378 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
March 16* 
“SILVER” HENS—THE CONTEST. 
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass., Feb. 11.— 
W. L. Nye, station agent at Lee, has a flock 
of White Wyandotte hens that lay eggs with 
10-ccnt pieces in them. Dimes were discov¬ 
ered in four out of six eggs- his family had 
for breakfast to-day. 
Nye explains it by saying his grain deal¬ 
er’s clerk lost a paper of 10-cent pieces 
several months ago and they apparently 
showed up in the cracked corn he fed the 
hens. 
It is singular what fool things news¬ 
papers will print about hens. They may 
use ordinary common sense about every 
other subject that comes before them, 
but let it be about hens, and there is no 
conceivable yarn that they will not print 
as a fact. The hens might have swal¬ 
lowed dimes, as they are attracted by 
any bright object when they are looking 
for grit. 1 had a hen brought to me by 
a neighbor to see if I could tell what 
ailed it. She couldn’t shut her mouth. 
(I have a sort of dim recollection of 
having heard of other “she’s” who had 
that same trouble.) In the case of this 
hen, a glance in her mouth showed that 
she had got a three-cornered piece of 
glass wedged fast in her jaw. It was 
past the fork of her tongue so she 
couldn’t get it up or down. I pulled it 
out with a pair of pliers and she was all 
right again. The glass was much larger 
than a dime. But according to this story 
the dimes were in the eggs. But the 
grit does not go into the eggs, and 
neither could the dimes. 
The immense crop of these yarns now 
being published is an indication of the 
great interest taken in the egg-laying 
contest at Storrs College. These egg- 
laying contests are an old story in Aus¬ 
tralia, but are not so common in this 
country. This contest at Storrs will not 
really determine any fact scientifically. 
I happen to know of one breeder whose 
birds are making a splendid showing at 
Storrs, but at home his 500 birds of the 
same stock are only laying about 50 eggs 
a day, a 10 per cent yield, while his 
Storrs pullets are laying about 70 per 
cent. It only shows that he had the luck 
to pick out six of his best to send to 
Storrs. On the other hand there are 
quite a number of breeders whose flocks 
at home are far exceeding the record of 
those they sent to Storrs. Their luck in 
selection was poor, or the conditions 
for that breed are less favorable than at 
home. To be a scientific contest that 
would really determine facts of value to 
the poultry industry of the United 
States, the pens should contain at least 
10 birds each (20 would be better), and 
there should be an equal number of pens 
of each breed, not less than 10 pens. 
Then the contest should be continued 
for three years, with a fresh lot of pul¬ 
lets each year. This would give us some 
data that would be valuable. If the 
poultry department of the U. S. Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture at Washington 
would take up this matter, and Congress 
appropriate a sufficient amount to carry 
it out, data might be secured that would 
add millions of dollars to the value of 
the poultry industry. A small part of 
the amount annually wasted in maintain¬ 
ing unnecessary and practically useless 
shipyards would be sufficient. 
THE HEN MAN TALKS. 
Troubles of Heavy Layers. 
Can you tell me what' is the matter with 
my hens? They look well, combs and 
wattles are bright, they are kept busy in 
oats in sheaf, and clover hay. They have 
not laid any since the middle of January, 
and then not many eggs. I have killed 
several lately, all having a growth in the 
egg-producing organs. One hen had as many 
as six or eight lumps size of yolk of egg, 
and one as large as an egg, all resembling 
the hard-boiled yolk of egg. Others were 
not so bad. We feed them sprouted oats, 
buckwheat and bran in the morning, also 
give them skim milk and warm water. At 
night we feed corn heated in the oven. For 
the past two weeks have given small amount 
of meat scrap and poultry regulator, about 
three times a week ; also give table scraps, 
potato pacings, etc. Most of the hens are 
Rhode Island Reds which we bought for 
nearly a year old last May. h. e. w. 
Coxsackie, N. Y. 
The cause of an unsatisfactory egg yield 
can only be surmised from the data you 
have given. It is not unusual for hens of 
the age of yours to refuse to begin laying 
until in January or February, though their 
feed and care are above criticism. I sus¬ 
pect that what you take for growth in the 
egg-producing organs are clusters of matur¬ 
ing ovules which will in time be extruded 
as fully formed eggs. Like all the larger 
breeds the It. I. Reds have a tendency to lay 
on fat if overfed and under exercised. Do 
not feed too heavily of corn and buckwheat 
which are particularly fattening, but make 
your fowls work hard In deep litter for oats 
as well. The two latter grains should form 
one-half the total grain ration for Winter 
layers. Give your fowls all the fresh air 
and sunlight they can get, and make them 
work hard for their living as you and I 
have to do, m. b. d. 
