No. 4.] FEEDS AND FEEDING. 29 



We know that hens eat about 50 per cent more in April, 

 when thej are laying heavily than in November, when they 

 are moulting. In a general way, 10 hens will need on the 

 average about 1^ quarts of grain and 11/4 quarts of the 

 ordinary mash per day, or about 4 ounces of feed per hen. 

 Results obtained by the New Jersey Experiment Station con- 

 form very closely with this estimate, and Dr. Wheeler in his 

 experimental work with hens, already referred to, came to 

 about the same conclusion. 



Table 15. — Amount of Food consumed, Average per Hen per Year. 



Pounds. 



Grain and mash, 90.0 



Oyster shell, 4.0 



Dry cracked bone, 2.4 



Grit, « .... 2.0 



Charcoal, 2.4 



Clover, 10.0 



This chart shows the amount of food annually consumed 

 per hen at the Maine station, and the data were based on the 

 average consumption of 100 hens for a year. It appears that 

 each hen consumed about 100 pounds of grain, mash and hay, 

 or just about 4 ounces per day, — a showing which should be 

 of value in determining the amount of feed required daily 

 for a given flock of hens. 



What I have said above refers to feeding layers. In feed- 

 ing breeders I would not use the same methods by any 

 means. As previously stated, the main object in feeding lay- 

 ers is to get the highest number of eggs possible for the 

 amount of grain fed, so they should be pushed to the limit. 

 On the other hand, we are feeding breeders for an entirely 

 different object. We want to get from them not merely eggs 

 to be used as human food, but eggs containing strong, vigor- 

 ous germs that will hatch well, and not only live but grow 

 rapidly to maturity. We therefore must feed especially for 

 vigor. The breeders should be separated in the fall from the 

 layers, kept by themselves, and fed on dry mash and whole 

 and cracked grains, given in deep litter. We do not want 

 them to lay too many eggs in the fall and early winter be- 



