44 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 
different sources of mineral food, but all au¬ 
thorities are agreed that oyster shells form the 
most economical source of shell material. These 
oyster shells can be bought at grocery stores, 
or poultry supply houses. This material should 
’be placed in a box or, better still, a hopper, 
where it will be accessible to the birds at all 
times. Clam shells, lime rock grit, and dry 
bone in small sizes are other sources of mineral 
matter, and possibly even better results can 
be obtained by adding a small quantity of these 
other feeds to the oyster shells, but plan to 
have oyster shells as the basis of the mineral 
supply. Charcoal is sometimes fed to chickens 
with good results. Some birds eat this, while 
others will not. It is claimed that charcoal 
aids in regulating the digestive system of the 
fowl. One can try this out to satisfy his own 
ideas in this regard. 
Animal feed is the next class of feeds that 
we will consider in the feeding of our laying 
flock. It is the testimony of poultrymen that * 
when they hang up a fresh piece of meat in 
the poultry house, such as a part of a calf, an 
old horse, rabbit, or any other such carcass, the 
birds always respond with a much higher yield 