An Attack of Roup. 
1 wish someone who has had canker 
among his fowls would tell me how he treats 
it, also tell me if it is safe to breed from 
a flock that was badly affected last Fall with 
canker and recovered so that only one hen 
has shown any symptoms of the trouble this 
Winter. She was quickly disposed of. Will 
it show itself in the chicks hatched from 
eggs laid by this flock? o. s. 
Fitchburg, Mass. 
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish be¬ 
tween severe colds and true roup among 
fowls. The latter is much the more serious 
and fatal disease, however, and the fact 
that all of the inquirer’s fowls recovered 
would indicate that perhaps colds rather 
than cankerous roup were the source of 
his trouble. If this is the case and they 
have fully recovered their health and vigor 
it will be safe to use them as breeders this 
Spring. However, if true cankerous roup 
prevailed in the flock I would not use the 
survivors as breeders because of their neces¬ 
sarily lessened strength and vigor. The 
disease itself is not inherited, and would 
not appear in chickens hatched from fowls 
that had recovered from an attack. The 
treatment of roup may be summed up as 
follows: Removal from the flock and segre¬ 
gation of all affected fowls. The ax and 
spade are the only remedial measures to 
be commended. Thorough cleansing of the 
quarters used by the affected fowls, paying 
especial attention to perches, floors, eating 
and drinking utensils. Spraying or painting 
the entire interior of building with some 
reliable disinfectant and disinfecting all uten¬ 
sils used. Make a solution of permanganate 
of potash, using one ounce of the latter 
to three pints of water. Add one pint of 
this solution to every two quarts of drink¬ 
ing water given the surviving fowls that 
have been exposed to the disease. Remem¬ 
ber that fresh air and sunlight are our two 
most valuable disinfectants. Get them into 
the henhouse and into your own house and 
make them your most welcome and per¬ 
manent guests. M. B. D. 
Planning a Henhouse. 
I have a henhouse 10x12, with scratch 
shed same size; shed roof on both 4% feet 
at rear, eight feet front. I think of putting 
hens in both ; that is, use each as a separate 
coop. Would it do? Gravel floor in all, 
and open front from two feet at bottom on 
front up to roof. IIow many hens ought I 
to keep in each? I want something that 
will give me Winter eggs. Coop faces 
south. 6. c. R. 
Bolton, Mass. 
A scratching shed attached to a henhouse 
is a needless refinement in poultry architec¬ 
ture, not economical of space and with no 
advantage that compensates for the added 
cost. You will do well to remove the par¬ 
tition in your building and throw it all 
into one room, thus giving eacn nen, In her 
turn, the use of all the floor space for 
exercise, instead of only one-half of it. A 
gravel floor is most excellent if dry, but 
should be covered with deep litter in which 
the fowls may work. If scrupulous care as 
to cleanliness is observed such a building 
should accommodate about 80 fowls. A cur¬ 
tain or shutter that could be lowered over 
your open front to keep out driving storms 
from the south would aid in keeping your 
litter dry and add to the comfort of your 
fowls. In each end of your house, 
or across the rear if you prefer, build 
a platform of smooth boards three feet wide 
and two feet from the floor. Upon this 
platform place two lines of perches, both on 
the same level and equidistant from each 
other; these perches should be at least 10 
inches above the platform upon which they 
rest or they may be suspended by rods 
from the roof. Arrange a curtain, so that 
on very cold nights it may be dropped 
down in front of the platform, enclosing 
the fowls in a roosting chamber, and saving 
them from frozen combs. For nests use 
empty orange or lemon crates, tacking them 
up on the wall wherever space is most avail¬ 
able. This arrangement of the interior 
gives a clear floor space for the fowls and 
increases the number that may be kept in 
one building. m. b. d. 
No Weak Roosters. 
I have a White Plymouth Rock rooster 
saved from a hatch of 11 ; the. rest all died 
with white diarrhoea. Will it be advisable 
to use this bird for a breeder, or will 
he infect the rest of the flock if kept with 
them? J. w. T. 
Gorham, Me. 
If this rooster was himself affected with 
white diarrhoea I should by no means use 
him as a breeder, not because of the danger 
from infection of the flock with which he 
runs, but because of his necessarily im¬ 
paired vitality and vigor. Do not breed 
from any fowls, male or female, that have 
at any period of their lives suffered from a 
serious and debilitating disease. Constitu¬ 
tional vigor is one of our greatest assets in 
building up a profitable flock. m. b. d. 
THE 
BRAIN 
IS the f orce that keeps 
the nerves well poised 
and controls firm, strong 
muscles. 
Men and women who 
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