Evening star., 1915-11-14
Poultry Yard Notes.

|
In selecting pullets for this. winters
| layers 1T is advisable to choose those
birds that have grown most rapidly
| and well, and those that show quality,
as indicated by a soft, pliable skin
over the breast bone and abdominal
cavity. In addition to these two con-
siderations quality is further indicated
by the texture of the head parts. The
| comb and wattles should not only be
developed in good shape. but should
| have a fine, smooth, velvety texture. A
| fourth consideration in selecting the
prospective layers is that of capacity.
| A hen in active laying condition re-
quires plenty of room-that is, room
| for the digestive and egg-producing
| organs Such capacity is indicated by
| good width between the pelvic bones,
| and also plenty of width between these
and the end of the keel bone.
| A great many farmers expect their
| hens to steal most of their living from
| the other live stock on the farm, and
! If asked how they feed their flock re-
| ply that the fowls get what corn they
want from the hog lot or in the horse
| barn. Such a method of feeding is just
| about as bad as not feeding at all, and
| it is also the main, if not the only.
| cause of the annual winter shortage of
eggs on the farm.
Give the fowls their grain ration in
| a scratching shed or in litter on the
| floor of the poultry house. This COM
| pels the fowls to work for what they
| eat, it gives them the exercise they
need. and at the same time assures
| that if they are willing to scratch they
| will get all they need to eat. Thus the
fowls are kept healthy and vigorous.
L.
| winter or any other time-and at the
same time are safeguarded against in
| jury under the feet of the horses or
against being killed and eaten by the
hogs.
In making a concrete floor for the
| poultry house. or for cellar under the
| dwelling for that matter, make sure
| that the earth under the floor is as
| firm as possible If it isn't, tamp it
as hard as it can be made. Then spread
| two inches of coarse sand. wet down
| the sand and apply the concrete at least
| three-quarters of an inch thick. Such a
floor will stand for all purposes except
| driving upon.
Don't forget to gather plenty of dry
| road dust or sand. or save ample guam
titles of sifted coal ashes SO that the
hens will have plenty of material IN
which to wallow during the winter
Store the material barrels or boxes
| in dry place. and keep th4 receptacles
| covered.
| If you are through with the fncubators,
brooders and other paraphernalia of the
| poultry yard or houses. store everything
| away in good. dry place until the
| equipment is needed again. Clean all the
| brooders and coops thoroughly, disinfect
them with strong mixture such as
| crude carbolic acid and kerosene, or
some other equally powerful insecticide
and disinfectant. and they will be ready
| for use when they are wanted
| The best litter for duck houses is
| shaving, although sawdust may be made
| to serve in a pinch Either is better
| than straw for ducks. as straw quickly
| becomes damp and molds. 1t is neces-
| sary to have plenty of cleaD. dry litter
| in the feeding houses. both to keep the
| floor dry and to protect the eggs. as
ducks do not lay in nests. but drop their
| Instead of plunging the fowls into
scalding water in order to get the feath-
ers Off that poor method of picking
| is followed-put boiling water into the
| woshboiler some other large vessel,
| lay sticks across the top of the vessel.
| place the fowls on the sticks and then
| cause the water to boil vigorously. The
| rising steam will loosen the feathers
| without wetting them. Turn the car
| casses over and over at intervals until
| the feathers come off easily, and do not
| leave the fowls over the steam long at
| a time.
| From Carlisle, Pa, comes the story of
| a wonderful hen that, according to
| claims made for her. has beaten all ex-
| sting records for continuous laying
with his Minorca hen. Queen Eliza
beaten the worlds egg-laylng record
| recently established by Lady Eglan-
tine" at Delaware College. Queen
| Elizabeth" he asserts, laid 343 eggs in
Byzantine" did is put at 314 eggs in
365 days. Geremyer and his wife GER
| tify to the correctness of this count
| Queen Elizabeth" is said to have be-
gun laying on November 4. 1914, and
| stopped on October 13. 1915, laying an
egg day during that time. Two other
| fowls of the same brood are said to
have laid 32S eggs in the same time
Queen Elizabeth" is a small bird of
| Black Minorca strain with a trace of
Rhode Island Red and weighs four
| pounds.
The chickens of New York-pardon.
the poultry of New York-not what
strutters, are to be bigger and better
from every standpoint If the State Col
iege of Agriculture. at Cornell. has it's
determined way. A breedtesting sta
I tlou has Deess lfsTdIleu tnece, ana, dC-
cording to late bulLatin New York is
| to see some chIckers it will not soon
| forget.
| Many will recall the ease of Toby
| Shays hen. 1t was he who explained:
| had a pretty little hen.
The minister he ate her
! She left weeping parents, for
[ They were n incubator.
| But at Cornell things are quite diff
ferent. Ten carefully selected hens,
having the full possession of their
faculties and being fairly interested in
| their work, are to be taken from ap-
proved farms and trap-nssted for
| year. Then other farmers, whose meth
ods of hen raising are approved, will
| be allowed to send in the best of their
| specimens, which will he mated to
strong vitality, high pedigreed Cornell
male birds. During the breeding sea-
son chicks from these matings will be
eg-banded and shipped to the owners
| choice males from the college flock with
none but the best Of egg-type hens.
| More than SO per cent of the eggs
produced in the United States are laid
during the months of March, April and
May.
| Efforts are being made in New York
city and state to obtain the rigid en-
| that all cold-storage eggs sold must
be plainly marked, so that buyers will
| not purchase storage eggs under the
Impression that they are strictly fresh.
The 100-egg turkey is about in the
same class with the 200-egg hen, but
Clarence Erskine of Highland county.