Poultry's Place in a Rotation. TOT 



The hens are marked on the foot with a common toe-punch, 

 one mark for each year. Two-year-old hens are used for 

 breeding, about 15 being put with one lively cock. Mr. John- 

 son says he sells the three-year-old hens, dressed, to special 

 customers, who declare the Leghorns to be the best roasters 

 they can find. "Just like a bird, " he says, ' ' in breast-meat." 

 After they quit laying they will fatten readily. He has sold 

 hundreds of eggs to men who raise broilers exclusively. Most 

 of them, however, are sold to one dealer who retails them. 

 They are packed and shipped in neat baskets holding ten or 

 twelve dozen each. 



Great care is taken in feeding these hens. The entire grain-bill 

 for the hens, one horse and two Jersey cows is about $400 per 

 year. At half-past six every morning the hens have breakfast 

 served warm. This consists of boiled small potatoes, mashed 

 and mixed with meal and bran with a little ground bone and 

 pepper and a quantity of charcoal and chopped meat, all 

 mixed together. Enough feeding-dishes are used so that the 

 hens will not crowd and walk over the food. The charcoal is 

 brought from near-by charcoal-pits, the grain is brought back 

 from Paterson in the market-wagon, and the meat bought at 

 a lard-rendering house. At noon the hens have green food 

 one day the trimmings of cabbages chopped as fine as possible, 

 and the next, clover-hay chopped and steamed. An hour be- 

 fore sundown they have a feed of whole grain, wheat and 

 corn, almost two-thirds wheat. This is scattered in the hay, 

 where they have to scratch for it. Oyster-shells are kept be- 

 fore them all the time. Mr. Johnson says that many authori- 

 ties claim that shells are not needed, but he notices that the 

 hens like them, and he is trying to please the hens rather than 

 the authorities. 



The object is to give the hens a variety of feed that they 

 like. The green food is of great value ; it keeps the hens in 

 good health and gives bulk to the ration. Mr. Johnson be- 

 lieves thoroughly in chopped clover-hay. Green cabbage is 

 also excellent and boiled potatoes he regards as almost equal 



