FEEDING OP POULTRY 417 



506. Knowledge of the nutrition of fowls limited. — 

 Unsatisfactory as is our present knowledge of the funda- 

 mental laws which underlie the science of nutrition 

 applied to man and other animals, there are nevertheless 

 volumes of carefully collected data that make it possible 

 to ascribe fairly narrow limits to their operations. Com- 

 pared with mammals, however, the class of birds has 

 received very little consideration. There have been a 

 few careful studies made, but for lack of enough informa- 

 tion our feeding must be guided by the rules applying in 

 common to all animals. Undoubtedly, the accepted laws 

 of nutrition observed for other animals are applicable in a 

 general way to domestic fowls, and it is safe to apply in 

 the light of the specific data we have any general prin- 

 ciples of feeding that have already been established. This 

 has been done in formulating the feeding standards which 

 are here presented, and all available data of a reliable 

 character have been considered. There have not been 

 enough, however, to justify narrow limitations, and the 

 suggested standards should not be considered final and 

 unchangeable. They simply represent the averages of 

 rations which, imder careful management and like con- 

 ditions, have given better results than various other 

 rations with which they have been contrasted. Slight 

 modifications were made in accord somewhat with the 

 habits of the different fowls and with a consideration of 

 the character of the products desired. It is important 

 that the feeder, while following such standards in a gen- 

 eral way, should give enough consideration to the sub- 

 ject to make modifications suited to the species and breed 

 and to his particular conditions of market and farm. 



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