PRACTICAL FEEDING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1293, 10 December 1896, Page 28

PRACTICAL FEEDING.

It is a common saying in reference to scientific maters that any particular procedure tiiiy/ be all right m theory, but will not -Auric out i:: practice. Theory is a science, and the prastice :ui art ; whenever the tw;> do not agree, it is inevitably because the interpretation of one or the o Met- bus been at fault. At the same ti •))<•, pfi'Mir tic; exidansvions, at lease in !'••;■ I?owlish t-.o;.'ii", are net e-i3''y under.!•,.,.d m i!i i <■ loiuu'itß rVroi hy ihoae ■.p.i-'M-dly f. r-v Lji.s--.--l in • he \> •■ ' iou! i sneuje '!'::•■? i'oii'.:i! i .:n _f ;tff.»il'a h:**i vlVrtii rise, very proporiy, to a demand for illustra-

tions of applied science in such plain every-day language as to como within the comprehension of those who have not been specially trained in the principles. Poultry feeding has often beon treated in a purely scientific form in many papers ; it now remains for us to supply a more practical application of the same, based on the experience of actual practice. The object of all foods is, of course, to sustain life through supplying the wear and tear of the process of living. The living organism requires new supplies constantly to replace those utilised in the various forms of useful energy in animal existence ; such as egg production, l«yin<.' on fat, physical growth, new feathers, etc., precisely analogous to the woi. d, nails, paint, glass, etc., necessary from time to time to keep a residence in good repair. So far as requiring this repair system is concerned, animate and inani mate bodies are quite the same. In the latter instance it is usually a very simple matter to know just what is wanted to replace wear and tear to the beat advantage ; in the former such is not the case. Here, unskilled repairing, so to speak, is not .'Jirectly apparent, and the losses thus sustained are, in the aggregate, simply enormous.

It is estimated that only about onefourth of the nutritive value of funds is realised, even in good practice. Toillus trate : A fowl may need a development of the blood and muscular tissu.-s. If fed corn solely, for every pound of the necessary protein or muscle-forming substance supplied of fat and heat-producing substances are passed through the animal system, largely to no economical purp se. It may be fitly compared with burning fruit for the purpose of getting the potash it" contains—one ton of fruit would be worth pounds, while the potash could be bought from the manure merchants for shillings. The value of food is measured by those substances in its composition which are useful in repairing the wear and tear of the animal body, and are necessary for the production of special effects, such as fattening or egg-production, etc. There is nothing mysterious or unfathomable in all this. Wheat is a good food because of the protein, fats, and carbohydrates it contains, and not merely because it is a grain. The feeding value of wheat is not invariable. It may be so reduced in useful constituents by cultivation on impoverished soil as to be one-third less valuabla as a food than a good normal wheat, and still be practically unchanged so far as its outward appearance to the unaided eye is concerned. It is important to bear well in mind that it is the nutrients in foods that are of value, not the crude material of itself.

The two chief principles in food may be termed l * protein " and " carbohydrates " respectfully. This classification is not as complete as, perhaps, it should be, but still may effect a vast Jmprovement over feeding methods subject to no systematic regulation. The composition of the most common poultry foods in these two principles is shown by the following table : la lOOoz. of — Protein. Carbohydrates.

Broadly speaking, there are two particular objects to be attained in feeding, and which require a different treatment—(l) the rapid growth of young poultry, and preparation for egg-laying ; (2) fattening for market. Poultry for profit recognises little more than this, except, perhaps, in case of breeders who will desire in a very few instances a feeding method for mere maintenance. To apply the above tabulated data, the ratio between the protein and the carbohyhrates is all that need be observed so far as the selection of the kinds of foods is concerned. These ratioi are as follow :—For egglay ing, etc , the average of carbohydrates in the foods should approximately equal four times the average of the protein ; f. r fitteniug, etc., the carbohydrates should be abuut six times the protein. Thus : Prot-in. Carbohydrates. ■Rue-Hying etc. ... 3 to 4 Fattening, e c. ... 1 to 6 To keep a hen in good condition for laying, she should uever have a full crop

during the day. It is not wrong, as some poultry men urge, to give a light meal of mixed soft food, warm in the morning, in the feeding trough, but such meal should be only one-quarter the quantity the hens require. They should go away from the trough unsatisfied, and should then seek their food, deriving it grain by grain from under a heap of straw, or litter, engaging in healthy exercised in order to obtain it ; and in such circumstances the food will be pa?.-ed into the gizzard slowly and be better digested. Gradually the hen will accumulate sufficient food to provide for the night, going on the roost with a full crop.

Wheat lOoz CO'Z Corn 8-z (3'!' z Corn meuR 802 (59 z Pollard 13oz ~>So 2 Oats lloz 52. z O ittneal looz ()'ioji Green-cut bone 22<>z • i 1 • Z Pnre mi k 4oz 8oz Skim milk 3oz 4oz Vegetables loz 7ez