POULTRY expe;rime;nts. 79 



allowed to remain empty. The dry meal mixture is constantly 

 within reach of all of the birds and they help themselves at will. 



Oyster shell, dry cracked bone, grit and charcoal are kept 

 in slatted troughs and are accessible at all times. A moderate 

 supply of mangolds and plenty of clean water is furnished, 

 About 5 pounds of clover cut into inch lengths is fed dry, daily 

 to each lOO birds, in winter. When the wheat, oats and cracked 

 corn are given, the birds are always ready and anxious for them 

 and they scratch in the litter for the very last kernel, before 

 going to the trough where an abundance of food is in store. 



It is very evident that they like the broken and whole grains 

 better than the mixture of the fine, dry materials ; yet they by 

 no means dislike the latter, for they help themselves to it, a 

 mouthful or two at a time, whenever they seem to need it. and 

 never go to bed with empty crops, so far as noted. They appar- 

 ently do not like it well enough to gorge themselves with it, and 

 sit down, loaf, get over-fat and lay soft-shelled eggs, as is so 

 commonly the case with Plymouth Rocks when they are given 

 warm morning mashes in troughs. 



Some of the advantages of this method of feeding are that 

 the mash is put in the troughs at any convenient time, only 

 guarding against an exhaustion of the supply, and the entire 

 avoidance of the mobbing, that always occurs at trough feed- 

 ing, when that is made the meal of the day, whether it be at 

 morning or evening. There are no tailings to be gathered up 

 or wasted, as is common, when a full meal of mash is given at 

 night. The labor is very much less, enabling a person to care 

 for more birds than when the regular evening meal is given. 



The average amounts of the materials eaten by each hen dur- 

 ing the last year are about as follows : 



Grain and the meal mixture 90.0 pounds. 



Oyster shell 4.0 pounds. 



Dry cracked bone 2.4 pounds. 



Grit 2.0 pounds. 



Charcoal 2.4 pounds. 



Clover '. 10. o pounds. 



These materials cost about $1.45. 



The hens average laying 144 eggs each. 



