l8o MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I907. 



the mash is put in the troughs at any convenient time, only 

 guarding against an exhaustion of the supply, and the entire 

 avoidance of the mobbing, that always occurs at trough feeding, 

 when that is made a meal of the day, whether it be at morning 

 or evening. There are no tailings to be gathered up or wasted, 

 a*- is common, when a full meal of mash is given at night. The 

 labor is very much less, enabling a person to care for more 

 birds than when the regular evening meal is given. 



For green food during winter and spring, mangolds are used. 

 They are liked by the birds and when properly harvested and 

 cared for remain crisp and sound until late spring. They are 

 fed whole, by sticking them on to projecting nails, about a foot 

 and a half above the floor. Care must be exercised in feeding 

 them, as they are a laxative when used too freely. On the aver- 

 age about a peck per day to 100 hens, can be safely used. They 

 would eat a much greater quantity if they could get it. 



The average amounts of the materials eaten by each hen 

 during the last year are about as follows : 



Grain and the meal mixture 90.0 pounds. 



Oyster shell 4.0 pounds. 



Dry cracked bone 2.4 pounds. 



Grit 2.0 pounds. 



Charcoal 2.4 pounds. 



Clover . 10 . o pounds. 



These materials cost about $1.45. 



The hens averaged laying 144 eggs each. 



COMPARISONS OF WHOLE CORN AND CRACKED CORN AS PARTS 

 OF THE RATIONS FOR LAYING HENS. 



The use of corn and corn meal as major parts of the food 

 of hens kept for egg production has been very generally con- 

 demned by poultrymen and farmers, until it is now used only 

 as a very minor part of the ration, for the fear that its use will 

 cause over-fatness and interfere with egg making. When 

 used more freely and made a prominent factor in the ration it 

 has been thought best to have the kernels broken, so that in 

 hunting and scratching for the small pieces the birds might 

 get the exercise needed to keep themselves in health and vigor. 

 It was reasoned that even a small quantity of whole corn could 

 be readily seen and picked up from the straw litter, with little 

 exertion, and that the vices of luxury and idleness would follow. 



