Feeding 73 



poultrymen claim that they get all there is from a hen the 

 first year, but I think they are mistaken, as I am sure that 

 by the feeding of an unbalanced ration they ruin a hen in a 

 year and she is good for nothing after that. Moreover, I 

 have made experiments on hens three and four years old and 

 got an abundance of eggs from them. 



It is impossible to get all the eggs from a hen the first 

 year, and it is very easy to ruin the very best of hens in one 

 year by wrong feeding. Hens will lay about 80% on Ration 

 No. 9, and I have had as many as four and five eggs a day 

 from five hens. 



Under some conditions where I used this ration it has given 

 me better results than any other. The hens were in fine con- 

 dition, had no bowel-trouble and laid very heavily. At other 

 locations, however, I have not been able to get as good 

 results with Ration No. 9 as with Ration No. 14. Hens fed 

 6 parts of mash to 1 of meat will lay a very large number of 

 eggs at first if they are in good condition; otherwise, it may 

 kill some of the weaker ones, and while they will probably 

 lay a larger number of eggs at first, the eggs will in a short 

 time get smaller and the hens will be inclined to set, and 

 some of them will be "knocked off their feet.'' This is the 

 case where the bran is high in protein. 



RATION NO. 10 



1 part bran, 



1 part corn-meal, 



1 part middlings, 



1 part coarse ground oats, 



7 parts mash to 1 of beef-scrap, 



Wheat and corn for grain; green feed. 



Faults and Good Qualities of Ration No. 10. — In the experi- 

 ments I have made with Ration No. 10 I have found that 



