REPORT OF TEE POULTRY MANAGER 239 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



bcr, 40c.; December, 50c.; January, first two weeks, 45c., last two weeks, 40c.; 

 February, 40c. for the first three weeks, 35c. for the last week. The total 

 amount received by me from Mr. Graham, of Montreal, was $149.41. This 

 record is to March 1. My methods of management are and have been as follows : — ^By 

 selecting the best I have now no poor egg layers. I keep 6 to 8 inches of straw on the 

 floors of the pens, and change it about once per week. The whole grain is fed in the 

 litter during the winter. Rations are : — 



Morning (early). — Cracked corn. 



About 11 a.m. — Mangels or cabbages. 



Noon. — Wheat. 



P.M. ration. — Mash composed of second crop clover hay (cut), bran, middlings, 

 ground oats, commeal and a small paxt of meat meal. 



Any spare skimmed milk is also given to the fowls. I am a great believer in 

 fresh air, and my houses are open every fine day during winter, and as a result they 

 aiie always dry, and I have few cases of sickness. I do not believe that hen's kept in 

 the manner outlined, and if of a good egg-laying strain, get too fat to lay, so I feed 

 them all they will eat up clean. I never could get hens to lay well unless they were 

 fat and wi^ll fed.' 



The last statement is most important, as the experience gained in our department 

 in the winter feeding of the laying stock in cold quarters leads to the same con- 

 clusion. 



Statement No. 4. — By Mrs. Joseph Yuill, of Eamsay, Out., near C'arleton Place. 

 ' I never had suich good results from my fowls as I have had during the past year. I 

 have cleared $17 per month from 35 hens from December 1, 1904, to end of March 

 last. This from eggs only.' ' 



Stateisient No. 5 — By Mr. John Nadeau, East Montmorenci, Que. : ' Last fall 

 I began with 15 hens of different kinds. They were put into a poultry house 15 x 17, 

 with a scratching shed attached 10x18. I fed as follows : — 



' Morning Ration. — Warm mash composed of bran, ground oats and ground barley. 



' Noon.— Oats and barley mixed. Sometimes buckwheat or wheat replaced the 

 barley. Tliis was thrown into the litter on the floor of the scratching shed to cause 

 the hens to search for it. 



Afternoon. — Oats and barley, or wheat or buckwheat mixed in lieu of the latter. 

 This was always thrown into the litter. Every effort was made to keep the fowls busy. 



* On May 2 last, I set three hens (old) on 39 eggs, and from them received 

 32 strong and vigorous chickens. I attribute the fertility of the eggs and the strength 

 of the germs to the exercise, fresh air and plenty of room. 



'Between the fall of last year and October 2 of this year (1905), I sold eggs and 

 chickens which made me $26.79 above all expenses. This may seem a small amount 

 of profit, but I have on hand 44 hens and a cockerel.' 



EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



The experimental work of the year began in the latter part of October, 1904, when 

 the following work — preliminary to the birds going into winter quarters — was per- 

 formed, viz. : — - 



The pullets were removed from the cockerels into their future winter quarters. 

 This was done for the reason that the pullets at this season are apt to be annoyed with 

 the attentions of the more precocious cockerels — ^^particularly those of the Mediter- 

 ranean breeds. 



The pullets were placed by themselves so that they could be better cared for and 

 more generously fed in order to induce early laying. This method of treatment will 

 be found decidedly beneficial. 



Care was taken by judicious feeding to prevent the older hens from going into 

 winter quarters over-fat, which they are likely to become if heavily fed before beginning 



