74 MAINE AGRICULTURAI, EXPERIMENT STATION. I9IO. 



feeding birds kept to be used as breeders has been devised with 

 the idea of getting over this difficuhy so far as possible. This 

 method of feeding is used for old hens, cockerels and cock 

 birds which are kept from one seasori to another for breeding. 

 The aim is to keep these birds on as light a ration as is con- 

 sistent with the maintenance of good condition until just before 

 the beginning of the breeding season when they are to be used 

 and then to put them on a more stimulating and richer ration. 

 The scratch food given to this breeding stock is the same as 

 that given to the pullets, namely, corn for the first morning feed 

 and a mixture of wheat and oats for the second feed of the day, 

 both scattered in the litter. If, however, there is any tendency 

 for the yearling hens kept as breeders to get unduly fat during 

 the winter corn is not fed as a litter grain. The hens, under 

 such circumstances, are simply given the mixture of wheat and 

 oats at both feedings. 



The dry mash used for these birds kept as breeders has the 

 following composition : — 



Bran 400 lbs. 



Corn meal 50 lbs. 



Middlings 50 ]bs. 



Meat scrap 100 lbs. 



Birds kept over from one season to another are managed in 

 the following way. The birds completing their pullet year 

 which are to be kept as breeders are continued on the usual 

 pullet ration until after they have finished their moult in the ' 

 early fall, usually in September or early October with the birds 

 here. Immediately after the moult is over and the hens are 

 well feathered out they are put on the dry mash ration given 

 above. They are fed in the way described until about a month 

 before the beginning of their second breeding season. At this 

 Station the breeding pens are usually mated up about the first 

 of February. About a month before this time the birds to be 

 used as breeders (old hens, cockerels and cocks) begin to get 

 richer food and are quickly worked on to the regular laying 

 ration given to the pullets as described above (pp. 69-70) for 

 the third month of the pullet year. Usually there is added to 

 this ration a little more meat scrap than is indicated in the for- 

 mula on p. 70. This has the effect of bringing the old hens into 

 laying condition. 



