Show AS YOU FEED SO SHALL YOUR POULTRY LAY I 1 Records ls Show Egg Production Often Doubled or Trebled by the Addition Addition Addition Addi Addi- tion of ot One Ono Simple Element to the Feed Extra tra Profits from Correct I Feeding More l Than Offset the I Slight Additional Cost I From somewhere way back In my third reader days I recall the story of a miser who tried to feed teed his horse shavings It would save savo the price of hay ho he reasoned and If the change was made gradually the animal an an- animal imal would never know the differ differ- ence Maybe the horse was fooled but Nature most certainly was not Long before the diet got to be bo all shavings the poor old horse gave up the tho ghost As I observe the way a great many people feed their chickens I am often often often of of- ten reminded of that story I dont don't mean they are stingy but their la lack k of knowledge about feeding Is just justas as great They are expecting the impossible and wonder greatly why they are so consistently disappoint disappoint- ted The first thing that must be thor- thor oly understood is that from the hens hen's point of view egg laying Is a secondary secondary I dary matter She eats first of all to build up and maintain her own body If after that enough has been eaten for that purpose she can be persuaded persuaded persuaded per per- to eat still more of the right kind of food tood correctly proportioned I she will lay eggs That's all there Is Isto isto to the he theory of scientific poultry feeding The next essential fact to be mastered mastered mastered mas mas- Is that different kinds of feeds produce widely results Grains furnish for the most part substances called carbohydrates and these are transformed into fats for forthe forthe forthe the fowls fowl's body and albumen or egg whites Other known as proteins build up muscles and furnish furnish fur tur- nish yolks for eggs Proteins are usually fed In the form of meat scraps milk or There are some proteins in grains but not very very very ver- ver y much and not for the too lions hens body and for fon eggs For the egg shells and bones of ot the tho fowl minerals are required calcium calcium calcium cal cal- carbonate being the principal one ono For that crushed oyster oyster oyster ter shell or limestone Is kept before the fowls at all aU times A certain amount of green food is also required It helps prevent digestive di- di disorders and contains the two valuable vitamins A and D so essential to the proper assimilation of other food tood Without vitamin D for example the minerals in the feed cannot bo be made over into bone and egg shell Once it is clearly understood that each kind of food has Its own individual job to do the very term balanced ration ceases to sound quite so foreign It becomes plain that the ration must consist of just so much mate material Ial for muscle so for fat so much for yolks so much for whites and so much for or shell An example of what I consider a awell awell awell well balanced ration is the one given below which I have havo used successfully successfully successfully success success- fully for a number of ye years rs For Fo Forthe Forthe the sake of those not familiar with this his method of feeding I shall er- er plain that mashes are customarily put in hoppers and kept constantly before the hens at all times The grains are preferably fed ted by hand tho the feedings far enough apart so the hens will eat plenty of mash mashin in n between times The grains are called scratch foods by the way because because because be be- cause they are usually buried burled In deep litter liter which makes the hens have to scratch It out for needful exercise A Balanced Poultry Ration Scratch Feed Ibs Yellow Corn lbs Ibs Wheat or heavy Oats Mash feed Ibs lbs Wheat Bran w Ibs lbs l lbs Ibs Yellow corn meal mealO 50 O Ibs lbs Ground Oats Ibs meat scraps Plenty of seasonable green stuff should accompany ration Grit charcoal and oyster shell should be kept before the hens at all aIt times And water Yes of course Eggs are wre 65 per cent water Hence always always always al al- al- al ways have a plentiful supply of wa wa- wa- wa ter It is also essential to the health of ot the flock Clock The feeding of a balanced ration will work wonders There are plenty plen plen- ty of examples of flocks that were fed all grain rations with only fair results which DOUBLED or even TREBLED output as soon as a good mash with the necessary protein In was added It Is not enough however however how hoW- how how- ever just to feed a 50 mash and scratch feed ration all the time The successful poultry man will study his flock H He will know whether they are being forced and producing beyond their normal cal capacity or whether they are getting too fat and too lazy to lay as much as they should If forced he will cut down on the mash and feed grain It If getting get- get Ing ting too fat ho will cut down on the grain and increase mash Note I will gladly answer Questions questions questions ques Ques- about any phase of poultry feeding which may be addressed to tome tome tomo me mo as below Dr L. L D. D LeGear V. V S S. S Beck Avenue St St. Louis Mo |