FEEDING POULTRY 339 
Crude Fiber—This is the coarse, woody material in the feed; 
the seed coats of the different grains, the stems of clover, alfalfa, 
and hay and straw are high in fiber. It is only slightly digestible 
and has practically no nutritive value for poultry, but it is a very 
essential part of a ration because it adds bulk and performs the 
mechanical function of keeping the feed in the digestive organs loose 
and spongy so that the digestive fluids can easily penetrate to and 
act on every part. In the absence of such coarse, fibrous material, 
the sticky and more concentrated feeds would form a hard, muci- 
laginous mass in the digestive organs which the digestive juices 
would not readily penetrate. Digestion would be checked, un- 
healthy fermentation of the partially digested materials arise and 
indigestion follow. Fine-cut alfalfa and bran added to a mixture 
of flour and corn meal make a porous, crumbly, wet mash. Without 
the alfalfa and bran, the flour and corn meal would form a sticky, 
lumpy and unpalatable mass when mixed and moistened. A mod- 
erate amount of bulky material is always essential to a well-balanced, 
nourishing ration, but too much of such material is detrimental 
because it compels the fowl to pass through its body large amounts 
of useless, indigestible materials. 
Feeding standards have not been worked out for poultry to 
the extent which they have for other kinds of farm livestock. With 
the larger livestock, standard amounts of feed eaten per day for 
animals of different ages and used for different purposes have been 
quite accurately determined but with poultry this has yet to be done. 
To date the general statement to “feed all the fowls will eat up 
clean” and nutritive ratios for different purposes represent the 
extent of our standards for poultry. Undoubtedly curves of feed 
consumption for different types of poultry, for poultry of different 
ages, and for poultry used for meat or egg production will eventu- 
ally ‘be worked out and such curves will prove of inestimable 
value in more definitely guiding the inexperienced feeder than the 
above general statement can and in throwing greater light on pro- 
duction and maintenance costs. 
Nutritive Ratio Standards for Poultry of Different Ages 
Birds Nutritive Ratio 
Growing stock io. csckasss es aewes eo eee ae eeeet 1:3.7-4.0 
Broilers and Fryers (finishing)................. 1:4.0-4.6 
Laying and Breeding Stock (414-8 Ibs.)......... 1:4,.2-4.6 
Laying and Breeding Stock (3-41 lbs.)......... 1:4.6 
Adult stock fattened for market................ 1:5,5-6.5 
Capone: sig esnata adel ovine laud malts ne ise Seeds ss 1:5.5-6.5 
