Food and Egy Production 175 



The profit in feeding comes from the food 

 consumed in excess of that required for the 

 maintenance of the body. If the individual 

 makes good use of the food consumed, that 

 which is not required for maintenance should 

 be directed chiefly toward the production of mer- 

 chantable articles. It should not be held, how- 

 ever, that all of the food consumed in excess of 

 that required to maintain the body may be devoted 

 to the production of eggs or meat. As the ration 

 is increased, the work required of the fowls to 

 digest and assimilate this food is also increased. 

 So no matter whether the animal be a hen or a 

 cow, the physical organization is required to do 

 more work on a full ration than on a light one, 

 and food is required to supply energy for this 

 increased work. 



There is little danger of overfeeding laying- 

 hens if the proper- kind of food is given. The 

 difficulty lies in not being able to secure fowls 

 that are sufficiently strong to digest and assimi- 

 late enough food to give the greatest profit. A 

 strong tendency toward egg laying, a vigorous 

 constitution, and an abundance of suitable food, 

 are three prime essentials for profitable egg pro- 

 duction. Other things being equal, those fowls 

 that are able to digest and assimilate the largest 

 quantities of food will prove the most profitable. 



It is the practice of the most successful 



