POULTRY RAISING 19 



CHAPTER VII. 



Care of layers. 



First, I will tell you how to care for three thous- 

 and layers with but little labor and you should clear 

 $3,000 a year from them. 



If you have built your plant on a stream of water, 

 you will have no watering to do. 



Keep your feed boxes filled at all times. 



Never let them get empty. 



Your main feed is best quality wheat screenings. 



Your large hopper will take a one hundred pound 

 bag, which should last a full week, often two weeks. 



You should make a round every week and fill all 

 your hoppers ; one with wheat screenings, one with 

 beef scraps, and your three-department hopper with 

 grit, oyster shells and charcoal. 



If your plant is built on a stream and inclosed 

 with a good wire netting fence, all the work you have 

 to do during the week is to gather your eggs every 

 night and give each flock of fowls two quarts of 

 cracked corn. 



Remember, your fowls have wheat feed, before 

 them all the time, so they can safely have a light feed 

 of another kind of grain every night. 



A horse and wagon should be used for this work 

 at all times. A good gentle horse that can be left 

 standing and is afraid of nothing is what you want. 



From November until April you will have to make 

 two trips a day to your houses. As cold weather 

 comes on, your windows will have to be closed nights 

 and should be opened again in the morning when the 

 sun shines and warms things up. 



On this same trip, you should give your hens 

 some green feed, either cabbage or mangel wortzels. 



In case you have heavy snow storms, your hens 

 can eat snow and they will lay just as many eggs as 

 though they got to the brook to drink — and even more. 



