Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1921-01-21
FEEDING FOR
EGG PRODUCTION

mems lay Nearly every one is
interested in the price of eggs|
and many a time we have noticed
the advance in price as the win
ter months approached. This
advance in price is caused by the
fact that the average farm flock
goes on a strike in the fall and
winter months because they are
not properly housed and fed. 1nl
the spring and summer months
most any flock of hens will layI
fairly we'll because they are COM
Portable even if they have toI
roost in the trees and if they arel
not fed properly balanced ration.
They can balance their ration
themselves at this season of the
year in measure by eating a
plenty of green food, bugs,
worms, etc. However, during the
winter months when this supply
is cut off they will not lay enough
eggs for home needs. Too little
attention has been given to the
home flock, and it is high time
that we found out just how i'm
portant part of it will play in
reducing the cost of living ex-
penses if given a square deal.
First, let us take up the sub
| ject of poultry houses. The
! most important consideration in
constructing a hen house is to
secure a good circulation of ali
but be very careful of draughts.
| To protect against draughts, the
east, north and west sides should
be wind proof. AS l stated
above, proper housing is very
important but we must not STOP
there if we hope to get satisfac.
tory results. We must study
very carefully the subject of feed
ing. On large number of Vir
; glnla farms, corn is about the
only kind of iced that the hen.
receive and then their owners
wonder why they do not lay
The reason why these hens d.
not lay is very apparent as their
: owners will find if they will take
a little time and study the sub
]ect of feeding for egg produc
ton. In the first place hen.
must be fed a balanced ration t.
produce maximum results. A
balanced ration is a ration thai
when fed to the average hen will
produce an equal number of both
, yolks and whites. If you art
feeding your hens mixture thai
produces 100 yolks for every sc
whites, then it is possible for the
hen to lay only so normal eggs
We can not expect our hens tc
perform miracle. Corn alone
is very poor feed for hens if
they are expected to lay because
100 pounds of corn contains 255
yolks and only 1874 whites, the
whites are the limiting factors
IN corn and if hen is fed 100
pounds of this feed alone it will
be possible for her to lay only
134 normal eggs.
A mixture of several of the
most common grains for a scratch
iced and mash composed of
several of the mill products and
one or more of the meat foods
makes balanced ration that will,
produce very satisfactory results
The following ration is being
used by quite number of Vir-
gina poultrymen with very graf
Tying results. Scratch feed, /
! bushel Of wheat, l bushel of corn
and l bushel of oats. This should
be fed twice day in deep litter
lightly IN the morning and heav-
Ter at night. Mash, 50 pounds
of wheat middlings or shorts, so
pounds of wheat bran, 50 pounds
of coarse corn meal, Is pounds of
beet scrap and ~ pounds of
salt. The mash should be fed
dry in self feeders, and kept be-
fore the hens at all times.
Ii you care to take the time to
figure out the above ration You
will find that it contains 676.
yolks and o76.2 whites.
Two other very important
things in this connection that II
had almost forgotten are water
and grit. Sixty-fve per cent of
an egg is water, SO plenty of wa
ter must be provided, where it is
very easily accessible, for the
hen will not go far for a drink
until forced to do so by extreme
thirst. Grit is absolutely essen
tial and unless the hens have al
plenty of it they can not grind
up their food, hence can NOT oat