SAltJSDAV. FEBRUARY 21, tMl CAPE MAY STAR ASD WAVE ■ M. «= - , — w-— :~ ■ - - = --■■ '■ .,■■•■■ rrJMM —

HOW POULTRY SHOULD BE FED The Following Lessons are Published to Teach the Professional and Amateur Chicken Fanciers the Proper Rations for them. Edited by Prof. R. D. Maltby. Poultry raising is fast becoming one of the important Industrie* or branches of agriculture. It has been evolved from a nonimportant sideline of farming to that of one of the mportant facte*, in this work. The value of eggs for feed as well as the -meat of the fowl has but recently been realized so that poultry husbandry is one of the new innovations in agriculture. Poultry husbandry can be carried on very nicely by all farmers in connection with their other agricultural work, if not developed too extensively. Poultry work can also be carried on by suburbanites enough ground or land can be obtained for this purpose. There are several factors which go to make a success in poultry work and one of the most important of tlieal- is the question of proper feeding. Practically a flock of chickens can be made to lay eggs at a preflt fed properly, housed properly and given proper care. Th equestion of housing is one that is very important and no one should attempt to raise poultry in a building that is not suited for the work. The work of poultry raising is of such n nature that young poeple can carry it on very successfully in a limited way. It not only adds a little income hut also gives the toy or girl a lietter chance to study those things which deal with nature. • The follow ing lectures on poultry have l>cen evolvd from men who have actually made a success in the work 'and who have studied the subject from all angles. < Wit will have to lie given to Prof. I liberty II. Bailey's eneycle-.-di' of Agriculture and Robinson R Principles and Practices of l'ouitry Culture, both being puoted several times. The following lectures do not cover by any means ell of tin- points to be considered in feeding but they do attempt to take up tl e general points to be considered ami discussed in a char and logical manner. In the study of any question of this kind the reader learns to adapt the principles to the conditions which surround him and his flock. ROBERT D. MALTBY, Dean, Baron de Hirsch Agricultural School. POULTRY FEEDING Domestic poultry can be fed with almost everything. All elassi« of poultry, including ihe domestic fowls, turkeys, ducks, gee.se and guineas cat freel. and naturally of the grains, meat foods and green forage. They differ, however, in habits of eating / mi regards their preferences for contain classes' of foods, for ex-j ample: fowls may lie classed primarily as grain eaters, turkeys and guineas as insect -hunters, ducks and geese as grazers and , fishers • ^ « • THE DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS. First of >11. a good ration must contain a sufficient quantity of digest iiiie nutrients to meet the needs of the animal. This means that the ration must be varied in quantity and composition, according to the size. age. condition and environment of the animal. The amount of food which a flock of fowls requires must be determined by knowing the kinds and composition of the foods available "and the' kind. size, ago and productivity of the bird to be fed. The fat that the food requirements of animals vary from day to day makes it impossible to calculate accurately in advance just . how much of each nutrient should be fed. Feeding standards, nevertheless are exceedingly helpful in forming a judgment of the animal's probable needs to prevent the possible serious misitake of feeding radically wrong rations, which could not supply \lie needs of the system because thev contained too much or too little hulk, of fiber, or ash, or protein, or carbo-hydrate material, in proportion to the other ingredients. A perfect ration should satisfy the following requirements of the animal : Repair broken down tissue; make new growth; produce heat; furnish energy; store up surplus fat to be used for heat or epergy in case of need; meet the needs of reproduction. PROPERLY BALANCED RATION There should be exactly enough, and no' more, of the protein and carbo-hydrate nutrients to meet the needs of the bird. A ratios must have the protein, carbo-hydrate and fat in proper proportion without an excess of any. If the protein is lacking, the animal cannot make the white of the egg. nor grow new muscular tissue, and in the end will starve even with an abundance of carbohydrates. If there should be a deficiency of carbo-hydrate and a surplus of protein, the animal would lie obliged to burn up protein Cor fuel or use it for the formation of fat, which would be too exenrive, and might also be injurious by overtaxing the kidneys carrying off the waste nitrogen. According to our present wlcdge of balanced rations for fowls, the food nntrienta should Hi in about the proportion of one pound of protein to 4.(5 '• of carbo-hydrates for egg production ; or one pound teia to seven or eight pounds of carbo-hydrates for •; and one pound of protein to four pounds of carbo*sr raising young chickens. PREFERENCE OF FOOD * decided preference for certain foods, which cannot \by their composition. Rye and wheat are almost osition, yet fowls will eat in the order in which wheat, corn; oats, peas, barley, buckwheat and 'd be palatable. The palatabUity of a food may xlity which determines the fowl's preference vxtnre determine the palatabilitv. The me■omposition ary also determining , factors, s much influence on the way it is digested, -uouth. Foods that are not palatable do motion for digestion. The mouth and so as to what is best for the system, what it does not like. Habit plays an . fowl's preference for certain foods, it because they are new to it, that '-sample, wheat will be refused at stomed to eat other grains.

