Evening star., 1916-08-27


unmistakable indications of abounding
vitality will likewise go into the fat
| tening pens. Hens that have pale
| combs or that display any indications
| of weakness. hens that have proved
poor or only moderate layers. hens
| that have suffered from any kind of
poultry diseases. and mature male birds
that have not shown by past perform
ances their fitness to head a breeding
penal these will also be fattened for
market.
| A start should already have been
made toward selecting the breeders
/ for next season. If none but mature
hens are used the poultryman should
already have selected the heaviest and
most consistent layers for the purpose.
Especially should he see to it that the
male birds that are to head the pens
are sons Of heavy-laying mothers. as it
has been demonstrated that the tend
ency to heavy laying descends in
zigZag line from mother to son and
from sire to daughter again. If pull
let's are used as breeders care should
be taken to select the best developed,
| most alert. best shaped ones, daughters
of sires descended from heavy-laying
mothers; and. above all else that the
pullets have never been victims of any
of the numerous poultry ailments The
breeders, mature well as young
fowls. should be allowed all the range
possible. to build up strong constitu-
tions and vigorous health. The pullets
should not be brought to laying con-
dition as early as those designed for
the market egg end of the business, but
should be allowed to develop natural
ly. Cockerels should be kept separate
from the pullets, but allowed plenty of
range likewise. By the time it is
70 fb1
houses along in the early part of No
vember 1t will be possible to tell ex-
actly what kind of fowls the flock
| contains and to Gull out any that may
not have developed properly. BY fol-
lowing this procedure the poultryman
may be reasonably assured of strongly
fertile eggs for hatching-eggs that
viii produce chicks with chance to
| grow and prove source Of profit
rather than of loss.
The best way to have eggs keep
fresh for a long time in hot weather
Is to have infertile eggs. That means
to keep the male birds away from the
hens. male bird is of no use except
In a breeding pen.
Poultrymen know that during the
first year Of a chicks life the plumage
is lost and renewed oftener than in
any other similar period. 1t is essen
tial, therefore. to feed chicks properly
so that feather growth may be pro-
noted, also growth of the bones that
make the fowls framework A COM
| bination of wheat bran. oil meal and
beef scrap has been found very salts
factory for chicks up to maturity. A
good plan is to keep the bran in hop
pers before the chicks all the time and
allow them to eat all they want of it,
When the chicks are about two months
old mix the oil meal with the dry mash
feed. The beef scrap Is to be fed spar
ingly at first and increased as the
chicks grow. Never make the mistake
of buying a cheap beef scrap. Nothing
but trouble and disappointment will
come of the effort at economy Buy
sift 1T carefully. too. as even the best
beef scrap often contains fragments of
twine. bits of loose cord etc, and II
the chicks eat these foreign substances
they are likely to die mysteriously and
in numbers.
Too much emphasis can not be laid
on the Importance of giving the fowls
plenty of fresh, clean water several
times a day during the hot weather
Fowls are heavy drinkers. and there
seems to be no limit to the amount
on a hot day. The surest way to put
a flock off its feed and in bad shane
is to neglect watering at frequent in
tervals during spell of hot weather
IF it is at all possible to avoid 1t.
do not allow young stock of different
ages to run or range together The
larger ones will run over. trample and
annoy the smaller ones, besides crowd
ing them away from the feed and thus
keeping the little fellows from getting
their fair share. Grade the growing
chicks and keep the different ages in
separate flocks.
Noting hens do not require a ration
very greatly different from that given
them at other times. Notwithstanding
the opinion held by many poultrymen.
They have to grow q new suit of
feathers from what they eat, and plen-
ty of nourishing food Is required for
this. Sunfiower seed makes a fine ad-
dition to the ration during the molting
season. as does a small quantity OF
oil meal
You cannot expect to have healthy,
vigorous fowls If the houses, runs,
ETC.. are allowed to remain in a filthy,
foul condition. Clean the houses, drop
ping boards. etc, at least once a week; i
two or three times a week would be
much better. as poultry houses cannot
be kept too clean. Spray frequently
with a good disinfectant to keep down
insect pests and to destroy offensive