CHAPTER VI 



SEEDS AND VEGETABLE PROTEIN FEEDS 

 SUNFLOWER SEED 



Sunflower seed is high in fat and contains a fairly large 

 per cent of protein, but it does not compare favorably 

 with wheat and corn in the total food nutrients which can 

 be secured from an acre of land and is, therefore, usually 

 too high priced a feed to be used very much for poultry. 

 It is fed more or less to poultry, especially during the 

 molting period and is said to assist in molting, to add 

 luster to the plumage, and to be somewhat of a condi- 

 tioner. Linseed meal can be fed during the molting period 

 for these same effects as it has a higher oil fat content 

 than sunflower seed. A small per cent of sunflower seed is 

 found in a great many of the commercial scratch mixtures 

 as it adds variety to these feeds. It is doubtful if this 

 seed is of sufficient value to be an economical feed to pur- 

 chase at usual prices where the fowls are getting a well 

 balanced ration. 



Poultry men can often plant sunflowers for shade to 

 advantage outside of the poultry fences and incidentally 

 secure a crop of considerable value to feed to the fowls. 

 Sunflower oil cake is produced in Europe from sunflower 

 seed and used considerably there as a feed for stock. Its 

 crude protein content is equal to that of linseed meal but 



69 



