The Farmington times., 1918-02-08
HATCHING EARLY THE KEY
TO more POULTRY

Put on the setting hens; start the
incubator! We need more chickens!
To double the poultry output of the
country is one of our big war aims.
That means that if everybody in a
position to help did his part, $780,
100000 worth of food would be add
ed to our supply every year. In its
campaign TO increase poultry pro-
duction, the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture puts special em-
phasis upon the Importance of early
Matching because that is the key to
the whole situation. Chicks hatched
early are stronger, thrive better and
have the advantage of a longer grow
ing season. Hot weather retards the
growth of chicks and, with the pres
ence of lice, causes millions of late
hatched chicks to die each year. Pull
lets hatched early produce eggs in
the fall when hens are moulting Ear
ly Matched cockerels are ready for the
market when prices are highest. Ear
| ly hatched pullets lay when prices of
eggs are highest. Early layers will
brood early the next spring.. Publ
cations of the Department of Agricul-
ture, Farmers Bulletin No. 585,
Natural and Artificial incubation of
Hens Eggs, and Farmers Bulletin
No. 625, Natural and Artificial
Brooding of Chickens" will aid the
early hatchers.
Unless a special effort is made
throughout the country to hatch the
1918 chicken crop early, the Nations
need for a greatly increased output
of poultry flesh and eggs is not like
ly to be fully met. While chickens
can be hatched at any time of the
year, it is the chickens hatched early
in the spring that give the best re-
! suits. Hatching should begin from
February / in the South to March l
in the North and West, and should
be completed by May /. The usual
time for starting the incubators and
sitting hens comedies too closely with
the planting season on the farms and
Matching operations are likely to be
reduced on that account. Therefore
hatch early.
The city poultry keeper should
tackle the business of handling chicks
or buying and rearing "day-old'
chicks cautiously or not at all. OFTEN
it is inadvisable to attempt to renew
the city poultry flock even though the
temptation comes strongly to the
poultry beginner with the first warm
days of spring. Previous experience
in the raising of chicks often increas-
es the chances Of success, but the
land available to the backyard poul-
tryman usually is too small to under
take chick business.
No attempt should be made to rails,
chicks unless a plot can be provided
separate from that to which the hens
have access and upon which there is
grass or where supply of green feed
can be furnished. Where these con-
ditions cannot be had it is better for
the beginner who is keeping only hens
for eggs to kill the hens as soon as
they have outlived their usefulness
and replace them by weH-matured
pullets in the fall.
If it is believed practicable to hatch
and rear a few chicks, this can best
be done with hens. If it is desired
to purchase and rear a few day-old
chicks and no hens are available for
the purpose, it is possible with little
trouble and expense to construct a
fireless brooder, which will serve in
place of the hens.
It would be we'll for the beginner
to obtain from the Department OF
Agriculture or from State agricultur-
al colleges, publications on Matching
and rearing.