8o MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I906. 



SUCCULENT FOODS AND CLOVER. 



Succulent foods are supplied to all birds, each day through- 

 out the year. The double yards allow the birds to gather green 

 grass, young oats, rye or rape for themselves during the grow- 

 ing season, as they are turned from the worn run to the fresh 

 ones, when the supply of green plants is eaten off. If the sod 

 is much broken, or the plants injured so they will not spring up 

 and cover the surface with green again, the vacated yards are 

 cultivated and reseeded heavily. 



When buildings are new and the runs are fenced in from 

 land with a good sod on it, the yards may last a year or two 

 without the sod being used up, but unless they are large, it 

 will soon be necessary to cultivate and reseed, if they are 

 depended upon to furnish green food. The yards, 20 by 100 

 feet, are large enough so that there is room for a single horse 

 to work comfortably in them. It is questionable whether it 

 might not be more economical to construct only single yards 

 for exercise, and feed the hens daily on green food, which 

 could be raised on rich land, handy by. Probably less labor 

 would be required to raise the green food in the fields than in 

 the yards, but the labor of cutting and carrying it to the birds 

 would be considerable. 



For green food during winter and spring mangolds are used. 

 They are liked by the birds and when properly harvested and 

 cared for remain crisp and sound until late spring. They are 

 fed whole, by sticking them on to projecting nails, about a foot 

 and a half above the floor. Care must be exercised in feeding 

 them, as they are laxative when used too freely. On the aver- 

 age about a peck per day to 100 hens, can be safely used. They 

 would eat a much greater quantity if they could get it. 



A 4 months' feeding test, extending from January i to April 

 30, 1906, in which mangold wurzels were compared with cut 

 clover, has just been completed. Two lots of hens, each con- 

 sisting of TOO, were kept under similar conditions, both lots 

 being fed as described on page JJ, except that one lot had 

 about 17 pounds of mangolds each day and no clover; while the 

 other lot received no mangolds, but were given 5 pounds of 

 clover leaves and heads, gathered from the feeding floor in the 

 cattle barns. Both lots of birds had new beds of oat straw 



