Milford chronicle., 1936-09-25
FEEDING PLAYS IMPORTANT
PART IN POULTRY PROFITS
"a To 200 Eggs Per Year

"a To 200 Eggs Per Year
Few have thought Of what I
change there has been in the pOul.
try industry and the hen; from the
bird that naturally foraged her OWL
feed, provided her own housing ia
ciIities, and laid about two dozen
eggs per year, Matched them, raised
the chicks-to the 200 egg per year
bird. This is indeed progress. Many
Of the better flock owners are now
approximating this amount.
ALI this has not come about just
by chance. II has taken years of
study and experimenting and the
fundamentals of good poultry man
agement, of the proper breeding pro-
gram, of a balanced ration feeding
schedule, have been materially sim
plifed.
The United States Department of
Agriculture and the Poultry Exten-
sion Departments of our State
schools cooperating, have rendered
the producer service of untold value.
Up to date, authentic poultry infor-
sources at comparatively no cost.
Hens, like all other animals and
birds, are intended to reproduce
certain number of times. The hens
natural reproduction capacity is
from two to three breeks (abOut "a
to SO eggs) per year, and this dur
ing the warm months. In addition to
laying the number of eggs, she
stores up in he's body a number of
additional yOlks, in all probability to
help maintain her body during the |
winter months when feeds would be 1
scarce.
Because we wanted more eggs and
fresh eggs the year around, il was
to force production.
We decided to feed the year
around and give her warm quarters;
this added some to production. In
addition, we found by feeding GER
tain materials we could make many
more whites for these stored up
yolks, and this further increased
production.
While we say this increased pro-
iuctiOn, it may not be true, for If
given time enough it appears that
hens will lay a total of almost as
D any eggs on one system of feed {
ng and housing as the other. How
ever, by proper housing and feeding, !
he hen lays these eggs over per- q
cd of IS months to two years as I
against 5 to 7 years under the old or {
normal way of feeding and housing. a
from this it can easily be seen that }
great deal of feed and time can be \
iaved in the new method and Incl
lentally we have fresh eggs the year t
also when we decide to kill \
he hen. she is edible. q
To accomplish this, we find It nee Il
ssary to feed not only scratch feeds n
starch and sugar; whole grain
eeds) but we must feed egg mash l.
protein; ground grains. grain by v
meat, fish and milk feeds). e
Proper feeding has played quite an
npOrtant part in this procession of
l ogress in the poultry industry. The
equitable commercial feed Organiza-
Ons have made it possible for more vi
nd more producers to secure sicen- +
fcally compounded, uniformly mix al
j feeds, producing a balanced Ta- W
on. D,
It has long been a question whe- d,
er the hen is actually working for la
le producer. the question of Lay al
8 or LOafers." They will work if C,
ven a chance feeding-but a def OF
te program of feeding is the best. Oh
'at is, feeds made Of grains, meat, oh
h products and milk in proper Ri
lance, with the essentials of sun la
inc in the form of tested cod liver pr
and minerals Nothing is so pro- Ju
ctive as this type OF diet for lay an
: hens. Cod liver oil is equally es- h'
ntial in starting and growing vli
lshes fed to baby chicks. One in d
resting way to determine feed yS yS,.
sts is by the use of the quick en- n
,thod for calculating cost of eggs .:I .al
shown in University of Illinois ,,, U
-cular No. 275. Fundamentally. the 7
Il test of any feeding program is of
results measured in costs per Co,
zen of eggs and its effect on the raC
ds. It is no secret that birds bred wa
lay 200 eggs per year will not ac- tho
nplisb this result unless. among the
er things, the feeding program is Tn
rect. ut
anf