The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-12-06

will more than pay for themselves in
increased egg production If you are
not already using them, it is still time
enough to start. For the general farm
flock it might not be worth while to
install an electric outfit; still, it is
much safes and cleaner than lanterns.
For a flock of one or two hundred
birds, however, a good kerosene Ian
tern-Or better yet a gasoline lantern
hung up in the hen house at 81
o'clock in the evening and taken down
at 9 will prove very satisfactory. A
feeding is also needed at this time.
A good scratch to feed in order to
get winter eggs is one composed of
two parts cracked corn, one part oats
and one part wheat. In conjunction
with this should be fed, in open hop
pers so that the birds may get to it at
al times, a mash consisting of equal
parts of bran, wheat middlings, corn
meal, ground oats and meat scraps.
Feed the scratch at the rate of three
pounds to every hundred birds in the
morning, three pounds in the after
noon, about 4 o'clock, and six pounds
when the lanterns are hung out at 8
IN the evening. Be regular with this
feeding. The birds 500 learn when
90 look for it.
Don't let the birds NOPE around the
house all day. If they are not active,
cut down a bit on the scratch and so
.orce the. 10 eat the mash. The birds
nat are COZ .inually lined up in front
f the mash hopper, or the water
pans, are most likely to be those that
are doing the laying. Try to balance
the feeding so the birds will consume
about equal amounts of mash and
grain.
See that there is plenty of deep, dry
litter in the house. Straw is probably
the easiest and cheapest lifted for the
farmer to obtain. When it becomes
finely chopped and has a tendency 20
pack, put in fresh. Deep litter keeps
the hens busy hunting for feed, and SO
gives them the exercise they need
The busy hen is the healthy hen.
During the winter months provide
some sort of green food, in the form
Of Sprouted oats, mangel beets, cab
bage, etc. Sprouted oats are as COOS
as anything and. for the farmer whc
cannot store beets or cabbage, are the
easiest to furnish. Soak me cats in :
Pail of lukewarm water for twenty.
four hours, then pour into a low boz
to the depth of about che inch. Stil
them up occasionally, until the sprouts
begin to mat, so that the air reache:
all the grains. They should also b.
sprinkled with lukewarm water eacl
morning. In a few days the sprout
will be long enough to feed. A gooi
place for %sprOuting oats is alongsidr
the furnace or the kitchen stove; how
ever, any warm place is. good.
See that the chill is taken off tn
drinking water. Fowls will not drinl
ice cold water as readily as warme
WAGER. They need plenty of water t
wash down the dry, dusty mash, an
If they do not get a supply they like
they will stop eating the ma2h. L
order to get the eggs, you must Civ
the birds plenty Of mash and water
Feeding buttermilk in 2 liquid forr
viii give an increase in production
Give the birds a pan at For
small flock, this may be alternate
with potato parings and any Othe
scraps from the table, boiled up an
thickened with bran OF laying mash.
This is the month to mate up you
breeding pens if you expect to q
early Matched chicks. Pick GOO
vigorous, healthy birds. Rememb'
that you will want your pens mate
about two weeks before you start sa'
ing the eggs for Matching. If you a
picking the hens for g prOductio
choose those with long, deep bOdie
a bird of this type shows good el
capacity. Do not pick cock birds tn
are too heavy. Be sure that the to
nails of the male are blunt, for sha
tOenails are likely to scratch or c
the backs of the females. If the ma
are sharp, file them down a bit
make them blunter.
DO not use ngnCS on your Dreede'
Forcing them too much will result
low fertility in the eggs.
Try trap-nesting your breedi
stock. Some hens habitually lay
fertile eggs. By trap-nesting a
marking each egg with the number
the hen, these hens may be discover
and removed, resulting IN a higl
percentage of fertility in the hat,
ing eggs, as well as a larger nunll
Of table eggs.
Be sure that the hen-house is v
ventilated, but not drafty. Poor v
tilation means dampness, and dar
ness and drafts mean colds and TO
Do not close the openings in fir
Of the house unless. absolutely nee
sary because Of driving storms or