VARIETY OF RATION. A good variety of food helps to increase the palatability of a ration. Fowls become tired of eating the same kind of food continuously. It is better to feed several kinds of food, all of which an animal, likes, than it is to feed any one food, no matter how good it may be. Fowls thus have a better chance to balance their own rations and get foods that are best suited for their needs. A good variety prevents a fowi from eating exclusively of one grain which it may prefer, but which might cause over-fatness. It appears to be immaterial whether a variety of grain is fed at each feeding or whether the same grains are fed separately and alternately daring tne day or on different days. ACTIONS OF DIGESTIVE SECRETIONS When a large amount of certain concentrated ground grain is fed, the ration may be concentrated that it becomes compact in the crop. Because of the concentrated nature of a finely ground ration, which makes it possible for the food to pass quickly through the intestinal tract, the fowl is more easily overfed. Thus a certain amount of bulk in a ration is necessary. This is provided by feeding wheat, braii. clover, alfalfa meal or the like, to overcome the too concentrated nature of such foods as oil-meal, wheat middlings, corn meal and the like. The whole or cracked grains also give bulk to a ration. LIMITATION OF INDIGESTIBLE FIBER. When adding bulk to a ration ; it should be done by adding foods that arc readily digestible. Foods tliat are bulky are likely to contain a large proportion of wood filler (cellulose) which the animal is compelled to reduce to fineness and pass through the body undigested. This requires a large and unnecessary expenditure of energy, and makes impossible the rapid changes that are necessary for the laying or growing fowl. WHOLE GRAIN AND GROUND FEED MIXTURE. Fowls are essential grain eaters. They prefer whole or cracked grain to the ground grains The most raitonal system of feeding fowls requires that both whole grain or cracked grain and ground feed should be supplied. The whole grain insures the activity of the body in grinding the grains and makes over-feeding less likely. It has also the advantage of inducing fowls to take exercise in hunting for the grain, which should always he scattered it. a deep litter of straw. Ordinarily, if left to t'eir ovn choice, with free access to both whole grain •• nd-eroum' "•<— d. fowls will consume one-third to one-half ground feed, depending largely on the nature of the mixture. All of th<- common grains, with the exception of peas have a wide nutii'ive ratio. The ground feed mixture, therefore, should he made " rrow. In-order to • '<> this, a little oil meal or alfajfrf meal may be used to advantage. Generally, however, the meat food vjill have to be depended on to narrow the ration. It seems necessary to feed at least one-third ground grain in order to supply the fowls with readily available nourishment, especially when they are in heavy laying. Fowls do not seem capable of grinding the whole or cracked grain rapidly enough to, satisfy their needg. except during the season when they are least productive. Wheat is the most desirable of grain foods. Corn, however, because itjs usually .cheaper should be used largely, throughout the. United States. Heavy oats are next to be preferred; light oats are to be avoided. Peas, although one of tlie best foods for poultry, cannot be used extensively because of the scarcity and hi eh price. For ground feeds, the wheat by-products » — bran and middlings, and corn meal and ground oats are the most desirable. Gluten meal or gluten f°ed is being fed successfully in a limited quantity in connection v itli other ground feeds. As a rule, fowls do not eat oil meal so readily as the other ground feeds, but because of its richness, it is desirable to include not to exceed five to ten per cent of it in the ground feed ration. Cotton seed meal has not proven satisfactory. ADVANTAGE OF MEAT FEEDING • A pound. of protein in the form of meat appears to be more valuable than a pound of protein in any other class of foods. Meat should form at least 10 to 15 per cent, of the total food consumed each day. depending on the kind of meat and other food and their composition. Beef scraps, because of high protein content and good keeping qualities, must be mainly depended on. Skimmed milk at 15 to 20 cents per 100 pounds -is probably the most desirable of all meat foods, to he fed either in the liquid or as pot cheese. Sour milk is more desirable than sweet, bnl it is not well to alternate sour milk anil sweet milk. Green cut bone is very desirable for variety, and one-balf ounce may be fed each day per fowl in addition to other meat foods. Milk albumen has not been sufficiently tested to warrant a recommendation. ADVANTAGE OF GREEN FOOD. The chief value in feeding green food is the fact that the juicy