42 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 
Corn contains about 7 per cent digestible pro¬ 
tein, oats and barley about 9' per cent, and bran 
I 
about 12 per cent. The roughages are consid¬ 
erably lower, while green feeds carry about 
one or two per cent protein. From this we can 
get an idea about the necessity of watching the 
feeding to the extent that this valuable con¬ 
stituent is sufficiently supplied. Furthermore, 
the hen that is producing these eggs needs a 
fair amount of this protein for further growth 
and body upkeep. Another point worth remem¬ 
bering is the fact that the bird, or any other 
animal, through natural instinct, always sees 
to it that the first requirement, that of bodily 
growth and upkeep are maintained first .with 
the food they are given, so that to get the most 
from the birds, let us not hold them down to 
just a maintenance ration, but give them 
enough in addition so .that they can not only 
maintain their body requirements properly, but 
also have enough food material to yield a 
product. 
The ration for the laying hen should consist 
of the two forms of grain; first, the whole or 
cracked grains that comprise the scratch ration, 
and which should always be thrown in the 
