The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-09-03


must be given some food, especially
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 IL 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 as poultry.
Milling byproducts. such as shorts,
bran and oilmeal. can be mixed In
small quantities with the other feeds
and fed to advantage.
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-
ket. If there is a silo on the place
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. II
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
one-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 If the best results
are to be secured. Beef scrap Is q
packing house byproduct that can be
purchased at reasonable price. 1t is
very valuable feed for growing
chickens and laying hens. The most
common animal food on the farm ia
skimmilk. This is a valuable feed for
all classes Of fowls. At the Virginia
experiment station 1t was found that
sklmmilk Is worth a dollar q hundred
as food for laying hens. ButtermIlk
Is also good feed. II you have many
laying hens and can get plenty OF
fresh bones from the butcher II will
pay to get bone cutter and make lib.
eral use OF cut bone as a food. II ia
high In protein and also contains a
large amount OF the mineral foods 30
badly needed by the laying hens.
Mineral foods form an important
part OF the ration. or the dry matter
OF the egg $3.50 per cent is composed
or mineral matter. Crushed oyster or |
clam shells. plaster and slaked lime
are the best sources of minerals
Fowls also need grit to assist IN
grinding their food. A pile Of sharp
sand In the poultry yard Is one OF the
best means of supplying this. Charcoal
Is good preventive of intestinal trou-
pies. box Of II should be kent
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 important
feeding problems that confront the
poultry raiser-feeding young chicks,
feeding for egg production and fatten.
Ing The greatest source of loss ia
poultry raising is improper feeding Of
young chickens, The newly Matched
hicks should not receive any feed at
III until they are forty-eight hours old
crumbs OF dry or toasted bread mako
'ood feed for the first few days. They
nay be moistened with a little milk
" RED dry Chicks will do better IL
most OF their food Is given IN a DIR.
orm. One OF the most common mis-