SECTION XXXV. 



FEED AND CARE OF POULTRY. 



The Importance of feeding poultry properly may be realized 

 when we become acquainted with the extent of this industry in 

 the United States. For the year 1908^ the value of poultry and 

 eggs in this country was as much as the cotton crop, seed in- 

 cluded, or the hay crop, or the wheat crop. The hay crop for 

 1908^ was valued at $635,423,000. 



Requirements. — The requirements of poultry are somewhat 

 different than for horses, cattle and sheep in that poultry re- 

 quire both animal and vegetable food. The vegetable food may 

 be low in ash in which case animal food as bone should be sup- 

 plied to furnish phosphate of lime. When the vegetable por- 

 tion of the ration is deficient in protein the animal food should 

 make up for this deficiency. In fattening mature fowls vegeta- 

 ble food may predominate and animal food may be added to 

 increase the palatability of the ration. A variety of foods seems 

 to give the best results, because of the increase in palatability 

 and beneficial influence in keeping the fowls in good condition. 



Foods should make up the ration to supply the nutrients in the 

 right proportions. A different ration is required for fattening 

 fowls than for those producing eg'gs or breeding. Some breeds 

 used for egg production take on fat more readily than others 

 and the feed should be administered so that they will have to 

 exercise to keep them laying. Other breeds like the Leghorns, 

 may be fed differently because they are not prone to fatten rap- 

 idly. 



Composition of Fowls and Eggs. — Before taking up the feeds 

 and amounts of nutrients needed for fowls, let us study the 

 composition of the body and the egg. The New York Experi- 

 ment Station made several analyses of fowls and some of the 

 results of this work are given in the following table, which was 

 compiled from Jordan's "The Feeding of Animals :" 



1 1908 Yearbook, United States Dept. of Agriculture. 



