THE COMPOUNDING OF RATIONS 371 



Between two feeds having the same composition and cost- 

 ing the same, the one having the highest digestion coefficient 

 is the more profitable to feed. While the exact situation is 

 not met in actual practice, the principle involved is met and 

 must constantly be considered. 



Variety. — ^Variety is one of the spring conditions responsible 

 for the increased production of that season. There is not only 

 grain, animal feed, and green feed in abundance, but there are 

 very many kinds of each. Aside from the cultivated grains, 

 there are many seeds from the weeds and grasses, there are 

 hundreds of kinds of insects and worms and nearly as many 

 different kinds of tender greenness. 



In formulating the ration, not one, but several kinds of 

 both whole and ground grains and. as many sorts of animal 

 food and greenness should be furnished as possible. Variety 

 stimulates the appetite and offers an opportunity for the 

 fowl to exercise some choice in the selection of the ration. 



In a test lasting 360 days, Stewart and.Atwood^ found 

 that Leghorn hens furnished a variety of succulent feed 

 including apples, cabbage, and rape in addition to grass, 

 averaged two dozen more eggs during the period than those 

 which had only grass. 



Philips'' reports observations upon the feeding habits of 

 hens, wherein he found in feeding a grain ration containing 

 corn, oats, and wheat, that certain hens preferred corn to the 

 exclusion of the other grains, others preferred wheat, while 

 still others showed a marked preference for oats. If any one 

 of the grains had been fed to the exclusion of the others, 

 even though properly balanced with a mash, the birds would 

 not have been quite satisfied and production would probably 

 have been lessened. 



Adaptation to Purpose. — ^There is usually one of four pro- 

 ductive purposes in view in feeding. These are (1) laying, 

 (2) fattening, (3) growing, and (4) breeding. In addition 

 to these, there are the factors of age, class, and species 

 to consider. The most characteristic differences between 

 rations formulated for these respective purposes are as 



' West Virginia Experiment Station. ' Kansas Bulletin No. 164. 



