43 POULTRY FEEDING AND FATTENING 



Watch the Flock — The feeder cannot depend on 

 rules or rations except in a general way. He must 

 learn to watch closely and adapt the food to the con- 

 ditions. He may judge of the state of flesh by picking 

 up the birds or passing his hand over them while at 

 roost. Hens sagging down behind, beefy and lazy can 

 be detected any time at a glance. They should be 

 dieted or sent to market. When hens are too thin the 

 breastbone is sharp. Hens tend to get too fat when 

 not laying or sitting, also on approach of cold weather 

 in fall. The older the fowls the more likely to get 

 overfat. Heating foods, like corn, should be reduced 

 in quantity at the approach of a warm spell. The 

 condition of a ilock, the weather, and the work the 

 fowls are doing governs the ration. It is not needful 

 to be constantly figuring out the nutritive rations, etc., 

 if the owner has his experienced eye on the birds them- 

 selves, and understands the varied needs of his flock. 



The droppings are an important indication, writes 

 Dr. Woods: "The droppings should be of sufBcient 

 consistency to hold their shape, but should not be too 

 solid. In color they should be dark, tapering off into 

 grayish and white. If the droppings are watery and 

 dark with red splashes of mucus in them, feed less meat 

 food. If droppings are soft or pasty and yellowish or 

 brownish, feed more meat and less starchy food. 

 Greenish watery diarrhea should always lead to a 

 careful investigation of the sanitary conditions and the 

 condition of the food and water. It is a danger signal.'' 



Feed Good Hens — With hens, as with cows, beyond 

 a certain limit, all depends on the individual animal 

 or bird, not on the feeding. The illustration, Figure 

 4, A Good Layer, shows a hen M'liich laid 237 large 

 eggs in a year. Tlie picture, Figure 5, of A Poor 

 Layer depicts another member of tlie same flock which 

 laid only thirty-four eggs in the same period. A record 



