The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-11-17
STARTING THE LAYERS ON
THE WINTER EGG CAMPAIGN
Keep the Late Moulting Hens, Which
Are the Profit Makers of
The Flock.

Hens tnat devote too much atten-
ton early in the season to the fall
styles in feathers are not thee kind
that please the flock owner. 1t costs
too much to support them and they
demand too long q 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
laying since the previous fell and win
ter. So now when you see bird that
looks shabbier than the others, do not
conclude that she is of the no-account
kind and that her smartly dressed Sis
tiers are the ones to keep.
Late Molters Take Short Vacation
Of course some of the hens that
molted earlier, say in August and
September, 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 Novem-
Der. Their molting will require only
q few weeks and they Will probably
be laying again by the 1st of January.
The poor ones, the early-molting loaf
ers, will not begin until about this
time, even though they have been
resting since the middle of tn sum-
rner. 1t takes one about two months
and the other twice that long to get
back into production.
The poultry keeper who has ali eye
for business will rot neglect this worn
looking late layer, foc she is the best
profit maker he has. She needs a
highly nutrious 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
raolt she has as much need for a
ration strong in protein as she has
when she is shelling out the eggs, as
feathers are highly nitrogenous in
their makeup. They use the mate
rials supplied by beef scrap, gluten
feed, and oil meal. The oil meal is
very effective in keeping the feathers
in healthy, glossy condition.
Hens that lay eggs late in the fall
and in the winter are really produc-
ing an out-of-season crop, for it is
normal for the hen to lay for time
in the spring and early summer and
then rest for the remainder of the
year. Profitable hens are really those
that have the capacity to force their
egg-mahng machinery, but they must
have the right sort of feed with which
to do it. That means feeding we'll
balanced rations designed for the par
ticular class, and sometimes for the
particular breed. A balanced ration
is combination of feeds which fur
nish just the necessary amount of
nutrients to produce the highest and
most economical egg yields. The
amount of feed needed to produce
dozen eggs varies with the kind of
birds. According to experiments con-
Quoted by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture general-purpose
pullets produce a dozen eggs from
e. pounds of feed, and Leghorn pull
lets laid the same number from 4S
pounds.
Simple mixture 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 will fill the crop. 1t is
rot desirable that the hens be made to
work very hard for this feed. Be sure
crop.
In making up rations it is necessary
to adhere to standards within certain
limits, but some feeds may be sub
stituted for others, as barley, wheat,
scrap and other animal-protein feeds
can not be replaced by high-vegetable