Milford chronicle., 1915-09-10

GALOA - anu supply NuClA every wal
if you expect them to be in the pil
of condition for fall laying.
As soon as the moult is we'll starte
you should begin to feed literally a goo
balanced grain ration, and in addition
supply them with good mash or egj
laying food. Be especially careful
give them a good meat diet and plent
of green food
There are, of course, many kinds q
green food which are productive of goo
results, but unless you are a farmer an
have an ample quantity stored away
there is possibly none that can be fur
nished as cheaply as sprouted oats
These are not only mOney-saving, bu
make the best of food for hens.
Just at this time, it is best to prepar
for the winter yield of eggs, whicl
means much to the poutryman who i
looking for profits. The greatest prof
comes from the sale of eggs, and at
time when they are normally scarce
The man who is in position to supply
fresh eggs during the cold months is the
man wOh reaps the largest profits from
his fowls and is ultimately successful.
Drones, or non-producing hens, car
ried over the winter eat what little
profit the average poultryman makes
on his birds, and disgusts the breeder to
such an extent that he gives up the idea
Ofraising chickens with the oft repeated,
There is no money in poultry"
In order to get money out of poultry,
the breeder must be on the job every
minute, and understand and supply
every want of the fowls. To do this
means work, real work. One cannot
expect to have success with poultry if
he persists in sitting idly by, and takes
little or no interest in his flock.
The biggest fault with the average
poultry raiser, particularly those who
do not depend entirely upon the Aocks
for livelihood, is that they pin their
all to the birds they have purchased as
breeders, and think that every bird
thrown from these matings should be
not only standard in respect to its car
riage, plumage, ETC., but that it should
also be an egg machine. This will not
hold true. In order to perfect en- egg
laying strain, one is compelled to resort
to the wedding out process, using only
the very best layers in his breeding
pens. This process, continued year af-
ter year, will result in the establish
ment of a good strain noted for its lay
ing qualities.
If you have not already practiced this
process of elimination, then start now.
Better start late than never, and the
result will be that your next years
hatchings will be Just a little better
than this years. After two or three
years of close culling, you will be able |
to boast of something worth while.
The picking out of the layers from
the flock has been the cause of, not only
much controversy and argument among
poultrymen, but has caused a great deal
of worry.
To a great number of persons, par
tcularly those who raise poultry on a
small or limited scale, hen is hen.
In other words they do not seem to
grasp the idea of improvement in a flock.
They content themselves with Just
raising chickens, " and if the hens lay,
hey are happy; if they don't they heap (
abuse upon the fowls. But whatever
happens, they continue to go along in
his rut. {
Then too, these are not in a class by &
themselves. A majority of poultrymen
III over the country, and included with q
hese are many poultry writers, who do 4
lot make a study of the best and most 0
Practicable way to pick the layers from b
he drones.
1t may be that they consider them
elves too busy to give any attention to
MS all-important subject, particularly
hen they desire to raise poultry either cl
)r exhibition or commercial purposes. =,
wing to this they rely too much upon =,
lelr selection of various specimens for :,
-eeding purposes, with the hope of y,
Hiding up a real laying strain. Prac- q,
ce Of this method will never result in ~
" good to the breeder. but on the f.
her hand, will greatly handicap him
his fight for egg production. Egg
is the result of mating heavy
yers, and then too, the process of -,
cking out and discarding all those ~, ~
rds which fall below the mark that IA
Q been set
The man who is not only looking for y
ard to, but working for, heavy lay -
: strain of fowls, lin other words, = =,
2 careful breeder) will look,more eau 10
usly into the mating than simply re- tbal 70
ng upon specimens obtained, the pro- taj
ny of good mothers. en, aS
n order to distinguish the best birds e.,
a flock, and the ones to be used as -;
,eders, the trap-nest is relied upon
lost entirely by the average poultry
n. By the use of this nest, it is of
rise possible to distinguish the per-
nance of each individual bird, and
mes can be readily picked out and I
posed of. While the trap-nest is a bus
ular detective, and answers every N
pose, yet with very large focks it is dre
ost impossible to use them, owing II spe
he vast amount of work they neces- Mr..
te. N
he trap-nest, however, has its dis ton.
antages as well as its good points. Geo
the use of the trap-nest, a breeder Il
lmpelled to wait whole year before beel
g able to determine the best layers ter
e ones he desires to use as breeders. M
y persons are under the impression ert.
they can use the trap-nest during and
spring and summer months, and Nj
1g this time, pick out the birds for man
breeding pens. This is not true, man
sver. for while you want spring Schc
3, you also want fall and winter year