| Show VARIED AND PLENTIFUL FEED FOR THE HEN va 44 i X W J I 1 M 01 gg n v 4 A fine flock of white plymouth rocks dy KATHARINE Cr toms I 1 the lion hon has haa three reasons for eating to repair the tissues of her body to keep herself warm and to make eggs agga it therefore follows that her diet must be varied and plentiful it we open the crop of a hen that has hag been allowed to eat cut what she pleased we shall find that site eho has provided herself with three kinds of food grain green stuff and meat the last named la is usually in the form of bugs and worms wo must then furnish our hens with food of these three classes moreover the quantity must be about right of each if they are not given enough they will bave havo to use it all for bodybuilding body building and heat production and will have nothing left over to make eggs with it wo we feed too much of some kinds tho the surplus will go to fit fat and tho the hens will pet get too lazy to lay it takes considerable studying and experimenting to find out just what tho the lions hens need and how much they ought to have but wo we must learn as soon as wo we can or we will find our poultry Is not so profitable as it ought to be the feeding question Is one of tho the most important in the whole poultry business experts tell us that a hen ben needs about six ounces of food per day A flock of ten then will need about three and three fourths pounds per day or a trifle over twenty six pounds a week of this amount two thirds ba by should of grains the grain should bo be a mixture of equal parts wheat cracked corn and oats A few handfuls ot of sunflower seed cane seed or buckwheat should be added for variety they are to the lion hen what pie Is to tho the boy and you know what that Is the other third should be mash which Is a mixture of bran and other finely ground feeds usually fed dry some poultry men moisten the mash but the majority claim that it Is better to feed it dry and let the hen it in her crop by drinking what water sho she wants it fed dry there la Is less danger from certain kinds of disease A good formula for a mash Is as follows fol lowa one half bushel of bran four quarts of alfalfa meal two quarts each of ground oats and cornmeal one tablespoonful salt and one teaspoonful of this furnishes both meat and green food in about the right quantities where these elements are aio given lit in other ways the alfalfa meal and bf beef scraps may be omitted from the mash these ingredients should be thoroughly mixed together and the mash kept where the hens can get it at any time they may want it it Is a bulky food but not a fattening one ro go there Is no danger of their eating too much the bran Is one of the best conditto condi condition conditio tio n powders ponders poultry can call have hav e it keeps the system vigorous and healthy and furnishes a laige part of the egg making elements abood A good way to give green food for a change Is to hang a head bead of cabbage by a string so BO the fowls can just reach it the exercise la is good for them and they will thoroughly enjoy the feast or a large beet carrot or turnip may be stuck on a nail driven about a foot from the ground for them to pick such food should never be thrown down in the dirt the grain food should always be thrown into a deep utter litter of straw or chaff where the birds will have to scratch for a living it if you have ever watched an old hen digging about the yard you will know that it Is as natural for her to dig na is it Is to breathe and that she needs that kind of exercise you know of course that corn Is a fat making food on that account loss less should be given in ili the summer slimmer than in the winter ns then there Is not so BO much need of a layer of fat to keep the body warm through the warm season it may be left out of the mash entirely some do not feed corn c 0 r n at all in the summer but that is a mistake as it the hen gets too thin she will stop laying now as to the time of feeding early in the morning a light feed of grain should be scattered in the litter on the floor of the coop the liens hens got off the roost hungry and should fand something read for them some borne scatter the grain in the straw lter after the fowls have ets et s to r roost at night so it will be there early in the morning lit in the middle of the forenoon the green food it if it la is in the form of vegetables should be given at noon it Is a good plan to throw in a few handfuls of table scraps to keep them busy lato late in the afternoon so that they will have plenty of time before dark the heavy grain feed of the day should bo be given there should be all they will clean up of this enough so they will go to bed with full crops it if you are arc in doubt as to whether you are feeding enough you can tell by feeling of the tha crops after they have gone to roost it if they aro are full and hard and there Is no feed left in the straw you are giving about the right amount water lots of it clean and fresh la Is a great item in the lions hens diet an eggs Is 60 per cent water it if the hens hena are stinted in this respect it will tell it in tho egg basket in a 0 hurry just one days neglect to furnish plenty of water has been known to cut the egg yield nearly halt half grit and lime usually given in the form of oyster shells aro are two othe necessary 1 elements they should be kept before the fowls all the time A very convenient hopper for feeding the mash grit and shells may be made like the illustration the compartments part ments for mash being much larger than the others |
