DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



271 



A GOOD DRH KING-TROUGH FOR FOWLS 



Starchy foods, such as sweet potatoes, are beneficial in small 



quantities; when they are fed too freely, fowls fatten and stop 



laying. Corn, also, is a fattening 



food which should be sparingly 



used. Wheat is good for fowls, 



and oats is better still. It is 



well to scatter grain in straw or 



litter so that the fowls are com- 

 pelled to scratch for it. The 



more exercise they take the 



more eggs they lay. "If you 



wish hens to pay their board, 



make them work for it." They 



should be fed, but not overfed, 



a variety of wholesome food. To produce eggs in winter, fowls 



must have green food and warm houses. 



Fowls should always be supplied with gritty substances, such 



as coarse sand or crushed oyster shells. These aid digestion and 



furnish material for bones and eggshells. 



Water. Fowls should always be provided with pure water. It 



should be arranged so 

 that they have free 

 access to it but can- 

 not foul it. For this 

 purpose it is well to 

 use a long pan with 

 a cover of slats two 

 inches apart. 



Quarters. To 



keep poultry healthy, they must have clean, well-drained quarters. 



The nests should be arranged so as to be easily moved and 



A SMALL HENHOUSE, WITH SCRATCHING-SHED ATTACHED 



