FEEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION 



77 



stitutes when unable to secure a supply, or in the ex- 

 pectation that they may be able to duplicate the mixture 

 at less cost by buying the ingredients separately and 

 mixing them themselves. Many manufacturers of feeds 

 now publish in their literature, in their advertisements, 

 and sometimes on packages containing their products 

 statements of the kinds of ingredients in them, and of the 

 percentages of fat, protein, and fiber which they guar- 

 antee. They do not give proportions of the different in- 

 gredients, for the simple reason that secrecy as to such 

 details of trade formulas and processes is the man- 

 ufacturer's protection for the reputation he may be able 

 to build up for a particular line or brand of goods. Re- 

 gardless of whether the article is equal, or superior, or 

 inferior, to some other of its class, or whether the man- 

 ufacturer's claims for it are moderate or extravagant, 

 when goods of this character make a reputation under a 

 certain name or brand, the proprietor acquires an ex- 

 clusive right to the use of that name or brand, as well 

 as to a trade-mark, and exclusive knowledge of his for- 

 ula is on the same principle as the 

 right of an inventor, or the copy- 

 right of an author. 



The real merits of commercial mix- 

 tures and brands of live stock and 

 poultry feeds are not in the peculiar 

 individual properties of certain arti- 

 cles or lines of goods, but in the 

 good features common to all lines 

 put out by reputable houses seeking 

 to build up a large demand for their 

 goods. The manufacturer of poultry 

 feeds has superior advantages in buy- 

 ing the ingredients for them. Operat- 

 ing on the scale that he does he can 

 make all tests necessary to determine 

 the exact values of ingredients as 

 used, and so he can, whenever there 

 is occasion to do so, make the varia- 

 tions in his mixtures necessary to 

 maintain h i s nutritive standards. 

 Without disparagement of any line 

 of products it may be said that the 

 well-known popular lines are equally 

 good, and looking over the formulas 



as recommended by many experiment stations the reader 

 can easily judge for himself that many brands are equal- 

 ly well adapted to supply the grain ration for poultry 

 anywhere. The ordinary variations in other than com- 

 mercial rations are made as a rule to utilize the most 

 available and the cheapest feeds. Costs of feeds vary 

 much more with locality than do the feed requirements 

 of poultry. 



When a certain feed or ration is giving good results, 

 it is good policy to continue its use unless one is cer- 

 tain that better production or lower cost will follow a 

 change; but no poultry keeper ought ever to allow him- 

 self to harbor the idea that any formula whether used at 

 a laying contest or recommended by an uncommonly suc- 

 cessful breeder, or by an experiment station is so 

 superior to others that equally good results cannot be 

 obtained from some other ration. When a familiar and 

 favorite feed, whether a commercial or a home mix- 

 ture, cannot be obtained, the only sensible thing to do 

 is to take whatever commercial feed is available, or io 

 make as good a combination as possible of available in- 

 gredients. The last thing that should be considered 

 (which, however, is the first thing that a great many peo- 



ple do) is to feed short on the favorite usual ration with 

 the idea of making the supply last as long as possible 

 when it is running low and the prospect of replenishing 

 it at an early date is doubtful, or to feed light of a new 

 ration or feed on the theory that if the ration is not 

 as good as that commonly used, the less fed of.it the 

 better. Novices are especially prone to take this atti- 

 tude when the feeding of a different ration from that 

 which has been used starts mild digestive trouble and 

 perhaps leads to more serious results in a few cases. 

 They suppose that the new feed, or something in it, is 

 in itself harmful, when the fact is simply that the birds 

 have been so managed that they are easily affected by 

 changes of diet. 



There is nothing in itself harmful in any article com- 

 monly used for poultry feed. Some things are dangerous 

 when fed to excess, but poultry do not usually take such 

 things in excessive amounts unless practically forced to 

 do so in order to get an amount of feed that will barely 

 satisfy their hunger. With the exception of those who 



COLONY HOUSES IN SMALL YARDS ON A NEW ENGLAND DAIRY AND 



POULTRY AND GARDEN FARM 



The land in use for poultry at any time is stocked to its intensive capacity, 

 but the poultry goes on fresh land each year. There is a road between the two 

 rows of houses and the yards extend from it on either side. 



have had wide experience in the use of feeds, and with 

 different classes and types of fowls, nearly all poultry 

 keepers have more or less trouble when they make any 

 radical change in a ration, but when the change is a nec- 

 essary one, the only sound policy is to make whatever 

 other adjustments of the ration the primary change makes 

 necessary, and then feed well, culling out as soon as 

 possible any individuals that it appears will not thrive 

 on the new diet. 



One of the most important points in feeding for 

 egg production is to have already established good habits 

 of feeding in the pullets, and to preserve these through- 

 out the productive life of the hens. A common caution 

 in regard to the use of mashes, both moist and dry 

 but moist mashes in particular is to avoid overfeeding 

 the fowls, because overeating of mash (it is alleged) 

 makes fowls sluggish and inactive, so that after eating 

 heartily of mash they become almost torpid for hours, 

 standing listlessly about when they ought to be scratch- 

 ing for grain. While this is a common case, it is not a 

 necessary and inevitable consequence of full feeding of 

 any mash; but rather is the result of feeding poorly 

 made and somewhat indigestible mashes, or mashes too 



