The Tupelo journal., 1916-05-05
Feeds for Poultry

Though the feeding of poultry is a
much debated subject in poultry hus-
bandry, there is no one best feed Or
combination of feeds Results depend
almost as much upon the ability of the
feeder and the methods of feeding as
on the kinds of grains
The simplest of feed-mixtures and
home grown grains should usually be
selected, the rations varying with
changes in the market price of the
grains. 1t is advisable for most poultry
raisers to mix their own feeds, as in
this way they can control the proportion
of the various ingredients and obtain
the precise mixture that they desire.
If, however, one desires to purchase
prepared feeds, information concerning
the different commercial articles may
usually be secured from the state ex-
pertinent station. Most experiment
stations will analyze poultry feeds and
report on the different commercial pre-
parations sold by dealers in their states.
Poultry feeds may be divided for con-
venience into five general classes: First,
grains, both whole and cracked; second,
ground grains, fed in the form of
mash; third, meat feeds; fourth, min
eral feeds; fifth, green feeds. Corn,
cracked corn, wheat and wheat screen
ings, oats, barley, rye and buckwheat
are the principal grains, while of the
ground feeds we have corn meal and
corn chop, corn and cob meal, wheat
bran, middlings, shorts and low grade
flour, oatmeal, oat flour and ground or
crushed oats, and mixed feeds. In the
meat feeds, or feeds supplying animal
protein, are beef scrap, meat meal,
ground green bone, and various forms
of milk; while bone meal, dry bone,
oyster shells and grit make up the min
eral feeds and, with charcoal and green
feeds, complete the common feeding
materials.
Many ground feeds, which are by
products of the common grains, are
used to good advantage in feeding, III
combination with grain and beef scrap.
Ground grains and meat feeds are more
forcing than the whole grains commonlv
used, while the combination Of tfIe|
whole grains with the ground feeds
makes more economical feed and
better balanced ration than the whole
grains alone. The feed elements are
usually cheaper in the ground than in
the whole grains, as the former are by
products of many of the grains used for
human consumption. Ground grains
and beef scrap, in combination, either
wet or dry, make what is called a
"mash. - These by products are higher
in protein than most of the common
grains, so that balanced ration is Sc
cured by combining whole grains with
the mash. Some of the ground grains,
such as bran and middlings, add large
percentage of bulk to the rat on, which
is beneficial.
Animal protein is considered essential
to the best results in feeding. Most
poultrymen feed meat in some form,
while suburban poultry keepers either
feed this product or table scraps, but
few farmers buy any meat feed. Some
form of feed containing animal protein
must be supplied if any eggs are to be
obtained in the fall and winter. Skim
milk or buttermilk is available on many
farms, and where it is not it would
probably pay most farmers to buy beef
scrap or some other meat feed. Fowls
on free range on the farms pick up
bugs and insects during part of the
year, which furnish this protein feed,