6o 



7. Corn may safely be largely used in rations for laying hens, 

 but its use requires unusual care not to over-feed for best results, 

 and it must be supplemented by a liberal proportion of animal food. 

 With such care and so supplemented, the use chiefly of corn, whole 

 or cracked, and corn meal rather than much wheat and wheat or 

 corn by-products is attended with the following advantages : lower 

 food cost both per day and per egg, rather more eggs, higher average 

 weight of fowls and better market quality when dressed and an 

 earlier and better molt. 



8. Buckwheat in any large proportion is a less desirable food for 

 laying fowls than corn. 



9. It is not best to use largely grains or meals carrying hard tough 

 fibre in large proportion. Under otherwise similar conditions the less 

 ■such fibre in the ration, the better will be the egg product. Oats, 

 barley, buckwheat and by-products containing the husks of these 

 grains should be sparingly used. 



Feeding for Eggs. 



The following combinations of feeds are suggested as likely to 

 produce satisfactory egg yields if judiciously handled. These sug- 

 gestions are based upon results of some of our most satisfactory 

 feeding experiments. Each combination will supply approximately 

 the amount of food which will be needed by a flock of twenty-two 

 -fowls for one month. As has been pointed out, the Station has not 

 •experimented to any extent with the dry meal method of feeding. 

 The foods in the combinations which follow which are connected by 

 the bracket have been mixed when weighed out and have been made 

 into a slightly moist crumbly mash in the quantity needed from day 

 to day. It has been our practice also to mix i^ to 2 pounds of 

 powdered charcoal with the other materials which enter into the mash. 



