PRACTICAL FEEDING OF POULTRY 



with the dry mash or they may be steamed and the liquid 

 obtained by this steaming used in mixing the hay into the 

 moist mash. Alfalfa ground into meal is sold extensively 

 for feeding poultry and is usually mixed with either a dry 

 or a moist mash without steaming or soaking the alfalfa. 

 Many of the commercial mashes both for growing stock 

 and for laying hens contain alfalfa meal. The best grades 

 of alfalfa meal are made largely from the leaves and finer 

 parts of the stems of alfalfa hay while the poorer grades 

 contain an excessive proportion of hard woody stem 

 which is ground up so finely that it is difficult to detect. 

 Select such meals by their appearance and by their 

 analysis, as the better grades have a larger proportion 

 of fine meal without much coarse fiber and also have a 

 low fiber content containing not more than 30 per cent 

 fiber. 



The second or last crop of clover hay sometimes called 

 rowen is usually especially well adapted for feeding 

 poultry as it contains a large per cent of leaves and fine 

 stems and only a small amount of coarse woody fiber. 

 Only good alfalfa or clover hay which has been properly 

 cured and which is free from mould or must should be 

 used for poultry. 



OYSTER SHELLS 



Oyster shells should be kept in an open hopper be- 

 fore both hens and growing stock all of the time. Use 

 a large or coarse size of oyster shell for hens and the 

 finer size of this product for young chicks and growing 



129 



