23 



selves, and fed on drv mash and whole and cracked grains, 

 given in deej) litter. We do not want them to lay too many 

 eggs in the fall and early winter becanse we believe this saps 

 their vitality to a certain extent before the breeding season 

 is on. If they are eating t()(» mnch mash or laying too many 

 eggs it is well to close the mash ho[)i)er (hiring the forenoon 

 and leave it open only afternoons. This will cause them to 

 work harder for the feed, and keep them in much better con- 

 dition for the breeding season. They should not be fed an 

 excessive amount of animal fo^xl, as it has been found to be 

 detrimental to the hatching ability of the eggs and to the 

 growth of tlie chicks. The best kind of animal food for breed- 

 ers is skim milk or buttermilk, which can l)e fed in large 

 quantities without injuring them in any way. 



Table 16. — Data sliowing Effect of Various Animal Fee(h 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 statioai. The best results were obtained, 

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

 from feeding green cut bone and beef scraji in a separate 

 hopper. This experiment covered a ])eriod from October to 

 ]\rarcli, and all of the eggs laid l)v each ]ien, which contained 

 28 hens, were incubated. 



