Odds and Ends. 125 



results come from pullets — 65 to 70 per cent for December, January and 

 February. Two-year-old hens, on account of late moulting and early cold 

 weather, dropped this past Winter to 10 or 15 per cent, which is much 

 smaller than previous years, so it would seem to be more profitable to keep 

 more pullets and fewer old hens. Another difficulty I find in propagating ; 

 chickens that get out of the shell are hardy and healthy, but percentage 

 is small, 25 to 50 per cent. Eggs from pullets seem to hatch much better 

 than from two-year-old hens. Perhaps the redundancy of eggs during the 

 Winter months causes weakness and thus impairs reproductive qualities of 

 the eggs. This year breeding from pullets gave 65 chicks from 12 sittings ; 

 last year breeding from two-year-old hens, 25 chicks from nine sittings. 

 There has been much complaint about poor hatching of Wyandotte eggs. 



"In feeding chicks after first few days, I give cracked corn and wheat 

 early in the morning, mash of middlings and cracked corn about nine 

 o'clock, wetted with skim-milk ; corn and wheat again at noon ; more mash 

 about three; more corn and wheat jnst before sundown. Fresh water, a 

 little fresh meat, grass or green food go without saying. Others may 

 have a better system, but I find chicks thrive on this, and seldom lose one 

 unless by accident. 



"I have two houses for hens with about one-eighth acre yard to each. 

 No. 1 house, 7 x 12, walls of matched boards, ceiling and walls lathed and 

 plastered, one window facing south and one west. No. 2 house, 9 x 16. 

 v/alls of matched boards, unlined, four windows facing south, that side 

 being practically all glass ; cost to build about two-thirds that of No. 1. 

 Both houses are without floors, the earth bottom being covered with litter 

 and location dry. Winter of 1902-3 10 two-year-old hens in No. 1 house 

 laid in December, January and February 441 eggs, 44.01 per hen. Same 

 months of 1903-4 18 two-year-old hens in No. 1 house laid 160 eggs, 8.99 

 per hen. This great disparity may be attributed to late moulting, early 

 cold weather, and too many hens in narrow quarters. Other conditions 

 were substantially the same. In house No. 2, in December, January and 

 February, 1902-3, 19 May pullets laid 1,030 eggs, 54.2 per hen. Same 

 months of 1903-4 13 May pullets laid 651 eggs, 50.1 per pullet. Two of 

 the coldest days of Winter, January 4 and 5, when the temperature dropped 

 to 33 degrees below zero here, the 13 pullets laid 19 eggs. When the 

 temperature was 20 degrees or above the doors of both houses remained 

 open during the day, and hens came outside most of the day when the 

 ground was bare. Warm mash was composed of wheat middlings, cracked 

 corn, ground beef scraps, ground oyster shells, moistened with skim-milk 

 and hot water in the morning. A'dd once or twice a week a little powdered 

 charcoal and cut bone. At noon give a little of the mash with remnants 

 from the table ; nt night whole corn, wheat and oats ; cabbage and cut 

 clover occasionally." 



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