From the soil she secures mineral matter, especially lime, necessary to 

 produce shells. She picks up small pieces of rock which are an aid to 

 digestion. She secures seed that produces the heat and energy, or, in 

 other words, the carbonaceous materials. She picks green vegetation, 

 which is rich in protein, and she also secures insects which supply the 

 meat element necessary to maintain health and strong-producing qualities. 

 Inasmuch as eggs command the highest price during the winter 

 months, the hens can be made very profitable if they are furnished prac- 

 tically the same diet that they secure when foraging in the spring. 

 Green vegetation can be secured by growing oats, barley or rye in boxes 

 in the furnace room, or by saving cabbages, turnips, rutabagas or any 

 roots of the same nature, and giving them a small quantity each day. 

 Meat can be supplied by furnishing bones from the meat shop or meat 

 scraps which are usually to be secured at a small cost. Ground bones 

 are very beneficial given in small quantities and ground oyster shells are 

 indispensable. A few bushels of sand or fine gravel should be put in 

 some convenient place for the chickens during the winter months. 



Feeding Chicks 



The first week of the chick's life is a critical period. It should be 

 given nothing to eat the first day for the reason that nature provides 

 a store of nutrients within the chick which is intended for its use dur- 

 ing the first 20 or 24 hours after it is hatched. 



Probably the best diet for the young chick during the first few days 

 is infertile eggs boiled hard, ground or finely chopped, shells included, 



White Plymouth Rocks .. Excellent Meat and Egg Producers 

 298 



