Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-11-02
WITH THE COUNTY AGENT.
Hi Spots from the County Agriculture
al Office
Poultry Culling

Eoutky SuitihS
The poultry cull.lg work conducted
by Prof. j. b. Hayes of the University
of Wisconsin shows very interesting
results. The percentage of culls in
fiocks averaging 200 hens per flock
was thirty-three and one-third per-
cent. OF the smaller focks the per
Icentage varied greatly. Some hocks
were pronouncedto be one-fourth culls,
other fiocks showed a percentage of
culls as high as so per cent All these
| facts show that the average farmer
in Vernon county who keeps chickens
| is keeping considerable number of
fowl that are paying no dividend, in
fact, thay are merely kept to fill up
space about the farm and take up
room that the more active bird should
have.
Mr.. Simons of Viola states. 81 am
convinced that the business of keep
ing poultry is one very comparable
to that of keeping dairy cattle. in
that we have first TO deal with the
type of the individual, secondly, the
quality of the individual and thirdly
the care and attention, which neces-
sarily includes the housing Quarters
that are maintained for the hen and
the feed which is fed to produce the
egg. Aside from the show-ring type
of bird that most of US poultry men
look for, the quality is the most es-
sential, for unless bird is of good
quality one can expect little. egg pro-
duction.
On my farm ! aim to keep from
three to five hundred laying hens. /
further aim to feed them the best feed
ration that l can possibly find. Dur
ing the summer months this ration
will take care of itself to a certain
extent. Inasmuch as the birds find
plenty of green fed on the range and
get animal protein from insects and
bugs that they chance to pick up on
their walks. However, as the winter
season approaches | have to substi-
tute some feed for this most essen
tial green part of the ration and ami
NAL protein feed. aim to supply the
green part of the ration by using
fresh wholesome silage leafs and COW
beets. | aim to supply the animal
protein feed by the use of meat scraps.
Together with this consideration
give much attention to the bulk of the
ration. I do not rely on green feed
alone for this food is too concer trait
ed to keep the birds very active. u
use the self FEEDER method of supply
ing this bulk food. / find that when
the birds have access to it at all times
they will not over eat but will regulate
their feeding of hard grains accord
ingly. / aim to make up the bulk
ration of equal parts by weight of
bran, middlings, corn meal, ground
oats, and gluutin. do not use oil
meal for aim to supply protein
through the use of meat fats. AL
though this bulk ration may appear
to take up too much volume / find it
quite the contrary while / keep an
abundance of litter in the coop and
permit the fowls to get plenty of ex-
ercise.
| By using a system of feeding and a
scientific method of culling which en-
ables me to pick out all hens that will
produce no less than 100 eggs per
year, / believe / have a real business
proposition. In fact, if last years
market for dairy production and eggs
in our Kickapoo valley is any COM
parison to prices paid elsewhere for
these commodities know that my
poultry pay me far in excess for ev-
cry dollar invested than do my dairy
cattle / sincerely believe that the
complaint of low returns so often
made by, men who keep those small
fiocks is wholly unwarranted because
too little attention is paid to the Sc
lection of birds and further to their
care and feed. If we will use the
system of culling our focks as the
dairymen uses the milk scale, the milk
sheet and the Babcock test i'm the COW
testing associations, the averaged
farm flock will be the greatest asset
that can be found ON the average
farm in the Kickanoo vallav