The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1921-11-09

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 de-
mand too long Il vacation period. But
the hen that wears her old clothes un-
TIL autumn has almost passed is the
best of the flock, for she has kept on
laying since the previous fall or 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
ters are the ones to keep.
Late Moltcrs Take Short Vacation
Ot 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-
ber Their molting will require only
a 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 the sum
mer. 1t takes one about two months
and the other twice that long to get
back into production.
The poultry keeper who has an eve
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 molt
she has as much need for ration
strong in protein as she has when she
IS shelling out the eggs, as feathers
are highly nitrogenous in their make
up. They use the materials 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-making 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
tlcular class, and sometimes for the
particular breed. A balanced ration
is combination of feeds which fur
nlsh just the necessary amount of
nutrients to produce 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 experiments con-
ducted by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture gcncral-purpose
pullcts produced q dozen eggs from
6.I pounds of feed, and Lcghorn pull
lets laid the same number from 4.S
pounds.
Simple mixtures are usually the
7 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 cop. 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 up rations it is necessary
to adhere to standards within certain
limits, but some feeds may be sub
Stltuted for others, as barley, wheat,
and oats FOR corn. However, meat
scrap and other animal l-protein feeds
can not be replaced by igh-vegctable
protein feeds. All cha nges should be
made gradually, as sudden changes
may decrease egg production.
"A graf many poultrymcn and live
stock feeders now believe that if the
animal has q free choice it will select
the ration that is most suitable. At
the Government farm at Beltsvillc,
Md, the following mash was made up
by keeping account Of the amounts
or the different feeds laying flock
consumed:
Sampl of Balanced Rations
Mash
1G pounds corn meal.
1-2 pounds meat scrap
| pound bran.
| pound middlings.
Scratch MIXTURE
pound cracked corn.
pound wheat
| pound oats.
Here is simple ration that has
given very good results with Leg
horns, but that has proved too fattcn-
ing for Rocks and Wyandotts. Meat
scrap, it will be seen, makes up over
70 per cent of the mash.
Mash
3 pounds corn meal.
pound meat scrap.
Scratch mixture
pounds cracked corn.
1 pound oats.
For birds that are made too fat by
the preceding ration, the following,
containing only 16 per cent of meat
scrap but having considerable protein