POULTRY ON THE FARM.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 555, 2 April 1913, Page 2

POULTRY ON THE FARM.

WINTER EGGS. Summer is over ana we find the days drawing in very steadily and the temperature at nights getting perceptibly cooler. You of my readers who sre huuse-wives are looking to the wardrobe? to see what warmer clothing will be requried ready for the cold weather which will begin soon. Are you making any preparations for the comfort of your fowls and the filling of your egg baskets during the coming winter? Your preparations should have commenced long ago—during the early spring of last year indeed —when you were selecting your eggs for hatching. They should have continued, too, during all the months since for the right sort of feeding has, more than anything else, to do with the production of eggs in winter. As an egg is produced by the body of the hen, and contains all the constituents for rebuilding that body, it stands to reason that the best food to produce eggs is that which builds up the body of the hen. As in cows, go in hens. Some will Uae tha food to put on flesh, some to produce eggs, and the way to determine which kind is in your flock is to observe the abdomen. If the abdomen is small and hard, the hen will neither produce meat nor eggs. If it is large, firm and fleshy, she belongs to the meatproducing type, but if large and exible she will produce eggs in number.

Of course many methods of feeding for eggs are recommended and probably each farmer has bis own notions of wha is best, but a few general hints may be useful. At the present time there is a lot of discussion as to wheher wet or dry mash is the best for feeding to hens. I think myself that unless milk is used to- wet the masb, a dry one will be just as nutritious,provided the hens have plenty of water. And this is an absolute necessity in any case. If pollard or any fine meal is used, to wet the mash slightly, so that the particles adhere together, would seem to be an advantage, but it should never be given in a sloppy condition, only just dampened so as to crumble easily. One advantage of wetting the mash is that on very cold mornings the liquid—milk or water—may be warmed. There is no doubt fowls like a warm food on a cold morning. For the evening meal crushed corn or grains, different kinds mixed, are better than feeding only one sort. Hens in confinement must also have plenty of green food fed to them, and for the winter mangolds or beets or cabbage are splendid. Grit of course is as essential as water, and if the fowls are shut in a supply must always be on hand. Even if they have a free run it is sometimes necessary to supply grit. Now and then add a little sulphur to the mash—especially during the moulting season; sulphur enters largely into the constituents of feathers as well as eggs. Some add a little mustard to the morning feed; it is warming ann also stimulating, so don't give it too often.

The poultry house must be looked after too this month, and all made snug and warm before winter sets in. Ventilation is an absolute necessity, but it should be so arranged that it does not entail a draught or admit of a strong wind blowing straight in. The house must be absolutely dry too, and the floor should be either covered with litter or raised a little and firm and hard. Glass is not a good thing to have in a poultry house—better to have the spaces left open on the side away from the ;wind, and in cold weather have a sack or curtain of some sort to keep the house warm. Look after the nests and see that they have fresh hay or straw put in often, as in wet weather they soon get dirty and you will have a lot of trouble cleaning the eggs. Finally not that filthy quarters, impure air, dirty water, the presence of vermin and insufficiency of food all lessen the egg production.