1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
755 
MAPES, THE HEN MAN. 
Feeding Rations. 
Ten square feet of house and 100 square 
feet of yard for one hen is rather expensive, 
arid has prevented me from expanding much 
in the poultry business, as houses and fences 
are both very expensive, yet of all the poul¬ 
try journals 1 have taken in the past 15 
years none recommends less than 10 square 
feet per hen. If Mr. Mapes's plan of hous¬ 
ing arid yarding is successful it is very en¬ 
couraging to a man with moderate means. 
It is also lots of work to feed a Hot mash 
every morlikig and keep the hens scratching 
all day. Some time ago Mr. Mapes was feed¬ 
ing his hens, with all the grain, skim-milk, 
bone meal. etc. they could eat. I>ocs lie still 
keep all this feed in front of them, or lias lie 
given up that plan? s. t>. O. 
The plan of keeping feed of various 
kinds before the hens, and letting them 
balance their own ration, was tried .faith¬ 
fully, and finally abandoned, as it had a 
tendency, 1 thought, to cause the hens to 
lose vigor. A hen must he in the pink of 
health in order to produce eggs. A short 
period of such feeding, particularly in 
the natural laying season, invariably gave 
surprisingly good results. When kept up 
for several months, however, the hens lose 
interest in their feed, which is one of the 
filings that must not happen if profitable 
laying is to he secured. A hen that has 
free access to corn and wheat, with skim- 
milk to drink for at least half Of each 
day is pretty sure to lay well during the' 
Spring and Summer months. In my ex¬ 
perience, however, too many hens died 
from some reason which did not definitely 
appear, and when thus fed during and 
after the moulting season tiicy were very 
slow about resuming laying operations. 
I lere is another reader asking questions 
in line with the remainder of the above 
letter, about amount of tloor space per 
hen. 
Floor and Yard Space. 
A friend of mine who is thinking of en¬ 
gaging in (lie poultry business wishes to know 
how many hens lie could keep on a lot of two 
acres, lie has a house and barn on the lot 
and wishes to retain a small garden plot and 
door yard, which would probably leave about 
1 i/j acre available for Ihe hens, IIow many 
hens could he profitably keep on this land 
by buying his feed? What would be the size 
of buildings and yards? What profit per hen 
could he figure on not counting labor, which 
he would perform himself? What would suit¬ 
able buildings and yards Cost? What are 
(lie prospects in the poultry business for a 
man who lias capita! arrd who understands 
care and management of small flocks, but 
who wishes to make a specialty of if. and 
engage in it. by giving his entire time, near 
a good market? o. ii. B. 
St. Johns, N. B. 
Because l am using the colony plan it 
does not follow that the colony plan is the 
only plan, or even the best plan. When I 
planned my buildings 1 supposed that it 
was the best. After a dozen or more 
years of experience I have grown to look 
at many of the problems presented in 
daily practice with different eyes. This 
question of exercise and floor space is an 
example. The three essential require¬ 
ments for egg production are comfortable 
quarters, pure air and proper and suffi¬ 
cient food. Just how many hens could he 
given these three essentials on the V /2 
acre of ground is uncertain, but I believe 
the limit is far above the generally accept¬ 
ed belief. • The day has gone by when 
dairy experts teach that a cow stable must 
be planned to give each cow so many 
cubic feet of air space in order to assure 
her pure air. The idea that a hen must 
have 10 feet of floor space is a companion 
fallacy, and is sure to go the same road. 
1 believe that the necessity for small 
flocks is also doomed to disappear. I can 
see no good reason why 1,000 hens can¬ 
not be made comfortable in a building 
that is 30 x 00 feet. In these days of in¬ 
creasing knowledge of the laws of ventila- 
# tion there certainly can be no difficulty 
about furnishing pure air in abundance. 
The thousand hens represent no more live 
weight of animal life than four cows, and 
would require little, if any, more oxygen. 
