H7 1920 
CARE OF MATURE FOWLS. 
Alfred R. Lee, 
Animal Husbandry Division. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Care of the poultry house 3 
Feeding the hens 4 
Egg-laying rations 4 
How to feed 5 
Green feeds, grit, and oyster shells 6 
Preparing poultry and eggs for market 7 
P OULTRY-CLUB MEMBERS should get good returns from 
their hens, as a small flock of fowls will give excellent results 
if they receive the proper feed and care, and the waste from the 
kitchen, table, and garden will help materially in keeping down the 
feed bill. The henhouse should be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, 
and made tight for the winter. See that the house is tight on three 
sides and that there is no chance for a draft to strike the hens while 
on their roosts. 
Before putting pullets with old hens be sure that the birds hatched 
in different years are banded or “toe-punched” so that you can tell 
the age of each one. Move the pullets into their winter quarters 
before they begin to lay. All of them should be settled for the winter 
before the weather gets cold. Market any pullets which are very 
small, poorly developed, or in poor condition. 
CARE OF THE POULTRY HOUSE. 
Keep the houses in good condition by cleaning the dropping boards 
at least every other day, and spray or paint the roosts to destroy 
mites as advised in Farmers’ Bulletin 1110 on “Lice, Mites, and 
Cleanliness.” Keep a supply of sand, dry dirt, or coal ashes on hand 
to use on the dropping boards. Provide 3 or 4 niches of clean litter 
of straw or leaves on the floor of the house, and scatter the grain in 
the litter during the winter to make the hens exercise for their feed. 
One or two inches of clean straw, chaff, or shavings should always 
be kept in the nests so that the eggs will be kept clean and not be 
broken. Plenty of sunlight and proper ventilation will help keep 
the fowls healthy and the house clean and sweet. 
Whenever you feed the hens be sure that they are all active and 
healthy and remove any that are sick or out of condition. Always 
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