Systems of Feeding Household Poultry Flock

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 2, 15 February 1957, Page 181

Systems of Feeding Household Poultry Flock

By

W. L. JOURDAIN,

Poultry Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Hamilton

“J T is much more important to supply the chickens with adequate quantities of all the necessary nutrients than it is to follow a given system. . . . Any system that ensures, through design or by accident, an adequate supply of all the essential nutrients is sure to be successful from the standpoint of nutrition.”

IF the various systems of feeding are considered with the foregoing statement by W. Titus, Officer-in-charge, Poultry Nutrition Investigations, United States Department of Agriculture, the system that appeals can be selected with the certain knowledge that the birds will give a good return.

It is amazing how often the small backyard poultry keeper manages to obtain good, and sometimes outstanding, results mainly by accident. He is helped by the fact that only a small number of birds are run together and yet these results could not be obtained without good nutrition. Such success is mainly fortuitous, because very few backyard poultry keepers understand enough about correct nutrition to be able to claim the credit.

Methods of Feeding Wet Mash and Grain

The. most common method of feeding, used over the past years is that of wet mash and grain. Except for some very strong reason, those using this method are very unlikely to change, because none of the other systems will give any better production.

One main advantage of this system is that it uses all the household scraps without any trouble and it leaves no food, lying about to attract vermin. However, even with wet mash there are slight variations, such as a small grain feed first thing in the morning, mash at midday and grain at night, or mash in the morning and grain at night, or again, grain in the morning and mash at night.

The only practical drawback to this method is the time it takes to prepare the mash compared with the other systems, but this is not an important factor. Poultry appear to have very limited senses of smell and taste, but nevertheless with food they have very definite likes and. dislikes, and though they prefer wet mash, this can be made unpalatable.

Wet mash to be really palatable must be mixed to the right consistency.

Though it is called wet mash, it should never be fed in a wet, tacky condition. To judge the right consistency a handful of it should be taken and squeezed this should remain in a lump, but when it is dropped to the ground from a height of 2ft. it should break up. When grain and mash is fed it is as well to limit the amount of grain to about 2oz. per bird, and then let the birds make up the rest of their food requirements with mash. The reason for this is that the mash contains most of the essential nutrients for egg production. However, the poultry keeper today is largely dependent on the mash manufacturer for the bulk of the mash, but the smaller and very important ingredients are left to the owner to supply. The time taken in preparing food is not a factor of great importance to the

average householder; therefore the fact that dry mash feeding is also a saving in labour is hardly relevant when the number of birds involved is

anything up to 24. For this method to be really efficient the feed hoppers must be constructed in such a way that there will be little or no wastage. Though generally the mash is kept before the birds at all times, the hoppers could be closed about 2 p.m.

to sharpen the birds’ appetites for the grain feed which is usually given about 3.30 p.m. Feeding of Grain The grain could be fed in open hoppers as is the mash, and this method should be quite successful. If it is found that the birds are eating a disproportionate amount of grain, the hopper could be closed at certain times during the day. The big advantage of the dry mash system is that it enables the householder to leave the birds all day, and possibly all the weekend, with the assurance that they are adequately fed. Pellet Feeding Another system which has grown much in favour during the last few years is that of pellet feeding, which makes it very easy to feed the birds. There is no mixing of mash, no worry with wastage, providing an efficient

hopper is used, or no worry over the supply of vitamins. This system is perhaps better than that of dry mash feeding because of less wastage. The pellets are processed from the ordinary mash mixture with the addition of an ingredient to cement the mash into pellets. The main drawback is that the pellets cost about 30s. to £2 per ton more than the mash. Pellets can be fed alone or with grain, when the proportions should be about equal. The all-grain system has given good results and is almost as easy to manage as pellet feeding. The same type of trough is used and the only additional work is in the supplying of the needed vitamins. These can be supplied in the form of oil which should be rubbed into the grain or as an emulsion in the drinking water. The latter is probably the easiest way and ensures that each bird receives its requirements. Meat Meal In addition to the mash, grain, or pellets being fed the birds also need meat meal, and the most efficient way

of feeding it is ad lib. None of the mashes or pellets on the market has more than 10 per cent, of meat meal added, unless it is a special mix, and therefore the requirements of the birds are not adequately met • without additional meat meal. As birds vary in their ability to produce eggs they need various levels of protein, and it is far easier to let the birds balance their own ration than to try to do it for them.

One thing the poultry keeper should be sure of is the palatability of the meat meal. It is useless placing a meat meal before the birds if they do not like it.

Vitamins ■> Though only a few birds are kept, the supply of vitamins must still be considered. Vitamins are necessary for the health, growth, and reproduction of all birds and animals. The most important vitamins for

; poultry are A, B, D 3, and E; without > these the health and growth of the i birds suffer. Vitamin A can be sup- ; plied in the form of a feeding oil or • in leafy green foods; B is needed i mainly for hatching and growth of the i young stock and is found in brewer’s yeast, milk powder, and lucerne; D 3 > is manufactured by the birds or supi plied to them through a feeding oil or . synthetic powder; and E is found in . all cereal germs and the food is very seldom deficient in it. [' ■ ' . - .. : . . ■ ■ Grit Grit is very necessary. It is possible for the birds to get along without it to some extent, but there are two kinds of grit and they are required for two different purposes. Lime or oyster-shell grit is required for the calcium which it contains, and this is used not only for egg-shell formation, but also for* bone formation, particularly in the growing bird. A hard grit is required to assist the bird in its digestion. Any kind of hard grit of the right size will do

though a grit with sharp edges such as crushed flint or rock is by far the best.

Green Food

Unfortunately many have got the impression that green food is unnecessary provided the birds are being given some form of synthetic vitamins. As far as the health and production of the birds are concerned this may be true to some extent, but the birds will produce better if given green food as well as the synthetic vitamins. This is a very important point and should be stressed because it is well illustrated by a report on an experiment conducted by the Department. If this report on the need of vitamin A in the diet is carefully studied, it will be found that the birds receiving green food as well as oil produced more eggs than any other pen.

Apart from any other reason green food is necessary for good yolk colour, and though there have been attempts to produce good colour by synthetic means, it has not become a commercial proposition in this country. Even when this does become possible, it will not replace good green food.

Litter Management

With any system of feeding exclusively by hopper, litter management is of the utmost importance. The litter in the house must be kept dry at all times, but if the birds are not fed any grain in the litter, it can be very difficult to keep it in a good friable condition. In these conditions it is vital to fork the litter over two or three times a week. A damp, matted floor is very detrimental not only to egg production, but also to the health and vigour of the birds.

A very good idea is to close up the hoppers at nights and give the birds a grain feed in the litter in the mornings. This will assist considerably in the litter movement. The addition of some lime to the litter will probably prove of more benefit in keeping litter dry than any other single factor, more particularly during winter.

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