34 AGRICULTURE. 



50 lbs. of food per day, containing about 34 pounds of 

 ^vater-free food. There should be in this about 6 pounds 

 of digestible protein, 14 pounds of digestible nitrogen-free 

 extract and fiber, and 2 pounds of digestible fat. 



Per hen the amount of food required per day varies 

 according to the size and somewhat with the season. A 

 smaller hen will eat more in proportion to live weight than 

 a larger one. The difference in amount of food consumed 

 by larger and smaller hens is less when laying than at other 

 times, when enough for maintenance only need'be eaten. 



A Cochin or Brahma hen when laying requires about 4I 

 ounces of food per day, of which 3!^ ounces is water-free 

 food. A hen of Leghorn size when laying requires about 3J 

 ounces of total food, or 2| ounces of water-free food, per day. 



A much larger amount of food in proportion to the live 

 weight is required by the chicks than by the older fowls. 

 The amount of water-free food required for every one 

 hundred pounds live weight fed is 10.6 lbs. at about one 

 pound average weight; at two pounds 7.5 lbs.; at three 

 pounds 6.4 lbs; at four pounds 5.5 lbs.; at five pounds 5.3 

 lbs.; at six pounds 4.9 lbs.; at seven pounds 4.7 lbs.; at 

 eight pounds 4 lbs.; at nine pounds 3.3 lbs.; at ten pounds 

 average live weight 3.2 lbs. The amounts of fresh food 

 equivalent to these weights would be correspondingly 

 greater. These are the amounts taken by growing fowls 

 which normally attain to the higher weights given, and 

 which are still immature and growing rapidly when at five 

 and six pounds average weight. 



For young chicks the nutritive ratio of the ration fed 

 can be somewhat narrower than those given for laying 

 hens, and for fattening the ration can have a very much 

 wider ratio, although only for short periods. 



For one hundred hens about 16 quarts of clean water 

 per day is required, especially in dry hot weather. In 

 each dozen eggs there is about a pint of water. 



A Variety of Food is Essential. 



Young hens, especially of the better laying breeds, when 

 in full laying, can be freely fed all they wnll readily eat, bu. 



