MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 51 



hay cut into I -2-inch lengths is fed daily to each 100 birds 

 in the breeding pens during the breeding season. When the 

 wheat, oats, and cracked corn are given, the birds are always 

 ready and anxious for them, and they scratch in the litter for 

 the very last kernel before going to the trough where an abun- 

 dance of feed is in store. 



It is very evident that the hens like the broken and whole 

 grains better than the mixture of the fine, dry materials; yet 

 they by no means dislike the latter, for they help themselves to 

 it, a mouthful or two at a time, whenever they seem to need it, 

 and never go to bed with empty crops, so far as noted. They 

 apparently do not like it well enough to gorge themselves with 

 it, and sit down, loaf, get over fat, and lay soft-shelled eggs, as 

 is so commonly the case with Plymouth Rocks when they are 

 given warm morning mashes in troughs. 



Some of the advantages of this method of feeding are that 

 the mash is put in the hoppers at any convenient time, only 

 guarding against an exhaustion of the supply, and the entire 

 avoidance of the mobbing that always occurs at trough feeding 

 when that is made a meal of the day, whether it be at morning 

 or evening. There are no tailings to be gathered up or wasted, 

 as is common when a full meal of mash is given at night. The 

 labor is very much less, enabling a person to care for more 

 birds than when the regular evening meal is given. 



Taking first the dry grains, the following may be said in 

 regard to the method in which they are fed : Early in the morn- 

 ing for each 100 hens 4 quarts of whole or cracked corn is 

 scattered on the litter, which is 6 to 8 inches deep on the floor. 

 This is not mixed into the litter, for the straw is dry and light, 

 and enough of the grain is hidden so the birds commence 

 scratching for it almost immediately. At 10 o'clock they are 

 fed in the same way 2 quarts of wheat and 2 quarts of oats. 

 This is all of the regular feeding that is done. 



When corn is used freely and made a prominent factor in the 

 ration it has been thought best to have the kernels broken, so 

 that in hunting and scratching for the small pieces the birds 

 might get the exercise needed to keep themselves in health and 



