1908.] Housing and Feeding of Poultry. 



103 



but these were not available, and the experiment was intended 

 to determine cost rather than egg production. As none of the 

 birds had commenced to lay, and the experiment was intended 

 to be continued over a complete year, this was not so 

 important as might at first sight appear. It is suggestive to 

 note that although only two cocks have run with the pullets, 

 that is, twenty-four females to one male, the fertility has been 

 remarkably good. The system, however, is used more for 

 laying than breeding stock, and, as it is undesirable to use 

 yearlings as breeders except for the production of chickens to 

 be killed at an early age, it was not intended that the test 

 should in any sense depend upon fertility of eggs. The birds 

 have kept remarkably healthy, and there have been no deaths 

 during the twelve months. 



Feeding. — The method of feeding adopted was a combination 

 of " dry mash/' with the addition of grain (wheat and barley), 

 roots (mangolds) and green bone. In the second quarter 

 (April to July) the grain, roots and green bone were omitted 

 owing to the abundance of grass and other natural food, and 

 were not given again until early in January, so that for 

 practically nine months out of the twelve the supplied food 

 was entirely " dry mash," as will be seen by the tables below. 

 The mash consisted of a mixture prepared as follows : 





Parts by 







Parts by 





Weight. 







Weight. 



Bran 



2 " 











Toppings... 



1 







{ Bran 



2 



Linseed Meal 



oh 







| Toppings... 



3 



Indian Meal 







or 



\ Barley Meal 



3 



Beef Scraps 



1 







1 Linseed Meal 





Glover Meal 



1 







I Clover Meal 



1 



Ground Oats 



1 J 











The various ingredients were thoroughly mixed and had an 

 albuminoid ratio of 1 : 3:4. During the first half of the year 

 the cost was 8s. gd. percwt., but owing to advance in price of 

 some of the meals the average cost afterwards was gs. per cwt. 

 The grain supplied consisted of equal parts of wheat and 

 barley (except in January, 1908) having an albuminoid ratio of 

 1 : 6*6, costing ys. per cwt. ; the mangolds had an albuminoid 

 ratio of 1 : 8*48, and cost gd. per cwt. ; green bone cost 2d. per lb. 

 As it was found that the food cost was very high during the first 

 two quarters, owing to the large amount of waste, boxes were 

 fitted below the hopper trays to catch whatever was drawn 



