CHAPTER IX 
FOODS AND FEEDING 
F all the factors governing the results from 
() a flock of poultry, none is more important 
or vital than the feeding of the fowls, and 
perhaps on no other is there a greater scarcity of 
definite working instructions; in fact, the beginner 
often complains that he is compelled to resort to 
too much “‘ guesswork ”’ in feeding his poultry, and 
the complaint is not without foundation. Perhaps 
his only consolation is the old saw, ‘“‘ Experience is 
the best of teachers,”’ albeit in this case it is also the 
most expensive. 
Absolutely nothing definite can be stated with 
regard to the quantity of food a certain number of 
Quantity of fowls should have. Different breeds, 
Feed Required different feeds, and different climates 
make a vast difference in the quantity of food that 
is necessary or desirable. Most beginners who 
take a pride in their birds want to be kind to them, 
and are so kind that they do them harm by feeding 
too much. There also is such a thing as not feed- 
ing enough, and underfeeding is as bad as over- 
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