Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1917-03-02
Producing Eggs in Winter

me, "What do you feed your hens to
make them lay in winter?'' From the
number of times this question is asked
it seems as if many think all you have
to- do is to give the proper feed and,
prestoI eggs will appear as per illus
tration on some Egg Producer"
which has been manufactured to sell,
and is good for nothing else. The
following suggestions are from person
al experience and intended for those
interested in producing eggs during
the winter, when eggs are scarce and
high in price.
Winter layers are born, not made,
and although the care bestowed upon
hens during the winter has much to do
with the output of eggs, pullets hatch
ed from eggs from prolific winter lay
ers will yield the best results, other
things being equal. Pullets Matched
in March or April will be well ma
tured in the fall, and poultry owners
who wish to obtain satisfactory pro-
duction of eggs during autumn and
early winter, should arrange to hatch
pullets during these months. A mis-
take frequently made is to purchase
high priced eggs from poultry raisers
who breed more for show-that is, for
shape, color, size, ETC., than for the
production of winter layers, which is
the aim Of the average poultry raiser,
and then blame the hens for not lay
ing during the winter months. How
ever, when standard color, shape, size,
etc., and good laying qualities are
combined, so much the better; but l
have had to dispose Of many fine col
ored birds because | found them not
the desired layers. All pullets and
hens which take to the roost during
daytime, or stand on one foot with
their bill under their wing, provided
they have been properly cared for and
fed, should be culled out in the fall as
early as possible because they will not
lay during the winter. 1t is the ac-
tive scratching, singing hen or pullet
which lays the winter eggs; not the
sluggish, sleepy drone. Poultry
breeders use trap nests to ascertain
which are their best layers and keep
records of their hens; but this would
require too much of the busy farmers
or housewives time, nor is it neces-
sary. Watch your hens: keep the
singing, scratching hens; keep the
hens out earliest in the morning and
those out latest in the evening, and
you have your winter layers.
There may be some who do not be-
lieve in up-breeding, or who think it
cannot be done. [ would ask them:
'Does the horseman, the cattleman,
the swineman, breed the scrubs of for
mer days, or does he demand pedi-
greed stock?" Permit me to relate
here what has been the result of my
efforts in this field. culled my hens
in the manner above described for two
seasons, and this winters output Of
eggs has demonstrated the results
From 70 hens picked out in this man,
ner 1 have received an average of 80
eggs daily from early in November up
to date, February %. Greatest mum
Der of eggs in one day, 43; lowest
number, 20; average number Of eggs
laid by each hen dnring the winter, 8
trife over 48. If this method il
found to require too much time, there
remains only one alternative, and thai
is to use for Matching purposes only
such eggs as have been laid by the
best winter layers, for "Like begets
like, and one cannot expect to pro
duce good winter layers if eggs useG
for Matching are taken from a large
number of hens, especially in spring
when most any old hen will lay.
1t has been conclusively proven
that the average farm hen lays only
60 eggs dnring the laying season
whereas she should lay and would lay
$50, if the right kind of eggs wer,
used in Matching. 1t goes withou
saying that proper care Of the hen, a
we'll as nroner FEEDING must he eycer