POULTRY-FEEDING WITHOUT WHEAT.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XII, Issue 5, 20 May 1916, Page 389

POULTRY-FEEDING WITHOUT WHEAT.

FINAL RESULTS OF THE MILTON EXPERIMENT.

The feeding experiment which has been conducted at the Department’s poultry-station at Milton during the past twelve months for testing the effect, as regards egg-production, of eliminating wheat from the ration (substituting oats and chaffed lucerne) concluded on the 28th April. Tabulated below are the results of the last period of record (sixteen weeks), and those for the complete year of fifty-two weeks. It will be noted that during the twelve months the wheat-fed birds laid a total of 2,901 eggs, as compared with 2,882 from the no-wheat pens • a difference of 19 eggs, value about is. nd. The cost of production and gross profit are also in favour of the wheat-fed birds, by 4s. 4d. and 6s. 3d. respectively. The experiment will be reviewed in next month’s Journal by Mr. -F. C. Brown, Chief Poultry Instructor.

* This period is sixteen weeks, as compared with twelve weeks for each of the three earlier periods.

Birds fed with Wheat. Birds fed without Wheat. Week ended Birds fed with Wheat. Birds fed without Wheat. White Leghorns. Brown Leghorns. White Leghorns. Brown Leghorns. (Pen No. 1.) Brown Leghorns. (Pen No. 2.) White Leghorns. (Pen No. 3.) Brown Leghorns. (Pen No. 4.) 1916. Jan. 14 22 34 27 35 „ 2 £ 27 33 22 36 ,, 23 . . 31 35 30 38 Feb. 4 • ■ 27 34 ■ 24 32 ,, 11 2 4 ' 32 23 32 ,, 18 26 33 28 .36 ,, 25 28 33 ' 30 ' 33 Mar. 3 z / 27 z 4 32 2 4 29 ,,10 . . 27 32 25 3i „ 17 21 26 26 31 ,,24 16 32 12 24 ■ ,,3i 15 ■30 13 23 April 7 13 24 14 22 ,,14 IO 20 12 18 ,, 21 IO 18 12 19 ,,28 II 13 8 15 Totals 335 461 330 • - 454 Previously laid 1,103 1,002 1,103 995 Grand totals. . 1,438 .463 1.433 1,449

FEEDING EXPERIMENT AT MILTON POULTRY-STATION.-RESULTS FOR FOURTH PERIOD (SIXTEEN WEEKS, ENDED 28TH APRIL, 1916). Record of Eggs laid.

Pens. Eggs laid. Value at is. pd. ■ per Dozen.Average Eggs . per Bird.. Average Value per Bird, at is. pd. per . Dozen. No. I I 335 £ s - d335 2 8 10-25 ■ Z s - d. 2 8 10-25 55-83 S. d. 55'83 8 1-7 S. d. 8 1-7 No. 2 2 461 461 3 7 2-75 3 7 2-75 76'83 76-83 II 2-45 11 2-45 No. 3 3- 330 330 2 8 1-5 281-5 55 55 8 0-25 8 0-25 No. 4 4 ... 454 • 454 3 6 2-5 3 6 2-5 75'6 75'6' 11 0-41 .11 0-41..

Number and Fair Market Value of Eggs laid.

Food. Pens r and 2. " Food. Pens 3 and 4. Average Price. Quantity. Cost. Average Price. Quantity. Cost. £ s. d. . lb. s. d. £ s. d. . lb. s. d. Pollard 8 5 X° ton 67 5 6-33 Pollard 850 ton 62 5 1-38 Bran 5 0 £P „ 20 I 0 Bran 5'o 0. „ 18 0 io’8 Maize 0 5j£4:bush. 20 I 10-85. Maize 054 bush. 20 1 10-85 Meatmeal .. 0 14 jo cwt. 19 2 4’5 Meatmeal .. 0 14 0 cwt. . 19. 2 4'5 Wheat 0 5 4"'bush. 99 - 8 9-6 Oats .. 0 211 bush. . 112 8 2 Lucerne .: 800 ton 49 3 11-04 225 19 7-28 280 22 4-57

Particulars of Foods used.

Pens. Value of Eggs laid. Cost of Production. Gross Profit. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s - dNos. i and 2 .. . . 5 16 1 O 19 7-28 4 16 5-72 Nos. 3 and 4. . . . . 5 T 4 4 i 2 4-57 4 11 I][ '43 Differences £ s. d. 516 1 5 14 4 £ s. d. 0 19 7-28 ' 1 2 4-57 Z s - d. 4 16 5-72 4 11 I]C '43 : . 19 0 2 9-29 0 4 6-29

Comparative Summary.

Period ended Pens. Value of Eggs laid. Cost of Production. Gross Profit. 1915. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. July 23 1 & 2 4 9 n-8 1 5 4’5 3 4 7'3 Oct. 15 1 & 2 4 3. 2-75 i 0 10-07 3 2 4-68 1916. Jan. 7 1 & 2 3 9 8-49 1 1 . 6-07 2 8 2-42 April 28 I & 2 5 16 1 0 19 7-28 4 16 5-72 4 7 3 9 2 1915. July 23 . 3 & 4 4 12 6-9 I 4 2-25 3 8 4-65 Oct. 15 3 & 4 3 16 io-5 I I 2-65 2 15 7-85 1916. Jan. 7 3 & 4 3 13 3'66 I 3 10-58 2 9 5-08 April 28* 3 & 4 5 14 4 1 2 4-57 4 11 n-43 — 17 17 1-06 13 5 5'°i 4 11 8-05 13 5 5-oi Differences.. 0 x 10-98 0 4 4-13 0 6 3-11

Results for Fifty-two Weeks ending 28th April, 1916.