FEED HOPPERS 



151 



fresh it is advisable to fill the barrels twice a day — at noon and 

 in the evening — and to allow twice the ordinary flow from the 

 spigots. The troughs should be brushed out daily with a disin- 

 fectant, which is not a tedious task if a cheap scrubbing brush 

 and a small supply of disinfecting fluid is kept handy in each 

 building. 



The manner of placing feed before the fowls constitutes an- 

 other phase of the daily work in which a great deal of time and 

 labor may be conserved by providing the right sort of appliances. 

 It is impossible, of course, to establish rules that will meet the 

 demands of all farms, for feeding principles vary. The most 

 generally accepted practice, however, is to give a light feeding 



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(California Experiment Station) 

 Fig. lo5. — Plans for a dry mash hopper. 



of scratch grains in the morning, all the grain the fowls will clean 

 up at night, and to keep a dry mash, beef scrap, charcoal, grit 

 and oyster shells before the birds constantly. Or, the beef scrap 

 and charcoal may be placed in the mash. 



Automatic feeders may be installed to distribute the scratch 

 grains. These devices insure clean food, save labor and induce 

 exercise, and it is surprising how quickly a pen of fowls will learn 

 the trick of operating them. They are constructed mainly of 

 galvanized sheet iron, and those having the largest capacity are 

 usually the most desirable. Many of the largest commercial 

 farms are equipped with them, not alone in the laying houses for 

 mature stock, but in the rearing of young stock on the range and 

 for little chicks in the brooder. 



