The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-09-22
THE WINTER EGG CROP
EXPLAINED BY EXPERT
Mrs. George l.. Russell, The Effici-
ent Chief of Il i00-Hen Industry.
Outlines Conditions Which Must
Prevail For Profitable Egg Yield.
BY MIS-. Geo. l.. kuSsell.


The flock of hens that does MOI
produce plenty OF eggs now that FEED
prices are soaring is an expensive in
Nestment With corn selling at
wholesale for more than $50 a bu-
shell, oats at 90 10 10 cents. wheat at
almost a prohibitive figure, and all
other feeds high in proportion. The
/ poultry keeper must make sure of
good laying stock.
There are certain conditions under
hich We can expect to secure Win
ter eggs, and We must plan in adj
vance for our job. We must have
mems OF the right age Matured pull
| res are preferable. Yearling hens
are next best. Hens more than one
year OF age will lay very few eggs
during cold weather Given hens of
/ suitable age, bred for eggs. supplied
| with good egg ration, and housed
| in comfortable house. profitable
egg yield is almost q certainty.
| We have found it TO be an eXcelI-
! ent plan TO house the matured pull
! lets and most promising yearling
hens in separate room or house
! from the remainder OF the flock. In
/ this way we can feed L good egg IA
! ZION to these, and the remainder OF
| the dock can live We'll on a much less
| costly ration. Old hens, even if fed
an egg ration, instead Of laying Will
! store UP fat and not be in as good a
condition for breeders in the spring
! as hens that are given just a good
| living during the winter. The roos-
| tiers may be housed in either a sep
arate house or with the Old hens.
/ Pullets that are not mature need
! wide variety OF feed to develop them
quickly, so We often put them in the
I same room with the layers.
/ The houses need not be expensive
but there must be good light, sun.
shine. ventilation. and a dry floor
Shutter-like Ventilators rightly pIac~
ed are good, as they admit fresh air
all the time and still the rain and
snow cannot blow in. They have the
advantage OF q muslin curtain. for
| they need no adjustment, and you
can rest easy if YOU awaken in the
middle of the night and there IS d
severe rain or snow storm raging.
The hens must not be crowded. They
should have enough space so each
men can have room enough TO scratch
in Il deep litter of straw. The house
he layers use should be connected
with d large lot sown in some kind of
green iced
Our layers go into winter quarters
about the last of October. Our lot
contains one-fourth acre. and is
green with wheat late in the fall and
early in the spring. Our flock spends
much of the time out in this pasture,
but when the ground is covered With
snow or it is cold and raining, | con-
fine them to the house, for nothing
will STOP a hen from laying quicker
than to run out in stormy weather.
\ hen must be ''fooled' into laying
in the winter. Srringtime conditions
Will fool her. Tender green sprouts
and bugs always accompany spring.
So We supply these feeds in the cold
est weather. The tender green
sprouts are sprouted oats. and the
bugs and worms are substituted with
commercial meat scrap.
| use an oats Sprouter. 1t is very
convenient and makes very little
trouble. Some claim that the oats
can be sprouted successfully in gun
ny sacks around the kitchen stove,
but what woman wants her kitchen
thus Uttered up? The oats sprouter
is good investment for any farmer.
The oats when sprouted make at
least one-third more feed than when
dry, and supply lack that the dry
oats will not. l have my sprouter
in the laundry room, next to the
sink. Thus situated. trays may be
placed over the sink to drain. The
sprouter | use has four sections
two sections to a tray. The bottom
Of the tray is galvanized iron pune
tured with holes about the size of
nail point The trays measure l7x17
inches. \ square inch of sprouted
oats is sufficient daily succulence for
a laying hen. My sprouter cost ,,
$3.50, and has pa difor itself many |
times. | soak enough oats overnight !
in cold water to fill two trays at d
time. In the morning the trays are /
placed over the sink, the oats poured /
in to drain. and then placed in the /
sprouter. The sprouter is supplied |
with lamp. but as my laundry room |
is Just OFF the kitchen the room is !
sufficiently warm so that the lamp is
lighted only in zero weather. Even
should the oats freeze Il little they
are not hurt; but of course they
won't grow very rapidly when cold
In spring and fall the trays must be
stirred and sprinlled each day; but
in cold weather. once every TWO days
is sufficient.
The sprouts are allowed to get
from one to three inches high before
feeding, depending upon the amount
Of green feed needed. When the /
routs are only one inch high, there
is still some nOurishment in the oat
kernel. but when the sprouts become
longer. there is nothing but the husk
lett The oats Sprouter is the means
Of solving the greenwood question
tor the winter layers. ami without ;
green feed of some kind we are not !
able to get many winter eggs. j
Perhaps my exact method of feed I
ing will be of interest. In the morn
ing the layers are fed Il mixture of
oats and wheat, about equal por
tons, a pint to every 10 hens or Il
gallon and half to every 100 hens.
AT noon they are given small feed
Of scratch grain and some sprouted !
enough to keep them busy /
for a while in the afternoon. At :
night they are given a pint and a
half of Shelled corn for every 10
hens. All these grains are fed in a
deep litter, so each hen earns her |
feed by working. Of course, this
grain ration is not always the same.
we are fortunate in haV-
ng kafir corn. This is well liked by
.he hens. In addition to these grains |
he hens have dry mash constant
" before them, which is composed