Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-11-07
POULTRY
CONSULTING DEPARTMENT
Egg-Producing Feeds


Feed to produce one dozen eggs
costs ten cents with pullets, IA cents
with two-year-old hens, and 10 cents
with three-year-old hens, in three
year feeding test recently reported
by poultrymen of the United States
Department of Agriculture. These
were the cost figures of feed at the
time of the experiment, which began
in 1912, and must be corrected to
present prices. Tables of rations and
costs presented in the report enable
poultrymen to make these correc-
tons when compared to 1917 prices.
In Bulletin SCI of the department
"Feed Cost of Egg Production" the
specialists describe in detail this test,
which was undertaken to compare the
costs of various rations fed under
general farm conditions. Much infor-
nation relating to feeding under the
various conditions also was learned
in the experiment.
Starting with six pens of thirty
pullets each, the test was enlarged
to include sixteen pens containing
$3.50 fowls. Most of the pens were
made up of thirty standardized pull
lets, bred and reared under the same
conditions and selected for vigor,
standard shape, and color. Some
focks consisted of fowls of one breed,
while others contained more than one
kind of pure-bred fowls of the gem
eral-purpose type. Pens of cross
bred pullets also were used.
With the exception of three flocks
which were confined to good-sized
yards, all the fowls were allowed free
range over several acres of rough
land. Detailed records were kept of
the feed used, the weight of the eggs,
and careful observations were made
of the conditions which affect egg
production, such as melting and
broodiness. The test was conducted
on the experiment. farm of the Bur-
eau of Animal Industry, at Beltsyille,
Md. Summarizing the results of the
tests, the specialists draw these con-
clusions
The average egg yield for the first
laying year in all pens was 131 eggs,
and the highest pen average yield was
1875 eggs. In the second year the
average egg yield of all pens was
92.7 eggs, which decreased to 1872
eggs in the third laying year.
The average value Of eggs over feed
cost the first laying year was $3.50
per hen, falling to $1.41 the second
year, and TO $0.79 the third year. The
highest average value in any pen was
$3.41.
The general purpose fowls con-
sumed annually 70 pounds of feed,
which cost $1.13, while the Leghorns
ate IS pounds, which cost 81 cents.
Good results were obtained with ra-
tions both with and without oats. The
use of this grain added variety to the
ration without increasing the cost.
Fowls not fed any beef scrap or
Other animal protein laid only 90 eggs
during their pullet year compared
with 1887 eggs from the beef-scrap
mems. and "a compared with SO in their
second year. The eggs Of the no-beef-
scrap pens cost about % cents per
dozen more to produce the first laying
wear. but these costs were about equal
during the second year. The fowls
not fed beef scrap laid very poorly IN
winter. thus materially reducing the
value Of their eggs.
Cottonseed meal used in place OF
beef scrap as high protein feed in
tbe ration produced brown or green
;sh spots on the yolks Of the eggs,
especially in warm weather, making
4 Considerable proportion Of them un.,
At FOR market. Eggs were produced