198 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



tion. It satisfies the cravings of appetite and furnishes warmth. 

 It is not the most desirable food for egg production and the de- 

 velopment of lean meat, because it is deficient in protein. Corn 

 is a fattening food, and it is most valuable in this respect. When 

 fed in conjunction with foods which are rich in protein, and some 

 bulky material, such as green stuiif or vegetables, it makes an 

 indispensable article of diet. 



With the exception of flaxseed and sunflower seed, corn is the 

 richest grain in carbohydrates and fat formers. As previously 

 mentioned, it is a little low in protein, and quite low in mineral 

 substances. To make up for this deficiency in mineral matter, 

 oats are usually compounded with corn in poultry feeding. 

 Barley is also used, though there is no better food for ash or 

 mineral matter than wheat bran. 



Cheapness of Com. — Ordinarily, corn is the cheapest food for 

 poultry, not alone because of its price per bushel, but because 

 fowls obtain the greatest amount of digestible material from com. 

 With oats at 40 cents a bushel, corn at 60 cents and wheat at 80 

 cents, it has been found that the protein in wheat or oats costs 

 practically fifty per cent more than the protein in corn. Simi- 

 larly, the cost of fat in wheat is about twice as much as the cost 

 of fat in corn. From every standpoint corn is the cheapest 

 food, but since it does not contain the nutrients in the propor- 

 tion in which they are required in the production of eggs and 

 lean meat, it must be mixed with other products. 



The majority of farm flocks of poultry are maintained on an 

 exclusive corn diet, largely because the corn is grown at home, 

 and because it is not sold so readily as wheat. This practice is 

 a great mistake, and cannot be condemned too harshly. It 

 invariably results in a small egg yield, and frequently no eggs at 

 all. Properly fed, corn is a most valuable feed — quite as valuable 

 as wheat. This is especially true in America, where com is 

 plentiful, and under normal circumstances cheap. 



The value of oats as a poultry feed is determined largely by the 

 percentage of fiber in the hulls. This fiber is the greatest ob- 

 jection, because it is a tax on the fowls' digestion. Light oats. 



