336 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



digestion experiments with other animals. On tliis basis its 

 nutritive ratio was 1 to 4.6. 



Wheat Screenings. — Screenings are the refuse of the better 

 grades of wheat. They usually contain weed seeds, broken 

 and shrunken kernels, and often much trash in the form of 

 chaif, straw, and dirt. The feeding value depends upon the 

 quality. Musty, smutty, heated, or burnt wlieat sliould never 

 be fed, because of the I)ad efi'ect upon the digestis'e organs 

 of the fowl. 



Mash Constituents. — As previously noted, it is considered 

 gooil feeding practice to furnish about one-third of the ration 

 in a finely ground form comprising what is termed a mash. 

 Tlie mash furnishes an opportunity of sup])lementing the 

 whole grains which are normally deficient in ])rotein and 

 saves the energy that would be used up by the gizzard in 

 grinding the whole ration. The mash constituents, which 

 are frequently grain or animal by-products, usually furnish 

 digestible protein at less cost than do the whole grains. 



The further fact should not be lost sight of, that in market- 

 ing nearly every farm product except butter, considerable 

 nitrogen, the characteristic element in protein, is being carried 

 ofl' the farm. It is excellent farm practice to replace this 

 nitrogen by the purchase of the concentrated by-products 

 used as the mash constituents of a ration. 



Care should be taken to see that the constituents of the 

 mash are evenly ground. Any coarse particles are like!}' to 

 be picked out bj' the birds, while the remainder of the mash 

 is wasted. 



Alfalfa Meal. — During the last few years finely ground 

 alfalfa hay has appeared on the market as alfalfa meal, and 

 if of good quality is a good substitute for \\hcat bran, as it 

 is high in protein, ash, and fat. In buying this feed, however, 

 tlie guaranteed analysis should be carefully considered and 

 an examination made as to tlie cruile filler content. A large 

 proportion of fiber ^^(>^dd indicate that the meal \\as ground 

 chiefly from stalks, which are of little feeding \alue, ratlier 

 than the leaves, which contain most of the nutrients and the 

 vitarrnns. The efficiency of alfalfa meal as a source of the 

 latter depends upon the relative proportion of leaves and 



