Nogales international., 1936-02-15

"Obviously no one can long re-
main in the chicken business and
survive mortality losses of from
$3.50 to $780," states ]. FL. McAdams
of the Poultry Department of the
Purina Mills. maybe the hens are
laying too many eggs. The man
owning the birds, though, says he
gathers too few eggs instead of too
many. Maybe there are too many
new diseases and uncontrolled par
asites. If we are to put finger on
each possible cause for heavy NOR
tality losses and attempt to hold
them back that way, much as the
boy in the story held the Holland
dyke by plugging the hole with his
fist, we'll need the arms of an Octa-
pus and as many fingers on each
arm as a centipede has legs.
However, no multiplicity Of
arms and fingers is necessary, for
all of the increasing causes for
such terrific mortality can be
charged up to a lack of vitality. AS
to what causes such wide spread
lack of vitality is another question,
but it is the one that must be run
down and whipped.
STARTING about twenty-five years
ago the attention Of science turned
toward getting more eggs out OF a
hen, In 1911 the Wisconsin Expert
ment Station received wide acclaim
with a hen that in years time
laid two hundred eggs. In about
1918 the first laying contest was es-
tablished at Storrs, Connecticut.
Ever since that time, there has been
a wild scramble for hens that could
lay more eggs. Lopsided emphasis
has been placed on breeding for
numbers of eggs without much con-
sideralion for vitality and the ways
to preserve the vitality.
"Today, poultry investigational
work is swinging around to the
more serious thought of poultry vi
tality," says McAdams, particular
! ly the matter of vitamins. The av-
erage laying ration (even the best
of them) has not contained
enough Vitamin A. The difficult
ty has been recognized by feed sci
entists for years, but it has not
been possible until now to do any
thing about it.
''Research has discovered way
to extract carotene (Vitamin A in
its primary form) and convert it in
to puratene-the new, vitalizing
feed ingredient. The addition Of
puratene steps up the 'Vitamin A
activity two and half times. 1t
puts plenty Of Vitamin A into the
ration, which raises the birds re-
sistance to the germs Of infectious
diseases.
BY Stimulating Health.
"The stimulation of health" Nc
Adams points out, "goes hand-in-
hand with prevention of disease, Of
course. But it goes farther Hens
may be entirely free from disease
infection and yet become listless
and 'mopey.' Everyone has seen lots
of them. They don't lay many eggs
while in that condition. Other hens
may lay heavily for a few weeks,
then suddenly go off feed, losing
weight and naturally, their produc-
ton stops.
Either of these conditions may
be brought about by nothing more
than a natural loss of appetite
which occurs whenever the supply
of Vitamin A in the body is ex-
hausted Birds that are laying heav-
lily use up large quantity of Vita
min A daily. A lot of it goes into
the egg itself, besides what they
use in their own bodies. If they
aren't getting enough in the ration
to meet this daily demand, they
draw on the supply which was
stored up in the body. When the
reserve supply is gone. they lose ap
petite-don't consume enough feet
to keep up the pace. and othel
symptoms soon follow.
"The abundance of Vitamin A (ol
Vitamin A activity, which puraten'
now puts into laying mashes, stin
ulates the birds appetites to keel
pace with high production. 1t isr'
a forcing stimulation, in any sens'
of the word, but a natural stimula
tion such as existed when the bird
still had their stored-up reserve t.
draw upon. In fact, they retaiI
their stored-up reserve throughou
the entire year,"