Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-21

best. II ID plain to every ono that
II the hen is forced to spend the
greater portion of her time taking care
Of herself she will not have much time
left to produce eggs. have seen hens
which roasted out in snow an inch or
two deep on their backs In the morn
ing. Can you expect a hen which mas
to keep up such strenuous fight for
existence to lay?
More Profitable Than Cow.
With proper management a hen Will
produce twice the per cent OF profit
that dairy COW will. and yet dairy
farming Is considered very profitable.
A pound of butter sells for 40 cents,
and dozen eggs in winter sells for
the same price. Which Is produced at
the greater profit? The dozen eggs OF
course. You have to milk the COW,
handle the cream and churn 1t before
you get your 40 cents. The hens lay
the eggs. You don't have to do sim
gle thing to them. They are finished
product.
How to Feed.
The question Of feeding is very i'm
portant, for in its lies either your sue
cess or failure. Some farmers never
think Of feeding their hens, summer
or winter. knowledge OF what to feed
Will so :: long way towards getting
eggs from hens. In fact. it has more
to do with 1t than any other thing.
You may have the very best stock in
the very best house. but If you do not
use Judgment in feeding, and feed
properly, all your plans will be de-
feated. 1t Is on the question of feed
ing that so many have failed.
In the spring of the year, when ev.
erything Is warm, and the new life has
sprung into being, the hens have an
opportunity to get those elements that
are required in the composition Of the
eggs IL you fail to supply them. The
grass and other vegetation IS tender,
and there are different insects. If you
supply a little grain to this the hens
will be getting a balanced ration, as it
is called, and they will lay eggs, If the
other conditions are favorable That is
the very reason why eggs are so plen-
tiful in the spring-because the hens
have an opportunity to supply what
you fail to put in their ration. The
proper way to get winter eggs, and
to feed for winter eggs, is ever to keep
in mind spring and summer condi-
tons. If you will give the hens the
elements Of food that are to be found
in the spring, and will make the sur
rounding conditions as nearly like
those Of spring, you will have this
question of winter eggs solved. Now
do not take this to mean that you
must install steam heat in the hen
houses or shut them up to get the
warmth of temperature that Is found
in the spring and summer 1t makes
no difference how cold 1t Is. If you give
them the food elements and see to it
that drafts are stopped you will have
no difficulty in getting eggs.
In the feeding of all kinds Of stock,
and even in your own case, you must
provide food taken from three king
doms-animal, vegetable and mineral.
In the animal kingdom you eat meats
fowls eat bugs, insects, etc. But in
the winter it isimpossible to supply
bugs or insects SO it will be neces-
sary to give the hens something else,
but of the same kingdom meat is the
best thing that can be provided. In
the vegetable kingdom the hens find
gren grass or tender shoots in the
spring months. AS green grass is out
Of the question in the winter you will
have to substitute as you did for the
bugs and insects. In this line the
easiest thing that you can do will be to
feed the hens on cabbage, If you hap
pen to have an over-supply. Grit, oys-
ter shell, and gravel represents the