FEEDS AND FEEDING 121 



is to feed only what they will eat clean in five minutes, 

 then give them a little grain in an hour or two in the 

 litter to keep them busy. 



A comparison of feeding a part of the ration in 

 the form of ground grain with the entire ration com- 

 posed of whole grain has been made by the West 

 Virginia experiment station, and the result is pub- 

 lished in Bulletin 83. One flock of fowls was fed a 

 mash in the morning, a second flock a mash at 

 night, and the third flock had only whole grain. 

 Results showed very little difference between feeding 

 the mash in the morning or at night, but a material 

 gain in egg production in the use of a mash in compari- 

 son with whole grain. The pens which were fed mash at 

 night laid 1166 eggs, the pens fed mash in the morn- 

 ing 1 1 59 eggs, and the pens receiving whole grain 

 1006. Trials with yearling hens gave a less difference 

 in favor of the mash. 



Somewhat similar work, has been carried on by the 

 New York experiment station at Geneva, with White 

 Leghorns and Buff Cochins. The Leghorns having 

 their grain food only dry and whole, ate more food at 

 greater cost per fowl and for the live weight than did 

 two similar lots having about thirty-seven per cent of 

 their grain ground and moistened. With the Cochins 

 better results were obtained where all the grain was- 



fed whole. This was prob- 

 ably due to the benefit de- 

 rived from having to 

 scratch in the litter for it.. 

 FIG. 46 — FEED TROUGH The Hatch experiment sta- 

 tion of Massachusetts has found but little difference 

 in the number of eggs produced from feeding the 

 mash in the morning or at night. 



In the winter egg laying contest conducted by- 

 Farm & Home from November i, 1906 to April i, 1907 



