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200 REPORT OF THE First ASSISTANT OF THE © 
FEEDING SALT To HEns. 
Salt has generally been fed to hens at this Station, although in 
small quantities, and no injurious results have been observed to 
accompany its use. A short trial was made with some two-year-old 
hens to get indications of the amount possible to feed without 
injury. Six hens (two Brahmas, two Cochins and two Game crosses 
in each pen) were confined August twenty-seventh in each of two 
small pens, 5x8 feet, having yards attached 5x28 feet. They were 
fed similar rations, consisting of a mixed grain, wheat and grass, 
and plenty of water was allowed them. The mixed grain contained 
five parts corn meal, five parts wheat bran, three parts linseed 
meal (N. P.) and two parts wheat middlings. 
Those of one pen were fed salt in their food at the rate per day 
for each fowl of .021 ounces during the first thirteen days, then 
for nineteen days .042 ounces per day, and then during nine days 
.063 ounces per day. After this the amount was reduced to .042 
ounces per day and continued for twenty days. This salt the hens 
were obliged to eat, for it was mixed in their food. Until the 
amount of .063 ounces per day for each hen was fed (at the rate 
of 6.3 ounces, nearly one-half pint, a day for 100 hens) no bad 
effects were observed. This amount, however, was sufiicient to 
cause diarrhoea in two of the hens. Upon reducing the amount ° 
of salt to .042 ounces per hen the trouble disappeared without 
other treatment. 
After these hens had been confined two months (on October 
twenty-seventh), one pen having had no salt whatever and the other 
all that was consistent with good health, a shallow box of salt 
{five pounds) was placed on the floor ofeach pen. After this, 
salt was no longer mixed with the food but the box of salt was 
kept in each pen for a month. Although the salt was picked over 
a little by the hens, not enough was eaten to injure the health of 
any, and the trial was carried no further. 
The total gain in weight per fowl during the first two 
-months was for those having salt, 8.2 ounces and for the 
others 10.5 ounces. During the last month it was for those 
having had salt an average of 2.8 ounces, and for the others 8.7 
ounces. The total grain food consumed per day was for the 
salt-fed pen 4.17 ounces per fowl during first two months and 

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