10 



Here is another table giving data which have been taken 

 from a European experiment. It shows that the hen can digest 

 peas better than ruminants can. If this is reliable, there is 

 no reason why cracked peas and pea meal should not form a 

 part of the ration for fowls. Xote also that thej cannot digest 

 the protein in our common grains as well as that contained in 

 beef scrap, as shown in the preceding table. 



The data given on the digestion of iiber afford very good 

 evidence that the hen cannot digest this material as well as our 

 other farm animals can. It is found, for instance, that the 

 ruminants digest 94 per cent of the fiber in buckwheat, and 

 the hen only about 2 per cent. Also the fiber in peas is hard 

 for her to digest, notwithstanding the fact that she difi'ests the 

 other ingredients in them very well indeed. 



Table 4. — IJigestibility of Fiber. — Comparison of Hen with Riimi- 



nanis and Horse. 



This is a chart comparing the digestion of fiber by the hen 

 with that of ruminants and the horse. The data here are very 

 similar to those given in regard to buckwheat and peas. Only 

 about .5 of 1 per cent of the fiber in oats is digested by the hen, 

 whereas from 30 to 35 per cent of it is digested by the horse 

 and ruminants. And barley, another grain similar to oats, 

 being covered with an indigestible husk, is very hard for hens 

 to digest also. Only .2 of 1 per cent of the fiber is digested 

 by the hen, while 50 per cent is digested by ruminants. 



It appears from these various studies that, while the hen 

 can handle carbohydrates in our common gi-ains very well, the 

 proteins and fats in them are digested only fairly well ; and 

 that while she can digest the protein in our animal products 

 very well indeed, she is unable to digest very much fiber. 



