South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-02-11
Artificial Light Helps Birds
Find Feed and Increases
Their Working Day.
BY /. J. MATTHEWS
Agricultural Agent, Pulaski County

Agricultural Agent, Pulaski County
Getting eggs i'm the winter time
has always been an elusive idea TO
me-from my own experience-so
elusive that the coveted hen fruits
eluded my finding them until about
the middle of January each year
when tho hens would have finished
their Noting and have gotten back
into production after am idleness Of
perhaps II weeks Several causes
can Toe attributed to- this state of af-
fairs-immatUre pmlets, due 10 late
Matching. haphazard methods Of
feeding and housing and iudiher-
enCe on the part Of the owner.
\ Good Decision
Last spring I decided to hatch
April first. ] carried out the resolu-
ton ON time and had "a nice bunch of
little White Leghorns by April 10.
I raised them in a colony house.
When they were Z weeks old l put
them on seIf-feeders Cmy first use
ot these also). and could just see
those chickens grow into maturity.
I'm October I attended the Indiana
Poultry association convention at
Purdue and there heard a great deal
about how 10 get winter eggs-1s
given by the experience of people
from all parts of the state. I came
home with many ideas and we began
plans for the remodeling of our old
dilapidated chicken house. We en-
Iarged it to 22X50 f.. size. semi
monitor style, put i'm concrete floors
ard drop boards.
Catches Fever at McntOnc
on oct 20. 1 attended the pOul-
try meeting Mt Mentone. Ind, and
cot the lighting Dug so bad that
came home and planned 10 wire
this new remodeled house. II was
November first before L got the pull
let's housed and got them started on
the right amount of feed, and it was
November fifth before we turned on
the lights. AT that time We were
getting 10 eggs per day We turned
on the lights at five i'm the morning.
increasing the time 10 minutes every
other day until they came on at
a. mn. This method seems to be the
practical one used i'm commercial
plants.
Lights shows En- Feed
To was well up 20 the first OF De
cember before tho pullets were on
ruu feed. The first day of December
we gathered - eggs. There had
been a gradual increase up until we
cot 81 eggs. Then they made one
iump 10 40. then gradually up 90 go
and on New Years Day a jump 20
Sc from the flock Of 1S5 of which
there were about 80 immature pull
lets which 1 had purchased late.
our whole project has been about
two months late. The pulets
should have been housed in Sep
TENDER and lights turned ON them IN
October
The Meat i'm the Nut.
The cost OF installing lights was
small. $3.50 as all We had 90 do
was 10 run wire from the house
The alarm clock that operates a
simple switch cost $500 making
our total only SI1.So. The current
used in December. with the many
late gloomy mornings. cost 81
feel that nothing We could have done
has made Us as much as the lights
have Next year I expect 20 follow
The same methods. except 20 get
started earlier I'm the fan. OF course.
il goes without saying that / feed
the 5-5-T mash I'm a feeder which
ia always before the pullets. and
the scratch grain in the litter. morn
jng and evening.
The colony house brooder saves
work for the busy farm woman and
10 may be made 70 save still more
time and work II a few inexpensive
devices are made 20 use with H.
49, .ha brooder stove ia regulated