Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-20
THE USE OF BRAN IN FEEDING

TWO opinions are prevalent among
poultry keepers, tending to extremes in
practice, concerning the value of bran.
In the one case 1t is fed too freely and
Unfortunately, either through ig-
noranee of it's properties or from a
false idea of economy; or it is neglect
ed either from want of knowledge or
as the result of experience confined to
it's misuse.
To feed bran beneficially, it's proper
tion must be relative to other foods
used in soft-food mixtures; it must be
properly prepared, and it's use must be
restricted to birds of certain ages and
classes, being fed for definite purposes.
Despite food tables and calculated
ratfons, most poultry keepers refuse to
conform to such niceties, and it is both
unreasonable and unnecessary to ex-
pect more than an approximate ac-
curacy as regards the nutritive value
of the whole; but some discrimin alton
is necessary if profit is expected from
the feeding.
Bran is a relatively cheap food and
its frequent use in the composition of
morning-fed mashes is no doubt partly
influenced by this fact, but more par
ticularly on account of the bulk which
1t adds to the mixture. In the food
table mentioned the necessity for
scalding bran before feeding it to fowls
Is rightly insisted upon. This is essen
tial not only to lessen the tendency of
the fiber to set up intestinal irritation
but also to enable the birds to obtain
as far as possible, the full nutrient
value. The mere dampening of bran in
its mixture with other meals and food
stuffs is insufficient, although it is the
common practice of those who desire
to save time or trouble. If fed with
out scalding, bran is extremely waste
full, its gritty particles and scaly,
sharp edged pieces causing an undue
irritation and leading to a more rapid
evacuation of the whole of the but par
TALLY digested and absorbed food.
Fowls fed in this manner are quickly
hungry again, having lost a great pro-
portion of the nourishment of their
food, in addition to the incurred risk
of disorders in the digestive organs.
In composition and character all veg
etable food is liable to variation ars-
ing from the condition of the plant,
and the character of the soil and sea-
son in which it is grown, just as there
are also assimilative differences in the
fowls consuming it.
In common with the majority of the
natural bulky foods of the farm bran
is poor in digestible flesh or muscle
forming material, and is therefore an
insufficient and unsatisfactory diet,
though filling. Nevertheless, some
descriptions of poultry will thrive well
upon it as an important ingredient of a
mixture, the other constituents of
which more or less balance the excess
of the on-nitrogenous food contained
in it's bulk.
In addition to it's recommended in
clusion in the winter warm mash diet
for laying hens, it may be usefully en-
ployed in the feeding of ducks and
ducklings, if adequately mixed with
other foods, the last named birds re-
quiring bulky rations; but considerable
discrimination is necessary in its use
for feeding chickens. In no case must
it be given to quite young birds.
AS matter of fact, sharps or pollard
is that portion of the bran which is
more finely divided than the rest; yet
the quantity used should be more than
sufficient to counteract the sickness
of the pure oats.
When the chickens are from to
months of age, or earlier, if they are
well grown birds, scalded bran may be
gradually introduced to give the
requisite bulk to their food, increasing
the allowance until it reaches the rela-
tive quantity allowance allowable for
laying hens.
have always found that we'll grown,
free-running chickens benefit from it's
use, and it may be successfully fed to
chickens) whose food has been concen-
trated or fattening in character, but it
must be entirely withheld in cases of
diarrhea and kindred disorders.-Farm
Journal.