218 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



then ought to be accompanied by three or four times its bulk 

 of other kinds of grain or meal, and it should not be fed too 

 freely to birds in confinement. All this may appear to be a 

 strong condemnation of it, yet it is no more than necessity 

 requires, and the undoubted value of the grain in some 

 respects, makes such a condemnation all the more needful. 



The food most used on the continent of Europe for fowls 

 is buckwheat, which is a most admirable food for laying birds. 

 It contains 11 per cent, of oil, and of the other properties, 

 1 \ per cent, of flesh- forming, 54 per cent, of warmth-giving, 

 and 2 per cent, of bone-making substances. It will be seen 

 from this that the fattening property is small, but the other 

 qualities and its stimulating nature, make it specially suitable 

 for laying fowls, and it is equally so whether whole or 

 ground. If ground, the husk should not be taken from it, 

 for though this does not contain much nutriment, it prevents 

 the finer meal becoming stiff and pasty, which it would be 

 very much inclined to do were it absent. 



All kinds of pulse, such as peas, beans, and tares, are very 

 strong in flesh-forming substances, having 2 per cent, of fat 

 or oil, 23f per cent, of flesh-forming, 48 per cent, of warmth- 

 giving, and 2J per cent, of bone-forming qualities. These 

 are not suitable for fowls if given alone, as they are too 

 stimulating, and the excess of flesh-forming qualities causes 

 a hardening of the muscular fibres, and the flesh produced is 

 too hard for eating. In fattening fowls for table use, these 

 are found useful to mix with other foods, but alone are not 

 to be recommended for the reason already given. 



Rice consists almost entirely of warmth-giving qualities, 

 starch forming the chief of all. Of fat or oil there is but a 

 trace, of flesh-forming substances but 6 \ per cent., and of 

 bone-forming qualities only \ per cent., whilst of the warmth- 

 giving qualities there is 75^ per cent. On this account it is 

 only suitable for birds being fed for the table, and layers 



