Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-21
MAKING FARM POULTRY
MORE PROEITARIE i
Need for Standard Bred Fowls; ;
Elimination of the Slackers.
Economy in Feeding; Higher
Prices on Superior Products.
BY Charles l.. Opp rman,


the ideas Of the scientific poultryman who i
advocated various reforms in the manage |
mcnt Of the farm flock. That WAS before |
the war. Feed and other supplies were
cheap and n certain amount OF proht was
realized even under slip-shod methods.
II took the shock of war prices To bring
the farmer TO a realization of the folly OF
his ways Today, regardless of any per-
sonal ideas, he must accept and put into
practice modern methods Of poultry
management or maintain his flock nj
loss.
The slackcr hen must go, so that the
food she CONSUMES can be conserved for
the maintenance Of productive hens he
monrel fowl Of unknown breeding must
be replaced by the pure-bred Of estab-
iishcd reputation. Feeding must he
studied as never before, and by-product
feeds utilized 20 their fullest extent.
Management must bc improved wherever
possible and quality products must be
the objective Of all operations. These are
some Of the changes that must be brought
| about if farm poultry Is to occupy the po-
sition To which II IS entitled
By far the most important lesson
| brought To the attention Of poultry
growers by the war II the necessity for
| rigorous culing of the flock, 50 rs to meet
war-t time feed prices The non producers
| had 10 be eliminated This has been
preached from the institute platform and
| IN farm Journals for several years with
| indifferent success. The farmer had not
reached the point where IT had become
obligatory for HIM To heed he warning
| Now he rs ready and eager To accept any
sound doctrine that will make possible q
decrease IN the feed bilIs without impair
| ing profits.
| NOW TO TILL The STACKER.
The elimination of the Stacker hon or
producer is not a difficult task even
| for tic average farmer who IS not any too
we'll versed in The practices Of modern
| husbandry Her kind u conspicuous ny
certain external che raeterlstIcs that are
easily recognized 70 begin with, she $
an earlv noIter As q rule, she puts on her
new coat of feathers before the hard
working layer has even thought aboutd Is-
carding her old plumage The hen that IS
half wav. or more, through the mott ~
the first of October usually proves n ac
mediocre producer. Those that do not
mott until later are the ones that should
bc retained
A second noticeable trait about the
loafer hen is the rich colorlng Of the skin
will be noted that the early noifers
almost invariably have rich yellow legs.
and that the hens which have not Yet
begun 10 shed their feathers nave pale
or almost white legs. This holds tlne IN
reference to the color OF the vent
II seems that in the manufacture Of
| eggs the hen uses up 4 certain quantity
of body pigment When production IS
high this depletion II the pigment reaches
the point where the legs and skin Of
yellow skinned breeds become almost
white IN color,
HFAyTLAYERs START EARLY
i third indication Of low production Is
the time at which LAYING IS begun IN the
pullet year The prolific pullet starts pro
dtction earlv-that Is, between he first
OF November and thr middle OF Deceni-
her. whereas the low producer i seldom
found on the nest until January or later
There are a number OF other consider
tons which might be mentioned m con-
nection with the cullinc process. but They
are OF minor Importance IN this paper
The points described above arp of speclal
value TO the farmer. IN that they are easily
recognized, thus recurring very little tIme
for their Application.
/ he brlefcSt argument should convince
|
10 mongrels. Numerous tests have estab-
lished the supremacy Of the standard
bred birds Granting that these expen
mcnts are incomplete. there still remain:
the point OF uniformity IN favor o
thoroughbreds. This IS 4 most valuable
asset How we'll it is realized when ",
come To marketing our products. \ dozei
eggs of the same size, shape and colo
command considerably more than thosi
of various sizes and hues. The same Is tru
of broilers, roasters and all other kinds o
poultry The uniformity OF products VI
may add as further advantage in fayo
of pure hreds. the demand ior Matching
eggs and stock of known ancestry.
STUDY CORRECT FEEDiNG.
Next we have the question Of feeding
Generally speaking, the farm hen Is eN
pected to pick up goodly portion Of hel
: living in the fields In aword it is he
Job To utilize the cleaning OF the harves
field, the scattering nubblns and locs,
!, corn at husking time, and all other food o
every description which otherwise woulC
be a total loss The hen performs this
: work III such a satisfactory manner that
, the cost Of her maintenance IS little or
nothing during the summtr months When
: insect life and vegetation Is abundant
| IL Is after weather GOuul{10tS DtGtlNt
such that these sources OF food supply
! ! are shut of, that the farmer must givt
SPECIAL attention TO feeding
Wheat Of milling grade is no longer
available, but corn, oats, buckwheat
barley and minor grains, such as millet- ar,
still procurabIe For ground feeds he has
the by-products of the local miller, wlucf
. include bran and middlingS or he car have
his own corn, oats and other grains grouul
{ when necessary
: To assist IN working out suitable ratlcns
: the farmer has but Go request information
/ from the Federal Government or hn
} State Experiment Station The farmer
must study the feeding question from
; every practical angle, so rs to produce
eggs at the least possible cost
What has been said IN reference to max
ing the farm flock more productive IS Q
great Importance. but unless thus Is coup
led with 4 determination TO produce high
quaiity products, most oi the efforts Wi
stll prove unsatisfactory. Thus lS an agt
Of quality production. and until the iArne'
Is willing TO meet the issue he cannot hops
to receive any substantial increase IN tht
prices I'd eggs and poultry
WHAT rs 4 eRhasH EGG
+ II Is not one that has been covtre,
by 4 broody hen FOR several days neither
, does il come from a nestfui ot eggs thu
have lam under the corn-crib or out Il
, the weeds for = week or ten days. Ihes,
: things take place on the farm all too ire