Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-12-24

ocrat. Paris. Ne.
Green Food for Poultry.
During recent years an increasing
amount Of attention has been paid b!
poultry ymen everywhere to the furnish
ing of green food to their fowls duriDi
the winter months, when 1t 10 impossi
BILE In northern parts of the country, q
least, for the birds to get fresh succulen
pasturage out OF doors. 1t has been tn
universal experience that an addition o
green succulent food to the ration o
laying hens tends to keep them in bet, el
physical condition and helps towards
better egg production, with consequent
ly increased profits to the poultrymsn
On the poultry plant Of the Maine Agri
cultural Experiment Station, consider
able attention has been given to thi'
matter of supplying green and succuien
food to poultry, and as a result OF OK
perieuce extending now over number
of years, q very satisfactory scheme o.
supplying this necessary part OF the RI
ton has been worked out.
Itis, of course, obvious that II 1t Is te
be satisfactory, not only must the green
food given to poultry be Of tho proper
kind to give good results In egg produc
ton, but also it must be something
which can be produced and handled n
small cost. Furthermore, factor
which is frequently lost sight Of
here is that fowls need something be.
sides succulence In their So called "green
food" There is q distinction between
succulent fodder and "green food" IN
the strict sense. One can supply succu'
lence In the form OF root crops like man.
Colds or other similar crops. A careful
examination of the situation, however,
indicates that probably the fundamental
need of the fowls Is not for succulence
as such, but rather for the tonic effect
which is produced byi green plants.
The green color of plauts Is due to the
presence of choloropbyll, . chemical
compound which 10 very rich In iron.
In feeding fowls for high egg produc-
ton, 1t is necessary that they be given .
ration rich in protein. Only birds OF
very strong constitution and With thor
oughly sound digestive systems can con-
handle for long period the
heavy laying rations carrying meat scrap
and oil meal, which are now 90 widely
used by poultrymen, with successful re-
suits for egg production. On these
heavy rations there is . tendency for the
birds liver first to become impaired in
function and ultimately to become en-
larged and diseased. As the matter
has been studied at the Maine Agricui-
tural Experiment Station, 1t would
appear that one Of the chief, II not In
deed the most important function OF
green food In the ration, is to counteract
this tendency of the digestive system,
and especially the liver, to break down
under the strain of assimilating heavy
laying rations over long period OF time:
Il would appear that the green food
given to poultry acts primarily a. mild
tonic rather than % . food IN the
proper sense. There is very little OF this
tonic effect produced from succulent non
green foods like mangolds. For this, de-
peudence must be placed primarily upon
cholorophyll bearing plants.
The practical problem, then, becomes
to find satisfactory and economical sys-
tenn whereby supply OF green food may
be kept al hand for the birds at all sea-
sons of the year when wanted. The fol-
lowing system OF rotation In the green
stuff supply has been In use for severai
years on the poultry plant OF the maine
Experiment Station Win
entirely satisfactorily results. 1t should
be said that, owing to the small area OF
ground available for the poultry work at
the station in relation to the number OF
birds 1t is necessary to carry, green 1000
must be added to the ration practically
the year, not only for the
adult fowls in the laying houses, but also
for the chicks growing on the range.
The number of birds reared is 80 great
in proportion to the area which can be
devoted to them that the natural pastur'
age Is very quickly exhausted.
Beginning with the time In the fall OF
the year when the pullets are put into
the laying house, they are given green
corn fodder chopped fine in feed cutter.
This is fed stocks, leaves and ears (if
there are any all together. The pieces
are cut from a quarter to half inch In
length by the feed cutter used. This
green corn fodder is one OF the most
satisfacro ory sources of green food for
poultry which the Maine Agricultural
Experiment Station has ever been aoie
to discover. The birds eat 1t ravenous-
" aud in large quantities. 1t may %
safely fed in larger amounts than any
other green food yet tried. After the
corn has been killed by frost so as no
longer to be available, the birds are
given cabbage and mangolds fed With
the tops on. These plants serve until
we'll into the winter December or Jan,
uary). Then the oat sprouter is started
and green sprouted oats serve as the
chief source of green food until well on
into the spring april or May). Inc
green oats are supplemented with man
Colds or with clover hay cut In short
lengths with the feed cutter and steamed.
In case clover hay is not available, cut
alfalfa is sometimes substituted for this.
As soon as possible in the spring, fresh
green clover is cut from the range and
fed to the birds In the houses. TO the
Young chicks In the brooders, however,
the best source of green food which has
yet been found Ia green sprouted oats.
To these little chicks only the tops are
fed. and these are cut fine. In the reg
ular crop rotation system carried out on
the range, green corn, Dwarf Essex
rape, mangolds and oabbages are planted
each spring. The green corn, Dwarf
Essex rape and the thinnings from tne
mango!ds are used during the summer
TO feed both the adult birds In the
houses and the growing chickens on the
range after the natural pasturage has De-
come exhausted. Dwarf Essex rape 10
an excellent source Of green food Tor
poultry, but It must be fed with great
caution to birds which are laying, be-
case IL eaten in any considerable amounts
IL may color the yolk of the eggs green
with disastrous results 10 the market.
Following such . system - 10 out.
lined above, It 'is possible to have
throughout the year . continuance o.
green fodder we'll calculated TO keep tne
birds In the best OF physical CONDITION
and ut the maximum of productivity. -
Chas. D. Woods, Director Maine ExPeri
ment Station.