Show hens need special care during hot summer days in summer weather it is wen well to give some consideration to the hens whether on range or in confinement advises a in wallaces farmer first examine their quarters for mites if any are present get right after them with a good painting of the roosts boosts with some anti mite preparation hens can scarcely stand both mites and hot weather much less lay eggs lice too should be exterminated if any are present another menace to the summer health of hens is the open corn crib if a hen frequents the crib daily s she he is apt to eat too much corn and to become too fat to lay and perhaps so fat that she will drop dead many young poultry raisers not noticing how their birds run to the crib say 1 I dont know what s the matter with my hens they are dying so their grandmothers probably could tell them that the trouble is too much corn in summer some grief is caused by the broody hen if not broken up immediately broodiness almost always ruins a good layer she will hold to the nest without laying and will dwindle in size until weak some poultry raisers simply gather up their broody hens and sell them but if what a culler once said at one farm is true that policy is unwise he said your hens have almost culled themselves the best ones have gone to sitting to break up broodiness place the hens in a slat bottomed coop so that the air can circulate under it offer the birds plenty of mash and fresh water |