FISH MEAL IN ANIMAL FEEDING 387 



hold its place even after normal conditions return. A meal made from the 

 blue mussels that are found in countless numbers alonf? the Danish coast has 

 been tried and is now being ofEered on the market. It is claimed that this 

 meal will increase cfig production by more than 100 per cent. The food values 

 and the keeping qualities of (he meal are said to be satisfactory. It is delivered 

 in sealed sacks of 25 or nO kilos (55 or 110 pounds), costing 40 ore per kilo 

 (about 10 cents per pound) delivered in Odense. 



One great trouble with shellfish used as chicken feed has been that when 

 the weather is warm the mussels quickly spoil and give forth a very disagree- 

 able odor. It is now claimed, however, if blue mussels are dried at a very high 

 temperature and afterwards ground to a comparatively fine meal, a hen feed 

 is obtained which, if kept dry, is in no way objectionable and will last a long 

 time. It has another special advantage In that it is not bulky and can, there- 

 fore, be delivered cheaply. . ,. , 



The meal in its dried form, according to an analysis made at an agricultural 

 experiment station, contains the following elements: Lime (in the form of 

 ashes) 7141 per cent; sugar, starch, and other organic matter, 13.21 per cent; 

 nitrogenous matter, 11.64 per cent; fats, 1.68 per cent; and water, 2.06 per 

 cent Thus it seems that the food contains an unusually large quantity of 

 nitrogen together with other nourishing elements, and a large amount of lime 

 which is so necessary for forming the eggshell. It is claimed that this food 

 mixed with grain gives ideal nourishment for hens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. 



The experiment station that analyzed this meal also experimented with its 

 use Eight hens were fed for 12 days with barley bran and as much green 

 vegetables as thev would eat. The hens laid during that time 16 eggs, that 

 is 1% eggs per day. The following nine days the hens w^ere given the same 

 ration witli an addition of 25 grams of mussel meal per hen. During this time 

 the hens laid 29 eggs, or 3% eggs per day. These eggs weighed slightly more 

 than those produced during the first nine days, so that is another point to be 

 considered, eggs being sold here by weight, not by the dozen. 



The following rations have been found satisfactory for feeding mussel meal 

 to poultry: For each hen take 38Vj grams of barley bran and the same quantity 

 of the meal and mix into a soft mash ; in addition use as much fresh vegetables 

 or cooked potatoes as the hen will eat and 10 to 15 grams of whole grain in the 

 evening. For ducks the ration should be 50 grams instead of 371/2, and for 

 geese or turkeys, 75 grams. , ^ ^ -, ..v. 



At first the poultry will not like the new food, but after a few days they 

 will eat it willingly. There must not be too much set before them at one 

 time and they must be allowed to have absolutely nothing else until they have 

 eaten all that has been given them. 



It has been estimated that the use of mussel meal for all the hens in Den- 

 mark, numbering about 6,000,000, would gi^•e an enormous increase in the 

 total egg production of the country. The meal has been developed as a " war 

 product " to supplement the 50 grams of feed per day that is allowed by the 

 Government for each hen. It is thought, however, that even under normal 

 conditions this new Jeed can be produced at a price to compete with imported 

 feeds. 



Manning (1929a) conducted poultry feeding experiments in which 

 the vahie of crab meal as an egg producer was tested. The group 

 receiving 20 per cent of crab meal in the ration produced almost 

 twice as many eggs as was produced by the control pen. 



In comparing crab meal and meat meal in egg production tests, 

 as described by Manning (1929d), poultry receiving 20 per cent of 

 crab meal in the ration produced 1,110 eggs, whereas those on a diet 

 containing 20 per cent of meat meal produced only 855 eggs in the 

 same period. The rations of both groups were otherwise the same. 



ETTECT OF FISH-MEAL FEEDING ON THE QUALITY OF CARCASSES OF SAVINB 



Landis (1923) said that feeding fish meal improved slightly the 

 quality of the carcasses of swine. 



According to de Ruyter de Wildt (1925), slaughter records showed 

 that pigs fed fish meal were more fleshy, better proportioned, and 



