SC - References-Chicken feed

[Stefan li Rous]

Ras gave some evidence of food, most likely grain given to chickens:
> I have received the following references lending support to my position on
> the feeding of chickens in period. Some are less than ideal but at least one
> is very specific regarding not only the food being given but the age of the
> birds being fed and what they were being fed. Special thanks to Thomas of
> this list and Melanie Wilson of the SCA-arts list for 'refreshing' my memory
> and providing the specifics. Thanks also to Elysant who proofread the text
> for me.
> 
> 1) Piers plowman writes of a capon cote, where the capons were fattened for the
> table (I presume grain. More importantly this passage indicates that chickens
> did receive supplemental feeding of some sort under certain circumstances
> such as the raising of capons for the table).

This is very likely a temporary situation on the way to the dinner table.
I see no reason to differentiate between capons and chickens. Earlier I, at 
least, was using "chicken" as a generic term to mean both.

> 5) 'One such picture is in the Vienna Tacuin Sanitatis (AKA 'Four seasons of
> the House of Cerruti', mentioned a few digests ago) under the heading
> "Galli" (cocks), where hens are also treated. The picture shows a woman
> with a basket feeding the hens with something I could not identify. The
> text is somewhat more explicit: "To prefer: young ones (i.e. hens) that
> are being fed with good grain".'
> 
> The text here definitely states that not only was grain being fed to the
> poultry but that this grain was 'GOOD' grain. Since the translation specifies
> young 'hens' (which I assume is a feminine word form in the original
> language), this shows us that not only capons were fattened on supplemental
> feeding but also that immature poultry were also fed with good grain. It is
> not to much of a step to conclude that poultry of every age received at least
> some form of supplemental feeding and that the form of the supplement was
> most likely grain.

This is the strongest referance. Again, it would appear to apply only to
those on the way to the dinner table. I think to jump from that to
"poultry of every age" is a big step though. As you and others have
pointed out "grain" can cover a number of different plant seeds. It
would be nice to know which ones. While I was at first thinking "wheat"
when grain was mentioned, it could be seeds less desired for human
consumption and more bountiful such as perhaps barley? or oats? I do
know that wheat does not grow everywhere in Europe well and in some
areas was more precious than in others.

Thank you Ras for these examples and the research.
   Stefan
- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****
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