The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-03-26
Poultry Raising on Tie FARM.

~-Ss s~AsSsssS Oss TIC
Poultry raising on the farm is one of the
essential departments of the live stock te-
cause there is no stock that will produce so
great an income from the standpoint Of the
hrst investment together with feed consumed
as will poultry. Probably the easiest fowls
to raise are some of the STANDARD breeds of
chickens, such as Plymouth Rocks, Wayn-
dots, Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds and
many other good varieties might be menti-
| oned.
notice from the report of the Kansas
State Board tof Agriculture that during the
year of 1899 tile total value of barley, rye,
}buckwheat, broomcorn, rice, Kafircorn,
tax, small fruits, grapes, all orchard produ-
cts, sugar cane and beets, raised in the Unit
ed States as reported by the census was
less than the earnings of the poultry. From
the above and. many other like comparisons
we can see the Importance and value of the
poultry business in the United States, and
shows that there are great. possibilities to
| be attained by any one who will go into
the business with determination to make
good! There are a few things in business
that must be given careful attention in order
to succeed.
| Probably the first question tnat will con-
front beginner is the selection ofthe breed,
This will depend much upon the object In
view OF the farmer as to weather he wants
a breed of chickens noted for their laying
qualities or the larger breeds which are
better known for their meat producing
qualities. This however must be decided
| by the farmer himself as to his choice of
breed. After he has made this selection
I the poultry house is the next thing to re-
celye his careful though. Contrary to gen
neral belief that the house must be expensive
| IN oreder to meet the requirements for
|. which it is built is not true. The main OBJ
EjectS of poultry house is to have it so con-
kstrncted that it will admit plenty of sun as
! nothing breeds yermin or disease much worse
F than darke one. 1t is also true that the
f pens should be kept clean and well ventilat-
led. Another thing that is of considerable
importance is the warmth of the house dur
ing the winter months as cold drafts in the
hen house prevent the hens from laying and
no one need expect eggs under such condi.-
ions. Then we must see that the hen house
must be well lighted, kept clean and worm
if we expect to get eggs through the winter.
/ The proper feeding of poultry or any live
stock if successfully done much be done
from the standpoint of feeding the stock the
of feed that will produce the desired results.
This is as true with pobltry as any other
live stock. Variety in the hens rations is
something that should require very close at
tention. No single grain should be made
an exclusive diet. A good ration is wheat
to feed in the morning and some Lighter
food at noon such as meat scraps or a brand
mash and corn in the evening. Ii is not
good plan to feed a brand mash if it is
wet OF sloppy, in making the mash only
enough water should be used to thoughly
moisten the brand. There are objections
TO feeding brand mash either morning or
| evening as it is claimed by some that fed
the evening it will not produce sufficient
warmth for the fowls during the night in
cold weather, and if fed in the morning it
usually causes the hens to be lazy and will
sit around and fail to go to the nest. Pro-
baby one of the best methods in feeding is
to feed grain ration in the morning such
as wheat or oats in plenty of litter on the
feeding floor. This makes the hens take the
proper amount of exercise and puts vigor
and activity info the system, which keeps
them healthy and productive. Think there
is no feed for the evening meal that suits
quite so we'll as agood feed of corn, especials
ly is this true during the cold winter months.
There are great many other rations that
can be worked out, but the farmer is usual I
" governed by the supply of feeds he may
have on hands. This sometimes accounts |
for the lack of eggsin winter, because the
farmer usually feeds such feeds as he has on |
hand and not the kind the hens should have. I
The watchword in feeding the fowls should
be variety of foods, regular time for feeding
with plenty of fresh water, and a good supp
ly of sharp grit.
a. L. DoN
Farmer.