POULTRY KEEPING 579 



boiling water over it and allow to stand for two or three hours or 

 over night. When ready to feed, drain off the water and mix the hay 

 with the mash. The hay may constitute about one-half the bulk of 

 the feed, although the exact proportion is immaterial. Clover hay is 

 best, but any kind is valuable. The feeder must be careful not to 

 give too much bulky feed, for the hen, having a small crop, can not 

 make use of as large an amount of it as the cow and other rumi- 

 nants can. 



Water. Plenty of fresh water should always be accessible to the 

 hens. If supplied irregularly they are likely to drink too much at a 

 time. It should not be exposed to the sun's rays in summer or be 

 allowed to freeze in winter if this can be avoided. In very frosty 

 weather it is often worth while to give them slightly warmed water 

 two or three times a day rather than permit them to drink water at 

 the freezing point. A flock of 50 hens in good laying condition will 

 require 4 to 6 quarts of water a day. 



Milk. When properly fed, milk makes an excellent feed for 

 poultry. In feeding sour milk or buttermilk, however, the feeder must 

 exercise care not to give too much or bowel trouble will very likely 

 result. Skimmed milk is an economical feed. In skimming, the 

 most valuable food constituents the nitrogenous substances are left 

 in the skimmed milk. Not only does this skimmed milk contain 

 much nutritive material, but it contains it in a form which, as a rule 

 is easily digested. Skimmed milk may often be advantageously sub- 

 stituted in part for meat. Milk may be used in mixing the soft feed, 

 or it may be given the fowls to drink in addition to water. 



Grit and other Substances. Grit is essential to the health of 

 fowls and to economy in feeding. Grit takes the place of teeth in 

 preparing the feed for further digestion and is required for the proper 

 preparation of feed in the gizzard. When the feed is not properly 

 taken care of in this organ an undue strain is thrown on the fowl's 

 system, often resulting in disease, and also allowing much of the 

 nutriment to pass through the bird's body without being absorbed. 

 In every pen or yard a box of grit should be kept. Recent investi- 

 gators have asserted that grit is a part of the necessary feed, giving the 

 fowls strong bones and a bright plumage. 



Lime. Ordinarily, the hen does not consume enough lime to 

 form the shells of eggs if she is laying abundantly unless something 

 besides the ordinary grain feeds is accessible to her. Oyster shells are 

 very good for this purpose. A box of crushed shells may be placed 

 before the fowls, allowing them to eat at will. Old mortar and fine 

 gravel are also useful in supplying lime. 



Charcoal. This has a great absorptive power for gases, impuri- 

 ties, and acids, and thus acts as a corrective when the stomach is sour 

 and digestion has been impaired. 



Methods of Feeding. Fowls should have empty crops in the 

 morning, and the crops should never be quite full until it is time to 

 go to roost at night. For the first feed, grain scattered in the litter 

 early in the morning is preferred, the sooner the better after the birds 

 leave the roosts. This induces them to exercise, which is especially 



