324 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



found that chickens digested kafir and corn more completely 

 when the grain was fed whole than when it was ground into 

 meal. It will be noted in Table XXIX that over 3 per cent, 

 more organic matter from whole corn was digested than when 

 the corn was cracked or ground into meal. The increased 

 digestibility brought about by grinding for larger animals is 

 usually because hard grains are not well masticated. With 

 poultry the grinding of the feed is involuntary and, unless 

 grit is not available, consistently thorough. 



Because of the fact that corn or any other grain is less 

 digestible for poultry when ground it must not be assumed 

 that it is less profitable and therefore bad practice to feed 

 a part of the ration in ground form. (For further discussion 

 see page 337.) 



Combinations of Feeds. — Some feeds are more digestible 

 when combined with certain other feeds than when fed 

 alone. Thus Bartlett' found by combining 7 per cent, bone 

 meal with a ration made up of 200 pounds bran, 50 pounds 

 corn meal, 50 pounds linseed meal, and 100 pounds gluten 

 feed the organic matter was rendered 4.6 per cent, more 

 digestible. 



Sometimes combining certain feeds adds to the palata- 

 bility, thereby inducing a greater consumption of feed, but 

 not actually rendering the feed consumed more digestible. 

 This is very possibly the case in adding salt to the ration. 



Kalugine (as reported by H. J. Wheeler^) is authority for 

 the statement that fine gravel, when fed in combination 

 with a ration, increases the coefficient of digestibility of the 

 nutrients. 



Amount and Frequency of Feeding. — There is no direct 

 experimental evidence bearing on these points. There is 

 no reason to believe, however, that, even taking into account 

 the involuntary grinding on the part of the fowl, poultry are 

 an exception to the rule for other animals, that when large 

 amounts of food are consumed the work of the digestive 

 tract is not so thorough and the coefficients of digestion of 

 at least some of the nutrients will be smaller. With other 



1 Maipe Bulletin No, 184, » Rhode Islapd BuUetip No, 84, 



