18 



If only a few birds are to be reared, it is seldom necessary to preserve 

 eggs for their feeding. 



COCKS PLACED WITH HENS IN MARCH. The arrival of the 

 breeding season is the next important event for the beginner. Cocks should 

 be placed with the hens the latter part of March. When only a few breed- 

 ers are employed or where small pens are used, it is probably best to keep 

 each cock and the hens allotted to him in a separate pen, but where breed- 

 ing is done on a large scale the entire breeding stock is frequently confined 

 in one pen. On the New York State Farms, breeders are kept in the small 

 movable pens heretofore referred to, but the pens are no longer inter- 

 communicating, one cock and 5 hens being allotted to each, while on the 

 New Jersey Farm, all breeding stock is confined in one or two large pens. 

 It is claimed that more eggs are produced under the former method, but 

 those who employ the latter point to the fact that a good deal more time 

 is necessary both to gather eggs and to attend to the birds where the former 

 is employed. 



FIRST EGGS IN APRIL. In New Jersey the first eggs are laid 

 usually during the first week in April; in Central New York, during the 

 third week of that month and in Illinois during the last week in March. 

 Some two or three weeks before the laying season begins, it is customary to 

 start a special course of feeding designed to stimulate production and in- 

 crease fertility. The ration employed by Superintendent Rogers of the 

 New York State Game Farms for that purpose follows : 



ROGERS LAYING MASH. Equal parts of corn and oats ground 

 together (commonly known as "cowfeed") and middlings, to which mixture 

 add one-fourth bran, one-fourth mealed alfalfa and one- tenth bone meal. 

 Scald the alfalfa over night and use sweet-smelling bone meal only. Before 

 adding the alfalfa scald the mixture above given and, when cool, work in 

 the alfalfa. This mixture, which is equally good for ducks, should be fed 

 crumbly, never sloppy. If it is too wet add sufficient middlings to make 

 it crumbly. Feed this mash food every morning and give the k usual 

 grain feed at night. Keep grit, charcoal and oyster shell always before birds. 



DUNN SYSTEM OF FEEDING LAYERS. Mr. Duncan Dunn has 

 his pens at the New Jersey State Game Farm in nice clover when the birds 

 are turned in at the commencement of the breeding season. He feeds his 

 laying hens scalded pheasant manna (a mixed grain ration prepared by 

 Spratt's) in the morning and wheat (dry) at night. Onions and onion 

 tops are added to the manna from time to time. They are ground in a 

 meat chopper. Mr. Dunn also feeds onions to his young birds. He 

 states that the onion odor permeates their bodies and has a perceptible 

 effect in keeping lice down. 



