug
store. A dimes worth of blue Ointment
will keep the body lice from fifty fowls
for year.
A mash recommended by the soutt
Carolina Agricultural College for in.
creased egg production is the follow.
ing:
Pounds
| Cottonseed meal Ion
| 81
!
, | Wheat shorts 81
Ground lime rock fertilizer lime). ....... II
| Ground charcoal 1: