VOL. LXII
INDIANAPOLIS, MAY   25,   1907.
NO. 21
%xpcvizncc department
WINTER LAYING   PULLETS.
Keep Them Busy.
1st Premium.—The problem of winter
egg production is important and one
whfch nearly every farmer and poultry
raiser is anxious to solve. I once heard
i man say he did oot care about his hens
laying in tlie winter, that lie would rather
they WOQld rest during tliis season that
tliey might be ready for business in the
spring; bnt I do not believe there are
many wbo take this view of the situation.
Winter is tbe season when eggs bring tbe
highest market priee; also when the fowls
require must attention and the greatest
amonnt of feed. If hens do not lay
during the winter season it becomes a
question whether tiny are a profitable investment. One of the lirst considerations
in securing egga from the pullets during
the late fall anil winter, is the time- of
hatching. They should be hatched as
early in the spring as the weather will
permit. Those hatched in April and
May can usually be counted ou to lay,
while later ones in most instances elo not
begin laying till February or March. I
would not attempt In sny which breed
produces  the  most   eggs. Kach  has its
e Iva m pious. Some have succeeded best
with one, while others have had better
success with another breed. But where
eggs are the chief consideration, a laying
strain should be selected, aud pure bred
fowls invariably give best satisfaction. I
do not mean hy this that every farmer
should invest in fancy, high-priced poultry, but by beginning on a small scale,
it is possible, at no great expense, to
have a Bock in a year or two that one
may be proud of.
Front the time of batching, the pullets
should be pushed as rapidly as possible to
early maturity. They should be given a
rarlety e,r reed, not only that which fattens but more particularly that which
stimulates growth. It  is my experience
that ihey should have a good range, and
until it becomes actually necessjtry to
honse them they shonld not be unnecessarily restricted in their movements. As
winter approaches, a variety of feed becomes a matter of even greater importance. 'I'h is is not only necessary to
keep them in good thrifty condition, but
the properties of the egg must also be
supplied. The feed depends to some extent on that which may be found on the
farm or is most convenient. Corn,
wheat, oats, barley, vegetables, small potatoes, apple parings, meat scraps, when
siven in proper proportion and accompan-
i>*1 by grit or oyster shell, pure water,
charcoal, dust baths, etc., should result in
a gooel supply of eggs if other conditions
are favorable.
The poultry house need not necessarily
be expensive, but should be warm, dry,
well ventilated and free from drafts.
Where possible', it should have a south
front, well supplied with glass, which will
admit both  light  and  heat. Connected
with this should ba a scratching shed,
where the chickens should be confined
during severe cold weather or when the
ground  is covered   with  snow. Its  size
should of course be in proportion to the
number   of   fowls. It   never   pays     to
crowd, Not more than three or four
dozen should be yarded together. It is
better to house nud yard separately, even
where no more    space is allotted.      The
Door should he covered five or six inches
deep with straw, chaff or other litter.
The nests, elust baths, water troughs and
grit should be arranged as may seem most
convenient. These' are all very important.
For breakfast they may be fed wheal
iii barley. This should be thrown in the
litter   in   the   evening,   after  the   chickens
house should be sprayed with kerosi'iie. A
goeiei plan is to have movable rooats,
tliat   they   ean   lie   readily   taken   out   and
cleaned.
If the pullets are hatched early, have
a warm house', are given a variety of
ihimI Mid plenty of grit, and are kept
busy, in niiisl eases they will lay during
the lute-  fall  ami  winter. II.
night. They   shoulil   have   fresh,   clean
water where they can get at it any time;
ais.i oyster shells, cracked bone and grit
or gravel. Sweet milk is good for poultry. I-<■ t ihem havi' it in vessels to drink
at will. Hut I have not had good sue-
e e -s reeding sour milk, unless it was
niiielee into smearcase cheese, and then
they must not be allowed to eat too much
at   one  time.
Have cleau quarters for the poultry,
ami as winterappronchessee that they are
kept warm enough. A pullet will not
I i.v i aily if she has a cold or unsheltered
place  tee  must   nt  night. If the clucks
lake tu roosting in fruit trees near by, it
i^ best tn bieak tJiem of thehabit before it
hns iee'reiine a strung one. If you can't
Induce them to go to the poultry house of
nights, or some other shelter, better sell
tlii'iu before cold weather comes, for they
will lose in flesh and do you no good all
winter. Most   any   breed   that  is   well
cared for will be laying eggs in 8 or 9
months after they are hatched. If you
bave the Leghorna, or a similar breed,
they will lay earlier than that.
1 would recommend hatching chicks
curly; giving them proper care and nutritious food, something that is not for fat
ale me; good yards or the range of the
farm for exercise; and sheltered places
to roost. They will do the rest towards
furnishing your table witli eggs in the
lute fall and winter, when the old hens
are taking a rest. Poultry Raiser.
go to roost, and when they leave the
iieeists iu the morning they can at once begin their daily occupation of scratching
for a living. About 10 o'clock they should
have a mash. This may consist of wheat
bran, scalded in either milk or water, in
which should be put the small potatoes,
apple parings and other refuse from the
kitchen. About three o'clock they
should be given a good feed of corn. This
will keep them warm during the night.
Once or twice a week they should be
given beef scraps. Sheaf oats may he
huug up a foot or two from the floor, just
nut of easy reach, which will require considerable effort on their part to get. Cabbage may also be suspended in this way.
and it is mueh relished in the winter
when green food is scarce. The fowls
should be kept busy and made to work
fm- most nf their food. This is largely
ret of winter egg production.
Another very important matter is to
keep the quarters clean. Shelves or
trays may be arranged under the roosts
and   covered   with   snnd. Every   morn
ing these should be taken out and brushed
.•flf nnd again replaced. This requires
but little time and insures cleanliness. A
careful watch should be kept for lice, and
occasionally  the  whole    interior    of    the
Oood Blood Tells.
Jel Premium.—The first important thing
in having pullets lay in late fall or early
winter is to get them hatcheel early in
the   spring. They   have   to   have   time
enough to fully mature before they can
lay, therefore the earlier the hatch the
sootier the pullets will lay eggs in the
fall. Aft -r the chicks are hatched keep
them growing as fast as they can. I
want to say that good blood tells in poultry as much or more than in any other
thing. The   pure  bred  strains  mature
Buore rapidly than scrub breeds or all
breeds mixed. I have full stock chickens and my three weeks old ehieks are as
large as my tive or six weeks old chicks
wnulil be when I used to raise just any
kind, regardless of blood or breed.
Chicks should have different varieties
of food, not fed one thing all the time.
A good plan after they are large enough
to eat again is to feed them eorn bread
in the morning, wbeat or oats at noon
and cracked corn for supper, if they are
old enough to do on three meals a day. If
they require tive meals a day. give corn
bread enrly in the morning, wheat or
screenings abont half past nine, cracked
corn at noon, oats at three, and cocn at
Oet Them  Started Right.
3d Premium.—Feeding and caring for
the pullets has much to do with their laying qualities later on. I have had experience with Plymouth Rocks, Brown
Leghorns and Black Minorcas. While
the smaller breeds mature earlier, the
Plymouth Rocks make very satisfactory
lnw Is for the farm and as mothers. For
winter buyers I prefer pullets hatched in
April or May. The weather is then favorable and they can be out and get the
youug grass and the many liule things
required   to   keep   them   growing. The
main trouble I have is to keep them free
from   lice. It   requires   constant   vigi-
lance and care.
I never feed any sloppy food. I prefer
screenings, or pure wheat, if I can get it,
with some millet, buckwheat and Kaffir
corn for a change. The main thing is to
get the chickens started right, and feed
to build a good healthy frame, not keeping them fat but in good growing order.
I usually feed some good poultry food
about twice a week, and keep plenty of
good, sharp grit where they have access
to it at all times, and plent, ofi fresh
water. I had some pullets hatched the
last of May. 1006, that commenced laying the last week in October and they had
no special care but they were fed well
and had all the range tbe wanted.
When the weather becomes cold, or
those cold,, rainy November days come, I
do not allow the to run ont. I keep them
in nnd feed some cabbage or other green
stuff, and scatter some small grain iii
deep litter to keep them busy. It is the
hen that is always busy, scratching and
foraging around for anything she can
ent, that will fill the egg basket the quickest. For winter I put away cabbage
for them, and cut large beets in two, or
turnips, or anything in the vegetable line.
They will thank you for it very much.
when eggs are about 30e per dozen. I
feed ground meat, or blood meal, a small
amount every other day. I also give an
Concluded on page 9.