FEED REQUIREMENTS 



175 



digested. Pork scraps are digested with great difficulty, yet their 

 digestible coefficient is high. (For an account of the digestive 

 organs see Chapter XVII.) 



Objects of Feeding. The feeding of different types and ages 

 of poultry may be grouped in accordance with their several objects 

 as follows: (1) Growth, which mostly includes the formation of 

 lean meat and other tissues incident to the gain in weight exem- 

 plified by the growing individual ; (2) maintenance, which includes 

 the repair of waste in the body tissues resulting from the vital 

 processes while performing their necessary functions, but does not 

 allow for any increase either in weight or in product; (3) produc- 

 tion, exemplified in birds by egg laying, incident to the important 

 function of reproduction; and (4) fattening, which covers the 

 special preparation of fowls for market. 



Feed Requirements. Important experiments have been car- 

 ried on in America to determine the feed requirements of domestic 

 fowls, some reliable work having been done by the New York and 

 the New Jersey Stations. The results of these investigations afford 

 a basis of various feeding standards. While no rules can be laid 

 down for absolute observance under all conditions, their judicious 

 observance in a general way will serve as a guide to the feeder. 

 The requirements for the growth of chicks for the maintenance of 

 adult fowls, and for egg production, are shown in Table IV. The 

 following table is by W. P. Wheeler of the Geneva Experiment 

 Station: 



TABLE IV. Feed Requirements of Chickens per Day for each 100 Pounds 

 of Live Weight. 



