35 



If two or three hens are set on the same day, and a number of the 

 eggs should be infertile, one hen may be able to take all the eggs. If 

 the others are cooped for a few days, they will begin to lay again; or 

 they may be used to sit -on a fresh lot of eggs. 



FEEDING FOWLS. 

 FOODS FOR POULTRY. 



The following foods are suitable for poultry : 



Wheat, barley, oats (Sparrow-bill), maize, rice, rye, millet, buck- 

 wheat, peas, beans, linseed, vetches, hemp-seed, rape, sunflower-seed, 

 poppy-seed, acorns (crushed and dried), potatoes, turnips, mangolds, 

 sugar-beet, carrots, artichokes, swedes, ricemeal, wheatmeal, barleymeal, 

 maizemeal, ryemeal, raperneal, linseed-cake, sunflower-seed cake, poppy- 

 seed cake, malt, brewers' grains (these should have meal mixed with them ;. 

 a small quantity of oilcake should be added). 



Good clover hay can be used with splendid results. The hay must 

 be steamed or soaked in hot water after being chaffed. White-clover hay 

 is the best. This should be mixed with the soft food. 



Green cut bone, lean meat, fish, fresh milk, skim-milk, buttermilk, 

 and whey are excellent. 



GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 



Proper feeding is absolutely essential to success. The birds must 

 neither be underfed nor overfed; they must be fed regularly; and the 

 food must be of good quality and sufficient variety. Damaged or poor- 

 quality grain should be avoided. No rule can be laid down as to the 

 quantity to be given to each fowl, as some birds are great and others 

 small eaters; the poultry-keeper must exercise his judgment. It may 

 be taken as a general rule never to give fowls more food than they will 

 eat up readily. 



Fowls which will not stand forcing for egg-production are useless for- 

 th at purpose. 



The morning meal should consist of sharps, pollard, bran, boiled 

 potatoes, bread, or meal of any description, such as buckwheat-meal,, 

 oatmeal, barleymeal, &c. The reason for this is that the hard corn takes; 

 a much longer time to get soaked in the crop and ground in the gizzard,, 

 while soft meal passes at once into the system, and thus gives the birds.* 

 immediate nourishment. The above should be mixed with warm water 

 or soup, and not made sloppy. The food should be mixed so that it 

 will break up easily, and should be placed in troughs, as if thrown to> 

 the ground the birds run over it. Should there be more than the fowls 

 care to eat, remove it at once, or it will quickly sour and become wasted. 

 Use a sprinkling of salt with the food, and add, twice a week, about 2 oz. 

 of bonemeal or green cut bone for each fowl. 



MIXING-TROUGH. 



Convenient-shaped trough for mixing soft foods. 



