Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-12-20

not taken care of will cause much dis
comfort to the hen and eventually
throw her off her feed with the result
of loss of eggs. This can be helped
by feeding charcoal. Every farmer
can get charcoal easily, because all
they need to do is to sift it from their
wood ashes.
Green Food Probably the best
green food is sprouted oats. In case
you feed sprouted oats you can elm
mate the oats from the grain ration
to large part, feeding them occa-
sionally dry for variety. Sprouted
oats contain much iron which helps to
build up the blood and keep the hen
strong and normal.
Next to sprouted oats comes man.
gel beets, an excellent green food.
Stock men feed it because they find
that they can get better results, more
milk from their high record cows, or
sometimes cows will keep up better
when fed beets. Same thing with
hens. One can get better results,
more eggs, when beets are fed than
when they are not fed.
Cabbages are good. Turnips or po-
tatoes cooked or fed once in while in
the mash are also good, but one must
be exceedingly careful not to feed too
much on turnips and potatoes as you
are liable to faint the flavor of the
eggs and thus cause loss to yourself.
Now referring back to the ration
let us see if the farmer can make any
substitution which will perhaps less
en- the cost of these mixtuhes., Yes, it
is possible. Most every farmer has
skim milk. If this is the case let it
sour and feed as much of this sour
milk as the hens may want. In this
way you can lessen the amount of
beef scrap to one part. Should you
have fresh cut bone available SINH
lar substitution can be made, only
great care in not feeding too much
must be exercised. Otherwise, should
you feed too much, you are quite apt
to cause the hens to go off their feed,
due to excessive amounts of nitroge-
nous food in fresh meat.
Again in case you may raise alfalfa
there are always some leaves which
rattle off on the barn floor. In this
case gather them up, steam by pour
ing hot water on them, letting them
stand till we'll softened, then feeding
in hoppers or troughs. When alfalfa
is not available, clover leaves are ex-
cellent substitutes, and it pays to
feed them. If either of these feeds
are possible Cut cut the alfalfa from
the ration entirely.
If you have buckwheat available,
you can add this to the grain mix
| ture and cut the corn down consider
ably, but not entirely. This is only
advisable to do in winter, as buck
wheat is very high therm or heating
food.
Be sure to add fine salt to the mash
mixtures as it helps to tone up the
! system and keep it running a little
| smoother, and better use can then be
made of feeds fed.
| And lastly remember, cit is the
eye of the feeder which fattens the
sheep" So it is in the case of poul-
try, the more careful and painstaking
one is in the feeding Of his poultry,
the more regular in the feeding they
are, the better are the chances of
getting the fall and winter eggs and
of making the fowls pay. It is the
results which tell.
Should there be any questions re-
garding feeding which may be of
help to you, the department of poul-
try husbandry at Burlington, VT, is
only too glad to be at your service.
Simply drop a card explaining fully
your questions and reply will be re-
turned in very short while.
Very truly yours,
Department of Poultry House,
per H. A. D. Leggett,
in charge.