Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-13
CARE OF LAYERS
IN COLD WEATHER
Food Goes Into Eggs Only as
Spared by Fowl From
Body Needs.
SULPHUR GOOD FOR COLDS
Greater Cleanliness is Required.
Provide Ample Litter
for Floors.
By II. Armstrong Roberts.

Yourself more about hotter methods of
management. which will yield more
pouItry and eggs with the least waste.
Search for leaks and stop them. Gull
the dronrs and misfits Get rid of every
surplus male that is not required Tor
breeding purposes next spring. but hrst
Drenarc these birds for market. Fatten
them so that they will fetch top prices
Feeding grain to non-produclng hens
is akin to throwing it to the crows
simple fact. vet how few poultry ralsers
aside from the specialists appreciate 1t.
EyFry \on-laNer or poor layer discounts
the returns from the good layer. IL
isn't tho number of eggs you receive that
counts, it's the greatest number OF eggs
from the smallest number Of hens that
builds up the credit side OF the ledger.
As might bc expected at this season
OF the wear. chickens take colds or
become a little out OF condition, due 10
severe changes in the weather. The
management of the Storrs laying contest
Is treating its fiocks which have colds
in the following manner: The birds
are given EpSom salts at the rate OF a half
teasuoon Tor each hen. or one and one
half pounds for each 100 hens. IndIyid-
ials with colds arr caught and given
niece of ginger root twice the size OF
,yrain of corn. and into each nostrIl IS
injected with medicine droppcr one
drop OF 10 per cent solution OF argvToi.
SULPHUR TREATMENT FoR COLDS.
Powdered sulphur IS another remedy
for fiocks that arc out OF sorts and bother
cd with colds. sulphur has the advan-
tarr az being easy to administer 10 a
l4rgr number of birds The usual plan
i to mix il Will the dry mash. Add ten
pounds III powdered sulphur 10 100 pounds
of mash Feed this mixture 70 the alllng
birds for four or FIVE DAYS. then go back
10 the regular rations After week or
20 resume he sulphur mash for second
pcriod ~ four or FIVE days. Under this
treatment hens with colds should show
Il decided improvement. il they have been
otherwise properly managed.
II is of NJ avail TO start tire IN the
furnace of Dwelling with the ldea Of
heating II. II an the doors and windows
are loft open, i the walls and floors have
,.-ackS in them. and there are holes IN
the roof aud water IN tho cellar. Moth
nc !, gained BY such folly. Il is waste
II fue! And fuel these DAYS IS 3 very
vital consideration. Is We know too we'll
Ncry we'll food IS another term for
tQcl When We feed flock ot hens or
anv other sort of livestock, also ourselves,
We are suunlvlng the fuel necessary 10
keep vitality burning. In the case Of
fowls the food we give them is converted
into flesh and eggs only q fast IS il can
bc spsred from the work OF keeping them
warln. vigorous and in a perfect state OF
health.
SURPLUS N0TRISHMENT WENAs EGGs.
DAILY wear and tear on the body tissues
come. first IT, MAINTAIN these tissues
REQUIRES considerable nourishmcnt, which
= asslmIlatcd iood IF there IS no surplus
~ nourishment there Is no surplus OF
flesh. no surplus of vItality-no eggs.
The food which IS fuel, is being fed OF
loss
Chickens do not require artificial heat
and thev should not be treated like hot
house plants: hut they must have dry
quarters. and these quarters must be
free from drafts. vel ventilated and
flooded with sunshine A cold damp
interior causes frozen combs and toes,
starts colds and makes the flock miserable
generally
Floors oi aying houses should be lit
tered with straw or similar material 10
depth 81 eight inches or more. This
material should be renewed whenever
II becomes damp and heavy Litter
l. a. II should be when the scratch grams
that are thrown into II are quickly lost
from sight
should be cleaned more frequently In
cold weather. because they are more
difficult to keep IN a sanitary condition.
Ia warm weather the moisture from the
manure evaporateS; IN cold weather it
freezes and thaws and gives off obiec-
tlonable gases.
These frozen dropping boards are
nard 10 clean, sometimes impossible
The trouble Is overcome If the boards
are sprinkled with a few shavings or like
material that will stop the manure from
freezing hard TO the boards. Planer
shavngs come IN bales and are compare
lively inexpensive They make good
nesting material and are useful IN many
WAYS on the poultry farm.
BEST LAYER IS HARD woRKER
The best layer is .,he first off the perch
m the morning and the last to return at
nigh She Is the best worker in the litter,
vl range farther. and Is always looking
for something 10 eat. In short the ac-
tlvity OF hen j q very reliable indica-
tion o. her product veness. Beware Of
The loafer-
Small tock, ia small houses usually
give more eggs than large fiocks ia large
houses; but 10 maintain large numbers of
poultry IN very small units involves
.abor and equipment that ere out of all
proportion 70 the increased number Of
eggs flocks Of from 100 to 200 birds,
with about fve square feet Of floor area
per bird, IS u happy medium
Never crowd the breeding stock
Breeders should be gwen more room and
liberty than the pullets which are held
FOR egg production alone You cannot
expect high rate Of fertility IN the eggs
Intended for Matching if the breeders are
closely confined
There Is no objection to giving the
breeders outdoor freedom during cold
weather unless the ground is covered
with snow. The thing To do is % make
the house 80 comfortable that the fowls
will not want to venture outdoors in bad
weather
Green food Of some sort Is necessary
every day IN the year Ii should never
81 overlooked Mangcls are convenient
form Of green food for the winter months.
Cabbage, turnips Gndersized potatoes
md sprouted oats are also satisfactory
One hundred hens will consume about
one ton uf green food during the winter
Clover hay and shredded alfalfa will
contribute the mineral elements found
III fresh grecnstuffs, but they are not so
appetIzing, consequently they are not
eaten 10 large enough quantities
Milk seems to be the most satisfactory
food available for poultry Of all ages.
A f,.rr, ~ Lttf III NOM nY,