344 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



Kionka, as reported by Brown/ found that an exclusive 

 diet of meat increased the uric acid output of chickens 550 

 per cent., as compared with an exclusive diet of barley. 

 Each fowl receiving large quantities of beef (150 grams daily) 

 developed symptoms similar to gout in man, and autopsies 

 revealed uric acid in certain of the joints and tissues. This 

 same result would probably prevail in the case of overfeeding 

 meat scraps and possibly any protein of animal origin. 



Meat Scrap. — ^Meat scrap, quite commonly called beef 

 scrap, is composed of the meat trimmings, including some 

 bone, from various animals slaughtered at the packing-houses. 

 These are cooked to extract some of the fat or tallow, and 

 then ground to varying degrees of fineness and sacked. Being 

 cooked dry and fairly free from fat, it will keep for a long 

 period if stored in a dry place. 



Meat scrap " should not contain any appreciable quantity 

 of hoof, horn, or hair, as these materials have practically 

 no food value for the growing chick or laying hen. A pre- 

 liminary examination of such food preparations may be made 

 by placing a small sample on a piece of white paper and noting 

 carefully the particles which have more or less the appearance 

 of a 'dark-brown glass.' These represent the hoof and horn, 

 are very rich in nitrogen, but not of the form that is adapted 

 to the nutrition of fowls. Another method of testing beef 

 scrap is to treat a small quantity with boiling water. If 

 there is a putrid odor, indicating decomposition, the scraps 

 should not be used."'' 



In the buying of this feed, attention should also be paid to 

 the guaranteed analysis, as it varies widely, sometimes run- 

 ning as low as 20 per cent, protein, and as high as 80 per 

 cent. 



Meat scrap is the most generally used source of animal 

 protein there is, though it is being somewhat displaced in 

 some sections by the use of milk and milk by-products. Tank- 

 age, dried blood, and similar packing-house by-products 

 available for hog feeding are not relished by poultry. 



' Bureau of Animal Industry, Bulletin No. 56. 



2 Jaffa, California Bulletin No. 164. ' West Virginia Bulletin No. 83. 