The question of ‘‘proper and sufficient 
food” could be gauged. I believe, by one 
attendant, much more accurately with 
them all in one flock than in many small 
flocks. Suppose we divide the 1 '/> acre 
into three equal fields or yards. One-half 
acre would be needed for brooder houses, 
etc., in which to raise young stock. On 
•the line between the other two fields I 
would erect a building two stories high, 
and 30 x 140 feet. This would give 11 s 
a room 20 x 30 feet at the center for 
feed room and work shop, with a 30 x 00 
foot room for hens at either hand. The 
lower floor should be made light and 
cheerful with whitewash and glass, for a 
feeding floor and nest boxes. These I 
would place around the sides between the 
windows. The upper floor I would de¬ 
vote exclusively to perches, with a wide 
stairway connecting the two stories near 
the center. After the hens arc on their 
perches at night the stair door would be 
closed. This wpuld give a clear space on 
the lower floor in the morning in which to 
fill the troughs with mash, if a mash is 
to be fed. Four rows of troughs 50 feet 
long will accommodate 1.000 Leghorn 
hens, and there is ample room in 30 x 60 
feet without crowding. When all is in 
readiness the wide stairway doors can be 
thrown open, and no gong need be sound¬ 
ed in order to insure a grand rush for 
breakfast. Instead of tramping about in 
the snow or rain, possibly, to 40 different 
small flocks, you can sit down in your 
chair at the head of the table and watch 
the fun. If you have gauged their appe¬ 
tites correctly the troughs will be cleaned 
and ready for you to turn over on their 
sides within five or six minutes from the 
time the doors are opened. In feeding 
whole grain a man can walk up one side 
and down the other, scattering as he goes 
quick enough to give all an equal chance. 
A covered drinking trough should be ar¬ 
ranged to run the whole length of the 
room,' with the eiid projecting into the 
feed room,- when a can of milk can he 
poured into it without entering the hens' 
apartments. A small stream of either 
warm Or cold water could be made to 
flow into the trough at the feed-room end. 
and discharge ai the other end. Each 
flock of 1,000 would have a half acre of 
open air in fine weather, where pure air 
and exercise would be at hand. 
1 am aware that 1 am in advance of 
my times in suggesting large flocks, but 
believe it will be but a few years before 
the times will move up to this position. 
I have lately heard of one man who is 
keeping TOO all in one flock and making 
ri good living. 
On August 1 I jmt 60 of my oldest hens, 
four and five years old, into a room (2x15 
feet, and they have, not been out since, 
nor bad any green feed to speak of. On 
September 1 1 put to fnore in the same 
room making 100 hens on Iso feet of 
floor space. I am watching them and 
noting results before sending to market. 
To this date (September 22) there have 
been no losses, and all come to the trough 
with a good relish. Among them are 
three White Wyandottes that were 
hatched on the Orange County Fail- 
grounds in September. 1900. mates to 
“White Betty.” One of these had moth¬ 
ered a brood of turkeys during the Sum¬ 
mer. She commenced laying the first 
week in August, and has kept it up con¬ 
tinuously to date, except a few days 
when she was broody. Another was 
about naked with moulting on August 1. 
In these close quarters she grew a crop 
of new feathers and began laying about 
September J, and lays about two eggs in 
three days. I saw her on the nest to¬ 
day, and although she is surely five years 
old it would be difficult to distinguish her 
from a pullet, In another old stable 
15x48 feet 1 put 300 of these oldest hens 
September 1, in order to watch develop¬ 
ments. These rooms are only one story 
high and part of the space has to be de¬ 
voted to perches. This old stable has 
sometimes been used as a hospital, and a 
few cases of roup have already devel¬ 
oped, but nothing serious as yet. 
0. W. MAPES. 
WILDER'S 
SELF-ADJUSTING STEEL LATCH 
stanchion meets the demand for a safe, 
Stroup, convenient lasteniup—one that af¬ 
fords the cow perfect freedom when stand¬ 
ing or lying down. A stanchion operated 
without removing your gloves or mittens. 
Made of hard wood; does not chill animals 
in cold weather. A happy combination of 
utility, cow comfortand cleanliness. Holds 
cattle securely for dehorning. Hung on 
pins or chains as desired. Illustrated 
catalogue and prices free. 
v^LDER-STRONG IMPLEMENT CO. 
