156 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 



ing litter is just as dangerous as moldy grain. The 

 mold spores enter the air passages and form a 

 growth which spreads through the lungs and often 

 into the digestive organs. 



5. Green Feed. — The health of the fowls as well 

 as egg production demands a plentiful supply of 

 green feed. The mineral salts and especially the 

 chlorophyl in the fresh, succulent greens are better 

 than any medicine for keeping the liver in order. 

 Never stint your stock, young or old, on green feed. 



6. Exercise. — Health and productiveness depend 

 on exercise, and for fowls closely confined scratching 

 for their grain is practically the only means of ex- 

 ercise. Every poultry yard should have a scratch- 

 ing pen either in the house or outside, and this 

 should be kept full of litter — six or eight inches is 

 none too much — and every bit of grain thrown in 

 this litter for the hens to dig out. Dry leaves and 

 corn stalks may be used if straw and hay are scarce, 

 but there is nothing quite so good as alfalfa hay. 



Droppings Indicate Health 



The condition of the droppings furnishes a good 

 indication of the hen's health. They should be of 

 sufficient consistency to hold their shape, but should 

 not be too solid. In color they should be dark, taper- 

 ing off into grayish white. If the droppings are soft 

 or pasty and of yellowish or brownish color, it in- 

 dicates too much carbohydrates or a lack of meat. 

 If, on the other hand, the droppings are watery and 

 dark with red splashes of mucus in them, it indi- 

 cates too much meat. A greenish, watery diarrhea 

 usually indicates unsanitary conditions, either in the 

 surroundings, the feed, or the water. 



