CHAPTER IX 



FOODS AND FEEDING 



OF all the factors governing the results from 

 a flock of poultry, none is more important 

 or vital than the feeding of the fowls, and 

 perhaps on no other is there a greater scarcity of 

 definite working instructions; in fact, the beginner 

 often complains that he is compelled to resort to 

 too much " guesswork " in feeding his poultry, and 

 the complaint is not without foundation. Perhaps 

 his only consolation is the old saw, " Experience is 

 the best of teachers," albeit in this case it is also the 

 most expensive. 



Absolutely nothing definite can be stated with 

 regard to the quantity of food a certain number of 

 Quantity of fowls should have. Different breeds, 

 Feed Required different feeds, and different climates 

 make a vast difference in the quantity of food that 

 is necessary or desirable. Most beginners who 

 take a pride in their birds want to be kind to them, 

 and are so kind that they do them harm by feeding 

 too much. There also is such a thing as not feed- 

 ing enough, and underfeeding is as bad as over- 



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