Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-01-13
CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR
WINTER LAYING

Ii is true that the strain mas some
thing TO do with laying qualities, but
am not considering that in this arti-
Gle. Instead ] will set down a few
rules that ought to induce any kind OF
hens to lay enough TO make them prof
table during the cold weather. First.
the birds must be fully matured. Pull
lets of the proper age are best and
next in the order of production come
the year-olds Two-year- hens will
sometimes lay fairly well but it is not
advisable to keep the birds after the
second year In the first place the
quarters must be just right. These
should be tight and free from drafts
and at the same time well ventilated.
1t is doubtless true that the open-front
house is best. Do not crowd the birds.
If the houses are not large enough re-
move part of the flock TO other quar-
ters. Better kill off some if necessary.
You will get more eggs by doing so
Hens simply will not lay if they are
kept in too small a space.
Cleanliness Essential
Keep the pens clean. Cleanliness
insures health, and health is an essen
tial 10 egg production. There should
be droppings boards under all roosts
and these should be cleaned frequent
ly. After doing so, sprinkle sawdust
or dry earth on the boards 10 absorb
moisture and help to neutraliZe the
doors Spray the roosts and boards
frequently to kill the mites that are
so annoying TO the birds. Coal oil,
with a small quantity of crude car
bolic acid added, is an effective mix
ture. Even in winter the mites will
do some mischief if let to work un-
checked. Lice are menaces to egg
production. Provide dust boxes in the
sunniest part Of the house and refill
them often with clean dry earth This
should be provided before the snow
comes on and may be procured from
the highway. This is natures way OF
keeping the parasites in check. In ad
dition TO the dust BATH II is well to
sprinkle the birds with insect powder
once in a while A few lice will es-
cape the dust shower they get daily.
Clean nests, in which the material is
frequently renewed, are also OF inn
portance.
Make the Hens Exercise
Having the needful quarters and
keeping them clean are first essen
tials. Now we must feed the hens
we'll and keep them happy and com
tented In order to do this. the pens
must have a deep layer OF litter on
the floor. This may be dry leaves or
straw Straw is the best material, as
il will last longer and can be worked
over by the hens more easily Six or
eight inches is not too deep. as it is
desirable that the birds should work
hard in hunting for part Of their food.
This keeps them cOntented and gives
them needful exercise. 1t is not nee
| essary to change this litter more than
once during the winter unless the
house is damp. Stir it up once in
while to help the hens find their food.
Feeding Hints
A good mash is composed OF equal
parts of bran, middlings, corn meal,
ground oats. gluten meal, alfalfa meal
and beef scrap. with halt the quantity
Of linseed meal added, also a small
quantity of salt say about one pound
to every $50 pounds of mash. This
should be thoroughly mixed before
feeding / believe this is better for
the birds than the wet mash, but there
are some who get good results from
warm mixtures.
Green food should be fed every day
In winter IhlS serves as an appetizer
and keeps the digestive organs in per
feet order. Vegetables are greatly rel
ished by the birds. Cabbage, turnips
and mangels are best. Cabbages may
be chopped or simply cut in quarters.
The fowls do the rest Mangels are
treated in the same way. The cheap
est form of green food Is sprouted
oats. To provide these, have a num-
Der of shallow boxes. Soak the oats
"a hours and spread them in the box
es, which have been provided with
drainage holes. Sprinkle night and
morning and feed when the sprouts
are two or three inches long. block
six inches square is enough for ten
fowls. feed oats one day and vege-
tables the next, alternating through
out the winter.