Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-01-02
How to Feed Poultry.

fers some very practical suggestion
on poultry feeding as follows:
The proper feeding of laying hen
and other poultry should be conducte
On the same lines as that of othe
farm animals. There are similar losse
and wastes as are found in mammals
and there is the same necessity TO
replacing and replenishing the tissues
fluids. etc, of the body We must O
necessity know the composition O
the body of the fowl, and of the egg
but after that We do not have to max,
new laws nor found new principles
but have merely to adapt the knowl
edge we have gained from the invest
lgatons made for other animals to the
hen, modifying rules and rations tc
suit the case in question The scien
tl1c research called for. and urgently
| too, is that Of ascertaining the digesti
bllity Of the different foods fed tc
the hen. For the COW, sheep. horse
| and swine we have the digestive CO.
efficient for almost every food con.
sumed, while for the hen We have very
| few reliable data with which to work :
and in view of the great value of the
poultry industry it should receive
more scientific attention than is at
present allotted to 1t.
When feeding growing chickens
the main object is to supply sufficient
nour1shment to insure hardy growth.
In the case of the nature hen it is a
somewhat more complicated PROPOSE
ton. The feeder must bear in mind
the fact that eggs are also the product
of the transformation or assimilation
Of food eaten. The yolk and white
contain water proteine, fat and a
small percentage of mineral matter,
while the shell consists almost entire
ly of mineral matter of which carbon
ate Of lime constitutes "a per cent. or
over 10 per cent. Of the entire weight
of the egg. That is, in one dozen
good sized eggs there are fully 2.5
ounces of carbonate of lime, familiar
to all under the name of marble. We
thus have proved to us the absolute
necessity Of generous supply of lime
in the diet Of the hen. One of the
best materials that a poultryman can.
use for supplying the requisite lime is
oyster shell, or any other variety of
shells. An experiment in this direc-
ton was made at the New York Elk
pertinent Station, and the result was
such that the use of oyster shells
during the laying season, where they
can be cheaply obtained, was strongly
recommended. It was found there that
one pound of oyster shells contained
sufficient lime for the shells of about
seven dozen eggs.
Shells are not the only source for
the lime necessary for eggsheI!s.
Bones also contain large percentage
of lime. Fresh green bones also con
tain, besides the lime compounds,
some proteine or flesh formers, which
add to it's value as poultry food.
The best way to render the bones
available is to have them broken by
means Of the bone cutter. One pound
OF the green bones is generally consid-
cred sufficient for sixteen hens. Be
sides the cut bones Or oyster shells.
the hens must have q generous supply
Of some kind of grit, very coarse sand
Or broken crockery. This grit serves
as teeth for the hens, and when they
are unable to obtain it indigestion and
other ailments are sure to follow.
"In order to have the proper pro-
portions of the different ingredients,
or to balance the ration, we must have
a variety of foods at our command. 1t
would be impossible to make bal
anced ration solely from the grain
feedstuffs. If the necessary amount
of flesh formers is obtained by the use
of grain. then the fat and meat pro-
ducers in the ration will be greatly
in excess; on the other hand, if the
carbohydrates or fattening ingredients
are made the standard, then, when
the proper proportion of this part of
the food is supplied by the grain the
flesh formers will be lacking to a con-
siderable extent. We have to depend
on the peas, beans, different oilcake
meals, blood meal or dried blood and
fresh meat or meat meal for supple
menting the deficiency of the flesh
formers. By fresh meat is meant lean
meat with the minimum amount of
fat. Buyers should be careful in re-
gard to this point as large per cent.
of fat would be worse than useless for
the purpose of the feeder. When the
hens are not laying they only require
a maintenance diet, which is not so
rich one as that for hens during the
laying period either in flesh formers
or fat formers, and heat producers;
neither is there any necessity for the
oyster shells or substitutes.
The amount of food required for
growing chicks and pullets is larger
than that for full-grown fowls. The
great necessity Of water for the hen
is shown by the high content of this
element in the body and ALSO in the
egg. In one dozen eggs there is al
most one pint OF water. About four
gallons Of palatable water Zone that
is suitable for domestic purposes) are
required per day for one hundred
hens. Too much stress cannot be
placed on the necessity for having
good water, as impure water will I'M
doubtedly cause sickness among the
poultry. The more green food con-
sumed the less will be the quantity
of water needed"
Profit in Raising Sheep.
The first essential in sheep hus-
tandry is to have large, warm, dry
basement facing the south and east