Fresh Eggs From Your Own Hens
(Page 3 of 4)
March/April 1970
By the Mother Earth News editors
How to Feed
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There are more different theories on feeding hens than feeding babies. Here is a simple, satisfactory way. In one large mash hopper (one foot long for each six hens) place a good egg mash in one half - and in the other scratch feed. Keep plenty of mash and scratch before the hens at all times. At first your hens will eat more scratch than mash, then gradually eat half mash, half scratch, which is what they should be eating for best results. (Hang an automatic feeder for oyster shells and grit from a side-wall).
Buy your feed from a hay and feed dealer with a good reputation. Keep a supply of feed on hand - don't let your feed get too low because feed deliveries are unpredictable. You can keep laying hens inside the poultry house all year around - they will lay as well as hens that have a yard. In winter an electric light with an inexpensive automatic switch which turns it on at 4 a.m. will increase your production - not because you're fooling the hens into thinking it's daylight, but because they can see to eat more egg - producing mash.
Mash means eggs - as they say. So keep your birds eating mash. If they drop off, moisten mash (in winter use hot water) and you'll be surprised how your hens will gobble it up.
Culling
"Cull" simply means to eliminate birds that seem sick, weak, or non-layers. Time was when characteristics showing good layers were not widely known, but today almost anyone can cull their flock by checking these characteristics:
Cull birds after dark. Take out of pen for table use those showing non-laying characteristics. Probably, at first, you won't trust your ability to cull. We were afraid we might "liquidate" a couple of valuable layers - so we kept the "cullers" in a small chicken house for two weeks to see if they were layers. They weren't.
If over 50% appear to be non-layers, probably, the trouble is with you. Exert every effort-feed hot mash, check for lice, mites - for four to six weeks to bring them back into production.
What Breed?
There is no best breed. All fall into three general classifications: egg machines (Leghorns), meat birds (Jersey Giants), all purpose birds (New Hampshires, Plymouth Rocks, R. I. Reds, Wyandottes.) By all means choose one of the all purpose birds - preferably the one your wife likes the looks of best. She'll be collecting the eggs and keeping an eye on the flock while you're away.
You can raise your own laying hens from chicks, particularly if you buy the battery brooder described in the section on broilers. Buy "straight-run" baby chicks using poultrymen's rule of three chicks for every pullet wanted in the fall. When they are six weeks old take out pullets (they'll be smaller, have less comb development) and raise them on range during warm months. (See page 33) . Never put young growing chicks with older chickens or hens.
