the food is not wholly assimilated. When part of the food passes 

 through the hen unassimilated, as we sometimes see from the drop- 

 pings, then the ration is not a balanced one and food is wasted. A wise 

 feeder will keep as many varieties before the hen as possible so that 

 she may choose the constituents for the egg. The most successful egg 

 farmers keep feed in hoppers before the hens all the time. Thatiay is 

 past when we measure feeds out to the hens. If the grain is measured 

 out at stated periods, the hen invariably eats more than is good for her 

 to eat at one time. 



Nature intended the crop of the hen to act as a receptacle into 

 which the food for a day can be dumped as the hen in her wild state 

 found it. Thus, being slowly filled, no ill effects resulted. Nature 

 never intended that the crop of a hen should be filled in a few minutes, 

 as is the case when hens are fed wet mash or grains at stated intervals. 



A hungry hen will always fill the crop too full, and if dry. grains are 

 eaten they swell and soon sour before they are taken into the gizzard, 

 and indigestion and bowel trouble result. Likewise, in feeding wet 

 mashes at stated periods, the hens will gorge and the crop will be 

 packed, and before this bulk can get into the gizzard, fermentation 

 sets in and sour crop is the result, with all its digestive troubles. The 

 gizzard has not its normal work to do in the grinding of wet mashes, 

 and consequently degenerates where wet mashes are constantly fed. 

 In many years experience in butchering hens, we have discovered many 

 truths in regard to feeding. The digestive organs of hens that have 

 been fed wet mash are much more inclined to disease than those fed dry 

 feeds. Small, wasted gizzards, ulcers, tumors and many inflammations 

 arise from feeding wet mashes. After wet mashes have lain in the feed 

 trough for a time it soon sours and trouble sets in. Bacterial condi- 

 tions also arise in the feed troughs. Then the extra slavery of carting 

 around wet mash each day is a burden to any poultryman. 



Dry Feeds Most Healthful 



v 



If the right kinds of dry feeds are kept before poultry all the time, 

 they will never overeat a^id digestive troubles will be lessened. With 

 the right kind of feeds before them all the time they will never fill the 

 crop too full 'and sour crops are eliminated and better assimilation 

 takes place because the food is eaten as nature intended. 



In preparing dry mashes, it is well to cater to the tastes of the hen. 

 Hens do not like finely ground mashes, nor will they eat them until 

 starved to it. They always pick out the coarser particles first and leave 

 the finer. This is a suggestion that we should not overlook. Middlings, 

 shorts, flour, bran, or other finely ground grains are too fine and are 

 not relished in the dry mash. This fact is easily determined by placing 

 hoppers of different grades of mash before the hens. It will be found 

 that no fine mashes will be eaten as long as the coarser can be had. 



Did you ever stand and watch hens try to gulp down finely ground 

 mashes as though they were so many children being forced to take 

 medicine? 



Give the hen a chance to select what she likes. 



65 