and medicinal qualities assist in the digestion of other foods and tend to promote health if wisely fed. The most desirable green food is clover pasturage. Cut clover, fed either dry or steamed, furnishes excellent green food for winter use, but lacks in moisture. The mangle l»eet is perhaps the best winter green food. Cabbage b fed in a reasonable quantity, does not appear to injure the flavor of the product and is much relished by all kinds of poultry. GRIT INDISPENSIBLE IN FEEDING Experiments at Cornell University have proved that grit has a double function — namely, to grind or crush food in the gizzard and to furnish lime. Most of the grits on the market contain little or no lime. Cracked oyster shells or mortar are the chief sources of lime. They also meet the need for grinding material. FOODS NOT TO INJURE FLAVOR OR COLOR OF PRODUCTS It bas been demonstrated by several experiments and is well recognized in practice that certain foods influence the color of the yolk of the egg, the fat of the body, the skin and the feathers. Yellow corn and clover impart a deep yellow pigment. Wheat oats, and especially buckwheat, produce a very light colored pigment. Experiments at Cornell University show that onions «md fish except when fed in excess, do not impart a marked flavor to the eggs. Cabbage fed in excess, in two carefully conducted trials did not produce undesirable flavor that could be detected even in the raw egg. ^ CONSIDERATION OF COST OF RATION The fact that the principal poultry foods vary in cost from time to time, according to the supply and demand, makes it desirable that rations be varied somewhat to snit the market conditions. It is seldom necessary to feed largely on the most expensive foods. Generally the by-product feeds are less expensive to purchase per pound of food nutrient than the whole grains. This is particularly true in the case of wheat, buckwheat, by-products, especially middlings and gluten meal, in order mentioned. FEEDING ACCORDING TO AGE. The system of feeding must be adopted to the age of the fowl Young fowls naturally utilize their foods in the production of new growth and energy. Mature fowls, having completed their growth, utilize their food in production. Old fowls, having completed their development and their years of greatest production, have a tendency to use their food in the production of Lit

FEEDING FOWLS DURING THE DIFFERENT Theoretically, more heat-forming foods shctild be fed during the winter season than at other times, wider rations are required during the cold weather and narrower rations during the tfamf/*# weather. This is accomplished by increasing the amount of corn 7 \ fed during different seasons of the year, torn having a wider tin- H tritive ratio, end therefore being a better producer of heat and ""j energy than most of the other feeds. " N FEEDING SETTING HENS - • •>, Lecture No.' 5. A broody hen needs less food than at any other time of her life. As a rule she is mature, non-productive, non-active and simply requires a maintenance ration. This should be largely of whols grain with a limited amount of vegetable food, if any, and only a small amount of meat. . The object is to prevent the development of the ovaries by too large a supply of readily digested nourishment. A • BREAKING UP BROODING HENS _ The broody hen should be fed with a dew to inducing egg production in the shortest possible time. It should be fed, therefore, the most attractive and best egg-producing rations. THE FEEDING OF THE BREEDING STOCK In feeding the breeding stock, the object should be to prevent over-feeding, especially during the non-productive seasons — fall and early winter. As a result, a large egg-yield cannot be secured. The rations should not be too narrow, and thus produce a phlegmatic condition, nor too fattening and cause sluggishness and fatty degeneration, either of which would come from over-feeding rich rations. A limited amount 6f meat, whole grains fed in a litter to induce exercise in the open air. and a limited amount of green food with an abundance of bone and oyster shell, should be fed. FEEDING THE DIFFERENT BREEDS .... The heavier and the more sluggish the breed, the greater is the. tendency to become fat and, therefore, the greater is the need of proper methods of feeding which will control exercise and prevent- over-eating. The lighter and more active breeds apparently can he fed a wider ration with '.ess danger of over-fattening than can the heavier and more phlegmatic breeds. The fine art of feeding' consists in furnishing the right kind of foods in such manner that the fowls ran be kept in the best physical condition. This means that the fowls mr.'d ' eve sopie surplus fat in the body — a poor hen rannotlav . A ver" fat hen may become so sluggish tbpt death '-ill result from f <y degeneration. Tlje fowl that is in the best laying condition always