Our Domestic Birds: Elementary Lessons in AvicultureRobinson, John H. (John Henry)
Science
Our Domestic Birds: Elementary Lessons in Aviculture
Robinson, John H. (John Henry)
Cage birds; Pigeons; Poultry
The best vegetable foods for fowls in winter are cabbages and
mangel-wurzels. The cabbages can be hung up by the roots and the fowls
will eat all but the stump. The most convenient way to feed the beets
is to split them and impale the pieces on spikes in the wall at a
convenient distance from the floor. Sound, sweet turnips are also good,
but bitter turnips and those that have begun to spoil are likely to give
an unpleasant flavor to the eggs. A little freezing does not seem to
affect the value of these vegetables for poultry food, and the birds
will usually eat them when frozen. The quantity fed at one time,
however, should not be so large that it may freeze and thaw several
times before it is all eaten.
[Illustration: Fig. 87. Movable poultry house on United States
Government farm, Beltsville, Maryland. (Photograph from Bureau of Animal
Industry)]
When hogs and cattle are killed on a farm, the blood and other offal,
and the small trimmings when the carcasses are cut up, should be saved
and fed to the fowls regularly in moderate quantities, but care should
be taken not to leave fat trimmings where the fowls can help themselves,
for if fowls have been short of animal food, they eat meat very
greedily and are often made sick by it. Blood and lean meat are not
very injurious, but too much fat meat has very bad effects.
[Illustration: Fig. 88. The upper shutter is closed only at night in
extreme cold weather]
[Illustration: Fig. 89. Lower part of front open for hot weather]
ANOTHER STYLE OF MOVABLE HOUSE AT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FARM,
BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND. (Photograph from Bureau of Animal Industry)
It is not necessary to give the fowls water when there is snow on the
ground. Delicate fowls that are accustomed to close confinement may not
be able to stand running out on the snow, but if they have a comfortable
house, with a good supply of litter on the floor, and are free to go and
come at will, rugged birds that are out in all kinds of weather are not
in the least hurt by going out on snow and ice and wet ground in cold
weather, and will usually take snow in preference to water when they can
get it. When the ground is bare and frozen, water or finely chipped ice
should be supplied. In extreme cold weather the latter is better,
because the water soon freezes and the fowls go thirsty until a fresh
supply is given them.
[Illustration: Fig. 90. Barred Plymouth Rock hen with Light Brahma
chicks]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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