THE COMPOUNDING OF RATIONS 



373 



Effect on Product. — Certain feeds have an undesirable 

 effect on the flavor of the eggs and flesh of fowls, that are at 

 the same time nutritious, palatable, and healthful. Onions, 

 rape, turnips and fish scrap, if fed in excess, impart a strong 

 taste to eggs, but otherwise are excellent feed. 



Green feed and yellow corn help to give the rich golden- 

 yellow color which is so desirable in the yolk, while excessive 

 amounts of linseed meal impart a green color to the yolks. 

 Beets give the yolks a pale color. Waite^ found that yellow 

 corn, when composing three-sevenths of a ration, gave a very 

 deep yellow to the yolk of the resulting eggs. When it formed 

 three-elevenths of the ration, it gave a noticeable yellow tint, 

 but not as rich a yellow as is desired. 



Fig. 176 



C'OC 



Showing effect on the egg yolk of feeding a fat stain (Sudan III) 

 to laying hens. 



Wheat, when forming the same proportions as above, gave 

 no yellow color to the egg yolks, and white corn gave no 

 better results. The balance of the ration was in each case 

 the same. 



In fattening experiments, Bittenbender and Lippincott^ 

 found that when beef scraps formed 25 per cent, of the finely 

 ground portion of a fattening ration, it imparted a distinctly 

 strong flavor to the. flesh of the fowls, as compared with 

 birds fattened on oat flour and gluten feed. 



It is because of the effect of their food that wild ducks 

 have the characteristic " gamey" flavor that is conspicuously 

 absent in the same species when domesticated. 



• Maryland Bulletin No. 157. 



' Unpublished data, Iowa State College. 



