Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1912 — POULITRY NOTES [ARTICLE]

POULITRY NOTES

A good egg Is a rare production. The breeding season will he upon us now before we have had time to think. The Indian Runner duck is not inclined to fatten so readily as other varieties. It is estimated that it requires the feathers from about ten ducks to make a pound. Full fed hens, having a well balanced ration, will lay larger eggs than hens on stinted feed. A warm house does not mean that it be air-tight. Laying hens must have fresh air at all times of the )*ear. By this time you should have your spring breeders and the cockerel with which they are to be mated selected. The Indian Runner duck is not a new variety, although it is not as old as some of the other varieties of ducks. Duck eggs are in demand by confectioners, as they Impart a glaze to their icing, which cannot be ? had with hen eggs. The critical period of the turkey is the first eight weeks of its life. About 48 eggs is the average yearly record of the hen. With many flocks, the addition of an ample supply of meat to the ration will cause a marked increase in the size of the egg. It takes lots of scheming and coaxing to get the hens to lay eggs this cold weather, but they are worth the price after you do get them. Hens with plenty of exercise and comfortable surrotjndings lay heavier eggs than those in restricted ters; often eggs 10 per cent heavier.