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than it has heen heretofore. Corn is a heating and fattening food, and is, there- 

 fore, best adapted for winter use. It is considered by many, when fed m large 

 quantities, to make the hens over fat; yet it is used extensively by many progres- 

 sive poultrymen with little or no evil effects. 



Oats should be a iirst-class poultry food, but owing to the large percentage 

 of hull, they are not relished by chickens when fed whole, and for this reason are 

 somewhat indigestible. When rolled, hull and all, they are an ideal food as a dry 

 mash, and are relished by fowls better than any other dry mash we have yet used. 

 Ground oats without the hull are used extensively for fattening chickens. 



Barley, either whole or ground, is very good. It has rather too much hull, 

 but otherwise is a satisfactory food. It is considered by many to be next to wheat 



in point of value. 



Buckwheat is very popular as an egg producer in districts where it is exten- 

 sively grown. Some difficulty is at times experienced when first feeding it to fowls 

 irl getting them to eat it. But this is usually overcome in a day or so, if other feeds 

 are withheld. Boiling the buckwheat will sometimes start the birds to eat it. After 

 they once get accustomed to its appearance, it is much relished by them. Ground 

 buckwheat is an excellent food to use in a fattening ration. It is somewhat like 

 corn in its fattening properties, and, therefore, it is better for winter than for 

 summer use. 



Method of Feeding the Winter Laying Stock at the O.A.C. 



We try to simplify our methods and use only the common foods, and at 

 the present time are using as whole grains wheat, corn and buckwheat. These 

 grains are .fed in equal parts both morning and evening. The morning feed is 

 fed the previous evening after the hens have gone to roost, by sowing it on the 

 litter, and then turning the litter over; the straw is now on top and the grain 

 below, and when the hens get up in the morning, they start to dig out the grain, 

 and are kept busy all forenoon. At noon we- feed mangels, cabbage or clover 

 hay. The night feed consists of the whole grain fed in troughs, and what the 

 birds do not eat is taken up. Eolled oats are kept constantly before the hens in 

 hoppers. Buttermilk only is given as drink. 



Method of Feeding the Summer Laying Stock at the O.A.C. 



At the present time our plan of feeding is to scatter whole grain in the litter 

 both morning and evening. The grains used are wheat, barley, oats, and occasion- 

 ally buckwheat and corn. Green food is supplied in the form of grass, etc., in 

 the runs. Sour milk is given as drink. 



Dry Feeding. 



The tendency at the present time is to feed dry grain, and to use no wet 

 mash foods. It has been claimed by some writers that mash foods, while tending 

 to force growth, and possibly egg production, do not tend to produce good eggs 

 for hatching purposes ; that is to say, the mash is more or less of a forcing food. 

 In the production of eggs, the number produced is probably as large if not larger 

 where mashes are used, but the hatching power of the eggs in some instances 

 is not as high. During the past two or three years we have not fed any wet 

 mashes to our 'breeding birds, and have fed in place some sprouted grain, but 

 mostiy rolled oats in hoppers. As far as we can see at the present time the 



