Beef Scrap and Green Bone Substitutes for Nature’s Animal Food
Undoubtedly the ideal animal food for the hen, if it were possible to
procure it in sufficient quantities the year round, would be angle
worms, grasshoppers, and other members of the insect family, which the
early Spring supplies in such liberal quantities. It must be remembered
that in these different worms and insects there is a large amount of
phosphorous, which adds very greatly to the ability of the hen to
successfully digest the large quantity of food which is necessary, if
she is to produce a large quantity of eggs.
Green Cut Bone Nearest Nature
The thing, perhaps, nearest in an artificial way to Nature’s animal
food, is green cut bone, and it is certainly relished by the hens, and
a great assistance in producing Winter eggs. The exercise of great
care, however, in the selection of bone is very necessary, for, if salt
bone, or tainted bone, is cut up and fed to the fowls, it will prove
most detrimental, and in many instances will mean the loss of the hen.
For those who do not find it possible to set up the necessary
bone-cutting machinery there are numerous brands of “Beef Scrap” on the
market. This is made from green bone and meat which is then cooked,
ground and pressed, so as to preserve it fresh and sweet. This also
is a most successful way to supply the hens with the necessary amount
of animal food. It is readily mixed into the mash, just as the green
cut bone is, and, where the proper mechanical mixer is used, it is
possible to thoroughly coat the entire meal mixture with the oily
condition coming from the beef scrap, and until one has seen beef scrap
mixed into the mash by such a mixer he has no idea how successful the
operation is in preparing a high grade mash. The beef scrap and also
the fresh cut bone carry a high percentage of phosphorus, and in fact
have about all the ingredients found in animal food secured by the hen
while running on Range.
There are now appearing numerous advertisements of a prepared fish,
to take the place of other animal foods, but The Corning Egg Farm is
unable to give any opinion as to the efficiency of this preparation. It
has been the rule at the Farm, when we have thoroughly tested and found
satisfactory any article of food, not to experiment with the various
substitutes which at all times are so widely advertised.