No. 4. 



POULTRY AND EGG PRODUCTION. 



29 



The mash as given is designed especially for the feeding of 

 Leghorns; when heavier breeds are kept, such as Plymouth 

 Rocks or Wyandottes, especially with yearling or two-year-old 

 hens, the tendency will be for them to take on an excess of 

 fat. Under such conditions it is the best policy to restrict 

 the amount of mash eaten by leaving the hopper open dur- 

 ing the afternoon only, thus inducing the birds to work 

 during the morning hours for the cracked grain fed in the 

 litter at the morning feeding. 



As a supplemental ration to the dry mash the following 

 grain rations are fed. A scratching ration of whole grain is 

 fed every morning, both winter and summer, about 9 o'clock, 

 in deep litter. Its primary object, aside from its nutritive 

 value, is to induce the birds to take a considerable amount of 

 exercise. About 5 pounds of this scratching ration is fed to 

 each 100 birds on the floor of the house or under some shelter 

 where the litter is dry and where there is protection from cold 

 winds. The scratching ration is made up as follows : — 



At 4 to 5 o'clock in the afternoon, depending on the season, 

 a night ration is fed, composed of whole and cracked grains, 

 at the rate of 10 pounds to 100 birds. 



