386 FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



Ration 2. — Feed in deep litter a mixture of 2 parts each of corn and wheat 

 and 1 of barley ( a light feed in the morning and a heavy one at night ) . 



Feed in hopper (all the time) crushed oats. 



Feed in trough (3 times a week) a moist mash of equal parts bran and corn 

 meal. Salt slightly. 



Milk — sour milk or buttermilk to drink. 



Green feed; grit; oyster shell; charcoal; and water as in Ration 1. 



Ration 3. — Feed in deep litter a mi.xture of 2 parts each of corn and wheat 

 and 1 of oats (a light feed in the morning and a heavy one at night). 



Feed in hopper a mixture of 100 lbs. each of wheat bran, wheat middlings, 

 corn meal, and meat scrap, with 2 lbs. salt. (Let the hens eat this when they 

 wish.) 



Green feed; grit; oyster shell; charcoal; and icater as in Ration 1. 



Ration 4. — Feed in deep litter a mixture of 4 parts corn, 2 parts wheat and 

 1 part oats (a light feed in the morning and a heavy one at night). 



Feed in hopper a mixture of 200 lbs. wheat bran, 100 lbs. ground corn, 100 lbs. 

 gluten feed, 75 lbs. oil meal, and 3 lbs. salt. 



Feed in trough (3 times a week) the same mixture, moistened with milk. 



Milk to drink, or add 50 lbs. meat scrap, or give meat scrap in small hopper, 

 or give 3 ounces green bone to each hen per week. 



Green feed; grit; oyster shell; and charcoal as in Ration 1. 



Ration 5 (known as the Wisconsin simplicity ration). — Feed in deep litter 

 only corn (a light feed in the morning and a heavy one at night). 



Milk — sour milk before the flock at all times, no water. 



Green feed; grit; oyster shells; and charcoal as in Ration 1. 



On extremely cold days heat ear corn on the back of the stove, break into small 

 pieces, and feed on the cob early enough so that the hens have a chance to pick 

 ofT all they want before they go to bed. 



The eggJ — In several respects an egg is similar to a grain, siicli as 

 a kernel of corn. In each there is a germ, from which the new life 

 develops, and each contains food for the nourishment of this germ. In 

 the grain the stored food material is starch, fat, and protein, while in 

 the egg the nutriment is stored in the form of protein and fat. While 

 the grain must absorb much water for germination, the egg contains 

 sufficient for its own development. Moreover, a much higher tempera- 

 ture is required for the hatching of the egg than for the germination 

 of a seed. 



An egg consists of five parts : (1) the shell ; (2) the shell membrane ; 

 (3) the albumin; (4) the yolk; and (5) the germ. The shell, consist- 

 ing of 3 layers, makes up from 10 to 11 per ct. of the weight of the 

 entire egg. It is composed chiefly of calcium carbonate (carbonate 

 of lime). The shell memlyrane consists of two layers, the inner one 

 being the thinner. At the large end of the eg,g these layers separate, 

 forming the air sac. The albumin, or the white of the egg, which forms 

 about 59 per ct. of the weight, contains about 14 per ct. dry matter, 

 this being nearly all protein. When an egg is cooked, this albumin 



7 Largely adapted from Lippincott, Poultry Production, 1916. 