has a large amount of surplus fat in the body. How to furnish the available nourishment to meet the needs of egg-prodnction, and at the same time prevent the fowl from becoming too fat. is the problem in feeding. In a word, it eoasists in feeding a. well balanced ration in such a manner that the appetite shall he kept good, which means that once a day a fowl should eagerlv come for the food, preferably in the morning, and once a day have all the food tliat it can possibly consume, preferably at night. MASHES Ground foods as fed to poultry are called maslios. Primarily and properly the term mash applies to a moist mixture of ground grain stuffs, either raw or cooked. The term mash was generally used in that sense until a few years ago. when the practice of feeding those foods without wetting gained some popularity, and the food in this form began to he called a dry mash. ERRORS IN THE USE OF "WET MASHES The wet mnsli. being capable of great variation in composition and consistency, may become a dangerous factor in the hands of an unskilful or of a 'careless feeder. The greatest risks att end the misuse of the mash in fredipg poultry lacking in vitality and digestive power. Such birds may he very seriously affected by slmnv. doughy or sour mashes when rugged birds would eat them with impunity. DRY MXSHES Dry mashes came into use been use of the difficulties that many pcultiy keepers experienced in using wet mashes, and because of the apparent saving of labor in preparing and the greater convenience fin many instances) in feeding tliem. In the hands of an expert feeder a dry mash of the right composition, kept before the bird constantly, will almost invariably give better results than a wet. mash, provided the same hard grains are given with the dry a? would lie given with the wet mash. If fas often is the case) an effort is made to oomnel the birds to consume certain considerable aiiantities of the drv-mash mixture, by reducing the grain until thev will eat the desired ouantity of the dry mash, the results are likely to he disappointing, for the birds do not like dry masi)c= well enough to eat them freelv. and are likely to be underfed. With a sufficient supnlv of hard*frrain the dry masli becomes a supplementary feed, not attractive in form vet fed in such a manner th«t it mav he ra*en nnite rapidly, being always before the birds, it gives the weaker ones and the slow feeders an oppor-' tunitv to eat all they want/ being unattractive in form, it does net tempt others to overeat, gnd so the food consumption of the flock is more eaual. As far/as growth and n reduction are concerned, full feeding, uniform throughout the flock, is the principal advantage in the use of dry mash. DANGERS -IN THE USE OF DRY MASHES Ground grains fed to poultry in a dry state have a marked costive property. If the remainder of the ration is too laxative for general use or for birds with a tendency to looseness of the bowels, an appropriate quantity of dry ground foods may be a corrective or preventive of diarrhea. Under any other conditions a dry mash may he too constipating. The costive property of dry mashes is particularly dangerous when a mash cotnains a high percentage of animal food or other substance rich in protein or fat, because it may prevent the slight diarrhea which would give immediate warning of the injurious effects due to an excess of concentrated food. Makers of commercial dry mashes tak» advantage of this to use in their mixtures large proportions of highly concentrated foods (not always of good quality), which stimulate for a time but in the end bring about the usual results ot' too heavy feeding of such articles. The tendency to produce constipation may be offset by the liberal use of succulent foods, and by feeding hard grains so freely that the consumption of mash is small. The danger due to excess of concentrates is avoided by the feeder mixing mashes himself and limiting the per cent of concentrates, or it may be greatly decreased by free feeding in other parte of the ration. COMMON POULTRY FOODS In every place those foods (used by man for himself or his " larger domestic animals) which can be fed to poultry most economically are the poultry foods in general use. In any section the grain that is most abundant and cheapest is likely to be the principal food of the poultry of that section. Throughout the greater part of the United States corn is the principal grain fed to poultry, but in wheat-growing sections wheat may be cheaper. In Japan rice is the principal grain fed to poultry. By-products of all kinds of food preparations form an increasingly- important part of the common noultry foods. In a sense the greater part of all the food used by poultry is waste product or by-product. The wheats, oata, barley or other grain fed to poultry is usually of inferior grade, damaged, or if of choice quality, only temporary