30 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



cause we believe this saps their vitality to a certain extent 

 before the breeding season is on. If they are eating too much 

 mash or laying too many eggs it is well to close the mash 

 hopper during the forenoon and leave it open only afternoons. 

 This will cause them to work harder for the feed, and keep 

 them in much better condition for the breeding season. They 

 should not be fed an excessive amount of animal food, as it 

 has been found to be detrimental to the hatching ability of 

 the eggs and to the growth of the chicks. The best kind of 

 animal food for breeders is skim milk or buttermilk, which 

 can be fed in large quantities without injuring them in any 

 way. 



Table 16. — ■ Data showing Effect of Various Animal Feeds upon Per- 

 centage of Eggs hatched. 



This chart shows the results of an experiment carried on 

 at Guelph, Can., by Prof. W. R. Graham, head of the poultry 

 department at that station. The best results were obtained, 

 on the whole, from feeding skim milk, and the poorest results 

 from feeding green cut bone and beef scrap in a separate 

 hopper. This experiment covered a period from October to 

 March, and all of the eggs laid by each pen, which contained 

 23 hens, were incubated. 



From this and data from other experiment stations it is 

 evident that in feeding breeders we should not feed too much 

 animal food, unless in the form of milk ; and not push them 



