368 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



Size of Ingredients. — The size of each particle of the ration 

 must be such that it may l)e readily eaten by the fowl. 

 Poultry generally seem to prefer the larger grains. It has 

 been unquestionably proved by experiment and experience, 

 however, that a hen will consume more feed and lay more 

 eggs if a part of her ration is ground for her. This is perhaps 

 owing to the fact that the alimentary tract can digest and 

 assimilate more feed than the gizzard can grind. 



It is owing to this, and the fact that protein may usually 

 be purchased more cheaply in the ground by-products of the 

 grains than in the whole grains, that the custom of feeding 

 mashes has grown up. It is possible to overdo the matter of 

 giving ground grain, thereby failing to compel enough work 

 of the gizzard to keep the digestive tract in good tone. The 

 consensus of opinion at present seems to be that the pro- 

 portion of two pounds of the whole and cracked grain to one 

 of the ground is proper. The amount of mash eaten may be 

 controlled by the amount of the more palatable whole and 

 cracked grain given. 



It is also customary to use cracked corn in the scratching 

 feed for the purpose of making the birds scratch and hunt 

 for more particles. Gowell' found, however, in a test with 

 1000 pullets, lasting from November tf) April, during which 

 half of them received cracked corn and half whole corn, that 

 there was very little difference in actual results, the balance 

 being slightly in favor of the birds receiving the whole corn. 



Palatability and Attractiveness. — Palatability and high 

 digestibility usually go together, as is noted by Brown,^ 

 who holds that it " should be emphasized that in incorporating 

 grains into poultry rations, the relative palataljility should 

 be correlated with the digestion coefficients." The amount 

 of feed consumed depends (piite largely upon its palatability. 

 It is a safe rule to use very little or leave out of the ration 

 entirely any ingredients that are not palatable where fed 

 singly. Pye, cottonseed meal and blood meal are examples 

 of unpalatal)le feeds. .Jeffrey^ found that pullets ate sparingly 



' Maine Bulletin No. 141. 



" Bureau of Animal Indu.stry, Bullolin No. 56. 



' North Carolina Bulletin No. 211. 



