The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-12-01


Hens that devote too much attention
early in the season to the fall styles In
feathers are not the kind that please
the flock owner. 1t costs too much to
support them and they demand too
long a vacation period. But the hen
that wears her old clothes until
autumn has almost passed is the best
of the flock, for she has kept on lay
ing since the previous fall or winter
So now when you see bird that looks
shabbier than the others, do not con-
clude that she is Of the no-account
kind and that her smartly dressed
sisters are the ones to keep.
Take Short Vacation.
OF course some of the hens that
mOlted earlier, say In August and Sep
tember, are profitable enough to keep,
but the cream of the flock is made up
of hens that do not change their
feathers until october or November.
Their melting will require only few
weeks and they will probably be laying
again by the LIST of January. The
poor ones, the early-moltlng loafers,
will not begin until about this time,
even though they have been resting
since the middle of the summer. 1t
takes one about two months and the
other twice that long to get back into
production.
The poultry keeper who has an eye
for business will not neglect this worn
looking late layer, for she is the best
croft maker he has. She needs a
highly nutritious ration If she is to be
in the best condition to start on
another year of high production. When
she quits laying and starts to mott she
| has as much need for a ration strong
In protein as she has when she Is
Smelling out the eggs. as feathers are
! highly heterogeneous in their makeup.
They use the materials supplieds by
| beef scrap, gluten feed, and oil meal.
! The oil meal is very effective in keep
/ ing the feathers in healthy condition.
Hens that lay eggs late In the fall
and in the winter are really producing
an out-Of-seasOn crop. for ii is normal
! for the hen to lay for time In the
spring and early summer and rest for
the remainder OF the year. Profitable
hens are really those that have the
capacity to force their egg-making
machinery, but they must have the
right sort Of feed with which to do It.
That means feeding well-balanced ra-
tions designed for the particular class,
and sometimes for the particular
breed. A balanced ration is a combina
ton of feeds which furnish just the
! necessary amount Of nutrients to pro-
duce the HIGHEST and most economical
egg yields. The amount of feed needed
to produce a dozen eggs varies with
the kind of birds According to eX-
periments conducted by the United
| States Department Of Agriculture
general-purpose pullets produced
dozen eggs from 6.7 pounds Of feed,
and Leghorn pullets laid the same
number from 4.S pounds.
Simple mixtures are usually the
most desirable As the fall advances
and the days grow shorter the birds
should be encouraged to put away as
much feed as possible during the day
so that their bodies will have plenty
to work on for all of the "a hours
A good handful OF scratch grain for
each bird at night VIII fill the crop. 1t
Is not desirable that the hens be made
to work very hard for this feed. Be
sure that the hens go to roost with a
! full crop.
In making w rations II Is necessary
| to adhere to standards within certain
limits, but some feeds may be sub
stituted for others, as harley, wheat,
! and oats for corn. However. meat
scrap and other animal-protein feeds
can not be replaced by high-vegetable-
! protein feeds. All changes should be
made gradually. as sudden changes
may decrease egg production.
! A great many poultrymen and live
stock feeders now believe that IL the
| animal has q free choice It will select
the ration that is most suitable At
/ the government farm at Beltsville Nd,
the following mash was made up by
keepIng account of the amounts OF
the different feeds laying flock con-
sumed:
Samples Of Balanced Rations.
Mash. Scratch Mixture
le lbs. corn meal h. cracked corn
6h lbs. meat scrap l h. wheat
ID. bran l 10. oats
h. middlings
Here Is simple ration that has
given very good results with Leghorns,
but that has proved too fattening for
Rocks and Wyandottes. Meat scrap.
Il will be seen, makes up over % per
cent OF the mash.
Mash. Scratch Mixture.
lbs. corn meal lbs. cracked corn
| ID. meat scrap Id. oats
For birds that are made too fat by
the preceding ration, the following,
containing only IS per cent of meat
| ccrap tnt having oonSidorohla pro-