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35 
Digestive Coefficients of Poultry Feeds, etc. 
BEHAVIOR OF BIRDS ON SINGLE FEEDS 
The palatability of single feeds as shown by our feeding tests is of considerable 
interest. In selecting our fowls we chose mature hens of lymphatic temperament. 
Such hens did not worry in confinement. It appears that the appetite of fowls does 
not always hold up well on a single feed as it does on a variety. 
The feeding tests were run in series of six hens each, one hen in each cage as pre¬ 
viously described. The feeding tests extended over a period of eight days. The birds 
were given a definite nunjber of grams of the feed at 7:30 a. m. and 4:30 p. m. 
The breeds of fowls used in these tests were Buff and White Plymouth Rocks and 
Buff Orpingtons. In the first series one hundred percent finished and the second 
series fifty percent finished the test. It is also of interest to note that in the test with 
wheat middlings and corn meal, of the four that started, three, or 75 percent, finished 
the test. Wheat middling has a tendency to cause a looseness of the bowel on about 
the fourth day. This seemingly has a tendency to cause the bowel to unload. 
Of the twelve Buff Plymouth Rock hens that started on corn, but five, or 41 percent, 
finished. This put wheat middlings in these tests ahead of corn in palatability. 
Of the twenty-four White and Buff Plymouth Rock hens starting on wheat but 
six, or 25 percent, finished which was the lowest percent of any of the tests to go 
through. 
Of the twelve Buff Orpington hens starting on oats, six, or fifty .percent, finished, 
putting oats slightly ahead of either corn or wheat. 
Of the twelve Buff Plymouth Rocks starting on bolted corn meal, only five, or 
41 percent, finished, putting it in the class of corn, while of the six Buff Plymouth 
Rock hens starting on unbolted corn meal, three, or fifty percent, finished. 
Of the six Silver Penciled Wyandottes starting on rye and corn meal none finished, 
but of six Partridge Ptymouth Rocks starting on rye and corn meal in a third 
test, three, or fifty percent finished. Thus of eighteen hens starting on rye in full or 
as part feed only three or sixteen percent finished. The hens on 100 percent rye 
developed mild diarrhoea on the second day and severe diarrhoea by the fifth day. 
The hens on fifty percent rye and fifty percent corn meal developed mild diarrhoea 
by the fourth day but the diarrhoea did not become severe. The hens on 25 percent 
rye and 75 percent corn meal did not develop diarrhoea. 
Of the three Buff Orpington hens starting on one-fourth part of barley and three- 
fourths part corn meal , two, or 66 percent, finished. 
Of the six Silver Penciled Wyandottes starting on Kafir corn one-fourth part, 
and corn meal three-fourths part, five, or 83 percent, finished. 
Of the six S. C. Rhode Island Red hens starting on one-fourth part rice and three- 
fourths part corn meal, five, or 83 percent, finished, thus putting rice high as a desira¬ 
ble feed from a tolerance standpoint. 
Slightly better than rice was buckwheat. Six Barred Plymouth Rock hens were 
placed on buckwheat one-fourth part and corn meal three-fourths part with 100 per¬ 
cent finishing the test. 
Of six S. C. Rhode Island Red hens starting on hulled oats, five, or 83 percent 
finished, placing hulled oats ahead of oats. 
Of six Golden Wyandotte hens starting on cotton seed meal one-third and corn 
meal two-thirds, four, or 66 percent, finished the test. 
Of six S. C. Rhode Island Reds starting on 20 percent fish meal and 80 percent 
corn meal, five, or 83 percent, finished, placing fish meal high as a feed from a tolerance 
standpoint. 
