CHAPTER XXI 



BALANCED RATION FOR HEAVY BREEDS 



It must be understood that in balanced rations, green feed, grit, 

 charcoal and all condiments are left out, being outside the term of a 

 "balanced ration." 



The day's ration should commence with a feed of grain, in deep 

 litter to induce exercise. The grain may be either wheat, oats or 

 soaked barley, or it may be a little of all three, but never corn. 

 About nine o'clock feed some form of green feed, and if you are just 

 selling eggs for commercial purposes, feed a small amount of moist 

 mash about noon. The mash must contain one to four to be equally 

 balanced. That is if you have a quart measure you fill it once with 

 animal food, such as beef scrap, fish meal or meat meal, and four 

 times with the carbo-hydrates. 



This is not scientifically correct, but it is as near as we can get 

 it without the different food values being analyzed by experts. Some- 

 times bran is lacking in protein and an expert would make it balance 

 with something else, and this, of course, cannot be done with crude 

 measurements. The "quart" is used because it is the smallest measure 

 used for ordinary purposes and it can be multiplied as many times as 

 is necessary. 



The following mash is as good as can be made for all breeds of 

 fowls that are likely to put on flesh. It is not so much the mash 

 itself that causes troubles, but the quantity that is fed. For this 

 reason do not allow more than one good handful for each hen of 

 moist mash and a little more of dry, for one day's feeding. 



Wheat bran, 200 pounds; ground barley, 50 pounds; ground oats, 

 50 pounds; alfalfa meal, 50 pounds; ground bone, 25 pounds; salt, 

 5 pounds; charcoal, 5 pounds; beef scrap, 25 pounds; fish meal, 

 40 pounds. Bone meal or ground bone does not contain quite as high 

 a protein as 'beef scrap or fish meal, so there is a little allowance 

 made for that and the protein contents appear to be a little higher 

 than they really are. 



A good mash for all light breeds such as Leghorns, Anconas, etc.: 

 Wheat bran, 200 pounds; cornmeal, 100 pounds; wheat middlings, 

 100 pounds; ground oats, 50 pounds; ground barley, 50 pounds; 

 ground bone, 25 pounds; beef scrap, 50 pounds; fish meal, 50 pounds; 

 charcoal, 5 pounds; salt, 5 pounds; alfalfa meal, 50 pounds; soy 

 meal, 25 pounds. The alfalfa meal is optional and can be either given 

 or not according to whether the hens have plenty of green feed or 



