POULTRY FOODS 45 



Rice. Rice is a fat-forming food that is little used 

 for poultry. Small or broken rice, however, may be used 

 in chick feed to advantage. Boiled rice is a good food 

 for bantams because it produces so little bone and size; 

 it satisfies hunger but does not produce growth to any 

 extent. It is an expensive food for fowls. 



Millet. The seed of the foxtail millet is a rich grain 

 that should not be fed liberally to poultry. When 

 thrown into litter, the small, bright-colored seeds attract 

 the fowls. A ration made up entirely of millet will 

 destroy young chicks and injure old fowls. This seed 

 is used to a limited extent in chick feeds, and also in 

 scratching foods for hens. Millet is a fattening food and 

 when hard, dry millet seed is liberally fed, it may 

 clog the intestines or pass through them undigested. 



Sorghum Seed. The food value of the seed from sugar- 

 producing sorghum is about equal to that of the seed 

 of broom corn, but sorghum seed is more fattening than 

 the broom-corn seed, and contains a little less protein 

 than that seed. Sorghum plants that make good green 

 food for fowls are grown from sorghum seed sown 

 broadcast or drilled into the ground. 



Sunflower Seed. Sunflower seed has a nutritive ratio 

 of 1 to 7, about the same as wheat; but the digestibility 

 of sunflower seed has not yet been accurately deter- 

 mined. It is likely that the larger part of sunflower 

 seeds are indigestible. The kernels have a pleasant 

 flavor and contain considerable fat, but when dry and 

 shriveled their food value is small. Fresh, plump sun- 

 flower seeds are used to advantage by sparingly feeding 

 them to fowls in molt; if these seeds are liberally fed, 

 the digestive organs of fowls soon become clogged with 

 indigestible fiber. 



Flaxseed. Of all the grains and seeds fed to poultry, 

 flaxseed is the richest in oil and protein. Its use is 

 seldom necessary, because equal benefit can be derived 

 by using by-products of seeds that are much less ex- 

 pensive. Flaxseed is a laxative, but contains so much 

 gluten that it may clog the digestive organs. 



