Barred Plymouth Rock 



egg-yield. For the nervous, alert, finely organized hen, exercise and plenty of it 

 is essential to vigor and health. 



Good Sense and Feeding 



Study the food formulas offered by dealers in poultry foods, but do not stay 

 closely by them at all times. Feeding standards worked out in various sections 

 of the country at large will be modified by conditions in California. They are 

 guides only in forming a judgment of what your own flock requires. 



Scientists say that food materials should be fed in about the proportion of 

 one pound of protein to four and six-tenths pounds of carbo-hydrates, or one pound 

 to five as some say. Now one need not learn the language of the expert, but we 

 should know what he means and be able to translate it into such concrete terms 

 as grain, ground bone, meat or meat meal and grass, alfalfa, spinach, lettuce, etc. 



Protein is the essential principle of food, and carbo-hydrates the sources of 

 heat and energy. The one supplies bone, muscle, blood, feathers, eggs; the other, 

 the starches principally, constitute the bulk of dry matter in almost all foods. 

 And a balanced ration is thought to be about one part protein to five parts carbo- 

 hydrates. 



The problem is how to divide these two classes of foods. You must use your 

 judgment and learn by doing it. Skill comes through practice. 



Observe that the hen likes certain kinds of food better than others. She 

 likes wheat better than rye, though the two grains are almost identical in com- 

 position. Wheat is better for the hen than rye, as tests show. The hen's appetite 

 is worth consulting. 



A Variety of Grains Best 



The hen likes variety; give her a chance to balance her own ration. A 

 variety will prevent her from eating too much grain, for instance, which might 



it 



