Show FIND FEWER HENS LAID MORE EGGS EG GS heavy production Pio attributed to the open prepared by the united states department 0 f agrico ture service egg production per farm arm flock the first three months of this year in creased markedly over the correspond ing period a year ago in spite of a sharp reduction in the number of hens and pullets pallets of laying age according to the bureau of agricultural econom ics acs united states department of ag ri culture the heavy lakings tl it Is year are at tributes tri buted to the open winter but the bureau believes that the reaction to be expected later to a lower seasonal rate of lakings per hen ben accentuated by the smaller number of layers will tend to reduce lakings per flock to below the level of recent years the bureaus bureau s figures cover reports from 22 crop correspondents excluding flocks numbering or more hens and pullets of laying age on january 1 this year the figures show that on march I 1 this year the number of hens and pul put lets of laying age in farm flocks of crop reporters averaged 83 6 per farm compared with 88 a year ago and a five year average of on that date the reduction since january has been six birds per flock compared with a five year average e reduction of 18 birds in this period lakings per farm flock on march I 1 averaged 30 37 7 eggs compared with 38 0 eggs last march 1 and 32 for the five live bear ear average the aggregate of the lakings per flock on january I 1 gebru ary I 1 and march I 1 combined Is 75 3 eggs eg g s tl ti Is year compared with 71 5 in 1930 and 64 9 in the five years 1025 29 chopped alfalfa found desirable as protein chopped alfalfa not only makes a desirable protein supplement for pork po r 6 production as shown by a recent es ex pertinent perl ment at the south dakota a expert ment station but Is also a splendid feed for laying hens particularly where a high percentage of hatch ible eggs are desired this provides a satisfactory substitute for more ex pensive green feeds which are often difficult to secure according to both the ollo 01 lo 10 and missouri experiment stations the chopping or coarse grind ng of good ty alfalfa cloi er or soybean hay makes it possible to conveniently feed in wire racks hop pers or troughs choice quality hay may also be finely ground to make up 15 per cent of a desirable mish mash ra tion according to these stations this Is especially recommended to make up the vitamin deficiency in rations where yellow corn Is lacking jacking egg producers with legume hay available will rejoice in knowing that they ean an take this opportunity of reducing their costs in order to maintain a profit with their flock poultry facts watch for the early holters and cull them out as poor layers in chick rations the only mineral additions that are ever likely to be necessary are calcium carbonate cal eat crom phosphate and sodium chloride which aich is common silt salt laying I 1 ens need careful attention at this season to prevent their going into a molt this means that they should have a liberal supply of feed especially plenty of mash clean shavings or a mixture of ings and coarse sawdust would make a very fine litter for a chicken house there Is no more danger in the use of tl ti is litter than in any othel cutting the pullet flock in two in order to get rid of all tl e late pullets pallets will pay not only in feed but will al at low room tor for the remainder of the flock and get increased production there Is nothing wl ich will improve quality of summer eggs more than the production of infertile eggs pound round worms cause young chickens to have an unthrifty appearance and are found in the intestines of unthrifty cl lekens ickens that have been raised on contaminated soil I 1 A male Is not required in the flock to obtain a high egg production most h gh class eggs come come from farms that never carry males they produce in fertile eggs the entire year when early molting is the result of poor care the time of molting Is of no value in estimating past or future per foi foin mance tance of the hens nov is the time to start culling calling ivcak eak cl clicks icks never grow into mone money making I 1 ens so get rid of them as they tome come from the incubator low cost feeds to together ether with the greatest I 1 possible efficiency em clency of labor used in preparation and feeding are essential to profits in egg production at present market prices A 1 I WM f j |