THE COMPOUNDING OF RATIONS 363 



of cracked wheat, 2 pounds of granulated oat meal, 3 pounds 

 of corn meal, § pound each of wheat middlings, buckwheat 

 middlings, ground oats and old-process linseed meal, 2J 

 pounds of animal meal, and 2f pounds of young green alfalfa. 

 This would feed from eight hundred to a thousand chicks of 

 this age." 



In practice it is not always practicable to vary the ration 

 from week to week with the exactitude pointed out in the 

 standard. The needs of the chick govern its appetite very 

 largely, and if offered a variety of feeds it may be depended on 

 to balance its own ration with fair accuracy. 



Growing Standard for Ducks. — Ducks grow faster than 

 chickens do, and not only demand more pounds of dry matter 

 per unit of weight, but also a greater proportion of the growing 

 nutrients, protein, and ash. The standard for growing duck- 

 lings as computed by W. P. Wheeler' is given in Table 

 XXXIV: 



Table XXXIV. — Digestible Nutrients Required peb Day for Each 

 100 Pounds Live Weight op Growing Ducklings. 



A "ration in accord with the standard given for ducklings 

 might be constituted as follows: Eight pounds of corn meal, 

 3 pounds wheat middlings, 2 pounds ground barley, 2 pounds 

 old-process linseed meal, 6 pounds animal meal, 2 pounds of 

 fresh bone, and 3 pounds of young green alfalfa." 



Laying Standard. — "It is a physiological axiom that protein 

 is a cell stimulant."^ It is to be expected therefore that grow- 

 ing chicks and laying hens need considerably more digestible 

 protein than the minimum that will barely maintain them. 

 Because of the large amount of ash required for the manu- 



• Jordan's Feeding of Animals. ^ Henry, Feeds ^nd Feeding. 



