THE FEEDING PROBLEM 39 



clover or potatoes chopped fine; 4:30 p.m. hard boiled eggs (4 for 

 100 chicks), chopped shell and all, with the same amount of onions 

 and twice the amount of bread crumbs or rolled oats or Johnny- 

 cake. One fountain of skim milk and one of clean water always 

 before them and renewed three times a day. Very coarse sand and 

 granulated charcoal should be always before them. 



Toward the end of the second week mix a little whole wheat, 

 hulled oats and kafBr corn with the chick food, gradually increasing 

 it, until at the end of the sixth week they will be eating this entirely. 



Rations for Broilers 



For the first two weeks use the same feed as given for the breed- 

 ers. Third week, 6 a.m. chick feed; 9 a.m. mash, 1 part each of 

 bran, cornmeal and rolled oats, and a little salt; mix with skim 

 milk, making a crumbly dry feed in a small dish or trough, taking 

 away all there is left in fifteen minutes; 11 a.m. lettuce or clover; 

 1 p.m. rolled oats; 3 p.m. chopped raw potatoes; 4:30 p.m. mash 

 same as in the morning. Fourth week, 6 a.m. chick feed ; 9 a.m. 

 mash, adding 5 per cent beef scraps or cracklings; 1 p.m. chopped 

 potatoes; 4:30 p.m. mash, same as in the morning. Keep grit and 

 charcoal always before them, with skim milk and pure water. Fin- 

 ish off at six to eight weeks by gradually adding from five to ten 

 per cent of cotton-seed meal and a little molasses with the mash. 



Rations for Laying Hens 



In order to keep up the strength of the hen and have her produce 

 the largest amount of eggs, it has been found that for every pound 

 of protein in the food she must have four pounds of carbo-hydrates. 

 Many instances may be cited in which the rations fed to laying hens 

 differed greatly, but have been productive of excellent results, pro- 

 vided they contain a sufficient quantity of digestible protein. The 

 following rations have proven successful : 



I will give a formula that I have used for many years after ex- 

 perimenting with others, and will give some that are being used 

 at the present time by prominent and successful breeders near 

 here. There are many other breeders, but I happen to have these 

 by me and have not those of the others. The Basley formula is as 

 follows : By measure, 2 parts heavy bran, 1 part alfalfa meal, 1 

 part corn meal, 1 part oatmeal (called Breakfast Flaked Oats), 1 

 part beef scraps or meat meal or granulated milk, a little pepper and 

 salt; keep this in a hopper or feed box- At noon green feed. In 

 the evening grain, wheat, kaffir corn or cracked corn, barley, hulled 

 oats, equal parts, mixed and scattered in straw in the scratching 

 pen. Fresh water constantly before them; if they run out of 

 water, the egg yield will stop. I keep before the fowls at all times 

 sharp grit, crushed oyster shells, charcoal and granulated dried 

 bone. At moulting time I add to the grain sunflower seed, and to 

 the dry mash linseed meal. The reason I feed oatmeal is that I al- 

 ways feed for vigor. I want the parent birds to be vigorous and the 

 eggs to have such an amount of protein in them that the chicks 



