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Fowls: Care and Feeding
Title
Fowls: Care and Feeding
Creator
Date
Publisher
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Subject
Excerpt
The wide distribution of domestic fowls throughout the United States and the general use made of their products make poultry of interest to a large number of people. Breeders are continually striving to improve the fowls for some particular purpose, and to excel all predecessors in producing just what the market demands for beauty or utility; but the mass of people look at the poultry products solely as supplying the necessary elements of food in an economical and palatable form. For a considerable time each year eggs are sought instead of meat by people of moderate means, because at the market price eggs are a cheaper food than the various kinds of fresh meat.
Large numbers of the rural population live more or less isolated, and find it inconvenient, if not impossible, to supply fresh meat daily for the table aside from that slaughtered on the farm ; and of all live stock poultry furnishes the most convenient means of supplying an excellent quality of food in suitable quantities. This is particularly true during the hot summer months, when fresh meat will keep only a short time with the conveniences usually at the farmer's command.
The general consumption of poultry and poultry products by nearly all classes of people furnishes home markets in almost every city and town in the United States, and at prices which are usually remunerative if good judgment is exercised in the management of the business.
Although fowls require as wholesome food as any class. of live stock, they can be fed perhaps more than any other kind of animals on unmerchantable seeds and grains that would otherwise be wholly or partially lost. These seeds often contain various weed seeds, broken and undeveloped kernels, and thus furnish a variety of food which is always advantageous in profitable stock feeding. There is less danger of injury to poultry from these refuse seeds than is the case with any other kind of animals. As a rule, noxious weed seeds can be fed to fowls without fear of disseminating the seeds through the manure, which is not generally true when the weed seeds are fed to other classes of live stock, particularly in any considerable quantity.
Large numbers of the rural population live more or less isolated, and find it inconvenient, if not impossible, to supply fresh meat daily for the table aside from that slaughtered on the farm ; and of all live stock poultry furnishes the most convenient means of supplying an excellent quality of food in suitable quantities. This is particularly true during the hot summer months, when fresh meat will keep only a short time with the conveniences usually at the farmer's command.
The general consumption of poultry and poultry products by nearly all classes of people furnishes home markets in almost every city and town in the United States, and at prices which are usually remunerative if good judgment is exercised in the management of the business.
Although fowls require as wholesome food as any class. of live stock, they can be fed perhaps more than any other kind of animals on unmerchantable seeds and grains that would otherwise be wholly or partially lost. These seeds often contain various weed seeds, broken and undeveloped kernels, and thus furnish a variety of food which is always advantageous in profitable stock feeding. There is less danger of injury to poultry from these refuse seeds than is the case with any other kind of animals. As a rule, noxious weed seeds can be fed to fowls without fear of disseminating the seeds through the manure, which is not generally true when the weed seeds are fed to other classes of live stock, particularly in any considerable quantity.
Relation
Farmers' Bulletin
Number 41
Collection
File(s)
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