SECTION XXXVI. 



STANDARDS AND RATIONS FOR POULTRY. 

 Points to be Observed in Compounding Rations. Rice in Read- 

 ing Course for Farmers, No. 18, gives the following points to 

 be observed in making rations for poultry : 



1. "It should be composed of foods every one of which the 

 fowls like. 



2. "It should contain a sufficient quantity of digestible nu- 

 trients to supply the needs of rapid growth and large produc- 

 tion. 



3. "It should have enough bulk to enable the digestive secre- 

 tions to act quickly upon it. 



4. "It should not contain an excess of indigestible fiber, which 

 must be thrown off by the system, thus causing a waste of energy. 



5. "A certain portion of the feed should be of whole grain in 

 order to provide muscular activity of the digestive organs. This 

 is made necessary in grinding the grain. 



"Under certain conditions a quantity of the ration should be 

 of soft ground food. This is for the purpose of providing 

 quickly available nutrients to supply the immediate demands of 

 rapid growth or heavy continuous egg yield. 



6. "It must provide a good variety of foods in which are in- 

 cluded grain, green food, meat and mineral matter, in proper 

 proportions. 



7. "The age of the fowl, the breed and kind of product which 

 it is desired to produce, must be taken into consideration, as to 

 whether the food is intended to grow muscle and bone, or to 

 produce eggs, or to fatten. 



8. "The ration must provide two classes of food nutrients, the 

 protein and carbohydrates, in such proportions that they will 

 supply the daily need of the fowl's system; it must also provide 

 sufficient digestible protein to repair the waste of tissue with 

 new growth and to produce eggs, and provide the proper amount 

 of digestible carbohydrate food to furnish heat, energy and lay 

 by a little surplus fuel in the form of fat. 



