EXERCISE GROWS HEALTHY FOWLS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1675, 6 April 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

EXERCISE GROWS HEALTHY FOWLS

It is a mistaken idea that fowls, especially young growing fowls, should be cooped up, penned up in small quarters where they are not encouraged to exercise, and then hope to grow them into healthy, vigorous, producing birds. The fowls, like all other animals, need exercise in order to grow a strong bone; tire strong bone and muscle accompanies a good, healthy quality of flesh. With the outdoor, free range fowl there is no need of concern about exercise, they usually exercise sufficiently to keep up a good appetite, and this is a guarantee of health. There is some danger of overfeeding the free range, barn yard fowl, and in this way encourage an overfat tendency. This is only possible where open corn cribs are accessible, and where stock feeding lots with the corn waste are within the reach of the fowls.

Young fowls usually thrive and grew rapidly where they get all the feed yard waste they want in connection with the insects and green stuff they can pick up. Older fowls take on fat and become what: is termed ov erf ait the liens quit laying and frequent loss is sustained by apoplexy. Big fat liens are found dead without any apparent disease or cause of death. More exercise and! les© feted is the remedy. The only way to indue© the exercise is by starving off the feed!. Fowls should be forced to labour some in getting their feed.

i The breed of fowls that will adapt itself to the com waste that is found about most feeding farms would be in great demand. of course some will say the Leghorn will do that and mot get too fat, but the Leghorn does not satisfy thia general poultry raiser in size. The demand is for a large or medium, large fowl, and on© that Avill feed Avell and not get too fat to be- a. serviceable eigg producer.