AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 



the fowls confined as to prevent the elements from 

 blowing into the house. Except under the condi- 

 tions stated above, there is, ordinarily, no necessity 

 for keeping the fowls confined to the house on ac- 

 count of the weather; let them be outdoors as much 

 as possible, and they will be all the better for it. 



I never force our breeding hens for heavy egg 

 production during the winter. Hens must have a 

 Winter rest occasionally, the same as all other 



Management beings, and we allow our breeders to 

 take theirs when they prefer it, which is during the 

 cold weather of winter time. Then in the spring, 

 when we want eggs for hatching purposes, the 

 hens are shelling them out at a lively rate, and with 

 their stored-up strength and vitality the eggs are 

 bound to be strongly fertile and hatch good, livable 

 chicks. What we want in the breeding pen is not 

 only eggs, but also good, strong chicks from the 

 eggs. Where the object is eggs for market, of 

 course we want all the eggs we can get in the win- 

 ter, as they bring in the market two or three times 

 as much at this time as in the spring or summer. 



Chickens are usually early risers, and to keep 

 them occupied between the time when they come 

 off the roost and when the attendant can get around 

 with their breakfast, it often is a good plan to 

 throw a few handfuls of small grains in the litter 

 in the evening after the fowls have gone to roost. 

 Immediately upon arising they will commence dig- 



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