24 MAKING POULTRY PAY 



HOW TO GET EGGS IN WINTER 



If the hens have comfortable houses and plenty of 

 food, they will scarcely know it is winter. The natural 

 conditions under which hens will lay must be looked 

 into, and we find these to be a mild temperature, vari- 

 ety of food, and plenty of exercise. Under such con- 

 ditions hens will lay, because they can't help it — and if 

 we produce such conditions in winter, we will surely 

 get eggs, especially from early hatched pullets. 



The first requisite is comfortable houses, which 

 may be designed according to fancy, but should open 

 to the south. The house can be made warmer by the 

 addition of building paper or plastering the room, 

 which should be whitewashed at least twice a year. 

 A good tight floor is desired, one through which no 

 drafts can enter. Always bear in mind while building 

 that your house must be free from drafts, and warm, 

 so warm that water will not freeze in it. The hens 

 must be kept comfortable and dry, with some place to 

 exercise, and plenty and a variety of good nourishing 

 food that will go to aid in creating eggs. 



An egg is composed of all the elements that sustain 

 life, and unless the hens are supplied with these ele- 

 ments, they can no more furnish eggs than a cow can 

 furnish a large supply of milk on insufScient food. Not 

 only is the carbonaceous material required for the yolk, 

 but the nitrogenous matter composing the white of the 

 egg is essential. Wheat and oats come nearer furnish- 

 ing a perfect food than any other grains, because thev 

 not only furnish the elements named, but also mineral 

 elements which must also be supplied. Clover (and 

 alfalfa) has now come to be recognized as an excellent 

 egg producing food, as it is rich in lime and other egg 

 forming materials. In the winter this can best be fed 

 by chopping into short lengths, place in a tub or 



