Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1920 — SPROUTED OATS OR CHOPPED ALFALFA FOR CHICKENS SUPERIOR AS GRASS SUBSTITUTE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SPROUTED OATS OR CHOPPED ALFALFA FOR CHICKENS SUPERIOR AS GRASS SUBSTITUTE

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Winter greens for the flock is one of the most profitable additions to the poultry bill of fare which the average fIQCk owner can supply. When grass is available, the fowls get plenty of green feed from. rustling about on the open range. With the .coming Of Jack Frost, the pasturage is exhausted and it becomes necessary for the poultryman to provide his hens with some juicy, succulent and nutritious substitute for grass. The variety of green feeds available for winter use is enough to avoid monotony. E’er instance, sprouted oats may be used profitably, although the preparation of this material usually involves some extra care and exertion. Alfalfa meal, which now is available on the market, may be had at prices consistent with the ultimate value of the egg crop, while chopped alfalfa and clover hay also furnish nourishment and succulence at moderate cost. Cabbages are used by many to satisfy appetites craving for green stuff, while mangel-wurzels —which usually have to be grown by the flock owner in his home garden, as it is difficult to secure these beets on the general market —also are keenly relished by the fowls and are well qualified for a place in the winter ration. As a rule cabbages are suspended in the poultry house with pieces of twine which are fastened to nails overhead. The* mangel-wurzels are usually split and stuck on nails o.n the side walls of the pen about a foot above the floor, the plan being to provide the hens with Just as much of this juicy feed as they will clean up with a relish and without waste.

Feeding Fowls Frozen Vegetables. Vegetables which have been frozen can be thawed out and fed to the fowls, but as a rule such blemished materials must be used quickly, as they do not keep well after thawing. Clover and alfalfa may be fed as hay cut into one-quarter or one-half Inch lengths, or they may be purchased and fed in the form of meal. Oats for sprouting are soaked over night in warm water and then are spread out from one-half to one inch thick on specially arranged trays having perforated bottoms, the trays then being put into an oat sprouter. The oats should be watered thoroughly and the trays should be turned around once dally In order to assure even sprouting. During cold weather artificial heat should be supplied by the use of a kerosene lamp or some similar means. It is essential to use a good grade of oats and to allow daily a square Inch of sprouted oat surface to a hen, feeding the sprouted oats on the floor of the poultry house or in the yard. At any time after the sprouts are well started —usually from five to seven days after the grain is placed in the sprouter—this green material is available for feeding to the flock. It is necessary to keep the oat sprouter clean and to spray It occasionally with a disinfectant to prevent the growth of molds. Potatoes and turnips are also satisfactory as a winter feed for the hens, although it Is essential to Cook these root crops before they are suitable for flock use. Clover may also be cut into short lengths, from onefourth to one-half an inch, and placed In a bucket. Then boiling water should be poured over the clover and the ifaaterial should be allowed to stand for two or three hours or over night. When the poulFryman is ready to feed this material to the flock he should first drain off the water and then mix the hay Into the mash, allowing the hay to constitute about one-half the bulk of the feed. Although clover hay Is best adapted for serving to to manner, almost any kind of hay is valuable. The feeder must be careful Dot to supply too much bulky feed to the hens, as these fowls have small crops and cannot handle a great amount of roughage as can cows and other animals which ruminate their feed. Grit Furnishes False Teeth. Grit is essential to toe health of the fowls and to economy in feeding, as It takes the place of teeth in preparIng toe feed for further digestion, and It is required for the proper manipulation of the teed In the gizzard. A box of grit should be provided in every pen or yard, as this material Is an essential part of toe menu. It supplies toe fowls with strong bone and bright plumage. Similarly, toe accessibility to oyster shells or old mortar and fine grayri are also desirable, as these ma-

terials provide the hen with lime, from which egg shells are formed. Plenty of fresh water should always be accessible to the hens. If supplied irregularly they are likely to drink too much at a time. The water should not be exposed to the sun’s rays in summer, nor should it be allowed to freeze in winter. In very frosty weather it 1? often worth while to supply the hens with slightly warm water two or three times a day rather than to permit them to drink ice-cold water. A flock of 50 hens in good laying condition will drink 4 to 6 quarts of water a day. When properly fed, milk makes an excellent winter feed for poultry. In feeding sour milk or buttermilk, however, the feeder must exercise care not to induce digestive disorders. Skim milk is an extremely economical feed. In skimming, the food constituents most valuable for egg production —the nitrogenous substances —are left in the skim milk. Not only does skim milk contain much nutritive .material, but it also carrries it in a form which, as a rule, is easily digested. Skim milk may often be advantageously substituted in part for meat. Milk may be used in preparing soft feed, or it may be given to the fowls to drink in addition to their water.

Sprouted Oats Make a Good “Pinch Hitter for Grass.