Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-11-12

In feeding chickens it is necessary
that You have some suitable shelter in
which they may be fed in bad weather.
They should also have a comfortable
warm house. which should be Kept free
from insects. withdrawing rs ire
uuently an advantage. The trash and
dirt should be cleaned off the floor and
roosts so as to keep the pens thoroughly
sanitary.
In compounding rations it is impor-
tant to remember that enough nutrients
must be fed to supply the needs of
young and vigorous birds and the nu-
trients must be in the right proportion.
1t is essential to know that enough
as a rule, to feed too much carbohy-
drates or fattening material. Rations
must also be varied and contain Succu-
lent and palatable food. A small area
devoted to oats on which the chickens
may Craze from time to time through
out the winter will prove invaluable.
Another important factor in feeding
chickens is to secure the most desirable
ration at the lowest possible cost. Oil
meal, for instance, contains 30 to 90
per cent protein, wheat brand IL per
cent, and corn per cent. Therefore,
you will see at once that the ration may
be made to cost two or three times as
much as necessary and not prove salts
factory unless the right kinds of food
are selected and mixed together. Grit,
shell, charcoal and salt must all be sup
oyster shell is valuable for furnishing
the lime needed, and crushed charcoal
is also desirable. Mineral matter is es-
sential to the production of eggs.
Various systems of feeding may be
followed Trough feeding of wet mash
is practiced by some. 1t is a little
more productive of results probably
when the birds can be induced to eat
Its disadvantage consists in the extra
labor required, as constant attention
must be given to the details of feeding
and the practicing of absolute cleanli-
ness. This method is usually practiCed
on small farms where the fiocks are
small.
The hopper feeding of dry mash is
considered good practice. This is the
best way of providing the hens with the
concentrated part of the ration. 1t
saves much labor, and Of course the diet
is helped from the standpoint of diges-
tion. Chickens naturally feed them
selves at will.
Some scratch feed of ground grain
should be provided. This results in the
chickens taking the necessary and es-
Sential exercise. For the laying flock
the best system to follow both summer
and winter is a combination of scratch
feeding of cracked grains in deep litter
at night, and the hopper feeding of dry
mash. A good combination to make and
use In your section would bee as fol-
lows: Wheat bran or middlings, 200
pounds; ground oats, 200 pounds; pea
nut meal, lUO pounds; meat scraps, lOu
pounds, and chopped or ground alfalfa,
100 pounds. In case you find it too
much trouble to make up a mixture of
this kind you can probably purchase
some of the standard poultry feeds now
on the market, and which are prepared
for the purpose of providing the chick
ems with a properly balanced ration.
This may cost you a little more than
it would take to prepare a ration of the
character suggested at home, but we
are inclined to think that YOU will find
the purchased ration as satisfactory as
the one suggested above, and which
you could of course prepare at home if
you wish to take the time and trouble.