SUPPLY OF ANIMAL FOOD. 



49 



and similar centres, where wheat is screened for 

 milling in immense quantities, such food may- 

 deserve attention ; but it varies much in quality. 

 The chief components are the seeds of mustard, 

 rape, clover, and grass, with sometimes a 

 very little shrivelled wheat, linseed, etc., and the 

 name is given because the screener is called a 

 cockle machine. It is very cheap, and of fair 

 food value on an average, but can only be had 

 in certain localities, and has the objection that 

 the fowls do not like it. Mr. Webster states 

 that he did better with it when ground into 

 meal ; but then the fowls did not like it unless 

 mixed with other meal : then they ate it readily. 

 Such cheap food deserves a place in the dietary 

 where accessible ; but that will be in few cases, 

 and fowls will pay well enough fed upon good 

 grain. As might be expected, any general 

 analysis of cockle-seed cannot be given, as it 

 differs widely in character : American is said to 

 be usually the best, and Russian or Danubian 

 the worst in quality. 



The bulk of the food is now provided for, 

 and we have seen that merely to keep the birds 

 in health, animal food is not re- 

 inimal quired. But if a good supply of 



Food. eggs be expected it certainly is. 



The American experiments which 

 have been detailed in the preceding chapter 

 have shown that vegetable albuminoids, even 

 though the ratio be made as high as with meat, 

 have not altogether the same effect, and that 

 some animal food is needed if a high standard of 

 laying is to be kept up. For a small household 

 establishment, the lean portion of the table 

 scraps may furnish sufficient ; if not the bones, 

 cut or broken up very sjnall, will do so, and will 

 be eagerly devoured. Nearly an ounce per 

 day for each bird in full lay will not probably 

 be too much, if they really are prolific layers; 

 but many only moderate layers could not use 

 so much rich food in that way, and such hens 

 would therefore be over-stimulated. On a 

 larger scale, bones may be purchased from the 

 butcher and cut in a mill. In America there 

 are many makes of such mills, and in this country 

 wc have many excellent bone-cutting machines, 

 such as Radcliffe's, Goddard's, and that shown in 

 Fig. 19 : all these mills cut the bones up, not crush- 

 ing or breaking them. One caution is, however, 

 necessary concerning bone : it must really be 

 fresh. Tainted bones should never be used, and 

 have been known to work mischief. Where 

 bones Cannot be procured, the various forms 

 of granulated dried meat or meat-meal are use- 

 ful ; or bullock's liver, or horseflesh, or sheep's 

 pluck, or any really sound offal may be boiled 

 and minced up, using the broth also in mi.xing 



the mash. On a wide range, of course the 

 natural supply of worms and insects will more 

 or less reduce the quantity, or may make special 

 provision needless. 



On the whole, the best results are obtained 

 by dividing albuminoids between the animal 

 and vegetable classes. Through a wide extent 

 of American practice, it seems usual to give 

 roughly about half of the extra albuminoids in 

 the shape of cut clover, and half in cut bone ; 

 and this combination appears to answer exceed- 

 ingly well. We need not further refer to malt- 

 dust, pea-meal, and similar articles : but special 

 mention ought perhaps to be made of the high 

 albuminoid value oi cabbage, which is so readily 

 grown on small plots of ground, and which in 



Fig. 19. — Furness' Bone Culter. 



many places in England is more easily obtain- 

 able than clover can be. It is by some American 

 poultry-farmers specially grown for the fowls, and 

 fed to them, being minced or shredded up fine. 

 It is thus given not merely as green food, but 

 as egg food, of known value, and as paying for 

 itself specially in the egg return ; not only sup- 

 plying albumen itself, but enabling the cooled 

 system to assimilate better the animal food 

 given beside. This seems the special function 

 of clover or cabbage ; it cools the system, and 

 allows of a higher egg-ration than would other- 

 wise be possible without evil. 



This brings us to the question of green or 

 fresh vegetable food in itself, and as such. A 



regular supply of this is absolutely 

 Green necessary to keep fowls in health. 



Food. all the more so in proportion to the 



confinement of their daily run ; and 

 the want of it, or of sufficient quantity of it, or 

 regularity in giving it, is one of the most 

 frequent causes of failure or disaster. An 

 adequate grass run is of such great value, above 

 all, as supplying this constantly without further 



