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Show 1 GRIT ESSENTIAL WA FOR LAYING HEN H Hard Substances Necessary in H Fowl's Diet to Prevent Di- IkH gestivc Troubles. Hffi ; BIRD FAMILY MINUS MOLARS Hfll Pulverizing of Food Takes Place In Xfl Gizzard Oyster Shells Are Ex. jB l cedent on Account of Lima B j They Contain. H I (I'rrpnrrd by the United fctntcn Depart- Hb merit of Agriculture.) H The old saw, "ns scarce ns hen's H teeth," would liu qulto ns trim If H "turkey" or nny other incinlicr of the H bird fimilly Inn) been substituted for H "lion." The entire nrnllhologlcnl ill- B vIhIoii of the nnlinnl kingdom Is tooth' SVJ Ipsa. No painful filling of bicuspids B In their young liven nor crowning of HBV ' molars In their Inter days I In the H bird fiunlly there Is not n imrtlclo of B need of screwing courage up to the BBBj point where nn niipolntnieut with tho BBBJ dentist Is innile, no enduring of nn- BBBj gulsh In the chnlr for them, nnd none BBBI to bo fnced Inter when tlic hill comes Iimm In. When n hen's "teeth" become In- clllclcnt sho simply discards them nnd picks up Boino now ones. Truly, there nrc tunny coiiiifcusatlons In having been born n bird. HippBi How Hen's Digestion Works. KVH Armed with n beak, tho hen Is nbto BkwS! to pick tip food of fnlrly Rood size. Hi but sho Is provided with no wny of I breaking It Into smiill particles In her mouth, for alio tins neither teeth nor lips. Instead, the food Is swallowed whole nnd Is stored In her crop until . needed by tho stomach. Then Its walls BBBfl contrnct nnd down It goes Into tho BBBB This stninncit tins two parts, ouo BBBH where tho food Is soaked with n sccre- BBS tlon of ncld nnd ferment pepsin, nnd BBBw tho other where tho grinding takes BBBW place. Tho latter Is commonly known BBS us the gizzard. IIccuuso of this or- BBBf Kim's work In pulverizing food to small BaBaBaK sYvFL BMBbBbbIbw ij BBvBvBvsw' KBViBllBriiVBvsBiSB3 BBBBBBBu fc m ijBjBjBPBBw vB !AtPWQtXB h Bsyss" T' Mara Truth Than Poetry In Old Saw BBS About Hen's Teeth Being Scarce. BBB articles, tho hen nnd every other BBS member of tho bird faintly Is nhlo to BBh dlspenso with teeth. Tho "teeth" of BBf a bird nro really tho "grit" which It BBBJj consumes with Its food. Sharp sand. BBBJ) small stones, broken shell nnd similar BBBn substnnces. In tho gizzard, assist In BBB pulverizing tho other nrtlcles In Its BBS diet. In fact, this gritty material no BBBS compllshes tho same purpose that tno- BBS Inr teeth do In other animals' mouths. SHBB Until It becomes useless ns a digestive BSBB nld It rs stored In tho gizzard. SBV The hard, callous pads of tho glz- BBS zord nro contracted nnd expanded dur- BBBr lng digestion by powerful muscles. BBf This motion, together with tho grit, BBBJp reduces tho food to fine pnrtlcles. The BjBB grit Is retained In thu Rtomnch until It BBS Is smooth nnd then Is discarded nntur- BBBf nlly nnd another supply Is eaten to BBBjj taku its BBB Qrlt for Confined Fowls. BBH For this reason fowls kept In con- BH flnement need grit nt their disposal BB qulto ns much ns other kinds of feeds. BJi Tho grit already In their gizzards, nt BSL tho time n flock Is penned, might bo nil BBSfi that tho fowls will require, for three BBH or four weeks, but If more Is not sup- BjBj piled digestive trouble will soon sot In. JBS It Is safer to supply It from tho begin- JtB nlng. Hand will do for tho purpose HHJ but chickens seem to prefer it courser JBb grit, one of a size between wheat nnd BjBSI corn. Oyster shells nro commonly sup. BH piled to tho flock because of tho lime BBH they contain, which Is necessary for BSfljj shell formation, but they also servo BBSS to some extent as grit In tho diet. The BBSu nieces become smooth more quickly EBHIj than a harder grit nnd u frosh supply HFJajj uust be eaten more often. Hif jj United States department of n grind- Bajlll turo poultry specialists state that n BlMy hen needs mid will consume nbnut one Bf H pound of grit In n 12-month period. LTC n - - |
