Milford chronicle., 1909-11-05

must be given some food, especially
0f the kinds that they are not able to
find for themselves. The most plenti-
ful food on the average farm and the
one that the birds are most likely to
get is corn. Corn is a heating food
aad is not suited for laying hens or
growing chickens if fed alone. Some
eats can be used for the older fowls,
but this feed is not suited for young
chickens unless ground. Oats are an
especially good food for laying hens.
One OF the best grain feeds is wheat.
1t is usually too expensive to be fed
very extensively. but it may often be
Hsed for part Of the ration. Wheat
either whole or cracked, makes a
splendid feed for young chicks. A
miXture of wheat and oats grown to-
gether makes an excellent feed for
all kinds Of stock as we'll as poultry.
Milling byproducts. such as shorts,
bran and oilmeal. can be mixed in
small quantities with the other feeds
and fed to advantage.
9nGGulGuL T0QQ NgCG6aaTGs
One Of the greatest needs of poultry
IN winter is some kind of succulent
feed This can be provided by storing
away a quantity Of cabbage. turnips.
mangels and pumpkins. These can be
chopped up during the winter and fed
with other feeds or given alone. The
fowls VIII relish them very much and
nuke a liberal response at the egg bas-
bet. If there is silo on the place
some slage may he fed to the fowls to
advantage. 1t is cheap and appetiZiug
Clover and alfalfa hay chopped fine in
a feed cutter make good roughage. If
soaked in hot water before feeding the
hens will eat large amounts. Either
bran or cut alfalfa may be mixed in
the mash feeds in the proportion Of
ne-quarter to three-quarters Of the
grain.
Value of Animal Food.
When allowed free range fowls OBJ
tain large amounts Of animal food in
the form Of insects. Some feed of this
kind is essential II the best results
are to be secured Beef scrap is a
packing house byproduct that can be
purchased at a reasonable price. II Is
a very valuable feed for growing
chickens and laying hens. The most
common animal food on the farm is /
skimmilk This is a valuable feed for /
al classes of fowls. At the Virginia /
experiment station 1t was found that +
IS worth a dollar a hundred |
as a food for laying hens. Buttermilk /
IS also a good feed. II you have many /
laying hens and can get plenty Of |
fresh bones from the butcher 1t will |
pay to get bone cutter and make lib
eral use Of cut bone as food. II IS
high In protein and also contains a
large amount of the mineral foods 50
badly needed by the laying hens.
Mineral foods form an important
part OF the ration. or the dry matter
II the egg 800 per cent is composed
II mineral matter. Crushed oyster or
liam shells. plaster and slaked lime
ire the best sources OF minerals
Fowls also need grit to assist In
grinding their food pile OF sharp
and in the poultry yard is one Of the
,est means Of supplying this. Charcoal
9 a good preventive Of intestinal trou-
lies. A box OF 1t should be kept
where they can get at it at all times.
| little salt mixed with this charcoal
5 beneficial.
Feeding Young Chicks.
There are three especially important
eeding problems that confront the
oultry raiser feeding young chicks
eeding for egg production and fatten-
10. The greatest source Of loss In
oultry raising is improper feeding OF
Dung chickens. The newly Matched
hicks should not receive any feed at
4 until they are forty-eght hours old.