64 BIGGLK POUIvTRV BOOK. 



meat can probably be Ijought cheaper tliau they cau 

 be raised. 



On an egg farm the most exacting labor is required 

 in winter, for the wise manager aims to produce win- 

 ter eggs, since prices are then at their best. Summer 

 is a season of comparative leisure in the hennery and 

 the extra help required in the winter may be profit- 

 ably employed on the firm in growing necessary 

 supplies. 



As to how long hens should ])e kept for laying 

 authorities do not agree, but it is doubtful if they 

 should ever be retained long after they have passed 

 the spring months of their second year. During 

 spring and earlv summer dressed hens command 

 good prices. So fast, therefore, as they show signs of 

 breaking down with too much fat, quit laying and 

 become broody, they should be started on their way to 

 market. By midsummer the stock in the houses 

 should be reduced to one-half or less of the full win- 

 ter complement and consist only of the best of the 

 yearlings. 



Cut green clover fiue, and lecd it to all fowls confined in 

 yards. Splendid. 



Observe how a flock will nestle on a well-liLtered floor in 

 winter. A hint to the wise. 



Snow is a poor substitute for water. Fowls should not be 

 compelled to eat it to quench their thirst. 



This is a fairly well balanced daily ration for one hundred 

 hens : 



Clover Hay 2.74 lbs. 



Potatoes 2.74 1^ 



Corn Meal 5-48 



Ground Oats 2.74 || 



Cottonseed Meal 274 '^^ 



Barley Meal 2.ig2 " 



Total i6a66 lbs. 



or, in round numbci-s, sixteen pounds of the mixture. 



