FEEDING PRACTICES AND APPLIANCES 377 



the birds will usually congregate at the place of feeding 

 shortly before feeding time and wait quietly for the appear- 

 ance of the feeder. In the event of his non-appearance at 

 the usual time the birds begin to become irritated and 

 fretful. Such a condition long continued or occurring with 

 frequency, in common with all sources of discomfort, causes 

 a more or less noticeable lessening in the consumption of 

 feed and a corresponding loss in production. 



Exercise. — Good feeding practice requires the encourage- 

 ment of a generous amount of vigorous exercise as an ac- 

 companiment of the ration for all purposes save maintenance 

 and fattening. As feeding for a bare maintenance is seldom 

 desirable in practice it may be said that the compelling of 

 exercise is a part of the feeding routine with all classes of 

 stock except that which is being fattened. 



Stock on range during the spring and summer will need 

 little encouragement in this line. The eager desire for insects, 

 worms, and tender greenness will keep any but the heaviest 

 and most inactive breeds hunting and scratching quite 

 constantly. 



During the winter or with stock that is somewhat closely 

 confined it is usually necessary to compel exercise by forcing 

 the fowls to scratch for all whole or cracked grain in a deep 

 litter of straw or some similar material. Plenty of exercise 

 is distinctly a spring condition and should be required in 

 abundance save in hot weather, if the digestive and repro- 

 ductive organs are to be kept in good tone. 



The Amount of Feed. — ^While ability to so stimulate the 

 appetite that birds of all classes will consume large 

 amounts of feed with relish is the feeder's greatest virtue, 

 overfeeding is his greatest failing. Nothing will more 

 quickly defeat the very purpose of feeding in contrast 

 to allowing the fowls to feed themselves than habitually 

 offering more feed than the fowls are keen to consume. 

 The difference between "just enough" and "a little too 

 much" is a cloyed appetite and a listlessness that foretells 

 a limited performance at the nest or small gains in the 

 crate. 



The amount of feed offered to any class of birds, for 



