328 Animal Husbandry 
scrap, principally because of its high-protein content and easy 
keeping qualities, although skim-milk is probably the most de- 
sirable of all meat foods. Green cut bone is very desirable for 
variety, although it must be fed in small quantities, preferably 
along with other meat food. Meat should form from ten to fifteen . 
per cent of the daily ration. 
525. Green food. — For best results green food in some form 
should be fed daily. Its chief value lies in its succulence, as it as- 
sists in digestion and promotes health. In summer the most de- 
sirable green food is clover pasture, while mangels, if fed in limited 
quantities, are perhaps best for winter use. 
526. Preparation of grain. — The grain ration should consist’ 
of one-half to two-thirds whole grain and one-third to one-half 
ground feed. While fowls seem to prefer whole or cracked grains 
to ground feed, yet the great demands made upon the system ne- 
cessitate supplying the food in the most readily available form, 
especially during heavy egg production. Fowls do not seem capa- 
ble of grinding the whole grain rapidly enough to satisfy their 
needs, except during the season when they are least productive. 
527. Nutritive ratio. — As with other farm animals, the nutritive 
ratio varies with the age and the product sought. Thus the grow- — 
ing chick requires a ration with a ratio of approximately 1 : 4.0, 
the egg-producing hen 1: 4.8, while the fattening fowl requires a 
ration with a ratio of 1:7.5.! 
FEEDING YOUNG CHICKENS 
_ For a time after hatching, the young chick derives nourishment 
from the yolk of the egg, which is inclosed within its abdomen, 
just before it breaks from the shell. It_is believed that too early 
feeding ‘hinders the proper absorption of this yolk. Chicks begin 
to show signs of hunger twenty-four to forty-eight hours after 
hatching, at which time they should receive their first meal. This 
1 From data furnished by Cornell University Poultry Department. 
