Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1919 — NO BEST FEEDS FOR HEN FLOCKS [ARTICLE]

NO BEST FEEDS FOR HEN FLOCKS

Simplest Mixtures and HomeGrown Grains Should Usual- ' ly Be Selected. GREEN FEED IS IMPORTANT Poultryman Should Provide Bulk and Palatability in Daily Diet—Ground Grains and Beef Scrap in Combination. There is no best feed or combination “of fe|ds for poultry, but results in good yields depend almost as much upon the ability of the feeder and the methods of feeding as on the kinds of grains, say poultry specialists of thfe United States department of agriculture. The practical application of science in poultry feeding, they add, is to know about what proportion of protein, carbohydrates and fats gives good feeding results and then to use roughly this relative proportion in milking feeds according to their- price and availability. Mineral matter, bulk and palatability, and in winter a green feed, are necessary in the ration to give good results. The simplest feed mixtures and home-grown grains should usually be selected, the rations varying pvifh changes in the market price of the grains. I? is advisable for most poultry raisers to mix their own feeds, as in this way they can control the proportion iff the “various ingredients and obtain the precise mixture that they desire. If, however, one desires to purchase prepared feeds, information concerning the different commercial artkies inay usually be secured from the state experiment station. Most experiment stations Will analyze poultry feeds and report on the different commercial preparations sold by dealers in their states.

Five Classes of Feeds. Poultry feeds may be divided for convenience into. five general classes: First, grains, both whole and cracked; second, ground grains, fed In the form of a maslj; third, meat-feeds ; fourth, mineral feeds; and fifth, green feeds. Corn, cracked corn, wheat and wheat screenings, oats, barley, rye, and buckwheat are the principal grains, while of the ground feeds there are cornmeal and corn chop, corn and cob meal, wheat bran, middlings, shorts' and lowgrade flour, oatmeal, oat flour and ground or crushed*, oats, and mixed feeds. In. the meat feeds, or feeds supplying animal protein, are beef scrap, fish scrap, meat meal, ground green bone, and various forms of milk*; while bone meal, dry bone, oyster shells, and grit make up the mineral feeds and. with charcoal and green feeds, com ; plete' the common feeding materials. Many ground feeds, which are byproducts of the common grains, are used to good advantage in feeding, in combination with grain and beef scrap. Ground grains and meat feeds are more forcing than the -whole grains commonly used, while the combination of the whole grains with the ground feeds makes a more economical feed and a better balanced ration than the vhole /grains alone. The feed elements are usually cheaper in the ground than in the whole grains, as the former’are by-products of many of the grains used for human consumption. Ground grains and beef scrap, in combination, either wet or dry* make what is called a "mash.” These >v-f t ro<lu<ts arb-higherinproteln than most of Jhe common grains, so that a balanced ration is secured by combining whole grains with the mash, some qf the ground grains, such as bran and middlings, add a large percentage of bulk to the ration, which is beneficial. . " Animal protein Is. considered essen-

tial to the best results in feeding. Most poultrymen feed meat in some form, or fish scraps, while suburban poultry keepers either feed this product or table scraps; but few farmers buy any meat feed. Some form of feed containing animal protein must be supplied if any eggs are to .be obtained in the winter. Skim milk or butter- 1 milk is available on many farms, and where it is not it would probably pay most farmers to buy beef scrap or some other meat feed. Fowls on free range on the farms pick up bugs and insects during part of the year, which furnish this protein feed, so that the use of additional meat feeds is regulated by individual conditions. Fowl* closely confined need more animal_feed — than those on a good range; and in a cold climate, where no bugs or insects ale available during several winter months, more animal feed must be supplied than in sections where the winters are mild. Balanced Ration for Poultry. A well-balanced, simple ration may.. be made of equal parts, by weight, ofwheat, cracked corn, and oats fedtwice daily, usually in the morning and at night. The grain may be either scattered on the range In summer and in the litter in the poultry house in winter, or fed in the house throughout the year. It should be supplemented with a wet or dry mash of two parts of cornmeal and one part each of wheat bran, middlings, and beef serai).; One feed of mash may be fed at any time during the day and the grain fed for the other two meals. Regulate the proportions of grain and mash so that the hen will consume about equal parts of each. About one quart of grain daily should be fed to every 16 Leghorn hens, or to 13 general purpose hens, such as the Plymouth Rocks, with an equal weight of mash. This amount, however, varies, and should be regulated by the feeder, as the hens should be eager for each meal. Leghorns will eat about 55 pounds of grain and mash in a year, and Plymouth Rocks or hens of the general-purpose class, about 75 pounds. '

Layers Need Animal Feed. Chickens eat a large amount of animal matter in the form of insects, worms, and other low forms of animal life when allowed to range at will. If the poultry keeper is to get the best results from his fowls in winter he must furnish a substitute for this class- of feed. For this purpose green cut bone, men t or fish scraps. and animal meal may be used. Green cut bone is usually fed by Itself, while the , scraps and meal may be readily mixed with the mash. Cut bone consists of green or fresh bone sliced or shaved into thin pieces by a bone cutter. Bones fresh from the butcher have , more or less meat adhering? and the more of such meat the better, for the combination of bone and: meat is excellent for producing eggs. "Where a good supply of fresh byne can be obtained regularly it is very • useful, but it cannot be kept sweet for such long periods as the scraps and animal meal. Green cut bone should be fed carefully , and in a sweet condition, otherwise V bow-el trouble may result. One pound a day is sufficient for 20 hens, but not over one-half pound should be fed to thnt number when first beginning to feed it.