OCR Text |
Show SPAOUTEO OATS FOB WIP3IER FEED i Thero Is a general unanimity of J tplnion among oxper'enced ppultry-nen ppultry-nen that poultry do best upon somo ) orm of green or succulent food dur- i ng the winter months. The function j )f such succulent food Is probably argely In the nature of a digestlvo stimulant, rather than as an addition 1 Oats Started to &pr)iil. to the actual food constituents of the ration. A green winter feed that Is gr--t1y relished by fowls Is sprouted oats Experience has shown that In order to mako a satisfactory grcn food, however, how-ever, tho oats must bo grown very quickly. In order to get quick growth it is necessary to have three things: first, warmth, second, plenty of moisture: mois-ture: and, third, sunlight By sowing oats In rhallow, flat boxes about two Inches deep, and by sprinkling and keeping tho box In a warm, sunny place, the oats will sprout very rapidly, making a growth of from 4 to 6 inches in' a week or ten days. The fiats in which the oats are sprouted must bo thoroughly scrubbed with half water and half formnlyn every time before they are used, or the oats will mold In tho sprouting. The best way to sprout oats is to build a small closet Into which the fiats can be slipped on cleats and supply sup-ply the closet either with a steam-plpo or if that is not feasible, a small stove, either for wood or kerosene, or sometimes some-times a largo kerosene lamp may be used to maintain heat. Soak clean and s"ound oats over- y night in a pail of water. Next morn- 1 ing fill the flats about two inches deep ' .( and put In tho sprouting closet. Placo j rff the freshly filled flatfl near the top of j p the closets, so as to get the maximum J, i amount of1 heat and in that way start ' tho sprouts, quickly. t r ' Rake tho sprouts thoroughly two or J 1 three times a day until they have be- 7 I come from half to three-quarters of (It an inch long, then do not disturb them r In any way. The oats should be kept Ij quite wet. They must bo sprinkled at II lea3t three timos a day, J II An tho oats grow, the flats are i II moved to different positions In tho fjl closets. Tho taller tho material gets. j tbo nearer the flats are moved to the j I floor, as they then need less heat. j II Feed when the sprouts arc from A 1 II to C Inches In height, at the rate of a II piece of tho matted oats about S or J II G Inches pquarc for each 100 birds per I day. Break up so that every bird In the pen may have some. S It should be clearly understood that j the purpose for which green sprouted j onts are fed Is their tonic and stimu- 1 iatlve Influonco on the digestive or- ij gans They aro not fed for tho food J value of the oats themselves. If one jl wishes merely to feed oats thoy can it be most economically fed not sprouted. j The point of sprouting is to furnish Ij fresh, succulent, green food during tho jl wintor months. jl I Sprouts Two Inches Long. |