FEEDSTUFFS 281 



From the fact that corn is rather low in protein and high in 

 carbohydrates it is spoken of as a carbonaceous food. Corn con- 

 tains more oil than wheat, but less protein and carbohydrates. 



Corn being rich in starch and oil, its chief function in the 

 body should be that of production of heat and fat. Corn 

 being low in ash and proper amino acid content is not adapted 

 as a single feed in young and growing birds. 



Corn may be fed to poultry whole, cracked, or ground. 



The laws of the United States recognize 56 pounds of shelled 

 corn as 1 bushel, and corn in the ear as 70 pounds. 



In growth the corn grains develop on a central core or sup- 

 port called a cob (corn-cob). This cob consists chiefly of 

 crude fiber or cellulose. It is low in digestible nutrients, and 

 it is doubtful if poultry can utilize it with profit if it were finely 

 ground and incorporated in the mash. 



Corn and Cob Meal. — ^The entire ear — that is, corn and cob 

 — is sometimes ground together, when it is sold as corn and 

 cob meal. It is rather difficult to reduce the cob to fineness, 

 so that such meal usually contains more or less larger pieces of 

 cob. 



The water in an ear of corn will vary from 10 to 20 per cent. 

 After maturing it undergoes a shrinkage. This shrinkage in 

 weight will amount to 6 to 10 per cent, of its total weight. 



There are several by-products of corn that are of interest in 

 poultry feeding. Some of these are as follows: 



Corn bran, which consists of the outer two coats or covering 

 of the grain. After the sldn or outer layers are removed there 

 is found a layer rich in protein. The germ is near the attached 

 portion of the grain. The germ contains oil, ash, and protein. 

 The body of the grain consists entirely of starch. 



Gluten feed constitutes the by-products of the corn grain in 

 the manufacture of starch. Gluten feed is rich in fats or oils 

 and protein and can well form one of the ingredients of the dry 

 mash. Gluten meal does not contain the germ or the hulls. 



Cracked corn consists of the broken-up grains in more or less 

 coarse particles. It is usual to sift such cracked corn and use 

 the fine particles for the mash, and the coarser part, practically 

 free from flour, for the scratch feed, thus not placing the finer 

 particles in the scratch feed to be wasted. 



