POULTRY FEEDS AND FEEDING 



year, except for conditions noted above, water should be 

 supplied fresh once daily and receptacles large enough 

 to hold a day's supply of water should be provided. 



The drinking fountains or pans .should be emptied at 

 night during cold weather to prevent the water from 

 freezing but it is very essential that water be supplied 

 early in the morning just as soon as the fowls come off 

 the roost if the best results are to be secured from poultry. 



Automatic watering devices are used on many large 

 poultry farms and keep a constant supply of fresh water 

 before the fowls all of the time. Automatic devices for 

 watering and arrangement of equipment of this kind is 

 discussed more in detail in chapter XIV. 



Such appliances are especially valuable in long houses 

 in sections where the water does not freeze so that they 

 can be used throughout the year, without making it neces- 

 sary to provide against cold weather. All waterfowl re- 

 quire large amounts of drinking water, making some con- 

 venient watering system almost essential on duck farms. 



Where electric lights are used in stimulating egg pro- 

 duction during the winter months it is very essential 

 that water be available to the fowls early in the morning 

 as soon as the lights are turned on. In sections where 

 the water freezes in the house some arrangement must 

 be made whereby water can be kept from freezing under 

 those conditions or else fresh water supplied in the morn- 

 ing when the lights are turned on. Where growing 

 chickens are kept on a range which is often a considerable 

 distance from the other buildings and where the birds 



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