The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-06

SIOp, uldTTHOed anu liver CTOuDleS, ana sometimes the gall-sack will overflow, or burst, and result in the birds death.
 Just as a person with poor teeth de- rlves little enjoyment, and less nourish- ment, from his food, and is frequently troubled with indigestion, so will fowl be unable to properly digest its food un- less the glzzard is provided with "molars" sharp grit at all times.
 Grit Must Be Sharp-Angular
 Don't assume that because fowls are given freedom to roam about a field that they will pick up sufficient grit Un- less the hen yard is adjacent to a quarry, the pebbles picked up on the average farm arc of little value as grit They are not sharp enough. A smooth, round pebble in a fowls gizzard is of no more use than an axhandle would be for split ting wood. To be effective grts must have sharp, angular corners; like grind- stones, they must have biting edges
 Oyster shells are fed in addition to grit, for the lime and other mineral sub stances that they contain. It is aston ishing how much of these shells are con sumed by g. flock of hens during the laying season, and how little during the unproductive months, which is the strongest kind of testimony as to their usefulness
 Grit to grind the food charcoal to keep it sweet, and oyster shells to supply lime in abundance-this is triology never to be overlooked, Some poultry men prefer to mix the charcoal in the dry mash, which is a good idea but the grit and shells should be placed before the birds in convenient, sanitary hoppers or boxes by themselves.
 Animal Food Is Required
 f-.. . over a large area5 and there are not too many birds in the flock, they will pick up large amount of animal matter in the form of insects worms and other low ferns of animal life. The same holds true of green food. If the poultry keeper confines the flock. or if there are great many birds to the acre of pas turage, in which case there would be insufficient insect food to go round, it is necessary to furnish a substitute for this food, especially during the winter months. It is the animal food which furnishes the high percentage of protein or nitrogenous matter, so essential to the production of eggs, and which is the most expensive part of the diet.
 A controversy has existed for some years over the relative merits of animal protei.. and vegetable protein. Chem ically they are practically identical, though in feeding tests the vegetable protein does not seem to give the results Of the animal protein. This fact, to- gether with the natural eagerness with which chickens crave animal food, have convinced most feeders that no ration is complete without some kind of animal food.
 Green cut bone will stimulate egg pro- duction better, perhaps, than any other food but it should be fed judiciously Being highly concentrated. too liberal feeding will cause diarrhoea. liver trou- bles and worms. By all means feed 1t sweet, which is often difficult to man. age, especially in warm weather since it heats and turns bad very quickly.
 A good grade of meat scrap or pre- pared animal meal Is probably the most convenient form of animal protein for poultry. It is thoroughly cured by a cooking process. and if stored in cool, dry place it will keep practically indefi- niteiy. Fish scrap is still another kind of animal food that comes highly recom- mended
 Bone meal or granulated bone may be