Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1917 — Layina Hens Require Well-Balanced Ration. [ARTICLE]

Layina Hens Require Well-Balanced Ration.

Feeders of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs have claimed for years that these animals must be fed a “balanced ration,” Special attention has been given to balance rations for dairy cows. By this Is meant that one food constituent should not be fed In excess. while another Is laqkfng for the upkeep of the animal's body. The protein must be in a certain proportion to the sugars, starches and tat in the food. Now the hen comes in for her share in this scientific feeding. Ten times as many eggs were produced by hens fed a well-balanced ration as by those given only corn, wheat and oats in an experiment conducted by the Ohio Experiment Station. The balanced ration consisted of three parts by weight of com and one part of wheat fed twice dally In the litter, and a mash mixture of two parts meat scrap added to two parts ground corn and one part bran fed In self-feeding hoppers. The 21 Barred Plymouth Rock pullets In each lot received the same house space and treatment except for the difference In feed. The test period lasted for 140 days. ; The hens given the balanced ratlpn ate more feed, which cost about 50 percent more than the ration of com, - wheat and oats. However, they gained more in weight and produced ten tunes as many eggs, making a net profit while the other lot waa kept at a lost.