The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1916-01-08
WHY DON'T MY
HENS LAY?
By G.. e. Conkey.

Is III at you hRVe 20 OCaru your
hens through the cold months
with little or no Teturns from
thems
If you are not getting eggs,
there is probably a good reason
for it, 40 let us go over the situa
ton and find out il possible what
things not as they sh ould be.
Aside from the high price OF
eggs At his time of year, the IN
creased satisfaction and pleasure
one gets from caring for u profit
able flock will make n little inves'
tigating we'll worth while.
In trying 10 get winter eggs
The thing TO remember is that
conditions nov are unnatural Tor
laying and that these conditions
must be changed a. mach As pos
pihl- into favorable ones. Ia
other words, to he able TO lay in
winter a hen must be we'll housed,
kept free from lice, get p'enty Of
xercise aud be fed properly.
You may have a dry, clean,
sanitary poultry house yet not
ret eggs, for there are a couple
other little housing requisites
that have wonderful influence
on the egg production. For in
stance, 10 keep fowls healthy
and secure wiIter eggs it IS on
seniial that the poultry house be
we'll ventilated but free from
drafts. This can easily be &C
complished by having the south
side Of the house contain good
slze'i opening covered with mus
lin or some other porous cloth
Probably the most freq usnt
oversight Ia housing il to crowd
the birds, but this also cas-
easily be remedied. Each bird
should have not less than orr
square feet Of floor space and am
pie reon on the roest so that
they VIII not crowd.
Another important poist ia
that year birds should net be
kept tos warm at night. In Sc
we're weather they, Of courso,
need more warmth who's on the
roost than during the day and it
is. therefore, . good plan to
have a bnrlap curtain hung in
front of the roosts. However,
this should be kept rolled up
when there 10 DO danger Of the
birds suffering from the cold.
In fact, they will have better
health aud be more able TO lay il
they do not have this barrier TO
ventilation except on nights
when the temperature drops ia
ten or more degrees below the
freezing point.
Mites are not likely to hinder
the egg yield In cold weather
and your birds can be kept free
from body lice by oceasioRall y
busting them with . good lice
powder and providing = dust
bath for them.
Plenty Of exercise 10 IT al
times essential to good egg
yield, but it is doubly important
in winter. AT this season OF the
year hens are unable to forage
and, unless they are made TO ex'
srcise, they are sure to become
overfat and lazy-s condition
that makes laying impossible
To keep hens in laying trim dur
ing cold weather feed ell grain in
a deep litter, so that they will be
compelled to scratch for it.
| This brings us to the feeding
which probably has . more In
portant bearing upon the egg
yield than anything else. = Hens
can be given . sufficient quantity
of food and still be unable to lay
many eggs. The thing necessary
is that their food eentains all ths
slems nts req aired for the forma'
ton OF eggs and that ~ contain
these elements in the right pro.
portion. Then IL other soDdi
tions are right aud the birda arr
given enough Of the food to aup
ply them with a surplus OF Butri
menss over what 10 required tt
produce heat and energy and re-
pair their waete tlssue, they are
bound to lay
| In order to digest and Assimi
late enough food to provide thu
required surplus, birds should
receive both grain and . mash,
A good grain feed can be Msda
by nixin z equal parta of cracked
corn and wheat. This shoald bs
scattered through the litter in
the IN Drning, In order to keep the
birds busy all day long.
A good laying mash can be
made by thoroughly mixing: 40
lbs. wheat bran, 40 lbs. mid
dlings, 40 lbs cOrbmeal. 40 lbs.