104 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



month when they have completed their coat, gradually change the 

 food, taking away the corn and its products, and the linseed meal, 

 and anything that would be very fattening. 



Color of Feathers and Skin 



The feeding of the fattening foods adds heat to the body, fever 

 our grandmothers called it, and this fever seems to loosen the 

 feathers all at once just what we want and they fall so quickly 

 that the hens are almost nude. Then is the time for care in feeding 

 if you have exhibition stock, for I am certain color can be greatly 

 controlled by food. 



Now, I know by my own experience that yellow corn will give 

 yellow feathers (brassy feathers) to white fowls when freely fed ; 

 that cottonseed meal will have the same effect, for that is what we 

 add to the fattening food the last week to give the yellow tint to 

 the skin. I know that iron in the drinking water has the same effect 

 with white fowls. With colored fowls, such as Brown Leghorns 

 or Partridge fowls or Buffs the iron and the corn will intensify and 

 make more brilliant and bright their colors. 



The fowls that are making their new coats, the coats that have 

 to last the hens a year, all need plenty of green food and grain. The 

 white fowls instead of yellow corn, should have oats, hulled oats 

 are best, but if you cannot get hulled oats, soak the oats in scalding 

 water so the hulls will be softened. Hulled oats may appear to be 

 more expensive than the unhulled, but there is so much waste, so 

 much indigestible fiber in the unhulled oats, that I decided that it 

 was more profitable to feed the hulled oats. For those who are 

 feeding cockerels which they want to exhibit in the winter ; for 

 the white or black and white, give them shade, plenty of shade, 

 for our California sun will draw out the yellow; cut off all the 

 yellow corn and all cottonseed meal; feed oats, wheat, barley, grit, 

 charcoal and have granulated bone always before them. For the 

 colored fowls add linseed meal to the ration. It will deepen and 

 brighten the colors. 



