The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-09
MUST RAISE HENS
Col. Mitchell Advises Children
to Keep Poultry.
FIOcks Can Be Easily Cared for
in Back Yards.
BY COL. r. w. MITCHELL.

/ In some of my preceding stories, L
have given you directions how to plot,
plant and arrange your gardens, also,
how to till it. Why not utilize more
of our energies along the lines of food
productions, in animal husbandry in
our back yards? Now is the time!
I can better give you the lesson by
relating an actual experience in the
following story.
Biddy was one of my White-Rock
hens. She persisted in laying her eggs
in a certain manager in the barn We
both fused about it, and I tried to
make her quit because l feared that
she might infest the barn with chick
en- mites, which are very injurious to
horses, mules and hard to get rid of.
When she became broody and want
ed to set, 1 then gave Biddy fourteen
eggs-she was a large hen-of even
size and smooth shell, placed a blue
mark on each of them so that 1 might
know every egg I gave to her, and if
another hen laid with her, 1 would
know which egg to take away
Hen Was Pussy.
On the second day, I went down to
the barn and had visit with Biddy.
She was very fussy and pecked my
hand sharply.
I found one egg cracked a little,
and took it out, because I knew it
would spoil by germs getting into it.
carefully opened it into saucer and
found the egg would have been
Matched, under favorable conditions.
for a 1 could see light, round spot
on the yolk of the egg. Then I took
a toothpick and found a little cordy
substance that extended from the
light yellow spot on the yolk to the
outside edge of the white. Then 1
was convinced that the egg was fer
tile.
TI,;s 1;++1o ,ord,, ~,,t.+,aaa j., = ~ar
fect1y fertile egg extends from the
yolk of the egg to a place on the butt
end of the shell, known as the air
chamber; so it is through this air
chamber, and along this cordy sub
stance that the little chick gets air
while Matching. ALI life must have
air.
You ask what part of the egg
produces the chick? From the white
of the egg comes the muscle, bone,
down and the intestines. The yolk
is largely the food of the young chick
during the period of incubation.
which is twenty-one days.
The little chick is so full of food
when Matched that it does not re-
quire any extra food for period of
forty-eight to fifty hours after taken
from the nest. This period will allow
the chicks digestive organs to get in
working order.
Value of an Egg.
If we analyze an egg to find out its
food value, because 1--WE are told that
an egg is one of natures food what
do you think we will find?
Analysis of an Egg.
Fifty per cent water. Thirty-four
per cent proteid (Which is similar to
lean meat in composition. Sixteen
lper cent fat.
The shell is the house which con-
tains the unmatched chick, and keeps
the egg in a condition for marketing.
If we should cover the egg with
grease, or dip it into very hot water
for few seconds it would seal up the
air chamber and the egg would not
hatch.
Let us arrange now to set couple
of hens, and have one dozen pullets
to provide us with eggs for our table
use next fall and winter. And later
1 will give you my experience with a
part of Biddy's flock the following
winter; what they did; what it cost
and the profit made