CHAPTER XVI 

 ANIMAL AND GREEN FOODS 



Animal Protein. — A controversy has existed for some time over 

 the relative merits of vegetable protein and animal protein. 

 From the chemist's standpoint they may be practically the same; 

 but not so from the fowls' point of view, which is the all-impor- 

 tant angle for consideration. We cannot escape the fact that 

 chickens are scavengers. They are meat eaters, naturally. 

 Witness their eagerness for worms and insects, or for dead ani- 

 mal matter, if they find it. Apparently they crave meat in some 

 form, hence it behooves the feeder to furnish it. 



Important feeding experiments have shown that protein and 

 fats are more digestible when supplied from animal sources than 

 from vegetable sources. Chicks and ducklings fed on rations 

 containing animal food consume greater quantities of food arid 

 make faster gains in growth. Pullets are brought to maturity, 

 and older hens lay more eggs when fed animal protein. It might 

 be said that animal food is essential to economical production — 

 an absolute necessity. No other food constituent stimulates 

 the ovaries into activity in such a brief space of time. Because 

 of this stimulation, however, animal foods must be used judi- 

 ciously or ill effects will result. 



Meat Scrap. — There are several sources of animal food, though 

 meat scrap, otherwise known as beef scrap, poultry meat, ani- 

 mal meal and similar names, is unquestionably the most widely 

 used. It consists of meat trimmings from slaughter houses and 

 butcher shops, including considerable bone, which are cooked 

 under steam pressure to render out most of the fat, and then dried 

 and ground to different degrees of fineness. The cooking and 

 curing process, if properly done, also sterilizes the product, 



215 



