Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-09-29
P Y
CONSULTING DEPARTMENT
Poultry Paragraphs

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en- them, supply grit also. Most yards
are bare of grinding material, and
even farm range does not always sup
ply sharp gravel or grit. See that
they have the right thing constantly
at hand, and the fowls will reward
you.
Don't be afraid to advertise Your
stock. Ii you bought fowls from re-
liable breeders do not be afraid to try
the pure-bred business for yourself.
A cement floor is dry and not neces-
sarily cold if kept Uttered with straw
or hay. 1t is the tightest and best of
floors If the poultry are annoyed by
rats or dampness.
Not What You Feed, But How
| have during the last two winters
had good returns from my hens dur
ing cold weather, and | think Banner
readers may be interested to know
how simple a task this is.
| have fed only what every farmer
has on his farm, and think it is not
what one feeds SO much as how he
feeds it. | try TO make conditions as
spring like as possible during winter.
store large amount Of cabbage tur-
nips, in fact, all the green stuff that
can from the garden. | place the
cabbage, etc. in the cellar or bury it,
and feed a small amount each day
during the winter, especially on the
very cold days. -
| drive the hens from their roost-
ing quarters to an old barn where |
have previously arranged a good lit
ter made of shredded fodder, straw or
chaff. Among the litter | place wheat,
oats, some shelled corn or any grain
that feed Sorghum cane seed, sun
flower seed and millet are good. |
also place a few oyster shells each
day, for ! have found them an excel
lent grit food. 1t is a pleasure on a
cold cay to watch the hens come in
and dive into the litter and scratch.
On extremely cold days / feed boil
ed oats in the morning and reserve the
scratch feed until noon. Keep good
fresh water by the hens at all times.
Since / have been feeding this way
the hens have more than paid double
for their feed and the small amount
of care | have put on them.
Advises caponizing
| advise all poultrymen to caponize
all surplus cockerels if they would get
the most profit out of them. A large
capon will weigh from II to Ia
pounds. / have known them to reach
16R pounds, though of course this is
an exception. They will bring from
20 to 30 cents per pound at Thanks
giving and Christmas time. Then |
always hold a few capons over to
raise my early spring chicks. They
will mother them as well as any hen,
and they are so large they can take
care of large number of chicks. They
take chicks for company, as none of
the other fowls will have anything to
DO with a capon.
Early Matched cockerels are old
enough for caponiZing in August. 1t
is a little difficult to tell just when the
right time comes for this operation,
for different breeds mature at differ
enC times. The proper time is just
before the cockerel begins to crow and
his comb begins to redden up.
The operation is very simple, expli- |
cit directions coming with the tools. |
Care should be taken afterward, not
to crowd them on the roosts until |
they are well. A capon is not usually |
sold until about a year old.
When my capons are grown they
were almost as large as turkeys.
have to laugh as ! remember how at
first people would stop and ask the
name of that new breed of chickens. !
| caponized few for my neighbors at
first and now | have job each sum-
mer that nets me quite little money.
The heavier breeds of poultry make |
the best capons. | like their meat |
better than turkey or goose, think it |
superior in that it is sweeter and ten
derer. There is quite a demand for |
capon meat now and it will be much I
greater in few years when people |
know more of it. Poultry raisers who |
are wise will commence caponizing |
now. Then they will understand it |
when the public comes to
demand big capons for Thanksgiving. |
A capon eats but little more than a
rooster, but will weigh twice if not |
three times as much in the same |
length of time, and they bring almost |
four times as much money per pound |
Just try out few cockerels.-R. f. ID.
5, Ionia.
Mighty Useful