Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-10-02
AMONG THR FARNKRS.
.Rwp I'm rsov.-

Rondenca ON pracSacAl agricultural srpi
sour&.od. Addrsn al oommuntcaS1pns
11s1 nor this department. % HH3x
a...e D2s Axx1uuisurA Kdisox oxfnrd De-
how to Producs Eggs In wintsr.
A W. Richardson. INSTRUCTOR In Animal +,
aussys rooisry Dtsision, University Of Afains
Any poultryman Who can make hi
hens lays eggs during the months q
November, December and January
practically certain of making money
During these months sgxs ara sxtrumei
scarce ana command . high price an
it Doesn't taxa many sggs produces
during shis time TO pay the hsns' kse
for the entire year and there ara a fs,
facts, . knowledge Of which will hsl
the farmer 10 get eggs when prices ar
high.
In the arst place be should have
high producing strain of birds, or IL b,
hasn't such Q strain, try 10 build mn one
This can be done by selecting thos
birds which are high producers, keep
-s8 @A4hA 1881 11kok8t1 2aa 30Nluk ILL
cockereis which come from these eggs
Because it has been proven that higl
winter production is inherited BY th,
cockerel from his mother and handet
down by him 20 his daughters. Nov
il you wish 70 do trap-nesting, you can
get along and get what information you
need by trap-nesting during the months
of November, December and January
and then select your females 70 use q,
breeders from those birds which hav'
made the highest records during thes,
three months. If you do not or cannot
do any trap nesting, then there ars
other methods Of telling the high pro
ducers although these methods are no
40 accurate a the trap-nest. First
select those birds whose leg and beah
color. is faded. The high producers
after laying . large number OF eggs loss
the coloring matter in the body and II
shows to quite an extent In the legs and
on the bssk. After you have familiar
lied Yourself with the normal leg color
by observation you can tell when the
Another method observed at Connecticut
in connection with their egg laying con.
test is the color around tho vent. It ID
that this In an even better indi.
cation of high production, than the leg
or beak color. If the skin around
the vent in faded to quite an extent you
may be certain that the bird has been q
good producer and you will Do safe in
saving cocksrsls hatched from her eggs,
and in using this cocksrel to build up =
good laying strain which Ia essential to
the production Of eggs in winter.
The next consideration ia the time of
IF chicks ara Matched out
early, say by the second or third week
in April, they win have made . growth
and will be we'll feathered out before
the extreme heat of summer comes, and
they will continue to grow and develop
right through July and August. Ii they
ars hatched out later, say month later,
then they will not be feathered out
sufficiently to Withstand the exsreme
heat and they will not grow and develop
during this time but will have a
stuuted period and these stunted periods
cost money and rstard maturity and thus
retard the time of commencing to pay.
Birds which are hatched out by tne
middle of April, with proper care, will
come 20 maturity by the middle or latter
part of October and by the hrst OF
November are we'll under way in laying.
Those birds which ara we'll under way
in laying at this time are very apt 70
continue 70 lay all wintar slowing down
usually during extreme cold.
But thoee birds which are hasched
out by the middle or latter part of May
are considerably more than . month
behind the April hatchsd chicks in
maturing owing to the above mentioned
stuntsd period and they are very APT
not to begin TO lay until into December,
and IL the month of December comes on
cold and raw as it was last Decembei
then the late Matched puilets may mol
get Co laying until two months later.
because very seldom does hock OF
ouIlsts begin to lay during the extreme
cold weather. They usually WON'T nm
al the DAYS have begun TO warm mp.
Thus We can see the advantage Of hatch
ing our chicks early.
The feeding of the chickens also has
great deal 20 do with the time OF matur-
ity. and the number of eggs We get IN
the winter. They should % fed In such
a vay that they will continue to grow
especially when thsy are small. There
should be no radical changes In the
food and the supply should Do kept os-
fore them constantly. Sour skim MIX
should be kept before them at all times.
II has bsen proven that chickens fed on
sour milk will mature and get to laying
no weeks sooner than those which have
not had the milk, and two weeks makes
a big differences in any season, and an
difference when the season 10
cold and rough.
There should DO provided FOR the
growing chicks plenty of shade, plenty
NJ green food and plenty of range or
ward as these things are absolutely
essential to the best growth and develop
meut of the chickens; and We must have
ths best II We are to get eggs early.
The time Of housing has . great Dear
inc ON the egg production II the birds
ara houssd st about the time when they
would naturally begin to lay it ID very
ant 10 retard their Developments. It 10
radical change from absolute free range
IN close confinement, sven though
thsrs u small yard. The birds
should IL possible have . small yard and
rhsv should bs provided with liberal
snnnIy of green feed and a. soon a.
nossIble be taught to scratch In tho
Iitter for their food, thus inducing exsr-
ci,e which takes the plscs Of wandering
around the range.
So in ordsr TO get eggs early nom
shsss uullets they should DO housed
nsarly = month before they are expected
"a lay. Then they can become acoussom'
Al 20 their changed quzrtsrs and CON
ditious and the change will not stop the
lsyjua a. it would do IL the birds were
moved 70 their winter quartsrs sfsef
soms of them had begun to lay.
TO summaries: Build up good lay
inc strain, hatch your chickens early
fsed them we'll during the summer
house them early In the fall and yos
win get eggs In the winter when pfices
are high.
Lewumes for Dairy Cows.
The dairymsn who raises an aoun