The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-12-09

prepared by the united states Department.
CT Agricultural
Hens that devote too much attention
early in the season TO the fall styles In
feathers are not the kind hat 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 a 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 thei
feathers until October or November.
Their melting will require only a few
weeks and they will probably he laying
again by the 1st of January. The
poor ones, the early-moltlng %loafers,
will not begin until about this time,
ever 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
profit 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 supplied by
beef scrap. gluten feed, and oil meal.
The oil meal is very effective In keep
ing the feathers In a 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 a time In the
spring and early summer and rest for
the remainder Of the year. Profitable
hpns are really those that have the
capacity to force their egg-maklng
machinery, but they must have the
right sort Of feed with which to do 1t.
That means feeding well-balanced ra-
tons 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 a
dozen eggs from 81 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
IIiItI lttI dS JoNNlblt Jul IIS llV tds
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 not desirable that the hens be made
TO work very hard for this feed. Be
sure that the lens go to roOst with a
ful! crop.
In making w rations 1t Is necessary
To- adhere to standards within certain
limits. hut some feeds may be sub
etituted for others, as barley, wheat,
end onts for corn. However, meat
scrap and other animal-protein feeds
orn not he 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 If the
animal has q free choice II will select
the ration that IS most suitable. At
TIE government farm at Bcltsville. Md,
the following mash was made UP by
keeping account Of the amounts of
the different feeds n laying flock con
aunled:
Samples Of Balanced Rations.
Mash. Scratch Mixture.
1s IFS. corn meal 10. cracked corn
81 lbs. meat scrap ] 10. wheat
10. bran 10. oats
ID, middlings
Here is n simple ration that has
given very good results with Leghorns,
bet that has proved too fattening for
Rocks and W~ynnlottes. Meat scrap,
II will be seen, MAKES up over - per
cent Of the mash.
Mash. Scratch Mixture.
3 lbs. corn meal . lbs. cracked corn
/ IL meat scrap l Id. oats
Tor BIRDS that are made too fat by
tie preceding ration, the following,
C. ntaining crly 10 per cent Of meat
s.Isp but having considerable pro-