The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-09-04
POULTRY DEPARTMENT

in making the yolk of the egg.
In other words, hen to produce an
egg every other day must have surplus
fat in hen feed which weighs two thirds
as much as the yolk of an egg. This
is considerable quantity of fat to ex-
tract from ordinary feed, but it is alb
solutely necessary or reproduction is
not possible.
Then comes the white of the egg.
This is practically pure albumin and
water. 1t contains hardly trace Of
fat and a small quantity of mineral
salts. Albumin in an egg is the same
as the albumin in lean beef, the albumin
found in the caseine of milk and in the
gluten of the grains.
Unless hen is fed enough of the
protieds which produce albumin, produc-
ton of eggs will fall off. All grains
contain albumin, so do milk, lean meat
and green feeds These each contain
various proportions of the fats also.
In practice we need not worry much
! about the necessary amount of fats.
These are plentiful in most feeds. The
costly part of all feeds is the protein
| from which comes the albumin of the
blood and of the whites of eggs. It is
difficult to mix a grain ration which
does not contain superabundance OF
fat and at the same time contains
enough of the proteids to use in the
production of large number of eggs.
The hens which lay ten dozen eggs
in a year will have produced fifteen
pounds of eggs, composed of the choicest
parts of the feed she has consumed.
This will be from three to five times
her own weight, and it will at once
be seen that her vital machinery must
be kept working at high pressure all
| the time, in order to do the work re-
quired of it.
The shell of the egg requires that
supplied by some other means. There
| is small quantity of lime in all feeds,
but not enough to supply lime for egg
shells when they are produced in large
numbers.
Water forms a considerable portion
of both the yolk and white of an egg,
and the hen which does not have a
plentiful supply of this cannot do her
best.
1t should be remembered that the
absence of any one of the elements that
60 into the composition of an egg will
affect the whole supply. No matter
how much protein we supply, we will
not get eggs unless we supply fat and
water. The mineral salts in an egg are
plentiful in all feeds, but lime is as
necessary as protein or fat-producing
| elements.
The fats in feeds supply the heat
which keeps up the bodily temperature
and the energy which maintains life
and gives power to move about, digest
feed and carry on the functions of the
body. The production of eggs in large
numbers carries with it the necessity
| for increased expenditure of energy, SO
more fat is required than would be the
I case if the hen were not laying.
The principles set forth above are &C.
copied as foundation facts, and on these
we must base any theory or practice
any method. These principles are true
of any animated being, fish, flesh or
fowl so we may work from them with
perfect confidence.
Experimental work has gone far
enough to lead those who have given
the matter considerable study to believe
that what would be called balanced ra-
ton for cow or horse will not apply
in the case of a laying hen. While dis
cussing the matter with Prof. Rice, at
| Ithaca, he made remark which ac-
cords with the theory we have been
developing. He said he was beginning
to think that hen requires a wider
ration than is made up for farm ami
mails generally. That is. while the Az