Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-01-08

ends, to avoid drafts. The cloth win
dowS must be closed, however, il the
wind is blowing in such a direction as
to make the house drafty, or If rain
or snow Is driving in.
If the floors are damp and the lit
ter becomes foul, damp or musty, 1t
shouId be changed at once. This litter
should be from eight to twelve inches
deep and OF some light material such
as rye straw, so the hens will like to
dig in 1t for grain fed them. After
this scratch grain is thrown in. the
litter may be tossed about with
fork so that the hens will have to dig
1t up-the harder they work the bet
ter, II they have to be confined in the
house. If the eggs are to be used for
Matching and breeding purposes, the
mems should be given all the range
possible and should be allowed out of
doors in all reasonable weather. But
II winter market eggs are the only
OBJECT, then keep the hens indoors
but keep them busy all the time dig
Sing for their food.
When the hens are confined the
floor area should be not less than
four feet per hen where the house is
hfty or more feet long and twelve or
more feet wide. If the house is not
so large as this, the average floor
space per hen must be increased. 1t
rs sometimes inadvisable to winter
mems in houses less than twelve feet
deep better results being obtained If
the house is fifteen to eighteen feet
deep; and it is difficult to get a heavy
winter egg yield from a house less
than twenty feet in length. The rea-
son for this is that the hen will move
around and exercise less in a small
house: Houses that are less than fif-
teen feet deep are apt to be cold and
dratty and are sometimes damp.
Wnon hens n1p
the litter is more quickly fouled and
should be frequently renewed. The
cropping boards, too, should be
cleaned often. usually daily; although
in cold weather, when the droppings
are frozen. it may not be necessary
TO clean the boards so often. The hens
must never be allowed to roost over
foul-smelling dropping boards, how
ever.
If hens are expected to lay winter
eggs, they must not be allowed to eat
snow or ice, nor must they be given
Ireezlng water. The water fountains
must be emptied at night and filed
early in the morning with water that
has been warmed enough to take the
chill off. and If necessary they should
be filled again at noon or early in tbe
afternoon. Dirty water vessels or foun
tains must never be tolerated
Sickness Fatal to Eggs
Sickness in the flock is of course.
fatal to the winter egg yield. The hen
must nave vigor and vitality and be
kept in perfect health. The two most
common troubles in the winter are
cold-ranging from q slight watering
OF the eyes to the malignant roup-
and the very contagious chickenpox.
Colds may be prevented by using
enough permanganate of potash in the
drinking water to color it a rich mink
This is harmless and may be used ali
the time, though two or three times a
week is usually sufficient. ANY bird
showing swollen head or eyes-indica-
tions of roup-should be- isolated AT
once, and it is better to kill them and
burn the carcasses (unless thev are
very valuable and are in considerable
numbers) than to attempt to cure the
disease. IF you want to doctor them.
feed soft, wet mashes containing a lit
tie black pepper and clean the birds
nostrils with strong solution of the
permanganate mixture. Chickenpox is
hard to control once it gains headway
in a flock. but it usually causes little
loss except to cut down the egg Yield.
1t is small eruption on the comb
and face and is very contagious; the
head. comb, wattles. etc, where the
ERUPTION appears should be creased
we'll with strongly carbolated vaseline.
Importance of Feeding
At no point Will the care Of fowls
pay better than in the matter of feed
ing. The first consideration is regu-
iaritv. They should be fed at the same
hour each day, as nearly as possible.
Thev should have one feeding of grain
as early i'm the morning as II is light
enough for them To get off the roosts
and see to dig for It in the litter. The
last feed at night should be fed as
late as they can see to pick it out of
the troughs in which 1t is fed. The
night feed should he at least ene-half
corn IL the weather is cold. and fed i'm
trouFhs so the hens can eat II easily.
and thus go TO bed with we'll filed
crops. The other grain feeds should
be we'll scattered into the litter SO