PRACTICAL FEEDING OF POULTRY 



Artificial lights are used with fairly good success on 

 hens kept as breeders beginning to use the lights about 

 January i or a few weeks before eggs are desired for 

 hatching. The cost of this lighting under average con- 

 ditions is quite small and the fowls have paid a very good 

 profit on many different poultry farms where the oper- 

 ator has been reasonably successful in keeping the fowls 

 in good condition. The greatest trouble has been caused 

 by the fowls going into a partial moult which in most 

 cases is due to the lack of experience on the part of the 

 operator whereby he neglects his lighting system at some 

 time or does not feed the fowls properly and makes too 

 sudden changes in his system of management. 



FORCING THE MOLT AND FEEDING DURING THE SUMMER 



It is doubtful whether it is best to make the birds molt 

 earlier than the normal time by changes in the feed and 

 the best practice known at the present time is to give the 

 birds normal rations during the summer months. The 

 condition of the birds during the molting period can be 

 materially improved and the length of the molting period 

 shortened by giving the hens plenty of green feed and by 

 feeding milk during the summer and early fall. The ad- 

 dition of 5 per cent of linseed meal to the mash is also 

 very helpful. 



Buttermilk or skim milk make excellent products for 

 this purpose and semi-solid buttermilk is also very good 

 if the fresh products cannot be secured at a reasonable 

 feeding price. In addition to supplying the ground feed 



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