284 POULTRY BREEDING 
being near enough for all practical purposes. Unfortu- 
nately there is no rule by which a ration may be figured 
out and we are obliged to go by the “rule of thumb” and 
work out the rations we feed by trial. When grain and 
ground feed are given in a formula for a ration it is not 
because they are to be fed together, but because they are 
a part of the feed for the day. The grain may be fed at 
one time in the day and the ground feed at another. The 
formulas on page 283 are given as examples. They were 
worked out by trying various quantities of the several 
feeds until a ration suitable for the purpose for which it 
was needed was found. 
It will be noticed in the ration last given that it con- 
tains raw mangels and boiled turnips. If both of these 
are not easily, procured either might be used in the place 
of the other without materially affecting the value of the 
ration, although the mangels are better than the turnips, 
as they have a nutritive ratio of 1:5.1, while turnips have 
a ratio of 1:7.7. In case of either of these feeds it is the 
bulk we are after rather than nutritive value. Both the 
rations contain skimmilk. This is not always procurable, 
and where this is the case a little more meat scrap may 
be added to the ration and water substituted in mixing 
the ration. Notice that wheat middlings are almost ex- 
actly a balanced ration. This is one of the most valuable 
of feeds for growing chicks or laying hens. It will also 
be noticed that wheat bran is rich in protein. One of the 
most successful poultrymen keeps a protected trough of 
wheat bran where his chicks and laying hens could have 
access to it. 
When describing rations we say they are “balanced,” 
“wide” or “narrow.” The meaning of a balanced ration 
has been explained. A ration is called narrow when it 
