The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-11-04

Bring the PulIets in From the Range
Before They Begin to Lay, for Nov
ing Them Retards Egg Production
Two to Four Weeks.
! If 1T has a cement or wooden floor,
remove all litter and dirt and put in
! 4 or 8 inches of fresh straw or litter.
! Remove the roOsts and scrape the
| dropping boards, wetting them down If
/ necessary to loosen refuse which has
| caked and dried on. Sweep the walls
| and ceiling with broom, and clean out
| all old nesting material. The house is
now ready to be disinfected. Mix up
a batch Of whitewash or other disin-
fectant. Put peck or more of fresh
burned lime in a tub or barrel and
pour on 1t enough water to start slak-
ing. Stir occasionally and add more
wuter TO prevent burning. Keep the
vessel covered with an old sack to re-
tain the heat. After the lime is thor
oughly slaked dilute IL to the proper
consistency and strain 1t if il Is to be
applied with a spray pump. Add a
quart of crude carbolic acid to each
bucketful of wash. Other effective
disinfectants are lime-suIphur mixture
used for spraying fruit trees, coal-tar
preparations, or the approved cattle
dips.
With a whitewash brush or spray
pump apply thoroughly to the inside of
the houSe-walls. ceiling, floor, drop
ping boards. and nests, as well as the
roosts, which should be placed out of
doors in the sun for a few days. Al
81 -, u
ting in fresh litter. Rye straw makes
excellent litter, because it is tough and
does not break up easily, but wheat
or oats straw. cOrnstalks, dry leaves,
or coarse hay are all disable.
Make Houses Free From Drafts.
Be sure that the house is tight on |
three sides and that there is no chance |
for draft to strike the hens. If hens |
roost or are placed in a draft during |
the fall and winter, colds are sure |
to develop, which may result in roup
and other troubles. From one-third to
one-half of the south side, or front,
of the poultry house may be made OF
curtains and windows, but should be-
under control, SO that the openings
may be closed gradually as the wealth |.
err becomes cold. Have muslin cur
tains in the front of the house or leave
a window partly open, even or the
coolest nights. to allow some ventila-
ton in the house. Fowls will stand
exposure to cold air pro-
yided it is dry. and ventilation will
keep the air in the house dry.
Before the pullets are mixed with
the older fowls be sure that the hens
are banded or that the web of the foot
Is punched in some way, so that you
can distinguish between the pullets and
the hens. This plan permits the older
stock to be culled out whenever de-
sirable, and the young hens to be kept
,or further laying. For egg produc-
ion do not keep hens over two years,
nut some of the best hens may be kept
or breeders until three or four years
I'D
The pullets that mature early in the :
all and that mott late the next year
ire usually the best layers and should
,e saved for breeding stock. Gull the
chickens carefully which are brought
nto the laying house, and fatten and }
market all which are small, poorly :
developed. or in poor condition. These :
mall. poorIy-developed chickens are :
pit to catch cold if put in with the :
'ther poultry and develop diseases +
7hich quickly spread through the r
ock. 9
Clean the dropping boards at least +
nea week. and spray the roosts /