Norwich bulletin., 1917-07-26
THE CHICKEN FARM
 AT STATE HOSPITAL
Is Conducted in Connection With the
 Farm for lnebriates.

The chicken farm at the state farm for inebriates is approaching its goal rather slowly but none the less surely. At present there are about 300 laying liens and over 1000 chicks in the plant, which occupies most of the time of two men. This has grown from 100 hens bought from A. G. Dustin, one of the best White Wyandotte breeders in New England, in January, 1916. The entire plant is run on a strictly scien- tific basis, so that the flock will give the largest returns for the smallest outlay. In the beginning it was ham pered by the lack of funds, but if the expected appropriation undertakes it is possible that the plant will be inn mediately enlarged so that besides supplying the hospital and farm with markets so that the plant will be self supporting.
 There are four semi-monitor type houses with a capacity of 100 hens each and two breeding house of two pens each, each pen having room for ten hens and one cockerel, besides many smaller houses used for the new ly matched chicks. The semi monitor houses are 20x2o and the breeding houses are 16x16, while the other houses vary in size. With each house there is large run. The houses face south and the yards are on the north side so that the bushes and shrubs in them east their shadows in such a
  All the houses are equipped with trap nests of the Sandborne type.
 Careful records are kept of the pro- cuction of each hen and then the flock is culled according to the showing of these records. When a hen lays an egg she cannot escape from the nest without outside aid. When she is re- leased by the man the number on her leg band is noted and she is credited with one egg cn the list posted in the coop. From these lists monthly and yearly totals are compiled and from these the numbers of the non pro- ducing hens are obtained and they are killed. The best record for the farm is 206 eggs in ten months. Each year the best hens are selected and bred with cockerels from the best producing hens. The result is the producing of 1 a fine laying strain. This year there have been four pens of ten hens and ! one cockerel each. The hens all laid l over 180 eggs during their bullet year l Another year it is hoped to grade the | pens, that is have in pen A those hens | that laid over 200 eggs in pen B those | that laid from 190 to 200, etc
 The hens are fed a ration night and | morning which consists of corn. wheat. oats, buckwheat, kaffir corn and barley at the rate of 10 quarts to each 100 | hens. mash consisting of brap wheat middlings, ground oats, linseed | meal and beef scraps is kept before the nens all the time. At this rate a ton and half of grain is consumed every month In the winter this is varied with green food, mostly cabbage The surplus cockerels and the non-pro- iucing hens were killed at Thankseiv- ng and Christmas, so that 300 pounds ] of meat were sent to the hospital on l his occasion. On the average about b hens are killed off from the flock each month for -production. To be | a god layer a hen must lav tt least 120 eggs year. At the aver lge local price of eggs this means bout s3.50 will be taken in It costs lpproX1mately S2 to feed a Ten for a ear at the present high price of grain, md the labor amounts to about 50 ents a year, so that he profit is but I year on each laying hen.
 The chicks are matched from the eggs 1T the best producers in a Candis 1200 gg incubator. The first are matched arly in the spring so that they begin o law about the first of October and he last ones hatehs: do not begin to aS 9ntl the hrst of January. The 'rood last matched are now in the rooders and are so young that they till have a fire in the brooder nights. ne largest chicks matched this spring re allowed to forage for their green ood, but they also receive the same alton as the hens after the first two ,eeks. During the first two weeks hey are fed sour milk U Recently turkeys have been added Q the poultry department, and while ney are only an experiment. as vel hey will probably form an important art of the department in the near fu- ure. They were started with three l 1ale and three female birds from i 7hfch 30 eggs ws-e obtained for hatch 1g. This year there are II adult lrds and at present about 50 eggs in | he process of incubation The ma ure, which is' estimated by experts at torrs as being six times as strong as tapie manure. IS Kept in a stone-lined ( it under the feed house. i