206 



PRACTICAL POULTRY PRODUCTION 



COMPOSITION OF THE FEEDS 

 It is necessary not only to have the right kind of feeds 

 but that they should be fed at proper intervals and in amounts 

 proportioned to the nutritive and productive requirements 

 of the fowl. In order to feed intelHgently, therefore, we 

 must know, first, the composition of feeds. 



Feeds and feeding stuffs contain three elements in varying 

 amounts that are essential in the feeding of poultry. They 

 are protein, or nitrogenous material, nitrogen-free extract, 

 or carbohydrates, and fat, together with water and ash. 

 Protein is that part of the food that makes flesh, bone and 



Figure 204. — When feeding sprouted oats allow one square inch per hen daily. 



muscle and serves to replace waste material and promote 

 growth. Protein also is the principal ingredient in the white 

 of the egg. It is the element that is apt to be deficient 

 in feeding stuffs and the commercial value of feed depends 

 largely on the amount of protein it contains. Carbohydrates, 

 or nitrogen-free extract, is that part of the feed that goes 

 to make fat, generate heat, and exert energy. The fat 

 content in feeds performs practically the same functions 

 as the carbohydrates. Ash is the mineral material contained 

 in feeds and is largely used in making bone, eggshells, etc., 

 and is just as essential as water or protein. Knowing the 



