St. Landry democrat., 1888-07-28
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FEEDING.
How to Make Poultry-Keeping a Profit
able Industry.

How to Make Poultry-Keeping a Profit
able Industry.
In trying to keep poultry many peo-
pie practice a false economy. Nothing
is worse for feed than poor or damaged
grain. Although | have known it &c,
work we'll for a short time, it is sure to-
prove injurious in the end. Not that
one needs give the highest price for
the best grain fit for milling. There
is lots of grain unfit for milling, that
finds its way into the markets, and this
is just as good as the best for poultry
feed, and can be bought cheaper. Per-
haps the best, although not common,
is wheat that has wild garlic or onion
seeds in it. l have known large guam
titles of such grain that could not be
used for milling purposes, on account
of the garlic seed f~lavoring the flour;
but it is more beneficial to poultry than
it would be without the seed, and
can be bought much cheaper. Mixed
grain sometimes finds its way into the
market after an accident on railroads
or from some other cause by which
several different grains get mixed to-
gether. Ii this is very clean, millers
are on the lookout for it, but if it con-
tains little stones, pieces of coal, ETC.,
they must leave it fer poultrymen to
use, and it is one of the best and
cheapest foods. Next come corn tail
ings or screenings. In many places
these can be bought much cheaper
than clear corn, and they are very
good, unless the grains are too thin
and shriveled. Wheat screenings used
to be much better thar can be gener--
ally found now. as the millers find a
way to manipulate the best, and if the
stuff is poor, it is dear at any price. 1t
should be carefully examined for the
cookie or other seeds which it gener-
ally contains are a clear loss, as the
fowls do not touch them, but their
presence is not Objectionable if the
stuff can be bought cheap enough.
The next best food for the economic
al poultryman is corn damaged by fire
or water, Or both. Vast quantities are
usually found on the market. This
grain is damaged sometimes by fire
alone, sometimes by fire and water
thrown on in putting out the fire, and
some comes from sunken canal boats
or vessels raised, and the grain is dried
on a floor or in a kiln. The grain
which is merely scorched or partly
baked is little hurt; that which is burnt
almost black is of little if any use. Some
that gets partly well roasted and is
then wetted by the water used in put
ting out the fire, often lies so
long before it is disposed of and re-.
moved that it gets fermented and is
good for nothing. Then the grain that
gets merely wetted is more or less
injured by lying long wet, but
it is sometimes SO artif-
cially doctored up by kiln drying, that
to appearances it would pass for fair
quality wheat. The only way to test
these damaged kinds of wheat is by
tasting. Take a little in your mouth
and chew it; if it is %endurable, you
will soon find it out. The best is that
damaged a little by fire alone, which
tastes a little smoky, and is perhaps a.
little crispy from being partially
roasted. This is fairly good food with,
corn, and the fowls will like it as well.
In all cases, the gluten and starchy-
qualities should be found unimpaired.
The presence of these can be detected
by the grain, when broken up
in the mouth, adhering together,
as well as by the taste. When
the grain chews chaffy it is OF
little use, but when soar it is worse
than useless, yet some looks SO nice
that unless tasted the poor birds that
might be fed on it would become dis
eased and starved through the igno-
rance of the purchaser of such rubbish.
But of all, the ~cruelest substitute for
food is skimmings from the barley watts
of breweries. This trash finds i'm
mense sales with some po~ultry-keep-
ers. 1t is simply husks Or thin oats and
that do not contain sufficient
of grain to sink in water, and
are SKINNED from the top, dried and
sold to millers Or p~oultrymen; SO either
poor horses or hens suffer from the
'raud.-Henry Hales, in Rural New,