POULTRY FOODS 53 



and stored, and in some places the supply for the entire 

 year must be grown. 



Clippings of grass from the lawn are also good food 

 for poultry that is confined in yards; or, if dried and 

 stored, these clippings will be good for winter use. 

 Either fresh or dry, they are valuable as litter for the 

 floor of the brooder or brooder house. 



Fodder Corn. Corn that is sown broadcast or drilled 

 in rows produces tender, green stalks called fodder corn, 

 which is relished by fowls that are confined; it 

 is not preferred by fowls having their freedom, nor 

 should it be fed after it has passed beyond a succulent 

 or juicy condition. 



Alfalfa and Clover. The tender leaves of all the 

 clovers and of alfalfa are in much demand by fowls. 

 They probably prefer alfalfa, or lucerne, to clover. 

 After it has become well established, alfalfa will 

 continue to grow for many years and will produce 

 heavier yields of green forage and hay than any of the 

 clovers. To raise alfalfa successfully, the soil must 

 be adapted to the needs of the plant, and in many 

 localities clover can be raised more easily than alfalfa. 



During winter months, clover hay can be used as a 

 substitute for green food. Hay made from Red clover 

 is most frequently used for this purpose, although hay 

 made from any of the clover plants is good winter food 

 for fowls. It may be used as litter on the floor, from 

 which the fowls will help themselves, or the hay may be 

 cut into small pieces and placed in a box for the fowls 

 to work over. They eat all the leaves of clover hay. 

 Bright, clean, early-cut hay is preferable to a dark 

 hay made from cured plants. Ground clover and clover 

 meal may also be used as food for poultry. 



Hay made from alfalfa is extensively used for 

 poultry, and it may, like clover, be cut into pieces or 

 ground into a fine meal before feeding. All forms 

 of alfalfa are freely eaten both by old and young 

 fowls, and alfalfa is not equaled by any other hay as 

 a substitute for green food for fowls. Meadow hay may 



