The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-02-24
later than, May OF the preceding
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later than May or the preceding
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Feeding the Flock.
1t takes healthy, well fed flock to
produce eggs, Fowls must not be al
lowed to become too fat, as but few
eggs will be laid by hens in such con-
dition. To prevent their getting over
fat 1t is best to make them work for
most of their feed by scratching In the
litter, of which there should be about
four inches on the floor. This litter
can be of straw, leaves or chaff and
should always be kept dry.
A. good feed for egg production Is
one composed of corn, wheat and oats,
equal parts by measure. 1t is advisa-
bic to use home grown grains whenever
possible. In sections where corn and
oats do not thrive, other grains can
be used to good advantage. For ex-
, ample, a mixture of equal parts by
measure of Kaffir corn. oats and barley
will produce good results. Scatter a
small handful of this mixture for ev-
cry three hens in the litter morning and
noon and give them all they will eat
Of it in V shaped trough at night. In
the winter time some green feed should
be fed at noon-cabbage or mangel
wurzels. either chopped or whole, are
good. Every few days look in the lit
ter carefully and see If the fowls are
eating all the grain being given them;
| If not, reduce the quantity. Fowls that
have to work for what feed they get
seldom become overfat. Grit and oys-
ter shells in a hopper should always be
kept before them. The grit is used to
grind their feed, and the oyster shell
| furnishes the lime for the eggshells
Be sure to keep water before them at
all times. Birds that are laying drink
much more water than those that are
not laying The water should be kept
out of the direct rays of the sun. Dur
ing the fail and winter months, when
colds and roup are apt to appear among
the poultry, 1t is advisable to add the
amount Of permanganate of potash
which will remain on the face of a
ten cent piece to each gallon of drink
ing water. |r. ST..
In sitting hens care should be taken
to use only fertile eggs. Thirty eggs
are set under three hens at the same
time. ten under each. At the end Of
seven days we find on testing the eggs
that ten are infertile, which leaves us
twenty eggs to reset. which we do by
putting them under two hens and have
the remaining one to set over again
after she has set only seven days.
A good homemade egg tester or can
der can be made from q large shoe
box or any box that Is large enough to
go over a lamp by removing On end
and. cutting hole little larger than
the Size Of quarter In the bottom of
the box, so that when it is set over a
common Kerosene lamp the hole in the
bottom will be opposite the blaze. A
hole the size of silver dollar should
be cut in the top of the box to allow
the heat to escape. An infertile egg
when held before the small hole with
the lamp lighted inside the box will
look perfectly clear, the same as O
|
a small dark spot. known as the en-
bryo, with mass Of little blood veins
extending In all directions If the en-
bryo is living,
If dead, If the egg has been incubat-
ed for at least thirty-six hours, the
blood settles away from the embryo
toward the edges of the yolk, forming
in some cases an irregular circle Of
blood, known as q blood ring. Eggs
vary in this respect some showing only
a streak Of blood. The testing should
be done in dark room.
Produce InfertiIe Eggs.
An infertile egg is one that is laid by
a hen that has not been allowed to run
with male bird or by hen from
which male bird has been separated
from seven days to three weeks Ex-
periments have shown that the time
varies. In most cases, however, four
teen days is long enough to wait for
the eggs to become infertile after the
male bird Is removed from the females.
1t Is impossible to hatch an infertile
egg or to cause blood ring to form in
one. 1t also keeps in good condition in
temperatures that will cause fertile
eggs to rot. ,.,' -.
A fertile egg is just the opposite of
the infertile in many respects. 1t is
the egg that Is produced from hens
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