INFERIOR FOOD 



145 



cases it can easily be detected by the musty odor. 

 Such grains are often sold by feed dealers as poultry 

 feed, some of which is nothing more or less than 

 the salvage of some elevator fire. Grain thus 

 damaged cannot be sold for milling purposes, and 

 is therefore palmed off on the poor, helpless hen, 

 virhich is supposed not to have much of a taste, and 

 is able to subsist and do very well on almost any 

 thing. That, at least, is the theory of many of 

 the grain dealers, and in many cases the everyday 

 man who has not had any experience in poultry 

 raising. 



Poultry, both fowls and chicks, must have a 

 variety of wholesome, palatable and nourishing 

 food, and unless the food given contains these quali- 

 fications, the birds will not do well — the hens will not 

 lay, the chicks will not grow and the hospital is very 

 apt to become crowded. 



During the summer months be careful about feed- 

 ing sprouted oats, for oats sprouted in boxes during 

 hot weather are very apt to be moldy, in which con- 

 dition it is dangerous, causing indigestion, sour crop, 

 diarrhoea, or other bowel troubles. 



Special attention should be given to the animal 

 matter fed to the fowls. Ground meat or green 

 cut bone should not be permitted to stand around 

 in warm weather, both of these should be ground 

 and fed fresh each day. If this cannot be done, I 

 would advise feeding the dry beef scraps sold by 



