Poultry Problems and Profits. 427 



time and attention to be kept in use at all times on the farm, but 

 if used even occasionally they may be of great value in gather- 

 ing information as to the best layers. By using trap nests the best 

 egg producing hens will not be sold, but the drones may be deter- 

 mined and disposed of. When trap nests are used, each hen should 

 be provided with a leg band, and an accurate record of eggs pro- 

 duced entered in a book provided for that purpose. 



The laying hen is the young hen, and in order to have good 

 winter layers pullets should mature early. Hens that are past two 

 years old, or three at the most, do not, as a rule, prove profitable. 



Some contend that there is as distinct type for the laying hen 

 as for the dairy cow. On this subject one authority writes, "It 

 has been said that there is no difference in the egg-laying capacity 

 of breeds but only of strains. To this a distinct denial must be 

 made. For instance, a game fowl has no conformity to egg-laying, 

 and could never be brought up by the most scientific selection to 

 the capacity of an Italian Leghorn, whose conformity is naturally 

 adapted to prolific egg production." 



"It is easy enough to have eggs when everybody else has them, 

 but what we want is eggs when scarcely anybody else has them." 

 Eggs are low in price and plentiful in warm weather, and high 

 and scarce in cold weather. So the most profit comes in winter 

 egg production, which will depend largely upon housing and feed- 

 ing. These subjects are taken up in other chapters. In the main, 

 it may be said that the laying hen requires a highly nitrogenous 

 ration. To the grains ordinarily used as poultry food should be 

 added beef scraps or other similar materials. Sour skim milk is 

 good for laying hens. Plenty of green food is also needed. 



"Last February we got 100 dozen eggs from 80 hens. Our 

 neighbors all around us got scarcely any. Two of our neighbors, 

 each of whom had as many chickens as we have, claimed they did 

 not get any eggs in February. They thought we had some secret 

 way of making our hens lay, and did not want to tell. The fact 

 is, we only fed our birds lots of wheat and other feed, including 

 fresh meat, and made them work for it. We also kept plenty of 

 oyster shell, where they could get it." — James Grover. 



To increase the output of all the Missouri hens one dozen 

 eggs each per year would be to place no less than $2,000,000 ad- 

 ditional in the purses of those engaged in poultry production in 

 the State. 



