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Show HOW TO PRODUCE WINTER EGGS Supply in Periods of Greatest Scarci-.... Scarci-.... ty May be Increased by Proper Methods of Caring for Birds Poultry owners who wish to obtain ob-tain a satisfactory production of eggs during the fall and early winter should arrange to hatch pullets in March or April. Birds hatched at this time will be well matured in the fall. Furthermore, a greater proportion propor-tion of them will go broody early in the spring, thus completing the circle cir-cle necessary for production in the fall. Pullets hatched in the spring can be induced to lay more abundantly in the winter if they are properly fed, housed and handled. On the average aver-age general farm, very few eggs are secured at the time when eggs bring the highest prices. It will pay the poultry owner, therefore, to devote a little trouble to providing his birds with the most favorablesurround-ings favorablesurround-ings for the winter. The house should be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and made tight before the cold weather sets in. If the house has a dirt floor, it is well to remove three or four inches of dirt from the top and to replace this material ma-terial with dry gravel or sand. On cement or wooden floors four or five inches of fresh straw or litter may be thrown down after the floor has been cleaned. Ventilation is another important factor to consider. The house should be tight on three sides, but for the fourth muslin curtains may be Used for from nnft-third to one-half its ex tent. In any case, there should be some ventilation in the house, even on the coldest nights. Fowls will stand considerable cold air, provided it is dry, and ventilation will keep the air thoroughly dry in the hQUse. On the other hand, drafts are likely to cause roup and other trouble. Many farmers, in feeding their birds, overlook the fact that beef scrap or some other similar feed is very essential during the winter months if a good supply of eggs is to be obtained. A convenient method of feeding beef scrap is In a mash made of three parts corn meal and one part each of wheat bran, wheat middlings and beef scrap. Skimmed milk or buttermilk may be used in place of the . beef scrap, but if the supply is limited some scrap also should be fed. In experiments conducted by the department it was found that the first four months pullets fed a ration ra-tion containing beef scrap produced on an everage, 41.5 eggs, while the ones who were fed the same ration without the beef scrap produced only 18.7. The cost of feeding the latter birds was 2.2 cents higher for every dozen eggs produced than in the case of the pullets fed with the beef scrap. The birds should have plenty to eat, they also should be eager for each meal. If one-third of the scratch grain furnished them is fed in the morning and two thirds at night, the birds will take more exercise ex-ercise than they will if they receive all the grain they desire in the morning. morn-ing. Good scratch mixtures may be made of equal parts by weight of cracked wheat, corn and oats, or of two parts of cracked corn and one part each of wheat and oats. Other directions for the winter care of birds are contained in a new publication of the United States Department De-partment of Agriculture, Circular 71, Office of the Secretary Winter Egg Production. |