Evening star., 1916-01-09

. u. u, JAN y An L y.
weather. If you don't believe this just
ltry feeding them such a meal and
| watch how eagerly they clean 1t up
Save the potato parings and the small
table scraps, etc Get from the butcher
some meat trimmings, refuse. liver or
| lights and boil such scraps couple OF
! hours, until thoroughly tender Then
add the vegetable and table scraps, etc,
| boil half an hour longer and th1cken
with dry mash made of three parts
of bran to one of cornmeal. Use enough
of this to make a crumbly mash. Set
1t away, covered over, until 1t becomes
cool enough for you to thrust your
finger into it without any discomfort,
and then feed it to the hens, giving
them all they will clean up. SUCH
| feed occa sionally adds variety to the
ration and is greatly relfshed by the
fowls. Don't say it is too much trouble
Maybe it is for some people, but not
for the ones that are getting plenty
of fine fresh eggs for the table and
for sale when eggs are bringing haif
a dollar or more dozen.
If your hens are not laying by this
time, then there is something radically
wrong about the condition of your
is, and when you find out. try to remedy
it as promptly as possible.
In selecting yearling hens for breeders
for another year-or. indeed for laying
them carefully during the
moult 1t is not only the early moulters
that you want to select. but the hens
that get through the moulting process
quickly. cleanly and without any appar-
ent loss of condition. Now and then
you will see a hen in the moult whose
comb is almost white and who mopes
around and refuses to eat. This is not
the kind of hen to keep over. either as
la breeder or for laying hen, because
her constitution is not sufficiently
strong to withstand the effects of the
moult
Too many poultrymen practice the
worst kind of false economy in hand
ling their fiocks. Some economic IN
feed. not giving the fowls enough TO
keep them in condition, to say nothing
Of leaving something over for the pro, o.
duction of eggs. If you tell such man
he is not feeding his hens enough he
will say: "I can't afford to feed more:
They do not pay for their feed as it is:
He Is just feeding enough to keep MS
fowls alive without having anything
left over to make eggs. That feed is
practically wasted. 1t prolongs the nfe
of his fowls without bringing any re-
turn. But il he would add to IT a
proper amount in suitable variety OF
egg building material the hens would
pay for it three or four times over.
Those who get plenty of eggs are good
feeders Those who do not get eggs. as
rule, feed too little or too much or
one kind 1t is often said: Don't feed
too much Your fowls will get fat"
But where there is one who feeds too
much there are many who feed too ut
tie, and with well balanced ration
there is little danger of overfeeding.
Then if you tell an inexperienced
poultry keeper on a small scale that
he ought to feed variety, to give a
balanced ration. to keep his houses.
drinking water fresh and clean. or to
do any one of a score of other Things,
he is likely to reply, ut is too much
bother" He will bother" to keep
few hens in half-hearted way ana pc
come disgusted with them because they
do not furnish enough eggs for his
household use, while a little extra care
in doing things right would double the
egg yield.
Another case of false economy is the
way some people house their fowls one
such man has about 500 hens with SUIT
able accommodat tions for not more tina n
100. He thinks he cannot anord 10 pollo
more houses or repair what he has and
make them free from drafts because
his hens do not lay. And no wonder. II
| he would put up proper buildings TOT
the whole flock the increased prohts
in the first year would doubtless pay
for them. To keep poultry for the best
profit one must do it right. just right.
and not neglect any of the little points,
and never skimp on feed.
There Is a limit to expenditures.
Fancy houses do not bring better stock
or even more eggs, and expensive feeds
do not always prove profitable. But
where one makes a mistake in the di-
rection of overexpenditure dozen
practice an economy which is in the
end more expensive.
There has been in recent years a
marked tendency in poultry-house con-
struction toward securing more fresh
air both day and night. by replacing
the glass windows with cloth or muslin
or by making the front either of mus
lin or entiraly open. Tight houses with
double walls ARE almost relics of the
past. even in the most northern parts
of the United States. Fresh air is one
of the prime essentials in poultry
houses, and warmth secured by keep
ing the house shut up tightly is not as
desira BILE lower temperature and
some ventilation. A house which gives
satisfaction in Maine will also give
good results in Texas or California, but
consequently less expensive houses in
the south than in the north.
The back and sides of the. poultry
house should be absolutely tight in
order to prevent drafts. which may
cause colds in the flock. This leaves
only the front of the house of muslin
construction or entirely open. An open
ing which can be closed by a shutter
may be used to advantage in the rear
wall of poultry house in the south
or in growing houses in all parts of
this country. but this should be con-
structed SO that there will be no draft
IN cold weather. The front of the house
or openings will allow the sun to shine
well back into the interior during the
winter. Burlap. unbleached muslin or
lightweight duck cloth may be used
for curtains in the front This cloth
should be thin enough to allow a slow
circulation of air without a draft. This
is impossible if too heavy a grade Of
duck cloth is used or if the cloth is
oiled or painted.
For southern conditions, houses with
the fronts entirely open are we'll
adapted. and this type is used with sue
cess in all sections of the United States
They require less attention than houses
where the ventilation is controlled by
the use of curtains or windows; but in
the northern half of the United States
the majority of poultry keepers prefer
to have part or all of the front of their
poultry houses under control. in order
to keep the snow. rain and wind from
beating into the house. and to protect
The poultry during the colder weather
If the curtain is not attended to, how
ever, curtain front houses may be less
satisfactory than the open-front type,