The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-13
By MRS. J. c. MOSES.

By MRS. J. c. MOSES.
 Now that the matching season is pretty well over, the problem for the poultry keeper, particularly for the backyard poultry keeper, is to get the greatest number of eggs possible from the number of hens kept during the summer. Hens that are not good lay CTS should be canned. Unless the hens have already been carried through one summer, which is perhaps not the best practice for the backyard poultry keepers, there is necessarily some diff l culty in determining which are the good summer layers. The fact that a hen has been 8 good spring layer does not prove that she will be a good sum-
 mer layer Of course, no hen should
 be sold while she continues to lay, but a hen that has become broody may ! after a brief, period begin laying again and continue through the sum- mer. The condition of the comb will | indicate sometime in advance whether
 the hen will begin laying again. If | she shows no indication of preparing
 to lay it would be wise to sell or eat
 her. The time of moulting is perhaps
 the safest indication. Hens that moult early are not good summer layers, and | it is good practice to sell all hens that begin moulting in June or early July. 1 The problem of summer housing is
 not much less a serious one than that 1 of winter housing. The principal re-
 quirements are fresh air, access to both
 shade and sunlight, dryness and room.
 The matter of air properly comes first,
 and free circulation of air practically
 insures dryness. Air and sunlight are
 natures best disinfectants and germi- lcides. But hens are very susceptible 1 to an excess of heat and it is equally
 necessary that they have plenty of shade.
 The problem of summer ration for i the backyard poultry keeper is much
 easier of solution than that of a win | ter ration. In most cases the neces-
 sary green feed can be supplied witt.
 out buying anything. Beet, carrot and turnip tops, waste leaves from cabbage and lettuce, onion tops, potato paringS,
 watermelon and cantaloupe rinds, to-
 gether with the clippings of grass from
 the lawn will supply in most cases
 all the green feed required by the back yard flock.
 | Bread and cake crumbs, particularly
 If you can induce your neighbor who keeps no chickens to save hers for you, Twill go a long way toward supplying the dry feed requirement.. Meat scraps from the kitchen may be sufficient to lmeet the requirements for animal food Ipartlcularly IT the hens have even a Little range in which they can scratch flor bugs and worms. Such scraps are best run through a meat grinder and mixed with three parts corn meal and one part wheat bran. This should be 1 fed at noon or later. If any grain is necessary, it should be fed in the morning and should be scattered in litter sufficient to make the hens work l for it. Not more than a pint to ten hnyn h EN Co H. either whole or cracked, and oats will | be the most suitable grain feeds. If hens show tendency to get too fat. the grain ration should be reduce l. as excessively fat hens are never good layers. Some beef scrap should be fed if enough meat scraps from tables can
 not be procured to meet the require
 ments of the hens.
 | Hens should have constant access to
 grit or stones small enough to be 1 swallowed and to crushed oyster or clam shells.