222 



COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



separate hopper, the same as grit and oyster shells, or to mix it 

 with the dry mash. Granulated charcoal is a commercial article, 

 usually sold in three grades, coarse, medium and fine. 



Shredded alfalfa, or mealed alfalfa, which is finely ground 

 alfalfa hay, makes an excellent mash constituent, providing the 

 quality is good. It is high in protein, ash and fat, resembling 

 wheat bran in this respect. Moreover, it contains a great deal 



(Courtesy Purdue Experiment Station) 



Fig. 142. — Complete equipment for chicks on range: colony house, feed hopper 



and water-barrel. 



of fiber, like bran, which is the worst feature about it as a poultry 

 food. 



If manufacturers would only use the leaves of the alfalfa in 

 the preparation of mealed alfalfa for poultry, instead of including 

 the stalks, which have very little feeding value for fowls, this 

 product would find much greater favor. Another objection is 

 found in the susceptibility to adulteration. Timothy and other 

 grasses are sometimes used as fillers. 



It is not advisable to use more than fifteen per cent of alfalfa 

 in the mash, and then only as a substitute for bran or ground 



