PRACTICAL FEEDING OF POULTRY 



PROPORTION OF GRAIN AND MASH 



The best results in feeding a dry mash are obtained 

 where the hens are fed so that they consume about equal 

 parts of mash and of scratch grains in the course of the 

 year. The mash is usually kept in an open hopper before 

 the fowls all of the time and the amount of scratch feed 

 given is regulated roughly according to the amount of 

 mash which the fowls are eating. Very radical changes 

 should not be made in the feeding and all changes in the 

 kinds of feed or the proportion of scratch grains to mash 

 should be made gradually. 



Pullets should be in good flesh when they go into laying 

 quarters in the fall and it is usually best to feed these 

 pullets rather freely on scratch grains at that time espe- 

 cially if there is any change in the ration from their grow- 

 ing feeds. If when the pullets are moved from the range 

 and put in their winter quarters they do not eat the mash 

 freely and the amount of scratch grains is kept rather 

 limited, the birds are apt not to eat sufficient feed to 

 start egg production freely; therefore usually making it 

 advisable to feed two parts of scratch feed to one 

 of mash at that time. Then as the pullets eat the mash 

 more freely the proportion of mash consumed will grad- 

 ually come up to the amount of scratch grains fed by 

 January. About July i start reducing the scratch feeds 

 until the fowls eat 1^2 parts mash to one part scratcTi 

 feed. 



If the fowls do not start to eat the mash fairly well 

 using this method and egg production starts very slowlyi 



^37 



