Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1873 — Feeding Fowls. [ARTICLE]

Feeding Fowls.

Where there is a family,-there are many auxilaries, such as bread crumbs, groats that) have been used for gruel, etc. But it must be borne in mind that these are in the place of other food, and not in addition to it. When this can be had, other food should be diminished. Tam not an advocate for cooked vegetables, except potatoes. Boiled cabbage is worse than nothing It must be borne in mind that corn, whole or cracked, is the staple food, and the others are helps. Always have the bones thrown to them after dinner; they enjoy picking them and perform the operation perfectly. Raw meat makes fowls quarrelsome,.and gives them a propensity to pick each other—especially in moulting time, if the accustomed meat be withheld. Many have purchased birds, above all Cochin, Chinas, on account of their great weight, which, being the result of meat feeding, has proved a real disease, incapacitating them for breeding. Where proper food is provided, all is not accomplished; it must be properly given. ' No plan is so extravagant or so injurious as to throw down heaps once or twice a day. They should have it scattered as far and wide as possible, that the birds may be longer and more healthily employed in finding it, and should not accomplish in a few minutes that which should occupy them for hours. For this reason every sort of feeder or hopper is bad. It is the nature of fowls to take a grain- at a time, and to pick grass and dirt, with it, which assist digestion; but if, contrary to this, they are enabled to eat corn by mouthfuls, their crops are soon overfilled, and they seek relief in excessive draughts of water. Nothing is more injurious than this; and the inactivity that attends the discomfort caused by it, lays the foundation of many disorders. While speaking of food it may be observed, that when, from traveling or other cause, a fowl lias fasted a long time—say thirty or forty-eightjhours—it should not he allowed any hard food. For the first three hours it should have only a small portion, say a teacupful of sopped bread, very wet, so much so as to serve for food and drink. If the bird appears to suffer much from the journey, instead of bread and water give bread and ale.— Cor. Michigan, Farmer. James Richardson, who has resided in Adrian, Mich., thirty-one years, mustered up sufficient courage to take his first ride in the’“plaguey keers” a few days since.