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Farm Poultry 



Beets (Mangel-wurzels). These beets make an 

 excellent green food for the winter months. As 

 they are easily raised and will maintain their fresh 

 condition in an ordinary root cellar during the winter 

 months, they fulfil many of the requirements of 

 a practical poultry food. They may be fed by 

 simply splitting the root length- 

 wise with a large knife. If 

 given to the fowls in this form, 

 they will pick out the crisp, 

 fresh pulp from the cut surface. 

 Root-cutters are on the market 

 which cut beets in fine shreds 

 somewhat resembling earth- 

 worms in form. (See Fig. 57.) 

 These shreds are eaten readily. 

 Under ordinary conditions, 

 fowls should have, once a day, 

 about all the green food they 

 will eat. The form in which the 

 beets are offered is not impor- 

 tant, provided they are consumed while in a clean, 

 fresh condition. Unless the pieces of roots be small 

 enough for the fowls to swallow them, large pieces like 

 half a beet are preferable. When beets are fed from 

 an open trough, in pieces of the size usually made 

 by ordinary root-cutters, many pieces are likely to 

 be scattered in the litter and more or less soiled 

 before eaten, if eaten at all. Either very small, 



FIG. 57. A vegetable-cutter. 



