Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-04

are to blame for much of the loss
ration and spelling Of the eggs. Pro-
duction of none but infertile eggs and
gathering the eggs at least once day
preferably twice-would do away
Fertile eggs will develop spots and
blood rings within forty eight hours
during extremely hot weather. and this
results in loss to the retailer.
By keeping the layers in fiocks to
themselves. with no males in the docks.
the eggs will be infertile, and such
eggs keep much better than fertile
ones. Furthermore, infertile eggs are
more attractive when served soft boil
ed. or in any manner in which the con-
sumer has opportunity to see the egg
entire. Particularly is it true that eggs
served at soda fountains must be the
product of focks from which the males
many soda fountains will not buy fer
tile eggs at all If they know it.
1t is just as easy-in fact. easier
SO. The males have absolutely no in
nuence whatever on the production of
eggs, and many experts assert that
their pullets and hens actually lay bet
ter when males are excluded from the
hocks than they do when the males
are permitted to run with them. BY
banishing the males from laying houses
or pens. and gathering the eggs twice
each day-never permitting them to re-
main in the nests, at the longest, more
than from morning until evening-the
eggs will always be fresh and clean,
and the layers will be more docile and
less inclined to try to fly the fences.
The poultryman will also find that he
indeed. it Is usual even in Washington
where highest prices for eggs never
reach the altitude of prices for similar
products in Philadelphia, New York.
Boston. Chicago and other large cities
TO ask cents a dozen more for
strictly fresh infertile eggs than for
the eggs from hens running with male
birds.
During the melting period the hens
should be kept on ration almost as
full as at other seasons OF the year.
Many poultrymen make the mistake of
cutting down the feed when the hens
begin to mott, on the theory that semi
brings the hens back into laying
sooner. This is not true. and little
study of facts and conditions will suf-
nee to convince any practical poultry
man of the fallacy of the reasoning.
When poultry is melting the demand
on the system for proper nourishment
ls Just as heavy as at any other time.
The new feathers are forming and COM
ing out while the old. dead plumage is
dropping. off. To supply the materials
for this new set of plumage requires
reasonably full feed, and If it is not
supplied the mott will be delayed and
carried late into the summer or even
hens do not recover in time to begin
laying early In autumn. and. in fact.
often do not grow their new feathers
until the weather has become SO cool
that the fowls contract colds. These
colds often develop into roup, and the
disease runs through an entire flock,
causing heavy mortality and conse-
quent financial loss which would have
been avoided had the fowls been fed
properly and completed their mott in a
few weeks,
During the mott the greater part of
the dry mash ration may be omitted,
though it will be well to keep a mix
wheat bran, two parts of alfalfa meal
and one part of corn meal in hoppers
where the fowls can get 1t whenever
they want it. Meat meal and gluten
meal should be left out OF the dry mash,
and 1t will not be advisable to feed a
Wet-or moist-mash at all during the
molt. A little fine salt, thoroughly
mixed with the corn meal before the
latter is mixed with the other ingre-
dents. is beneficial, but only in the pro-
portion of about teacupful of salt to
bushel Of corn meal
Ample quantities Of green feed must
be supplied II the fowls are not on
open range where they can get all
they want Of growing green stuff.
h leaves eppus sa01a 1s,s iesSss
thrown out when preparing it for the
table or for market-and almost any
kind of crisp. juicy vegetable material.
will not only go a long way toward
reducing the quantity of other feed
consumed by the fowls. but will keep
them in better health than If they are
deprived Of such feed or the supply
Is limited.
The hard grain mixture during the
mott should consist of oats, with wheat,
barley or rye, and small quantity
Of corn. The oats may be half of
the total quantity; say, three parts
OF oats, two OF wheat, rye or barley,
or all three mixed, If preferred, and
one of cracked corn. This grain mix
During the hot weather it will be
better to feed the grain ration in
troughs. as the fowls will not require
the exercise of scratching 1t out of
the litter: The grain should be fed
in quantities of about an ounce and a
half per hen per feeding, for the Leg
horns and other small breeds, with a
little more-say, an ounce and three
quarters or two ounces-for Plymouth
rocks and the other large breeds.
The omission of the cornmeal from
the dry mash about once a week, and
substitution therefor of the same guam
tity of linseed meal will be found bene-
fetal. Also If a tablespoonful of Epson
salts is dissolved in each gallon of
the drinking water given to the fowls
once a week the result will be good.
Attenuation should be arranged so
that the linseed meal will be fed
one day early in the week. and the
salts given in the drinking water one
day toward the close Of the week.
Too much emphasis cannot be laid
on the necessity of keeping the fowls
supplied with plenty of fresh. cool,
clean water to drink. When the
weather is hot they should be watered
three times a day, or never less than
twice daily. The water vessels should
be located in some spot not reached
by the sun, SO that the water will re-
main cool as long as possible. The
vessels should also be given thor
ough cleansing every morning, being
scrubbed out carefully with a brush
and rinsed with clean water before
they are filled.
Provided the hens are properly fed,
provided with shade of some sort to