CHAPTER V. 



Feeding 



POULTRY FEEDS 



Food substances are classified as (1) water, (2) 

 carbohydrates, (3) fat, (4) protein, (5) ash. 



Water constitutes about three-fifths of the egg and 

 three-fourths of the body of the fowl. An abun- 

 dant supply of pure water is therefore a necessity 

 to both chick and laying hen. 



Carbohydrates are the sugars and starches. They 

 make up the greater part of all grains and are used 

 to produce heat and energy. 



Fat is stored up heat and energy. One pound of 

 fat develops two and a quarter times as much heat 

 as a pound of sugar or starch. In finding the nutri- 

 tive ratio of any feed the amount of fat is multiplied 

 by 2^4 and expressed as carbohydrates. This is for 

 convenience merely. 



Protein is the general name for all substances 

 which contain nitrogen. It is the muscle and tissue 

 maker and constitutes all the solid part of the white 

 of an egg. Chicks cannot grow nor hens lay with- 

 out protein. Protein can take the place of carbo- 

 hydrates as a producer of heat and energy, but noth- 

 ing can take the place of protein as a repairer of 

 the waste of the body or for making eggs. 



Ash is the mineral matter which would be left if 

 everything else were burned away. It is necessary 

 for bone making. 



The proportion which the digestible protein in 

 any kind of feed bears to the digestible fats and 



