THE COMPOUNDING OF RATIONS 367 



proper amount is always just a little less than the fowls 

 would like to consume. The ability to judge just what this 

 amount is, comes from a study of the flock, and marks the 

 skilful feeder. 



It may appear that hopper feeding young stock on range 

 or leaving dry mash available for laying stock, forms an 

 exception to this rule. It must be noted that in each case 

 the supply of the most palatable kinds of feed is limited. 

 On range, the bugs and worms are so eagerly sought and at 

 such an expenditure of exercise, that there is little danger of 

 the chicks overeating of the hopper-fed grains, from the 

 stand-points of amount and proportion. Only enough will be 

 sought to satisfy the craving that is developed from the 

 necessity of balancing up the ration of insects and worms, 

 and furnishing energy for abundant exercise. 



In hopper feeding dry mash to laying fowls, the same 

 condition prevails. The hens prefer the whole or cracked 

 grains to the finely ground mash, and usually eat only as 

 much as is necessary to piece out the ration of whole grain, 

 or to satisfy the craving for some ingredient of the mash, 

 as meat scrap or salt. 



Feeding Conditions. — Rettger, Kirkpatrick and Jones' call 

 attention to the fact that "with early hatched chicks that 

 are confined in small quarters without an opportunity for an 

 abundance of green food, fresh air and particularly exercise, 

 . . . one-half or less (of the regular proportion) of the 

 protein concentrate should be incorporated in the ration 

 when the chicks are supplied with all the milk they care to 

 consume. In short, chicks grown in small quarters instead of 

 on range, and on a 15 or 20 per cent meat ration in combina- 

 tion with an abundance of milk are likely to be literally 

 grown oft' their feet, or, in other words, suffer with rickets or 

 what is ordinarily called weak legs." Hart, Ilalpin and 

 Steenbock,^ however, have since shown that certain forms of 

 leg-weakness may very possibly be due to a deficiency of 

 crude fiber in the ration (see page 370). 



• Storrs Bulletin No. 77. 



^ Journal of Biological f 'licmistry, vol. xliii, No. 2. 



