Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-07-27


of the kinds that they are not able to
find for themselves. The most plenti-
full food on the average farm and the
one that the birds are most likely to
get is corn. Corn Is heating food
and is not suited for laying hens or
growing chickens if fed alone. Some
oats 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
used 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 us poultry.
Milling byproducts, such as shorts,
bran and oilmeal. can be mixed in
small quantities with the other feeds
and fed to advantage.
Succulent Food Necessary.
One of the greatest needs of poultry
in winter is some kind of succulent
feed. This can be provided by storing
away 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 will relish them very much and
make liberal response at the egg bas-
bot 10 ct hn
some silage may be fed to the fowls to
advantage. 1t is cheap and appetizing.
Glover and alfalfa hay chopped fine in
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
grain.
Value of Animal Food.
When allowed free range fowls OBJ
tain large amounts Of animal food in
the form Of insects. Some feed ofathis
kind is essential If the best results
are to be secured. Beef scrap Is q
packing house byproduct that can be
purchased at a reasonable price. 1t is
very valuable feed for growing
chickens and laying hens The mos
common animal food on the farm Il
skimmilk. This is valuable feed fol
all classes of fowls. At the Virgins
experiment station it was found that
skimmilk is worth dollar hundred
as food for laying hens. Buttermill
b also good feed. If you have many
laying hens and can get plenty o
fresh bones from the butcher it will
pay to get bone cutter and make lib
eral use of cut bone as a food. 1t 1.
high in protein and also contains /,
large amount of the mineral foods s,
badly needed by the laying hens.
Mineral foods form an importan
part Of the ration. or the dry matte
of the egg 1856 per cent is composed
Of mineral matter. Crushed oyster o
clam shells, plaster and slaked lin
are the best sources of minerals
Fowls also need grit to assist Il
grinding their food. A pile Of shar
sand in the poultry yard is one Of tn
best means Of supplying this. Charcoa
is good preventive of intestinal tror
bles. A box Of 1t should be ker
where they can get at it at all times
A little salt mixed with this charcoa
Is beneficial.
Feeding Young Chicks.
There are three especially importar
feeding problems that confront tn
poultry raiser-feeding young chick
feeding for egg production and fatte1
ing. The greatest source Of loss 1
poultry raising is improper feeding {
young chickens. The newly hatche
chicks should not receive any feed {
all until they are forty-eight hours oil
Crumbs Of dry or toasted bread NAL
good feed for the first few days. TIL,
may be moistened with little mi
or fed dry. Chicks will do better
most of their food is given In a d
It form. One Of the most common mi
: takes made In feeding chickens is
giving too much. They should new
be fed more soft food than they W
eat up clean In fifteen or twenty mi
utes. Dry grain scattered in straw
r cut clover will, Of course, last long
e Plenty of pure water, grit and chs
D coal should be provided. Any schel
that will compel the chicks to exc
E themselves in getting at their food "