ANNUAL REPORT, 1943-44 67 



of milo-rye dried distillers' grains with solubles and flame-dried redfish meal, 

 and poor in the groups of birds getting a similar ration without either meat 

 scraps or fish meal. 



Hatchability was excellent when birds were fed a ration containing milo-rye 

 dried distillers' solubles at the 5 percent level, supplemented either with liver meal 

 or with a combination of dried skimmilk, fish meal, and meat scraps at the same 

 crude protein level. Poor hatchability was obtained from groups getting similar 

 rations with no added animal protein, with or without dried brewer's yeast 

 and/or cholrine chloride. 



Methods of Feeding — Hatchability Studies. (J. H. Vondell.) Two pens of 

 70 Red females mated to 7 males were fed a complete all-mash ration; two pens 

 of 70 Red females mated as above were hopper fed mash, whole corn, wheat, 

 and oats; and 1000 eggs from each of the four pens were incubated in five lots. 

 The complete mash ration gave 76.0 percent fertility and 88.7 percent hatch- 

 ability of fertile eggs; the hopper feeding resulted in 78.3 percent fertility' and 

 88.5 percent hatchability of fertile eggs. 



Poultry Housing Projects, Winter of 1943-44. A. (C. I. Gunness and W. C. 

 Sanctuary.) A non-insulated, two-thirds span, 20 x 20 pen was equipped with a 

 special ventilating device consisting of a horizontal flue at the front of the house 

 at floor level. From this a fan blew the air through a narrow slit over most of 

 the litter and towards the rear of the pen. The intake to the flue drew in the 

 warmer air from the point high in the pen, mixed with controllable amounts of 

 fresh air admitted from out of doors. The net change of air was kept at a low 

 point to maintain as high a room temperature as possible — within 2 to 5 degrees 

 of similar adjoining insulated pens. The moisture content of the litter was 

 about 13 percent higher than in the adjoining insulated pens ventilated by baffled 

 window openings. There was but little condensation on the ceiling. There was 

 little or no indication of discomfort to birds from the forced air current near the 

 floor, in contrast to last jear's test when a more rapid air flow was produced by 

 use of a larger fan. 



B. (W. C. Sanctuary.) Two 20 x 20 insulated pens were ventilated only 

 with window openings equipped with baffle boards which deflected sharplv down- 

 ward all wind-driven incoming air. Provision for outgoing air was made by an 

 ample space above the bafifle device. Tests showed that the baffle increased the 

 recirculation of warm air naturally set up in a typical laying pen by the body 

 heat of the birds. Negatively the lievice prevented any direct drafts from blow- 

 ing into the pen at a high level, which would neutralize or completely counteract 

 the natural heat circulation, a result often observed in pens ventilated with the 

 usual window openings. The hens' actions indicated no discomfort from the 

 downward deflected air. 



One of these pens had also a complete rearrangement of equipment. The 

 nests were on the back wall. Indications are that heat from birds laying in the 

 nests tended to increase the normal circulation over the litter from the front to 

 the rear of the laying pens. Elevated pits 2J^ feet forward of the nests and 30 

 inches from the floor prevented any floor drafts from the cellar sash openings 

 in the rear wall near the floor (open in the summer) from striking the birds on 

 their elevated perches. These pits held one month's droppings and proved easier 

 to clean than floor pits, as well as obviating any danger of rotting out permanent 

 floors or rear walls. The pits were equipped with an alighting perch which made 

 it unnecessary to teach the pullets to go to roost. The water founts and non- 

 wasting hoppers were elevated from the floor leaving practically the entire floor 



