Poultry and Egg Production (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916 edition. Excerpt: ...added from five to ten drops of formalin to kill the spores of mould to insure a clean, sweet feed. After soaking, they are spread out about one inch thick on trays, which are placed in a sprouting rack, seven to each rack, the trays being ten inches apart, and kept at a temperature of from 60 to 80 degrees. (See plate No. 7.) In from seven to ten days, depending on the temperature, they will have developed sprouts about three to four inches long, as well as a massive root growth, the entire mass being very tender and succulent. The birds will eat this material ravenously. About one square inch of feeding surface is supplied daily to each bird, or what they will clean up quickly. The oats cannot be fed in excess as they are laxative and are apt to produce diarrhcea. The rack shown in Plate No. 7 has a capacity for approximately 500 hens, if kept working constantly, one tray for each day in the week. Providing Summer Succulence. For the poultryman who is confined to a small area and who cannot give his birds green grass range in the summer it will be found profitable to divide the range or runs into two separate fields, upon which a definite crop rotation can be worked out, allowing the birds to feed first on one yard and then on the other. By planting seasonable crops, such as peas and oats, buckwheat, soy beans and crimson clover, the birds can be provided with a continuous supply of greens from the early spring until the late fall. These crops should be allowed to grow about four to six inches before the birds are turned on them, otherwise they will be consumed immediately and will not last more than a few days. On the other hand, these crops should not be allowed to become tall and woody, in which case they will lack the sufficient...