THE MATURE FOWLS 



always a morning inash. Whatever time you select for feeding 

 mash be sure to have it come at the same feeding time each day. 

 No matter what else you may neglect do not fail to see that 

 your birds have regular meals or, if you dry feed, that they 

 are always supplied. Careless, or irregular feeding methods 

 are sure to upset the condition of the stock. 



If the birds do not take kindly to the clover in the mash, 

 use only a very small quantity at first and gradually work it 

 up as the fowls become accustomed to it. The other feeding 

 should be a mixture of hard diy, grains fed in the litter. 



A good scratching grain mixture can be made of 30 pounds 

 each of wheat and barley to 40 pounds of fresUy cracked or 

 whole com. Keep giit, oyster shell and dry, pure beef scrap 

 constantly before the birds in a grit box or food hopper. In 

 addition to this, whenever obtainable, hang cabbages in the 

 pen for the birds to work at, or split beets or mangel-wurzels 

 in halves and nail them, cut surface outward, to the studding 

 of the poultry house, at a convenient height for the birds to 

 pick at. 



A GOOD DRY FOOD RATION FOR BREEDING STOCK 



Use dry grain scratching food in the litter consisting of the 

 same dry grain mixture mentioned above, or made of 30 pounds 

 coarse cracked or whole com; 30 pounds wheat; 30 pounds 

 barley; 7 pounds kaflfir com, and 3 poimds sunflower seed. 

 This should be scattered morning and night in deep litter, 

 always keeping a sufficient amount of grain in the litter so that 

 the birds can find a kernel by scratching for it. Keep dry, pure 

 beef scrap constantly before the birds in one conipartment of 

 the food hopper; keep the other compartment of the food hopper 

 filled with a dry grain mash mixture made as follows: 40 

 pounds of com; 20 pounds barley, and 20 pounds, of wheat 

 groimd together to a medium coarse meal, add to this 20 pounds 

 of heavy bran and mix thoroughly, dry. This should be fed 

 dry from the food hopper, never moistened, and should be al- 

 ways kept before the birds. 



Scalded or steamed cut clover and alfalfa should be fed 

 three or four times a week. The water used in scalding the 

 clover should be seasoned with a Uttle salt. If the birds will 

 not eat the clover plain, add a very little commeal to the clover. 

 Stop using the meal as soon as the birds eat the clover readily. 

 Whole cabbages, when obtainable, should be hung up in the 

 pens for the birds to pick at. Feed mangel wurzels or beets 

 split in halves and nailed to the studding, cut surface out. Keep 

 grit, shell and pure water constantly before the birds. 



Where only a few fowls are kept table scraps may be fed 

 to advantage if thoroughly cooked. Cook them until they 

 easily mash up or fall apart, boil down the scraps until there • 

 is as Httle hquor as possible, then add a mixture of equal parts 

 by measure, clover or alfalfa, heavy bran or com meal in suffi- 

 cient quantity to make a crumbly mash. Feed only as much 

 of this as the birds will eat up clean and quickly and give them 

 a good scratching grain mixture in litter for -other feedings. 

 Where moist mashes are fed do not give mash oftener than five 

 days a week. 



"DRYING AND FLUFFING" PEN 



FOR FITTING STANDARD-BRED S FOR SHOW, WHICH 

 WAS USED WITH GREAT SA.TISFACTION FOR MANY 

 YEARS AND WAS A VALUABLE ADJUNCT TO 

 OUR PLANT— HOW TO WASH AND DRY AND IM- 

 PROVE THE APPEARANCE OF EXHIBITION FOWLS 



F. C. HARE , 



High-class fowls in perfect show condition are necessary 

 for capturing the blue at any of the American poultry shows. 



The standard-bred business has grown to such a large and im- 

 portant Industry that the competition in the more popular 

 classes is certain to be extremely keen, and interesting in all 

 the others. 



The older members of the poultry fraternity have learned so 

 many secrets and tricks of fitting fowls for the show, and they 

 have so many ways of "doctoring-up'' what an amateur would 

 believe to be an irreparable defect that the latter finds it diffi- 

 cult to win even a Highly Commended at a show of moderate 

 size. Suitable advice for the amateur breeder is for him to 

 keep everlastingly showing and constantly seeking information 

 and if his stock is of high quality and simply implaced because 

 it is improperly fitted or conditioned, success will come to him 

 in one or more years. 



Fitting fowls for the shows is a constant theme in the 

 poultry press. In fact during the past year several instructive 

 and practical articles have appeared in the R. P. J. dealing 



with this important 

 and necessary 

 branch of the poul- 

 try business. This 

 type of "fitting" 

 article usually pre- 

 sents detailed di- 

 rections for the suc- 

 cessful washing of 

 fowls, but unfor- 

 tunately does not 

 explain clearly how 

 the fowls should be 

 treated after they 

 are washed, or from 

 the time they leave 

 the rinsing tub un- 

 til their plumage 

 has returned to its 

 original dryness 

 and beauty. 

 It seems advis- 

 able at this time to 

 present a complete 

 system for fitting 

 standard-breds for 

 the show rather 

 than to indicate 

 simply our process 

 of drying and fluff- 

 ing the fowls. 



THE BARREL DRYER 



By holding the wet fowl over the mouth of 

 the barrel dryer, slowly drying portions of the 

 plumage— such as under the wings, back, etc.— 

 can be specially heated and made to dry uni- 

 formly with the remainder. 



THE NECESSARY APPLIANCES 



Thorough washing and the proper subsequent treatment will 

 improve the appearance of almost every fowl whether its color 

 is white, black or an intermediate shade or shades. From four 

 days to three weeks before the show (depending on whether 

 you will wash one, two or three times) the fowls you contem- 

 plate exhibiting, together with some three to ten more, should 

 be brought to a warm room where the washing can take place. 

 A wash-boiler of boiling water (preferably rain water); two 

 tubs for colored birds and three for white; a dipper; ivory soap; 

 hand brush; sponge; several coal-oil stoves and numerous cheap 

 towels or squares of cotton should be ready. 



It is imperative that the soap used is. a good toilet or bath 

 article and that the wateris soft or rain, because we once had 

 an unfortunate . experience with a certain hard water and soft 

 ■soap, in which the lime of the water formed a sticky combination 

 with the soap; became attached to the fowls and required a 



105 



