POULTRY FOR PROFIT 39 
be added here that many town flocks of full 
grown birds are maintained, by this very sys¬ 
tem, and it has worked out very nicely. Such 
grains as buckwheat, rye, oats, peas, and soy 
beans are all excellent crops to sow in this 
manner, using oats and peas for the first crop, 
because they mature quicker than the other 
crops mentioned. 
If the chicks have access to a fair amount 
of range they will not need a great deal of 
grain as a ration. However, it is always ad¬ 
visable to feed some grains to keep the birds 
continually growing as fast as possible. It 
has been proved conclusively that the . first 
gains made by the growing chicks are the 
cheapest, in regard to the cost of feed, so let 
us keep this in mind during the time when 
we have them on range. To accomplish this 
end, it is well to have a dry mash of the kind 
of grains that are fairly rich in the substance 
called protein always available in the hopper. 
The reason for this need of protein feed is 
simply that the growing bird uses this element 
largely in the growth of its body. Protein goes 
to make up the bony framework of the body, 
and the muscles, tendons, etc. Therefore, feeds 
