No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 285 



Common Sense Feeding. 



No one would think of feeding cows grain only witliout hay or 

 corn fodder, and expect to keei) healthy animals. It is just as much 

 necessary to give hens something for "iilling," and cut hay and clover 

 fill a jjlace of importance in maintaining health in hens. If given 

 scratching material of hay, straw or leaves, or if the hens are al- 

 lowed access to barn mows, they will get a supply of filling but 

 very likely will get an article of little food value. Still another 

 danger not only to profit but to health, i« the depending upon corn 

 for feed. Corn has its place and is needed as a heat producing food; 

 but to use it altogether, to the exclusion of wheat and oats is to get 

 unhealthy birds and few eggs. 



Another mistake is the feeding of so-called egg foods or powders. 

 There is nothing you can feedi to produce eggs and preserve health 

 better than a well balanced ration of sound materials. A little spice 

 is a good thing. During cold weather add a few chopped red peppers 

 to their feed. Fowls should be given a variety of grain and make 

 them scratch for it, as this will give them exercise. Scald the drink- 

 ing vessels often. Saturate nest boxes and coops with hot salted 

 lime wash. Fumigate houses and kill diseases, germs and lice. 



Poultry allowed to perch in trees and on fences during cold 

 weather contract roup and inoculate the whole flock. Turkeys have 

 the right of waj^ in the Thanksgiving market, and special attention 

 should be given to preparing them for the occasion.. Let them run 

 and feed liberally on corn and wheat. Market only such as are in 

 prime condition; the rest will be ready for Christmas. Fat, heavy 

 stock is always preferred and must be dry plucked for shipping. 

 Poultry should be thoroughly dry and cold, but not frozen, the animal 

 heat should be entirely out of the body. 



A hen may be considered to consume one bushel of grain yearly, 

 and lay ten dozen or fifteen pounds of eggs. This is equivalent to 

 saying three and one-tenth pounds of corn will produce, when fed 

 to a hen, five-sixths of a pound of eggs; but five-sixths of a pound of 

 pork requires about five pounds of corn for its production. Tak- 

 ing into account the nutriment in each and the comparative prices 

 of the tw'o on an average, the porks is about three times as costly a 

 food as eggs. Therefore, it will pay better to feed waste milk to 

 fowls than to pigs, if not enough for both. 



