200 



POULTRY CULTURE 



In the general experience of poultrymen the use of cooked-meat 

 preparations has been found the best way to add protein and fat to 

 rations deficient in those elements. While they are very valuable 

 articles, their use is attended always with more or less risk. In 

 addition to the dangers of unfit food already mentioned, there is 

 danger of overfeeding a good article. These preparations are so 

 highly stimulating that the poultiyman is tempted to feed all of 

 them that he dares; and, to further increase the risk, manufac- 

 turers, in their desire to sell the largest possible quantities, recom- 

 mend feeding much larger percentages than it would be safe to 

 feed continuously if the goods contained even the minimum quan- 

 tities of protein and fat guaranteed. As they often contain much 

 greater percentages of these elements, it is not at all unusual for 

 poultry keepers following manufacturers' instructions to get into 

 serious trouble through overfeeding products which are so much 

 more concentrated than fresh meat. In special cases (to be men- 

 tioned later) they may be fed very heavily ; usually it is safest to 

 use only about half the amounts that the manufacturers suggest. 



Table XVIII. Composition and Values of Fish, Fish Scrap, 

 AND Shellfish 



Fresh fish. All kinds of poultry seem to like fresh fish, and 

 it could probably be fed to the limit of their appetites without 

 detriment, but it is usually available for poultry food only in small 



1 Refuse (bone, skin, shells). This analysis is taken from a table of analysis 

 of foods for human beings, — for which purpose shells are offal. The ash content 

 is of the fish without shell. 



