124 PROFITABLE POULTRY PRODUCTION 



in yards and in w'nter quarters must be supplied. 

 It may be fed without stint at all times. Among 

 the best feeds are clover, alfalfa, grass, vetches, pea 

 vines, rape, rye, mangels, kale, cabbages, sugar 

 beets, turnips — in fact anything and everything the 

 hens w^ill eat. During the winter cabbage is spe- 

 cially useful. Root crops are good also. The leaves 

 and broken heads from the hay mow may be 

 steamed if desired. Kale and alfalfa contain espe- 

 cially large amounts of protein and ash. The latter 

 and clover give a good flavor and quality to the 

 eggs ; but kale, cabbage, turnip and other plants of 

 the mustard family are likely to impart a slightly 

 disagreeable flavor if fed too abundantly. 



According to Prof. J. E. Rice, oats and peas sown 

 together very thinly with a liberal seeding of red 

 clover and a very little rape make a good combina- 

 tion. The oats and peas furnish a rapid growth 

 of green feed. Much of it will get tramped down 

 and some go to seed, but will serve to protect the 

 clover and the rape, which will make good feed 

 ]ate in summer and fall. Three pecks of oats, two 

 of peas, a pound of rape and 5 quarts of red clover 

 seed make a good proportion for sowing an acre. 

 The oats and peas should be first harrowed in 

 deeply, then the clover and rape sown mixed and 

 lightly scratched in with a weeder. The potatoes 

 may be fed for variety boiled and mixed with a 

 mash, but they are not very useful as an egg food. 

 They do better for fattening. Sour apples should 

 not be fed unless sparingly. 



NECESSITY FOR GRIT 



At all times chickens need grit. Opinions differ 

 as to the function of grit. One view is that grit is 



