FEEDING THE HEN. 



CHAPTER XII. 



IN describing the methods used by Mr. Johnson and 

 Mr. Wyckoff, we have given the views of two very suc- 

 cessful feeders, which cover about the whole story. 

 Details, however, must be worked out by each individual. 

 Breed, location, markets, farm-crops, &c., must all be consid- 

 ered. The point is to secure as cheap a ration of good food 

 as is possible. Meat, bones, garden or farm wastes may all 

 be used to cheapen the cost of the ration, and some grains are 

 cheaper than others. These matters must be studied by the 

 individual farmer. Here we merely give a general idea of 

 the practices of successful men. In a general way it may be 

 said that wheat is the best grain for egg-production. Corn 

 alone is not satisfactory unless fed with milk, meat or some 

 non-fattening food. Rye is a poor food for poultry. Oatmeal 

 is excellent, but whole oats are too sharp and pointed and 

 sometimes cause trouble. Green food of some sort is abso- 

 lutely necessary. Cabbage, kale, apples, clover-hay, etc., 

 supply this. In winter, a warm, soft mash of grains, meat 

 and potatoes is excellent, with wheat for dinner and corn for 

 supper whole grain spread on the floor in clean hay where 

 the hens must scratch for it. Successful hen-feeding is a 

 science that must be mastered in detail by the individual 

 feeder. 



What the Hen Wants. Arthur D. Warner gives this advice : 

 "I found it profitable to give warm water in cold weather. 

 Boiling water put into the troughs melts any ice that may have 

 formed during the night, and the water quickly cools enough 

 for drinking. In summer a hen nips at a blade of grass, or a 



