Oxford Democrat., 1920-05-11
SOUTH PARIS, MAINE, TUESDAY, MAY u, 1920
Common. Sense Feeding Of Poultry.
(Willard c. sisson, Instructor In Poultry
Dfvieion)

/ UlVl6l0n.)
The successful feeding of poultry de-
pends in very large degree on the com.
mon sense Of the feeder. Investigators
may experiment with different feeds,
different breeds and varieties of fowl,
and devise certain formulas which give
the proper results, but the feeder must
watch his fowls carefully and vary the
recommended formulas and feeding pro-
grams to suit his particular conditions
| and flock.
Young fowls require different feeds
and different feeding program than do
mature fowls. They must be fed to pro.
duce maximum growth in q minimum
length of time. They should be fed often
and sparingly. There Is no danger of
getting young or immature fowls over.
fat. After fowls reach the age OF two
weeks food can be kept before them ali
of the time. II the young fowls stop
growing there is usually something
wrong with their feed. 1t is necessary
then to watch them closely and vary the
feed to suit their needs.
In feeding mature stock and laying
hens there is often danger of getting the
birds too fat or throwing them off feed
A laying mash recommended for one
breed may contain too much fat for q
less active breed, or the digestive system
of another breed may not be able to
handle the same mash. The ingredients
of laying ration may be easily and
cheaply obtained In one locality and yet
be 90 hard to obtain in another locality
as to make the ration impracticable. It
is necessary then to vary the ration 81
conditions demand.
There should be close relation be.
tween the composition of the feed and
that of the product desired. A feed of
high protein content should not be fed
to fattening fowls. Neither should 3
feed of high fat content be fed to laying
hens. For laying hens the ration should
be rather high in protein, as the compo.
sition of the egg is rather high in that
nutrient. For fattenipg fowls the ration
should be rather high In fat as it is the
purpose Of the feeder to put on as much
fat in as short time as possible.
The digestive system of the fowl is
much more delicate than that of most
farm animals. 1t is quite easy by i'm.
proper feeding to cause serious digestive
troubles. No provision is made for the
digesting of large amounts of crude fiber
and yet there should be small amount
present to furnish bulk to the ration,
thus giving the digestive fermsnts bet
ter opportunity to act upon digestible
nutrients. No spoiled feeds OF any kind
should be given to fowls as they may re-
suit in serious digestive disorders.
Sudden changes of feed must be
avoided. If 1t becomes necessary for any
reason to change feed, the change
should be made gradually. In transfer.
ring pullets from range to winter quar-.
rers the feed must be varied gradually
from the growing ration to the laying
ration. Green feed must be supplied to
take the place of that to which they have
been used while on range.
The moulting season is always q hard
time for fowls. Special attention must
be given to the feed at that time Plenty
of green feed should be supplied and
little linseed meal added to the dry mash.
Care should be taken to see that the
fowls are consuming plenty Of feed.
Careful observation OF effects of feeds
upon fowls, attention to composition and
quality of feeds, and good measure of
common sense contribute more toward
success in poultry keeping than does
practically anything else.