Grade 

 Date. . 



EXERCISE 14 

 EFFICIENCY OF STANDARD LAYING RATIONS 



Object. — To determine the efficiency of certain recommended complete 

 rations for laying hens. 



Equipment. — Detailed composition of certain rations, especially those 

 recommended by experiment stations and those used by successful poul- 

 trymen. This information should include ingredients of grain ration and 

 dry mash ration, together with amounts and time of feeding, and also any 

 modifications of this ration for different breeds in different seasons, also any 

 supplemental feeds given, such as sprouted oats or beets. 



Procedure. — Study each complete ration in detail according to the 

 following procedure: 



Step 1, — By using table of nutrients on page 518, in Productive Poul- 

 try Husbandry, determine the amount and ratio of the nutrients in the 

 dry mash ration. 



Step 2. — By the use of the same table determine amount and proportion 

 of nutrients in the scratch grain ration. 



Step 3. — Combine these two rations in the proportion in which they are 

 fed and determine the amount and proportion of nutrients consumed by 

 100 hens in a day. 



Step 4. — Determine how the result compares with the Wheeler standard 

 for laying hens. (Productive Poultry Husbandry, page 175). 



Step 5. — Using local current prices for poultry feeds, determine the cost 

 of this complete ration and the cost of feedmg 100 birds per day. 



Step 6. — Determine the cost of feeding one hen for one year on the basis 

 of these formulas. 



Step 7. — Group results of all rations studied and arrange the rations in 

 the order of their efficiency, considering proportion of ingredients, nutritive 

 ratio and cost. 



Note. — For ease in figuring nutritive values the total weight of each 

 ration studied should be taken as one hundred pounds. 



Leading Questions. — 1. What ingredients were most universally used 

 in "the dry mash rations? 



2. What ingredients were most generally used in the scratch grain rations? 



3. What should constitute the average daily diet of 100 hens in protein, 

 carbohydrates and fat? Correlate your results with this standard. 



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