South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-16
JUDIC|OUS BUYING
OF POULTRY FEED
Relative Feeding Values of
Common Grains DiScIoSeS
Possible Saving in Cost.

some sain." applies 10 the poultry
feed situation. High prices of feeds
have made poultry keepers consider
values OF feeds as never before, and
they are rapidly learning how TO
buy more economically.
While farmers have, as a rule, fed
their poultry the grain that was
| cheapest on the farm. many poultry
! specialists and most small poultry
keepers have been accustomed 10 use
their favorite poultry feeds without
| considering either the quality of the
supply or the possibility of using
| cheaper substitutes. This attitude of
the buyers OF poultry feeds has made
! u easy for feed dealers 10 sell low,
! grade and damaged grain at much
/ higher prices than could have been
/ obtained il poultry keepers every
where were studying and practicing
economy in buying feeds. When
! buyers OF poultry feeds buy with
reference 10 quality and price as
compared with the cheapest grain
on the market, the price of that
grain will control the prices OF all
other grains for poultry feed.
Corresponding Prices of Grains.
| Under normal conditions, corn is
! i'm nearly all parts of the United
States the cheapest poultry feed. At
the present time oats are nearly ev-
I erywhere cheaper than corn and in
! some parts OF the country barley is
| cheaper than oats When corn goes
down to $3.50 a 6ushel. oats should
be rs cents and barley S1.2O A
| bushel 10 give the same value for
the money, when fed to poultry.
The relative commercial feeding
values of the grains are most read
lily computed by using the prices per
/ hundred pounds. taking corn as the
standard and determining the rela-
tive value of any other grain by a
/ rough comparison of its feeding
value with that of corn. 1t is not
practicable to make accurate calcu-
| lations for this purpose, but a calcu-
| lation which assumes that, except
| for indisestible matter and deteri-
grafton, the common grains are,
pound for pound, OF the same feed
| ing value, and rates them according
ly will meet the requirements of the
case.
Judging Quality of Feed.
! The common characters and con-
ditions of grains which roughly de-
/ termine their values as poultry feeds
! are easily estimated by the eye or
/ by weight, or bulk in measures or
containers Of known capacity.
! Good cracked corn is hard. bright,
| clean, and free from soft and chaffy
| PARTICLES Corn that is crushed
| (nOt cracked), and shows soft, chat
fy, and scaly matter, should be rated
| proportionately below good cracked
corn in feeding value. Cracked corn
in which any considerable amount
/ OF greenish discolOration appears
should be rejected as unfit for poul-
4 try.
Oats and barley with the bulls on
are at once seen 10 contain more in
digestible matter than corn and
wheat. Again, the injigestible bulls
| covering oats and barley make those
grains less palatable TO poultry, and
| their feeding value must be dis
1 counted for that. An average sam
/ pie of oats should be valued about
/ II TO 10 percent less than a good
sample of cracked corn: an average
sample of barley from three TO FIVE
/ percent less than good cracked
corn.
Oats weighing less than the Unit
/ ed States standard of - pounds 10
! the busLel and barley under the
United States standard of IS pounds
to the bushel should be discounted
| in price according 70 the shortage
! in weight. while for weights above
| the standards the usual discount in
| price may be reduced. Oats and bar
/ ley that are much below standard
weight usually contain a large pro-
I portion OF grains that are nearly all
hull. These, poultry will not eat IN
| less starved into it.
Value OF Poor Wheat
Wheat OF good milling quality is
not sold for poultry feed except in
sections that grow much wheat and
little corn, ami occasionally from
small local supplies. The best wheat
usually available for poultry is not
| actually worth more as poultry
feed than good cracked corn. but a
poultry keeper can sometimes az
/ ford 10 pay a little more for il be-
/ cause il can be kept longer without
! deterioration. and under some con-
/ ditions il is fed with less waste.
Wheat that has been perceptibly
I damaged by fire. water, or frost has
less value as poultry feed that good
cracked corn. There is no advan-
{ tage or economy in buying damaged
wheat svr poultry except at It's ac-
tuaI value in comparison with the
corn, oats and barley available.
The True Basis of Prices.
Lows grade and damaged grains
are suitable for poultry feed il birds
| i'm good condition Will eat them
readily They can be fed probably
/ If they have been bought at prices
! representing their actual values for
( poultry feeding. as compared with
that of other available feeds. Better
buying by poultry keepers will not
| Immediately stop the selling OF poor
feeds az high prices, but eventually
Il will establish prices for them on
[ the basis Of the price or the cheap
est feed on the market. and not. as
I now AZ a small reduction from the