15 Oct., 1919.] roultry Feeding and Foodstuffs. 605 



and by different breeders, it can hardly be claimed tbat they prove any- 

 thing "conclusive. In single test the 300 mark Has been reached in 

 different years by both dry and also wet mash feeding in white leghorns. 

 The official world's record single test 335 by Mr. Graham's black 

 Orpington was made on the wet mash system. 



Undoubtedly the dry mash system saves an enormous amount of 

 laibour, so that even if it were a fact that on a flock average the dry 

 mash system gave a dozen eggs less per bird, it is probable that it 

 .would still be quite as profitable, if not more so, than the wet mash. 

 But it has not been proved conclusively that a flock will lay more on 

 wet mash. In the writer's opinion, a hot feed at daybreak during the 

 winter months is conducive to better results. So far as the heavy breeds 

 are concerned, there is with them a tendency to get over-fat. on dry 

 mash, particularly with big-framed, strong constitubioned, birds, 

 though less robust birds, lacking spring of rib, have been observed to 

 do well with dry mash. 



The ])ractice is to feed as much wet mash as will be eaten up by 

 the birds in a period of about twenty minutes, whereas the dry mash 

 is available all day long. The usixal custom in Victoria is to feed gram 

 at night and mash in the morning. There is no necessity for this at 

 all, and a certain amount of time would be saved, and the birds kept 

 far more busy during the day, if the grains were .scattered in The litter 

 directly after breakfast, and mash fed at night. To warm the birds up 

 in winter^ and take the keen edge off their appetites, about half an 

 ounce of wheat per bird, with an equal' amount of water could be put 

 on a slow fire overnight and fed hot at daylight. The wheat should 

 just absorb the water without either burning, or leaving any " soup 

 over. The birds would then be ready to scratch for the dry grains in 

 the litter between 9 and 10 o'clock in vthe morning. 



The Burnley Mash. 



The rations as fed at Burnley for the competitions averaged out as 

 follows : — 



A very little salt was added to both mashes. It will be seen that 

 the dry mash ration was the same as the wet mash but for the addi- 

 tion of 1 pel- cent, of dark sugar and a slightly increased amount of bran. 

 The wet mash birds were fairly heavily fed, getting 3 ounces of mash 

 first thing, and about another ounce at midday, with 2 ounces of mixed 

 grain at night, apart from the green feed. Oaten pollard was generally 

 rather difficult to obtain in quantity, otherwise all the other foodstuffs 

 were those in general use. 



No stimulants are given to the birds at Burnley, the object being 

 to determine the laying abilities on ordinary foodstuffs, and the over- 

 seas experiment of giving the birds " one at eleven " is not likely to 

 find favour in Victoria. 



