CHAPTKR VIII. 



THK FEEDS. 



CLASSIFICATION OF FEEDING STUFFS. 



For convenience, poultry feedstuff's may be classifieil 

 .iccording to the five divisions of a ration, which are grain, 

 green feed, mash, mineral feed, and drink, into grains, suc- 

 culence, mash constituents, mineral constituents and licjuids. 



The Grains. — While chickens are omnivorous feeders they 

 are primarily granivorous, or grain eaters. As Jaffa' points 

 out, rations for chickens are properly huilt up by selecting 

 such grains as arc a^'ailable and reasonable in price, and sup- 

 plementing them with the mash, mineral ingredients, succu- 

 lence and liquids necessary to the needs of the fowl. 



In experiments carried on at the Petaluma (California) 

 Poultry Station with barley, wheat, and corn, it was found 

 tliat as far as egg production alone was concerned, one grain 

 was just as vakiable as another, provided it was properly 

 supplemented. This allows a choice between grains on the 

 basis of their price. 



Grains and their products, which make up the majority of 

 poultry feeds, are classed among the concentrates for the 

 larger animals. They are usually sufficiently bulky to supply 

 tlie needs of poultry in this particular, and roughage, save 

 when it is fed as succulence in its green kmu, has small 

 place in the poultry ration. 



Grains in general are very deficient in fat soluble A. It is 

 more abundant in the germ than in other parts of the grain. 

 Those grains ha\'ing a comparatively large endosperm are 

 particularly deficient. All grains appear to iiavc an abun- 

 dance of water soluble B which is largely localized in the outer 

 coating. 



1 C;ilifornia Bullotin No. 16). 



( :i2'.) ) 



