Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-18
In The Poultry Pen

Keep Ine IdylIiS mems OIL the Siio"'
You may think it will not hurt them
to walk in the snow and on the Ice
and cold wet mud: but while 1t may
not harm them physically it will be
almost certain to stop the laying Of
eggs Immediately The chill of the
ice and snow and the cold ground
goes directly to the nerve centers.
There must be enough heat in the
body to keep the body in No. l
condition-and enough besides to
keep the eggs flowing at good
speed. Hens usually stand still or
move about very little in snow and
on ice or wet ground that is cold.
This is worse yet for them. Keep
their feet absolutely out of the snow
if you desire the best and most con-
slant flow of eggs. There are thou
sands yet who can't understand why
their hens do not lay in the winter.
while all the time they permit their
hens to wander about the yard and
the farm up to their knees in the
chilling snow. Nine hens in ten will
simply refuse to lay eggs under such
utterly abnormal conditions. The
mating season for birds is the warm
SDIIIS ll1lit NiItll tic utdI oiu sun
has a direct and almost vertical
sweep at the earth. Keep their en-
vironment springlike from now on to
April the first, if you desire the
mating season" to begin now and
end the first of next December.
Better be on guard against frozen
combs and wattles. Breeds with large
haad q 70 GnaHipiIH- subject
frost bite unless carefully watched
as to this matter. One night is sufIi-
cient to put them out of laying for
several weeks or the whole winter.
Be careful as to the drinking foun-
tains. Birds with long wattles must
get them wet when they drink from
an absolutely open dish. They drink
frequently and as consequence the
wattles are thoroughly wet many
! times during the day. With the tenn
perature at a fearful freezing point
| the, wattles are almost certain to get
frosted. 1t is best to buy one OF
/ these patent drinking fountains so
arranged that it is not necessary for
I them to completely immerse the
wattles in cold water every time they
drink. Most of the patent fountains
also have an arrangement for keep
ing the water somewhat warm all
the time. This is a very desirable
feature and is certain to increase
the egg yield.
! Do you know If your birds are re-
turning a good interest on the money
| YOU have invested in stock and
equipment, or are you keeping them
at a loss? In other words, are YOU
keeping them or are they helping to
keep you? If you have never kept a
record of your flock in the past, now
is an excellent time to begin.
Throughout the year a strict account
should be kept of every expense,
feed, stock and equipment purchased,
etc. Give the flock credit for mar
ket eggs sold, Matching eggs sold,
! baby chicks sold, market poultry
breeding and exhibition birds sold.
and don't forget the poultry and eggs
consumed on the home table Give
the flock credit for everything they
produce and charge them up with
every item of expense and see how
you come out
Better keep the soft pedal on in
the use of powerful stimulants to
make them lay. A well rounded ra
ton with plenty of exercise will do
| the job better than stimulants. A
! healthy and hearty hen with plenty
| of well balanced rations and in COM
Portable quarters ought to lay eggs
without being whipped to it like a
lazy horse under the last. A power
full producer will lay as many eggs
as she ought to without artificial
stimulation. Over strained, over
forced, she will weaken rapidly and
her keeper will be certain to lose in
the long run.