CHAPTER VIII 



GREEN FEEDS 



Various green feeds are fed to poultry, the best one to 

 use depending upon the availability and cheapness of the 

 feed. The green feeds most commonly used are com- 

 mon grass, mangel beets, cabbages, kale, alfalfa, sprouted 

 oats, rape and any quick growing grain which may be fed 

 as a forage crop. The importance of the use of green 

 feeds for poultry is not well appreciated and far better 

 results would be secured from fowls if more attention was 

 paid to this part of their ration. When fowls are fed 

 heavily, forced for egg production, and kept under more 

 or less intensive conditions, the value of green feed can 

 hardly be overestimated. Green feed supplies consider- 

 able mineral matter which contains certain elements that 

 we know are essential to life and reproduction but the 

 nature of which is little understood as is discussed more in 

 detail on page 43. These greens supply actual food which 

 will replace a considerable amount of grains, making the 

 digestion of these other grains far more complete and at 

 the same time keeping the fowls in the best of health. 

 Fowls fed plenty of green stuff do not show high mortal- 

 ity or especially detrimental results from forced feeding 

 or from being kept under intensive conditions. These 

 green feeds also add bulk to the ration, which is of con- 



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