Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-29
Agricultural Help
Green Food for Poultry.

During recent years an increasing
amount of attention has been paid by
poultrymen everywhere to the furnish
ing of green food To their fowls during
the winter. months. when it is impossi-
BILE III northern parts of the country. at
least for the birds to get fresh suecu-
lent pasturage out of doors. Ii has
been the universal experience that an
addition of green succulent food to
the ration Of laying hens tends to keep
them in better physical condition and
helps towards better egg production.
with consequently increased profits to
the poaltryman. On the poultry plant
of the Maine Agricultural Experiment
station considerable attention has been
given To this matter of supplying green
and sueculent food to poultry, and as
a result of experience extending now
over number Of years very satisfac-
tory scheme of supplying this necessa-
~ part of the ration has been worked
out.
II is. of course obvious that if it is
to be satisfactory not only must the
green food given to poultry be of the
proper kind to give good results in egg
production, but also it must be some
thing which can be produced and
handled at small cost. Furthermore
factor which is frequently lost sight OF
here is that fowls need something be-
sides succulence in their so-ealled
green food" There is distinction
between "a sneculent fodder and Il
green food" in the strict sense. One
can supply sueculence in the form Of
root crops like mangolds or other SINH
lar crops. A careful examination of
the situation, however. indicates that
probably the fundamental need of the
fowls is not for sueculence as SUCH but
rather for the tonic effect which is
produced by green plants. The green
color of plants is due to the presence
of cholorophyll chemical compound
which is very rich in iron. In feeding
fowls for high egg production 1T is
necessary that they be given a ration
rich in protein. Only birds of very
strong constitution and with thorough
ly sound digestive systems can contin-
aously handle for long period the
heavy laying rations carrying meat
SCRAP and oil meal which are now so
widely used by poultry men, with sue
cessful results for a production.
On these heavy rations there is
always tendency for the birds liver
fret to become impaired in function
and ultimately to become enlarged and
disease AS the matter, has been stud
led ut the Maine Agricultural Expert
mont Station it would appear that one
of the chief, if not indeed the most
Important function of green food in the
ration is to counterfeit this tendency
of the digestive system, and especially
the liver, to break down under the
strain Of assimiating heavy laying ra-
tions over a long period of time. II
would appear that the green food given
to poultry acts primarily as a mild
tonic rather than as a food III
the proper sense. There is very little
of this tonic effect produced from sue
culent nom green foods like mangolds
For this dependence must be placed
primarily upon cholorophyll bearing
plants.
The practical problem then becomes
to find a satisfactory and economical
system whereby supply Of green food
may be kept at hand for the birds al
all seasons of the year when wanted