344 PRODUCTIVE FEEDING OF FARM ANIMALS 
down for the amounts of feed to be given fowls, except to feed all 
they will eat up clean. The quantity of feed eaten depends upon 
age, breed, housing, range and many other factors which the feeder 
does not always consider as seriously as he should. The heavier 
breeds will eat more than the lighter breeds. Three-quarter-grown 
birds may eat more than fully matured ones. Heavy layers will eat 
more than poor layers. 
Perhaps one of the most common troubles to be found among 
poultry raisers is-overfeeding, and such feeding is undoubtedly a 
major cause for a large number of poultry ills. Feed is allowed to lie 
on the ground. Fowls do not have to take sufficient exercise for the 
feed they consume and their crops are continuously crowded to the 
detriment of their health. The feeder should constantly study his 
fluck. He should occasionally pick up a few and examine them to 
determine their condition.. Under the necessarily intensive condi- 
tions which must be practised on the commercial poultry farm, the 
fowls must be forced to take proper exercise by the methods of feed- . 
ing used. The mechanics of feeding are represented by the scratch- 
ing pen, feeders and exercisers. 
Fowls must be fed at all ages in such a way that there is always 
a slight edge upon their appetite, except when they go to bed at night. 
They should be fed lightly during the day and made to work for all 
sof the grain. Grain mixtures should always be fed in a sufficiently 
deep litter to force the hens to scratch vigorously for all they get. 
See the floors in Fig. 101. The mash should be fed in such a way 
that it cannot be eaten too rapidly nor to eagerly. The amount of 
wet mash eaten can be regulated by not feeding too often and only 
as much as the fowls will clean up in twenty or thirty minutes at 
each meal. The dry mash may be regulated by the length of time 
the hoppers are left open each day. With the lighter breeds the 
dry-mash hoppers may as a rule be left open all the time (Fig. 101). 
The heavier breeds of fowls, however, sometimes overeat of mash 
and the hoppers must be kept closed during the morning hours. 
Heavy-laying hens are industrious. The character of industry is 
so closely related to that of prolificacy that experienced breeders use 
it as a guide in picking out good layers. 
Wet Versus Dry Mash.—Since the introduction of the dry 
method of mash feeding, there has been much discussion’ pro and 
con, and many investigations have been carried on to determine the 
relative values of the two methods for feeding chickens. In feed- 
ing ducks ‘and other waterfowl, the wet mash is used altogether, 
owing to the shovel-like construction of their bills. Since ducks 
