EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS, 245 



We must supply these two foods when the pullets are confined to the 

 laying houses. If we can secure skim milk at a reasonable price, or 

 have it on the farm it will be found to be an excellent food. Very often 

 one can buy green bone and scraps or waste meat from the markets at 

 a reasonable price. Any of these may be utilized as well as scraps from 

 the table, as long as they are fresh. No one should be guilty of feed- 

 ing partiality decayed meat in any form. We cannot expect people to 

 pay good prices for eggs if our fowls eat unclean food. In some in- 

 stances the hens are fed the meat from any animal that dies ; this practice 

 should not be allowed. Numerous complaints are made annually be- 

 cause even fresh eggs are off in flavor. When the source of the trouble 

 is traced out we invariablv find the hens have been fed unclean food, 

 such as hotel swill, horse meat, or other carrion. If milk or meat scraps 

 cannot be secured locally it is better to buy commercial beef-scrap or 

 granulated milk. These will keep indefinitely when properly stored. 



The green food may be supplied in the form of cut alfalfa or clover 

 hay. The hens will eat it either dry or steamed. INIangolds or beets 

 and cabbage also make excellent food and should be fed raw. Beets 

 should be sliced lengthways until the hens learn to eat them, when they 

 may be thrown in whole. The mangel-wurtzel is the best variety for 

 chicken feed. The cabbage should be hung up on a string where the 

 hens can get exercise working at it. Onions, turnips, potatoes and 

 several other vegetables may be fed. These, however, should be cooked 

 until soft and then mixed with about an equal bulk of bran; feed while 

 still quite warm. We prefer to feed such a feed at noon. Be careful 

 not to feed too much, as the hens are very fond of soft, moist mash, 

 and will engorge themselves Avith it if given a chance. Be sure that 

 eacli hen can get her share and do not feed more than they will eat 

 up clean in fifteen minutes. Also be careful to have the vegetables dry 

 enough so that when the bran is added it will make a crumbly, moist 

 mixture. 



Always be careful to fee'd clean food of all kinds, and shun all bad 

 smelling disinfectants. The egg shell is porous and will, therefore, 

 allow the egg to absorb bad odors. Store the eggs in a clean place and 

 market them at least once a week ; by following this method one should 

 soon be able to get a reputation for furnishing eggs that are good and 

 genuinely fresh. 



When the pullets are brought in from the range they may not be 

 completely feathered. If not, an occasional feed of sweet corn will be 

 a great treat for them and will help them produce a new coat of feath- 

 ers. Sunflower seeds contain oil and make an excellent addition to the 

 ration, helping to produce new feathers quickly. Oil meal or oil cake 

 may also be added to the mash feed. We like to use 100 pounds bran, 

 75 pounds middlings, 2.5 pounds oil meal, 100 pounds corn meal and 

 100 pounds beef-scrap. Canada peas also make an excellent addition 

 to the ration during the moulting period. The fowls soon learn to eat 

 them and they will help keep the birds vigorous during the strain of 

 the moulting period. 



There is as much in care and management as in the food. Keep the 

 hens busy all day and then give them enough to fill the crops at night. 

 In this way one cnn have healthy fowls and avoid many bad habits. 

 If a hopper is used to feed mash, supply a light feed of grain in the 



