A. J.
MACDONALD
243
were fed wet on mash, whereas in the previous
experiment all the groups, except that on meat
offal, were fed on dry mash. Comparisons were
made between separated milk and meat offal
supplements (intestines of animals from the
slaughter house) and low protein cereal diets
with and without salt supplements.
EXPERIMENTAL
Stock. A total of 200 six to seven month old
White Leghorn X Rhode Island Red pullets were
divided into four comparable groups and fed on
the experimental rations for a period of 280
days. The groups were housed under similar
conditions and had access to large grass runs.
All the birds were trapnested throughout the
experiment.
Feeding. The four groups were fed on mash
and grain rations. The basal mash fed to all
groups consisted of wheat bran 50 parts, yellow
maize meal 30 parts and ground oats 20 parts.
The grain ration consisted of a mixture of equal
parts of yellow cracked maize, wheat and paddy.
Broken limestone and water were fed ad
libitum, together with liberal amounts of succu-
lent green food.
Group I (Basal Group) was fed the basal
diet only. Group II (Salt Group) received the
basal diet plus 1 per cent common salt in the
mash. Group III (Milk Group) received the
basal mash supplemented with 0.5 per cent
common salt and approximately 5 oz. of sepa-
rated milk per bird per day. Group IV (Meat
offal Group) received the basal mash supple-
mented with 1 per cent common salt and 1.2 oz.
of meat offal per bird per day.
All four groups received wet mash according
to appetite at 7-30 A.M. The amount fed varied
according to appetite, the usual amount being
about 1.2 oz. of dry mash per bird. The mash
was fed in a crumbly state, and the amount fed
was limited to what the birds would readily
consume in 10 to 15 minutes. The wet mash for
Groups I and II was made up by adding water
only. The mash for Group III was mixed with
separated milk instead of water and the balance
of the milk ration for the day was fed ad
libitum in a top-filling fountain. Group IV re-
ceived the mash mixed with meat offal. The
meat offal required for the group was weighed
out and cooked in a small quantity of water for
a period of one hour. The offal was then run
through a mincing machine and mixed with the
mash. The residual water from the cooking
was also mixed into the mash.
About 0.5 oz. of grain per bird was fed to each
of the groups at 10 A.M. Dry mash was also
given in waste-proof hoppers from 12 noon until
4 P.M. Grain according to appetite (approxi-
mately 1½ oz. per bird) was given to each of the
groups at 5 P.M. All the four groups received
water to drink but Group IV also received the
balance of their separated milk ration in drinking
vessels. In order to ensure a complete con-
sumption of the milk, the water vessel was
removed from the milk group at the time of
feeding the milk and replaced when the milk
was finished.
All the foods consumed were regularly
analysed, and every effort was made to keep
the protein percentages in Groups III and IV
at a constant level. Over the whole experi-
ment, the average percentage protein in the
basal mash was 10.4. The corresponding figure
for the grain mixture was 9.7 per cent. The
separated milk contained 9.7 per cent dry matter
and 3.5 per cent protein. The corresponding
figures for the meat offal were 18.0 and 122.
Egg production. Table I gives the average
egg production per bird for each group for each
period of four weeks and the average egg pro-
duction per bird for the whole period.
TABLE I
Average egg production per bird
Period
1. 10-7-42—6-8-42 .
2. 7-8-42—3-9-42 . .
3. 4-9-42—1-10-42 .
4. 2-10-42—29-10-42 .
5. 30-10-42—26-11-42 .
6. 27-11-42—24-12-42 .
7. 25-12-42—21-1-43 .
8. 22-1-43—18-2-43 .
9. 19-2-43—18-3-43 .
10. 19-3-43—15-4-43 .
Total—10-7-42—15-4-43 .
Groups
I
3.4
4.2
5.4
5.4
6.6
5.2
6.8
10.0
13.9
13.5
74.4
II
8.7
8.7
5.9
5.8
6.1
5.1
7.1
8.3
12.6
12.2
80.5
III
11.0
12.7
7.3
10.0
11.1
10.7
10.9
13.2
15.4
15.4
117.7
IV
9.8
10.7
4.8
10.4
10.8
9.4
8.7
12.0
14.4
14.2
105.2
Group II laid somewhat better than Group I
during the first two periods but thereafter the
egg production figures for these two groups were