The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-02-09
WINTER EGGS
Supply in Periods of Greatest Scarcit
May Be Increased by Proper
Methods

Poultry owners who wish to obtain
a satisfactory production of eggs dur
ing the fall and early winter should
arrange to hatch pullets in March or
April. Birds Matched at this time
will be well matured in the fall. Fur
thermore, a greater proportion of
them will 60 broody early in the
spring, thus completing the circle nee
essary for production in the fall.
Pullets Matched in the spring can be
induced to lay more abundantly in the
winter if they r properly fed,
housed, and handled. On the aver
age general farm, very few eggs are
secured at the time when eggs bring
the highest prices. It will pay the
poultry owner, therefore, to devote a
little trouble to providing his birds
with the most favorable surroundings
for the winter.
The house should be thoroughly
cleaned, d%isinfected, and made tight
before the cold weather sets in. If
the house has a dirt floor, it is well
to remove three or four inches of dirt
from the top and to replace this ma
terial with dry gravel Or sand. On
cement or wooden floors four or five
inches of fresh straw or litter may be
thrown down after the floor has been
cleaned.
Ventilation is another important
factor to consider. The house should
be tight on three sides, but for the
fourth muslin curtains may be used
for from one-third to one-half it's X
tent. In any case, there should be
some ventilation in the house, even
on the coolest nights. Fowls will
stand considerable cold air, provided
it is dry, and ventilation will keep the
air thoroughly dry in the house. On
the other hand, drafts are likely to
cause roup and other trouble.
Many farmers, in feeding their
birds, overlook the fact that beef
scrap or some similar feed is very
essential during the winter months if
a good supply of eggs is to be OBJ
tanned. A convenient method of feed
ing beef scrap is in a mash made of
three parts corn meal and n part of
each of wheat bran, wheat middlings,
and beef scrap. Skinned milk or
buttermilk may be used in place of
the beef scrap, but if the supply is
limited some scrap also should be fed.
In experiments conducted by the
department it was found that for the
first four months pullets fed a ration
containing beef scrap produced, on an
average, Ais eggs, while those fed
the same ration without the scrap
produced only 1877. The cost Of
feeding the latter birds was 90 cents
higher for every dozen eggs pro-
duced than in the Ease of the pullets
fed beef scrap.
The birds should have plenty to
eat, but they also should always be
eager for each meal. If one-third of
the scratch grain furnished them is
fed in the morning and two-thirds at
night, the birds will take more exer-
else than if they receive all the grain
they desire in the morning. Good
scratch mixtures may be made Of
equal parts by weight of cracked corn,
wheat, and oats, or of two parts of
cracked corn and one part each of
wheat and oats.
Other directions for the winter care
of birds are contained in a new pub
LEGATION of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, Circular II, Of
flee of the Secretary, Winter Egg
Production.