152 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I913. 



trough removable as a whole, leaving then a flat board bottom 

 with a rail in front of it an inch high to hold the grain in place. 

 With the slat front removed the trough duplicates the condi- 

 tions of the flat chick feeding board, used by many poultry 

 keepers for feeding chicks during the first two or three weeks 

 of life. As the chicks grow older this slatted front can be put 

 on the trough and held in place with the hooks and eyes shown 

 in the photograph. 



A second improvement consists in hinging the top rather than 

 making it in one piece and removing as a whole, as was the 

 case with the older feed troughs at this Station. It v/ill be noted 

 that this feed trough is open to the birds only from one side. 

 The reason for this arrangement is that it is designed to place 

 the feed troughs in holes cut in the longitudinal fences in the 

 range yards, with the back part of the trough and the hinged 

 cover extending into a long walk running the whole length of 

 Lhe range behind the yards. In this way the troughs can be 

 filled from the outside without the necessity of going into the 

 yard, opening gates, etc., thus reducing the labor cost of opera- 

 tion considerably. 



Of course it is entirely possible to make troughs in accordance 

 with the principle of this improvement, with removable slatted 

 openings on both sides, to be set down in the middle of the 

 yards so that the birds can get at the feed from both directions. 

 The dimensions of the troughs as used here are those given in 

 the following table. It is, of course, not essential that these 

 dimensions be absolutely followed in building feed troughs ac- 

 cording to this principle, particularly the length dimensions. 

 The dimensions of the boards forming the roof, however, and 

 their angle, are of more or less importance since actual trial 

 has shown that when built as here pictured and described the 

 grain will keep dry in the trough even in driving showers or 

 storms. A strip of canvas keeps the hinged joint of the roof 

 dry. 



Dimensions of Feed Trough. 



Length 8 ft. 4 inches 



Height to peak i " 6 



Width at bottom 3 



Width at widest point O2 



Height of front opening I2i 



Width of roof boards (front and back same) 11 



