Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-12-20
FEEDING AS 4 SCIENCE.

FEEDING AS a SCIENCE.
Aaaassnsns e Laying ns.s and n.
Tfoatnsat Of Ossr-Hsd Hsas.
1t costs something to learn. and vet
the expense Of learning might be
saved II poultrymen would only stop
to think. The first point is to deter
mine what the hens need. for their
needs are exactly in accordance with
what you intend the hens to accom-
plish. Some persons feed their hens
as though there was only one sys-
tematic method to be followed, when
in fact there are several modes. all de-
pending upon what you wish the hens
to do. II hen is fed to enable her to
accomplish certain purpose. it is ex-
travagance to feed her in a manner to
prevent her fulfilling the object
sought. Yet this is done every day,
and on nearly all farms In this coun-
try. The hen is like the mich COW
when not producing something the
food is diverted to flesh. When the
cow is dried of she more readily be-
comes fat than when in full flow of
milk. and when the hen is not laying
she, too. readily becomes fat A
fat cow, fat SOW, or fat mare is an
Indifferent breeder. and so is the fat
hen. Every farmer knows that if he
fed his cows exclusively on corn-mea,,
without hay. they would become worth.
less. First they will fatten. and next
they will suffer indigestion from diex
that is too concentrated. The milk
flow would gradually cease. and loss
would be the result. The hen is no
more fitted for an exclusive grain diet
than the COW. A distinction must be
made between hens that are intended
for layers and those being prepared
for the market. The two classes do
not belong in the same yard. They
simply interfere with each other.
The old routine of corn and wheat
for the hens is gradually being aban-
d0ned, and with the advent of pure
breeds more advanced system of feed
ing is being practiced. Chemistry has
already demonstrated that the egg is
composed of certain materials, and
that foods are of variable COM
position. Such being the case.
the p ultryman is now enabled to Sc
lect foods that contain the substances
mostly required. and by varied feeding
he can secure better results than by
the old haphazard manner. With the
use of certain breeds, and feeds adapt
ed to the purpose, the hens can be
made to lay from the time they are
matured until the season arrives when
they must moult. The incubating
fever can be entirely avoided by
judicious feeding, as has been done by
experiment, or hens can be so fed that
they will lay but few, if any eggs
The old plan is extravagant, rs it per-
mits of feeding such material as is not
only wasted by reason of not being re-
quired. but because there is also loss
of eggs when any other food than that
demanded is allowed. There is no
mystery about it. for all the art 10 be
gained is that of simply feeding food
of a variety, making grass or bulky
food the main reliance, with q small
proportion of grain to balance it. in
stead of feeding grain exclusively.
When hens a.e overfed, some that
have tendency to fatten quickly will
become fat sooner than others, and yet,
If they are in the yard with the laying
hens. they will eat just as much. and
become fatter. The hens that are lay
ing will then have to produce all the
profit, and often the whole flock is con-
demned as Improbable because one
half of them are non-producers, though
the others may be among the very best
layers to be found. The fat hens do
the layers an injustice and injury, and
should be taken out to be allotted a
location where they can be put into
''training SERVICE" which means that
they should be SO sparlngly ted that
they will be only too glad to work and
scratch for the few grains they receive,
and in so doing reduce themselves in
flesh and get into laying condition
again. Feed less grain and more bulk.
1t matters not what it is. provided the
hens are kept busily at work and are
in good health. A good hen should
ma yer be idle. When she runs to you
for food it is just the time she should
not receive it.-RurGl NeU Yorker.
FARM APHORlSMS.