Box 20 Monroe, Mich. 
STANCHION 
WE HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE AWAY; 
nothing absolutely free exceptour good will. Nothing 
to sell at less than cost. If you buy a .JONES Seale 
you will have to pay a fair priee for it, and our terms 
are satisfaction or no sale. In this way we have 
done a successful business for just forty years this 
month. Wo would be glad to give you a full descrip¬ 
tion of the JONES Scale and hope that you will 
write us for priee list. We have no doubt that we 
can please you, as we have many thousands before. 
Address. 
JONES OP BINGHAMTON 
Box 331C. BINGHAMTON. N. Y. 
Your stable should 
contain Pratts Veterin¬ 
ary Healing Ointment 
and Pratts Peerless 
Hoof Ointment. An 
unequalled pair. 
True Separator Value 
And How To Know It. 
The intending buyer of a pure bred cow or thoroughbred 
horse demands an official record of the animal’s breeding. He 
does not accept the owners “say so” concerning the blood 
strains of the cow or horse, nor does the owner expect him to 
do so. The buyer's protection against fraud lies in the official 
record of the performance of the animal and its ancestors. 
J ust so when buying a cream separator. Most every one to-day 
knows that a cream separator, if a good one, will pay for itself 
in a few months and last for a great number of years. The 
question is “How to determine which is the best machine to 
buy?” No one can afford to invest either a small or a large 
amount in a cream separator sold simply upon the self recom¬ 
mendation of the manufacturer or agent. The only true and 
safe recommendation is the history of the machine itself. Both 
the manufacturer and the agent may he reasonably sincere in 
recommending their machine and speak from the best of their 
knowledge, but in nine out ten cases their recommendations 
are based upon what the machine has done in a few special 
instances covering but a few months’ usage, and not upon a 
record made in the field in the hands of hundreds of thousands 
of users covering a period of more than twenty-five years, such 
as is true Of the DE LAVAL CREAM SEPARATOR. 
If int nding to buy a separator all we ask of yon before mak¬ 
ing your selection is that you look up the “official” record of 
the DE LAVAL made in the hands of over 650,000 users, 
including 98 per cent of all creameries, the agricultural colleges 
and the largest users in the world. By doing so your own best 
interests will he protected. 
Illustrated catalogue and any desired particulars gladly 
furnished upon request. 
The De Laval Separator Co. 
Randolph a Canal Sts., 
CHICAGO. 
1213 Filbert Street, 
PHILADELPHIA. 
9 & I I Drumm St., 
SAN FRANCISCO. 
General Offices: 
74 CORTLANDT STREET, 
NEW YORK. 
121 Youville Square, 
MONTREAL. 
7S & 77 York Street, 
TORONTO. 
248 McOermot Avenue, 
WINNIPEG. 
* A 
f 
THE ADVANCE 
MANURE SPREADER 
EASY TO OPERATE 
The construction ib so simple and durable that it never given 
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■eat withoutstopping the machine. Wrought steel wheels with 
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EASY TO LOAD 
The wagon is built very low and can be loaded quickly and easily 
EASY TO BUY 
The enormous saving in time and labor, its soperioritv over 
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Advance Manure Spreader and giving prices. 
CORTLAND IMPLEMENT CO., Cortland, N. Y. 
TRY IT 
You’re welcome. Pay 
nothin*,' if you don’t 
buy. If you do buy 
the fast, easy running 
EW 
HOLLAND FEED Mill 
You'll save 30£ to 40& on the cost over any 
other. No combine prices. Standard for 
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make the best fast cutting Wood Saw on 
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NEW HOLLAND MACHINE CO., 
— - - - 
Steam 
is the reliable power. Don’t be 
misled on the power question. 
Don’t buy any until you know 
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A Leffel 
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The line is specially adapt¬ 
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Box 1 18 , New Holland, Pa. 
Th^ame^eMel4^Oj^oj^60^prinfllleld|0j 
