FEEDING AND FEEDS II9 



be fed ; that is, a proportion of one part protein to 

 four or five of carbohydrates and fat. In figuring 

 the ratio the fat is multiplied by 2j4, because i 

 pound is estimated to be equivalent to that amount 

 of carbohydrates. It must be remembered, how- 

 ever, that a nutritive ratio in itself does not neces- 

 sarily indicate the true value of a ration. Pal- 

 atability, digestibility and other factors must be 

 reckoned with. Even a proper ratio does not guar- 

 antee a good egg yield. The kinds of feed must be 

 considered, and the feeder must be guided by results 

 that indicate the value of the different feeds. 



INDIVIDUAL FEEDS 



Wheat is more widely used than any other cereal 

 throughout the country for poultry feeding, because 

 it is safer than most other grain feeds and is 

 relished better by the fowls. Its nearest competitor 

 is corn. Which of these should be fed depends 

 largely upon price. If fed wheat alone, hens would 

 probably lay better than if given corn alone, be- 

 cause the composition of wheat is slightly better 

 for egg production than that of corn, which latter 

 is more favorable for fattening. No one, however, 

 should expect a profit from fowls fed one kind of 

 food to the exclusion of others. 



When fed with other feeds there is dispute as to 

 whether wheat or corn is more economical at the 

 same price a pound. The market price of grain 

 may be taken as a safe basis for selecting wheat 

 and corn. Slightly frosted wheat is of as high feed- 

 ing value as good wheat and may be substituted for 

 even the highest-priced grade. Shrunken wheat, 

 in fact, has a higher protein content than plump 



