POULTRY FEEDING 



209 



In the absence of an opportunity to roam about on a pasture or stubble 

 field, chicks are deprived of many dainty morsels in the form of worms, 

 caterpillars, insects, etc. A manure pile is a good substitute. This can 

 be improvised by making a hole one yard or more square and 18 to 20 

 inches deep and filling it with fresh horse dung and occasionally sprink- 

 ling this with blood to attract flies. 



Rations for chickens 3 months of age may be compounded according 

 to the rules outlined on page 169. The nutritive ratio should be narrow, 

 1 :3-4. 



Among the possible feeding stuffs to select from may be mentioned 

 tankage and fish meal, blood meal or dried blood, cracklings, dried May 

 beetles, shrimps, fresh ground bone (Fig. 88), horse meat, curds, sour 

 milk, buttermilk, linseed cake, sunflower seed cake and other oil cakes, 

 peas, malt sprouts, dried brewers' grains, bran, feed meals, grains of 

 all kinds, acorns, horse chestnuts (dried and ground like acorns) pota- 



Bone grinder. 



Fig. 89. Soft-feed trough. 



toes, sugar beets, artichokes, hempseed, flaxseed, poppy seed. Chickens, 

 as a rule, will not eat the seeds of legumes, beans, peas, etc. 



Finally, a good supply of green feed is at all times desirable. Chickens 

 kept in pens should be given green stuff like nettles, notchweed, dande- 

 lions, sweet grasses, clover, alfalfa, serradella, vetches, spinach, mangels, 

 spurry, rape, buckwheat, corn, artichokes, comfrey, beet and cabbage 

 leaves. Beets, cabbage, sprouted grains (oats), chaflfed clover and 

 meadow hay, etc., etc., may be given in the absence of the more suitable 

 and succulent plants mentioned above. 



Laying hens should also have access to sand, charcoal, gravel, crushed 

 stone (grit), oyster shells, etc. 



The grains are fed whole and raw, preferably in the evening. Very 

 large grains of corn should be crushed. Barley and oats are improved 

 by sprouting. Feed for fattening purposes — corn, barley, rice, millet — 

 should be boiled or soaked in water. Potatoes should be cooked or 

 steamed. Beets should be fed raw, green stuff fresh and not chopped, 

 or chopped fine and mixed with chaffed hay. Oil cake or meal and tank- 

 age are usually mixed with other feed without any further preparation 

 and may be fed as soft feed (slightly moistened) or dry. 



