GREEN FOOD FOR POULTRY. 



The Main Experiment Station says: "There is a general una- 

 nimity of opinion amongst experienced poultrymen that poultry do 

 best upon some form of green or succulent food during the winter 

 months. The function of such succulent food is probably largely in 

 the nature of a digestive stimulant, rather than an addition to the 

 actual food constituents of the ration. Formerly mangolds were used 

 as a source of winter succulent food at this station. They did not, 

 however, prove entirely satisfactory. The chief difficulty with the 

 mangolds was found in getting them properly grown so that they 

 would keep fresh and plump during the winter. If mangolds are not 

 ripened off and harvested in the proper manner, they will not keep 

 through the winter, but will shrivel and become unfit to use as a 

 succulent food. In the experience of the station, it is much better not 

 to feed any green or succulent food at all than to feed withered, 

 shriveled mangolds which were harvested before they were thoroughly 

 ripe. 



On account of this difficulty with mangolds as a source of winter 

 green food, the Station began in 1908 some experiments with green 

 sprouted oats as a source of such food. Green sprouted oats have 

 been very widely exploited in recent years as a green food for poultry. 

 There are some socalled "poultry system" on the market which 

 really consist of very little else than the use of this food. The first 

 experiments with this material at the Station were not satisfactory. 

 It was found difficult to get the oats to make a sufficiently quick 

 growth. Experience here has indicated that in order to make a satis- 

 factory green food the oats must be grown very quickly. In order to 

 get quick growth it is necessary to have three things : First, warmth ; 

 second, plenty of moisture; and, third, sunlight. After a number of 

 experiments to get the right combination of these three factors the 

 plan to be described was finally worked out and has proven very 

 satisfactory. 



The advantage of the closet arrangement described is that it en- 

 ables one to control the three necessary factors of heat, moisture and 

 light, quite completely. In this closet it is easily possible to maintain 

 a temperature which does not run at any time below seventy degrees. 

 The closet being perfectly tight, it is possible to saturate the air with 

 moisture quite easily and virtually convert the whole space into a 

 great moist chamber. With this arrangement one is able to grow oats 

 from four to six inches high in one week's time. The only difficulty 

 with which one has to contend is the matter of mould. There is al- 

 ways a tendency for the oats to mould in the sprouting process. The 

 only way in which it has been found possible to control this mould 

 is by thoroughly cleaning the flats after each time when they are used. 

 After a flat has been emptied it is thoroughly scrubbed with a fifty 

 per cent solution of formalin (that is, equal parts of commercial 

 formalin and water). This scrubbing is very thoroughly done and 

 sufficient formalin is used to soak the flat thoroughly. With this pre- 

 caution, and if the oats are further made to grow rapidly, the mould 

 does not give any trouble whatever. 



