The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-12-23


prepared by the Unhed States Department
of Agriculture.)
Artificial lights properly operated
will materially increase the winter egg
production of pullets, the United States
Department of Agriculture believes.
The use of lights may also slightly in
crease the yearly egg production Of
individual hens, though not to any
marked extent. The opinion of the de-
partment's poultry division is fully cor
roborated by many of the state expert
ment stations, particularly those in
California, Indiana, Kansas, Washing
ton, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North
Carolina, New York and New Jersey.
County agents working in New York
and New Jersey report considerable
activity in this project, in which the
I Department Of Agriculture usually CO
+ operates with the state agricultural
college through the county agent.
Lighting as a Feeding Measure.
+ 1t should be well understood that ar
tificial lighting is intended primarily as
a means of getting the hens to feed
longer than they otherwise would dur
ing the short days of fall and winter.
An extra feeding Of scratch grain
should be provided, so that the flock
is induced to eat not only enough for
maintenance but an amount compar-
able to what is eaten In the more ac-
tive laying seasons.
Lights are used soon after Septem-
Der l in New Jersey, but in most local
ities they are started November 1 and
continued to April l. Conditions vary
in different states. What may be good
practice in New Jersey may not work
in Kansas. In the latter state cleo
tricity is considered the only practi-
cable kind of light, while in other
states kerosene lamps and gasoline
mantles are sometimes used. Electric
ity is the most practical method to use
wherever it is available.
How to Use Artificial Light.
The total daylight, real and artii-
cial should be about fourteen hours.
There are three ways of increasing
the apparent length of the day-by
turning on lights very early In the
morning, or by keeping them going
several hours at night, or by using
them both morning and night. While /
all three methods have given good re-
suits, the first is usually found most
convenient, because the lights merge
into daylight and no i'll effects result If |
they are not turned Off promptly.
In using the second method some |
dimming device IS needed with electric |
lights to lower the Illumination gradu- |
ally. The hens do not get to their |
roosts if the light is suddenly extin- |
guished. Gasoline and kerosene lamps /
have to be turned down.
Artificial lighting can be abused.
with disastrous effects on the flock.
IF they are run for too long a day, the
hens may produce well for short time
and then begin TO moult. IF the laying
passes 60 per cent, or, in the opinion
of some poultry authorities 80 per
cent. there is danger of moulting and
consequent cessation of laying. In the
spring the lights should never be
stopped abruptly. The length of time
they are run should be shortened
about ten minutes a day until they can
be entirely abandoned.
Other Points With Lights.
Fresh water should be given the
flock the first thing in the morning
when the lights are turned on. Birds
of different ages should not be housed
or lighted in the same way.
They should be properly graded and
locked according to age. Lighting
makes it possible TO carry February
Matched pullets through the first fall
and winter producing period with less
Yearlings and two-year-old ,,
hens are better if started with artih-
,ial lights in January, and the method
is not as profitable as with pullets. 1t
Is considered questionable practice .
20 turn lights on culled hens to stimu-
ate egg production. In New Jersey,
where the largest amount of work has :
,een done with artificial lighting. it is !.
hought better to sell the culls and buy :
rood birds
Artificial lights should be suspended
rom the ceiling so that the entire floor :
pace is lighted. If the rOosting closet :
'artition casts shadow on the roosts, :
he chickens will go to sleep in the r
hadow.
Results in New Jersey show that In n
eneral the use OF lights nearly doubles 4
reduction during the period Of high a
prices of eggs and greatly increases the a
sual net return over the cost OF lights v
nd feed in the lighted pens. The r.
he unlighted ones, and the subsequent Il
aging was as good among the birds Ii
rhich had had winter lights as with a.
ny Of the birds. q