METHODS OF FEEDING 259 



should give a heavy egg yield if properly fed. They are 

 equal in protein, but No. 5 has more fat than 4. Corn, 

 which has more fat than wheat, should be fed more liberally 

 during the cold weather than during the summer. Ration 

 5 therefore should be a better winter ration than 4. 



How to Feed the Rations. To get the best results from 

 rations 1 and 2 the fowls should have free range on the 

 farm. These rations would be altogether impracticable for 

 yarded fowls. A light feed of corn or wheat should be 

 given in the morning, and all they will eat up at night. 

 If the fields contain bugs and worms and other animal food 

 they will get exercise hunting and scratching. There will 

 be weed seeds and waste grains of different kinds at differ- 

 ent seasons and these will give them incentive to exercise, 

 and at the same time help to balance the ration. Under 

 such conditions it would be possible to secure a fairly good 

 egg yield from rations 1 and 2. 



But where other grains may be secured it would be a 

 serious mistake to confine the feeding to such rations. 

 These two rations may be very much improved by the 

 simple method of keeping a hopper of dry bran accessible 

 to the fowls at all times. They would be further improved 

 by adding a little middlings or shorts and a small amount 

 of linseed meal to the bran in the hopper. This would 

 give us ration No. 3. Adding the bran, middlings and lin- 

 seed would cut down the amount of wheat necessary. This 

 makes a very good ration for the general farm. It is prac- 

 tically a balanced ration, at any rate it gives the hen the 

 opportunity to balance her ration ; besides it requires very 

 little labor in the feeding. If cheaper than wheat, corn 

 may be substituted for wheat. 



Ration No. 4 is an improvement on ration 3. Ten 

 pounds of corn is substituted for 10 pounds of wheat. Even 

 if corn costs a few cents more per bushel than wheat, it will 



