Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-01-30
THE POULTRY YARD
USE OF HEN sTiMuLANTs.
BY Ed Weber

In most poultry magazines appear
advertisements of compounds of vari-
Gus descriptions guaranteed to make
hens lay. In most cases the ads try to
impress upon the public the fact that
with the use of these various foods the
hens will lay when they otherwise
would not. After reading some OF these
ads one may perhaps wonder just how
hens ever could lay eggs before these
foods We're discovered.
To the beginner. who has not been
keeping chickens for a very long time,
and who is passing thru the trying no
eggs In winter period, these ads may
appeal very strongly. If his good COM
mon sense does not come to his rescue
before he takes any definite action in
the matter, his further experience is IL
able to be sad one indeed.
The matter of feeding is one of the
most important problems confronting
the poultry man. Every beginner must
learn largely from his own experience,
tho he can obtain considerable help
from the results secured by successful
lpoultrymen of longer experience. One
must feed the proper food. i. e., the
food that will most fully satisfy the
natural bodily needs Of the hen and yet
leave something over for the produc-
ton of eggs. Not only must these
foods be of the right kind, but they
must also be properly balanced.
Well Balanced Grain Ration Enough.
If the best grain obtainable is prop
erly proportioned and correctly fed,
and the hens are capable of laying
eggs, full egg basket must result, no
matter what the season OF course
every beginner tries his best to do this.
They are naturally as anxious to OBJ
tain results in the form of eggs, as the
poultry man of years of experience.
But this desire may grow beyond
bounds with the beginner, leading him
into serious trouble. The poultryman
Of long experience realizes that there is
Il limit to even a hens laying capacity,
and refuses to force here beyond this,
The beginner however, looking only
for present results. forthwith pur-
chases some concentrated stimulant-
some guaranteed egg producing. full
nest food-and begins feeding this to
his birds. The first results are some
times gratifying. The hens seem to be
brighter and there is an increase in the
number of eggs received. With self
congratulatory chuckle the beginner
decides he has at last found the key to
the feeding situation. His satisfaction,
however. is usually short-lived. His
fowls soon lose their excessive activity,
their combs begin to pale, and they
stand around in their pen, and food
lies before them scarcely touched.
Worst of all, the egg production drops.
In a word, the machinery. which had
been running at a high rate, was forc-'
ed to increased speed and added: pres
sure: something got fl8t-and snapped
All poultry men desAe to get eggs il,
winter when the price, areshigh-that
is the time to get the, cream of the
profit. It is laudabie desire. But
this desire must not be gratified with
utter disregard of all results. If prop
Eerly cared for, the hen has been laying
and all thru the summer months. Then,
in September or October she had to be-.
gin using all her energy in producing a
new coat Of feathers. After passing
thru this very trying ORDEAL. she is ex-
pected to bob up serenely' and lay
eggs in well-nigh unlimited quantities.
And if she doesn't, she I Is apt to be
forced with the whip of a istimulant. Is
it any wonder the whole intricate
mechanism is thrown out of running?
If, on the contrary, she had been per-
mitted to go along in her own way, re-,
tceiving proper assistance, the result
would be hen in an excellent state Of
bodily health, we'll capable of produce !,
Ing eggs in fair quantities.
Use Reduces Hens Vitality.
The use of stimulating. compounds in
the feeding of poultry, 5, is something
poultrymen old in experience will nev-
er tolerate-much less advise. A prom
inent poultry man has we'll said: Al
man going out to feed his flock needs
to take along with him more Judgment;
than feed Small is the judgment that
produces eggs Temporarily by the use
Of stimu1ants. It behooves the begin
ner, who would make a lasting sue
cess in the poultry business, to profit
by the precept and example Of those
longer in the business than he. If a
beginner could find any dope or slim
ulant used in the big poultry plants,
Chat are in the business for eggs, but
also in the business to stay, then he
would be Justified in doing likewise.
But such is not the case. Not only is
the present or shortly ensuing state Of
the fowls health materially lowered by
the use Of stimulants but the vitality
that has been Slapped can not soon be
replaced.
Beginners should not be discouraged
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