CHAPTER XI 



FUNDAMENTALS OF FEEDING 



Feeding is one of the very important subjects in poultry 

 husbandry. It is true that some hens will not lay many 

 eggs, no matter how well they may be fed ; that is because 

 they have not the inherited ability to lay ; in other words, 

 they have not the proper breeding. This is discussed in the 

 chapter on breeding. It will be seen there that food is 

 efficient in producing eggs largely as the hen has been bred 

 for laying, and that it is a waste to feed it to some hens. 

 At the same time feeding must not be underrated. While 

 it is true that some hens will not lay no matter how well 

 they may be fed, it is equally true that some will not lay, 

 no matter what their breeding may be, unless well fed. 



The problems in feeding cannot be settled by a set of 

 rules and regulations. That is to say, any system of feed- 

 ing cannot be followed blindly under all conditions. If 

 fowls were all alike, if climatic conditions were always the 

 same, if foods never varied in composition, if the feeding 

 were done with a single purpose, it might be possible to re- 

 duce the problem of feeding to one simple ration and one 

 single way of feeding. If conditions were always the same 

 it would be possible to say to the poultrymen in effect : Feed 

 this ration and follow this system of feeding and you will 

 be successful. 



The successful poultryman of course will follow a system, 

 but no system will relieve him of the necessity of doing a 

 little thinking for himself if he will get the best value from 

 the foods he feeds. His success in securing a good egg 

 yield and, therefore, a good profit will depend very largely 



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